Chapter 20

While Renee drove the rest of the way, Declan read to her from their book. By the time they reached home, they only had a couple of chapters left. As soon as the car was parked, Sadie came running out of the house yelling for her mom.

Declan grabbed the bags from the back and let Renee have the fun of giving Sadie the candy she'd bought. Sadie talked a mile a minute, wanting to know all about the wedding. When they got to the door, Geri held it open so he could pass.

"Have a good weekend?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was fun. How about yours?"

"I had a great time with Sadie. Did you by chance punch her father in the face?"

Declan chuckled as he set the bags down in the living room. "Sorry to disappoint you. I was on my best behavior."

"Since it was a wedding, I guess I'll have to let it pass."

Renee and Sadie came through the door. Sadie ran up and looked at Geri. "Declan got me special mermaid suckers. Want one?"

"No, thanks," Geri said. "You save them for yourself. But thank you for asking."

Renee cleared her throat, and Sadie shot her an impatient glance. She looked so much like her mother, Declan smiled.

Sadie wrapped her arms around his legs. "Thank you for the candy."

He placed his hand on her head, her soft curls tickling his palm. "Any time, sweetheart."

"Can we have pizza for dinner?"

Renee groaned. "Is Declan the one you should be asking?"

"He likes pizza."

Declan chuckled. "I don't think she's asking me permission as much as trying to get me on her side."

"Smart girl," Geri said. "Wear Mom down with an ally."

Renee rolled her eyes. "That's fine. I don't feel like cooking anyway." Grabbing her bag, she turned toward her room. "I'm going to unpack. Mom, are you staying for dinner?"

"No. I'm going to head home."

Renee dropped her bag and gave her mom a hug. "Thanks for staying with Sadie."

"Never a problem. Let me grab my things from your room."

Declan took his bag to his room and dropped it on the bed. When he unzipped it, he realized the bag only held the clean clothes they'd brought and not worn. He pulled Renee's clothes out and did his best not to notice the pink, lacy underwear as he stacked it in a pile to return to her.

When he got to her room, he knocked on the doorframe. "These are yours."

She looked over her shoulder. "Sorry. When I was packing up this morning, I figured it made more sense to put all the dirty clothes together, so I shoved them all in my bag. I forgot to tell you."

He set her clean clothes on the bed. "Want to give me my dirty stuff?"

"I was going to throw in a load. Except your suit. I'll drop that at the dry cleaner tomorrow when I take in my dress."

"I can handle my own stuff."

"I'm going there anyway. And you only had the suit because you were doing me a favor."

He sighed. "I think we're past the favor shit, don't you think? I went with you because I wanted to."

Sadie came running in at that moment, effectively cutting off any rebuttal Renee had. She jumped up on Renee's bed.

"Did you have a good time with Grandma?" Renee asked.

"Yeah. We painted our nails." She held up her little hands to show off blue nail polish that was already chipping away. "And we read Matilda, but she's not as good as you."

"Your mom is a really good reader, right?"

"Yeah. Are you a good reader?" Sadie asked.

"I'm not as good as your mom."

"Yeah, he is," Renee added. "I'm not sure if he can do voices though."

She tossed all their dirty clothes into a basket, and Declan took it from her. "I'll throw these in. Hang out with your kid."

He started the laundry and then sat in his room, drawing up the design for the jungle gym he was planning for Sadie. He should've probably told Renee about his plan, but she would tell him it would have to wait. He had the resources to make it happen now—with his brothers' help—so there was no reason for Sadie to have to wait.

Renee yelled when the pizza arrived and the three of them sat around the table eating and talking. It was like having a second family. Growing up with Tyler and Renee had been like this. He'd forgotten what it felt like. But Geri had always welcomed him to hang out at their house, eat meals, spend the night, whatever.

After dinner, he finished his sketch for the yard and estimated the materials he still needed to get that he didn't have from Ronan. He snapped a picture and sent it to Ronan to get his input.

That's a lot of playground for one kid.

Declan smiled.

Yeah, but she'll be the envy of the neighborhood.

Got me there. It would've been awesome to have this as a kid.

Can you check the estimate I have for price? I want to make sure I'm in the ballpark.

I have some more stuff for you that'll knock it down a little.

Are you still available this weekend? Sadie is supposed to be with her dad and I want to surprise her.

You're really involved with this kid.

She's practically family.

You better remember this when I start having kids.

Something you want to tell me?

Not yet. But when you find the right person, you know.

Declan wasn't sure he'd ever know. He'd never given thought to a permanent relationship. Wanting more from a person didn't occur to him. Until now. He liked how he felt with Renee and Sadie.

Does Saturday work?

Only if we start early. None of that starting after lunch shit.

I don't do that. At least not anymore. I'll be ready.

I'll be there at 7.

Thanks, man.

