Chapter 35

Declan was feeling good about his life right now. He'd finished all the work on Renee's house. At least until she was ready for a new kitchen. And if he had his way, he'd build it all himself like he had for Ronan.

He was dog-ass tired from trying to get everything done for Renee and running around visiting prospective jobs for him and Ronan. Unfortunately, that meant he and Renee hadn't had as much time together. He'd even fallen asleep one night while they were reading.

Renee had spent days working on making Sadie's costume for Halloween. Sadie insisted on being Super Sadie like the mural Gavin had painted on her wall.

He just came in from the garage after organizing the extra materials they had for the house when Sadie came in from school.

"Guess what?" she asked.

"What?"

"You're supposed to guess."

"Can you give me a hint?"

"It's about Halloween."

"Mom finished your costume?"

"Yeah, but we're putting on a show at school. And I get to wear my costume."

"Awesome."

"Will you come? They said we can invite our families."

Right then, he felt like the Grinch with his heart growing three sizes. Sadie considers me family.

Renee trudged in carrying Sadie's backpack. "Your bag is your job to take care of, Sadie."

"Sorry. I was excited to invite Declan to my show."

Renee's eyes shot to his. She looked panicked.

"You know, Sadie, my lady, I would love to see your show, but I don't want to take your dad's ticket. He probably really wants to come."

"My teacher said I can invite everyone. Mom, Dad, Grandma, and you!"

"Then name the time and place, and I'm there."

"Mom knows." Then she took off to her room.

"Sorry about that," Renee said.

"What?"

"You don't have to come. It's silly little show. The room will be crowded. She won't know."

His heart deflated. "Do you not want me to come?"

"No. It's not that. I just..."

"If Sadie wants me there, I'll be there."

"You're busy trying to get your new company off the ground. This is going to be in the middle of your day."

"So I'll carve out the time. Let me know when."

Renee was already worked up, so now was probably not the best time to bring up moving out, but he felt the itch to keep the forward momentum. Staying here would make him feel like a sponge. And he knew Renee wouldn't take rent from him.

Neither would his mother, but she was Mom.

"As long as Sadie's busy, can we talk for a few minutes?"

"Sure," she said warily.

He took her hand. "You're right. Things are a bit hectic with all the running around. But things here are done."

She nodded.

"So..." His words disappeared as he looked into her beautiful face. "It's time for me to move out. I got you to the point where your home isn't as ugly, and I've got a plan."

"There's no rush, Declan. You can stay as long as you need to. I have the space."

"So does my mom. Plus, I think she's lonely without any of us at home. I'm going to move in there for a while until Ronan and I get things going."

"If you're sure."

"I am." He kissed her lips. "But thanks for everything."

"What are you thanking me for? I think I got the better end of the deal."

He laughed. She had no idea how much better his life was for having her in it. "What's the best way to tell Sadie?"

"I can tell her."

"No. I will. Should I tell her now?"

"The sooner the better. That way she has time to adjust. We're used to having you around."

"I won't be far." He kissed her again and went to talk to Sadie.

He found her in her room, practicing Super Sadie poses. She was such an amazing kid. He loved her. "Hey, can we talk?"

She stopped and narrowed her eyes, looking a whole lot like her mom.

"Come here," he said as he sat on the edge of her bed.

She hopped up next to him and stared expectantly.

Damn, this was gonna be hard. "You know how before I lived here, Uncle Ty did?"

"Yeah."

"And Uncle Ty moved out to his own place?"

"Yeah."

"Well, now that I did most of the work your mom needed done on the house, like the windows and the painting?—"

"And my jungle gym!"

"Yep. It's time for me to move out."

"Why?"

"Because I was living here to help your mom."

"But I like having you here."

"I like being here."

"So stay." She leaned close and whispered, "Mom likes you being here way more than Uncle Ty."

Declan laughed. "I know. And I'll be back."

"To take me to breakfast?"

"Absolutely." And a whole lot more. But he couldn't say that yet.

"Will you still come to my Halloween show?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

"Where are you gonna live? Can I come visit you like I visit Uncle Ty?"

"I'm going to live with my mom for a little while. And you can come visit whenever your mom says it's okay. I bet my mom would love to meet you."

"Cool." She hopped off the bed. "I'm hungry."

"I'm sure your mom has a snack." It was funny. He didn't have to think about it. He just knew part of Sadie's afternoon routine was to have a small snack after school. Renee was probably cutting up an apple now.

Weird. But it felt right.