No problem.

He had everything lined up. Sadie would be ecstatic. She'd be swinging like a monkey on her own in no time. And with any luck, Sadie's happiness would keep Renee from being mad at him.

He went to the kitchen to get something to drink and Sadie came in.

"Good night," she said.

He squatted to get a hug. Once her arms were wrapped around his neck, he stood, letting her body swing from him. She squealed in delight, so he walked like that to her bedroom, and Renee followed.

"Can you read to me?" she asked as he plopped her on the bed.

"Uh..."

She looked at her mom. "You said he's a good reader."

"He is," Renee said, climbing to get off the bed. She held out a book to him.

"You know, Sadie, your mom really missed you this weekend, so how about you let her read tonight and I'll do a different night this week."

"Promise?"

"Promise." He kissed her on the head and said good night again.

He went to the kitchen to grab the can of pop he took from the fridge and went back to the living room. He heard Renee's quiet voice reading. He couldn't make out the words, but it was a soothing sound regardless. When she came to the living room, he held up his phone. "Ready for our story time?"

"What?"

"We have the last couple of chapters of Nick's book."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Why not?"

"Because reading together is how this—" she waved a hand between them— "started."

"And before this weekend, we managed to read together right here on the couch without anything happening."

"I don't know."

"Come on. I want to see how it ends. What sense does it make for us to go to separate rooms to read the same thing? Look. I'll sit all the way in this corner and you can sit over there. I won't be able to touch you."

"Fine." She crossed the room and sat in the opposite corner, pulling her feet up in front of her.

"I guess I'm reading tonight?"

"You have it out."

He opened the book and picked up where they left off. Nick was groveling and trying to convince Sophia that she belonged with him. He forced his voice to remain calm, even though the storyline was hitting a little too close to home. These two people were so clearly right for each other, but the emotions were wild, and Sophia couldn't see that she could trust him. Declan began to wonder how the author would pull this off.

Renee released a wide yawn.

"You want to stop?"

"No. We gotta be close to the end."

He continued, and the book ended with Sophia dragging Nick off to bed. Renee sighed. Or maybe it was another yawn.

"That was so good."

"Yeah, it was."

"I'm going to bed. Back to regular routines tomorrow."

Declan rose. "Think about me when you drift off."

"I'll be thinking about Nick." She smirked.

"You keep telling yourself that. We both know I'm better than a fictional character."

"Says who? I have an incredible imagination."

"Let me know when you need another demonstration."

She huffed. "This is not conducive to being just friends. Please don't make this hard."

"That's what he said."

She laughed, as he'd wanted her to.

"I don't want things to be weird between us. I think we can have more of what we had this weekend. But I can respect you not wanting to pursue it."

"Thank you."

"Doesn't mean I won't make the occasional joke, though."

"I can probably live with that."

He hoped he could.

Renee could hardly believe it, but Declan was true to his word. He worked on her house during the day—current job: painting the bathroom—and they continued to hang out in the evenings after Sadie went to bed. Some nights they read together, and other nights they watched TV. But he didn't try to convince her to have sex. He didn't attempt to touch her or kiss her.

And yet...there was something about the way he looked at her. When their eyes met across the table while listening to Sadie tell them about her day. Or when things were heating up between the characters they read about. The look told her he still wanted her. Wanted them to be more than a weekend.

But she was conflicted. Nothing had changed about her arguments for why it was a bad idea. The more she thought about it, the more she was worried about the upcoming weekend. Sadie would be with Graham and Renee wouldn't have the buffer of her five-year-old to save her. Maybe she should make plans to get out of the house and keep busy. Keep her mind off her libido and desire to be naked with Declan again.

The feelings would fade.

They'd spent the last five days in this friendship pattern and it felt like she had it handled. But now it was Friday and Graham was on his way over to pick up Sadie, so they would be alone. They hadn't really been alone since they'd gotten back from the wedding, so this would kind of be a test.

At five-thirty Graham was at the door and Sadie was jumping up and down, excited to hang out with her father. Renee opened the door. "Hi."

"Daddy!" Sadie scooted around Renee's legs.

Graham scooped her up and kissed her cheek. "Ready to go?"

"Yep."

Renee leaned forward and kissed Sadie's head. "Have fun." Looking at Graham, she added, "See you Sunday."

He nodded but didn't say anything else. Renee went back in and straightened up the kitchen. Declan came from the bathroom carrying a paintbrush and roller. "Bathroom is done. Want to check it out?"

"I'm sure it looks good." She took the paint supplies from him and began cleaning them in the sink. "Got plans for tonight?"

"Not really. Why?"

"Just wondering if you're going to be around for dinner."

"Let's go out."

"Out?"

"Yeah, you know, grab some burgers and beers."