Two days later, a truck Renee didn't recognize rumbled up to the house and Declan got out. When he came in, she asked, "What's that?"

"The first truck in Doyle Brothers Construction's fleet," he answered with a huge grin.

"Fleet, huh?"

"Everyone's gotta start somewhere. I'm manifesting that shit."

She chuckled. "What's your plan this afternoon? I thought you had job to do."

"I do. I figured I'd pack up and get my stuff out of your way. If you want, I can help you rearrange the bedroom so it can be a real office for you."

"I don't need an office. And you really are welcome to stay as long as you need." She wanted to ask him to stay, but that would feel too much like she needed him. And she'd promised herself a long time ago she would never need a man again.

"Thanks for the offer. But Ronan lives in the same neighborhood as my mom, so it'll be a little easier for us to get together."

"Okay. You need any help?" She knew he didn't. The man had arrived with one bag.

"Nah. Go back to whatever you got going on."

Renee tried to focus on work. She had a job interview later this week she wanted to do some more prep for. But knowing Declan was two rooms away packing up his things to leave gutted her.

She looked around the living room and dining room. The space had totally changed with the facelift Declan had given it. The warm yellow color made it new and fresh. And homey. He'd made some magic here.

He'd had the same effect on her life.

Since being with him, she felt even more capable. Ready to handle a new job. Maybe she'd tackle dating again. He'd made it seem a lot easier.

A little while later, Declan came back with his bag slung over his shoulder.

"I put the sheets in the wash."

"You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, I did."

"I guess I'll see you around."

His brow wrinkled. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Why?"

"I have my breakfast date with Sadie." His look made her feel dumb.

"Oh. I?—"

He held up a hand. "Do me a favor and don't finish that statement. I promised her. This isn't finished. I have a lot going on with the new company, but I won't flake on her."

She took a breath to stop herself from arguing. "Okay."

She really wanted to believe he'd keep his promises to Sadie.

"Don't forget to send me the Halloween information."

"I'll do it right now." She pulled her phone out and began texting

As he passed her, he kissed the top of her head. "See you in the morning."

Declan thought walking out of Renee's house was one of the toughest things he'd had to do. He knew she doubted he'd stick. He wanted to confront that. Push her up against the wall and show her that he wasn't going anywhere.

If he'd done that, he would've been tempted to stay. And they wouldn't be able to move forward as equal partners. He needed to prove he could stand on his own so she'd take him seriously.

But as hard as leaving yesterday was, coming back to pick up Sadie was harder. Waking up and knowing he couldn't stroll to the other side of the house to scoop her up and fly her around hit hard. When he got to the house, he rang the bell. He heard Sadie yelling through the house.

She swung the door open and Renee came running up behind her.

"I told you not to open the door. You didn't know who it was."

Sadie looked over her shoulder. "Yeah, I did. It's Declan."

Looking up at him, Renee added, "Declan has a key, so he shouldn't be ringing the doorbell."

"I didn't want to assume I should use the key. What if you were dancing around naked?"

Sadie giggled. "Mom doesn't do that."

"You're right. Go get your jacket. It's too cold for just a sweatshirt."

Renee stepped back so he could come inside. Her arms were crossed. It was the most damn awkward he'd ever been around her.

"Something wrong?"

"No." She looked up at him.

"Hey, I need your car seat for Sadie."

"You can take my car if you want."

"I promised Sadie she could ride in my new truck. It has a back seat so she'll be safe."

"If I didn't think you would keep her safe, she wouldn't going with you," she said with a smile.

It made him feel a little better.

Sadie came running back wearing her coat. "Ready!"

"If you unlock your car, I'll grab the seat."

She reached around and pressed the button for her car.

"Bye, Mom," Sadie yelled as she ran out toward his truck.

"Uh, I'll have her back soon."

Rene rolled her eyes. "No rush. I mean, extra time in a quiet house. Whatever will I do?"

His mind flipped through a few things they could do in a quiet house. "French toast today?"

"You don't need to bring me breakfast."

"I know."

He went out and transferred the car seat into his truck. On the way to Super Cup, Sadie filled the silence.

While they ate breakfast, Declan's mind wandered to thoughts of doing this long-term. He liked the idea of having this special time with Sadie. He didn't understand how Graham thought this was tough.

When he dropped Sadie off, he moved the car seat back, and as much as he wanted to go in and hang out with Renee, he needed to get moving on his day. He had a full schedule of appointments for quotes. Then he was meeting Ronan to talk about business stuff.

He just hoped Renee would understand why he was doing this.