She thought about it as she scrubbed the brush. Friends went out to dinner together. It might be good to get out of the house. "Sure. Got a place in mind?"

He leaned against the counter and shrugged. "We can find someplace. Maybe we can find a karaoke night."

"Hell no."

"Come on. You were good."

"I wasn't and I'm not about to embarrass myself again. Food and drinks. That's all." She squeezed the brush out and set it on the edge of the sink.

"Whatever you say, boss. I'm going to go clean up. Is it okay if I use your bathroom?"

"Of course."

He disappeared to shower and she finished the paint cleanup. While he was gone, she looked at the other bathroom. It looked good. The light bluish-gray paint brightened the room, which wasn't a difficult task considering it had been a murky green color. However, now that the walls looked good, the age of the vanity and medicine cabinet was painfully obvious. Maybe she'd look into replacing them.

It seemed like every small project grew in scope no matter what.

While Declan was getting ready, she went to her room and changed her clothes. Nothing fancy—this wasn't a date—but she didn't want to be a slob either.

When Declan came out, his hair was damp and probably finger-combed, messy on top and falling a little on his forehead. He wore jeans and a T-shirt, so he wasn't looking at this like a date. They were on the same page.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm hungry. Hope you have someplace good in mind."

"Why don't you pick?"

"I never go out. I don't know what's good."

He huffed. "Fine. Let's go."

She grabbed her keys, but he held out his hand. She looked at his outstretched hand.

"It makes sense for me to drive since I'm choosing."

"Fine." She set the keys in his palm. His fingers curled around them, brushing along her hand. Tingles of awareness shimmied up her arm, but she shoved the feelings down.

Declan smiled and turned to the front door. He held it open for her. On the way to the restaurant, they chatted about Sadie and projects on the house. When he pulled into the parking lot, she laughed. "You've got to be kidding. A country bar?"

"Trust me. They have the best burgers. Plus, you might enjoy the music."

She halfway rolled her eyes. This was what she got for telling him to pick. She couldn't complain now.

Inside, the music was loud but not obnoxious. She followed Declan to a table near the back. A table near a dance floor. He couldn't possibly think...No. They were friends having a drink and burgers. No dancing. Definitely no slow dancing. The last thing she needed was to be in his arms.

When their burgers arrived, she jumped in. After two bites, he asked, "So what do you think?"

"I think this is one of the best burgers I've ever had." She pointed to the dance floor. "The entertainment's not bad, either."

A group started a line dance. They were fun to watch, even though they were a little messy. They were enjoying themselves, and that's what made it fun.

"We should give it a try."

"I don't know how to do that." She took another bite of her burger.

He said nothing else but dug into his own food. "Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

"No plans. Job hunt. Work. Nothing exciting."

"You should take the day off. Go out and do something fun. You're always working."

"I do what I need to do."

"You should take a spa day or something."

She barked out a laugh. "Do you know me? I've never done a spa day in my life."

"All the more reason to."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

As she had the thought, her brain scrambled. A spa day wouldn't last into the night, so he wasn't planning a party or an overnight guest. What was he up to?

"No. Why would I want to get rid of you?"

He got dodgy after that. Renee's mom sense was on high alert. He was up to something. Declan focused on his burger and waved the server over for another round of beers.

"What's your plan for the weekend?

"I'm gonna work on my to-do list for the house."

"I told you before that I don't expect you to work weekends. You should go have fun."

"I'm going to." He grinned.

After a swig of beer, she set her bottle down. "I don't like surprises."

"Noted."

"I'm serious, Declan. Don't do some crazy bullshit and think I'm going to be cool with it."

He sat back in his chair, took a drink of his beer, and sighed. "You should trust me more. I surprised you with an awesome mural in Sadie's room, right? What do you think I'm going to do?"

He was right, of course, and it made her feel like an ass for accusing him, but she didn't like not knowing what was going on.

As if sensing her discomfort, he leaned forward again and grabbed her hand. "I promise I'm not going to mess with the house. At all. I just have a side project I'm working on."

She wanted to feel relieved, but he was right—she didn't quite trust him.

"Come on. Let's go dance."

"Nuh-uh."

He rose, still holding her hand, and yanked her from her chair. He pulled her to the dance floor and they joined a line dance mid-stride. She did her best to follow along, but she made a mess of it. Declan's rhythm was way better than hers, but he didn't care. By the end of the song, they were laughing.

The music switched and a slow song came on. She turned to go back to the table, but he tugged her back into his arms.

"Afraid of a little dance with me?"

Yes, the voice in her head screamed. "Of course not." And she allowed him to pull her closer. She had no idea what the song was about. Her thoughts were consumed by the feel of his arms around her, the press of his palm against her lower back, the rise and fall of his chest against hers.

Fuck. She was in too deep. This was such a mess. But rather than pull away, she simply closed her eyes and swayed to the music.