14. Ayla

Chapter 14

Ayla

T he bed was so warm when I awoke that I didn’t want to get up. Maybe it was because Declan’s arm was wrapped around my waist, holding me close to his body. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this happy.

I moved my leg just a tiny bit to stretch and Declan squeezed me tighter.

“You can’t leave,” he teased, kissing the back of my neck.

“Believe me, I don’t want to.” I snuggled into him. “But my stomach won’t let me stay in bed. After last night, I think I burned off a million calories.”

His chest vibrated against my back as he laughed. “Yeah, I’m hungry, too.”

I turned around in his arms, loving how relaxed he looked with his hair in disarray and the sun shining on his face through the blinds. It was as if he was a different person.

“Do we want to go out to breakfast, or do you, by chance, have any food in your refrigerator?” I asked curiously.

He smirked. “I have eggs and bacon. It’s what I eat every morning.”

My smile widened. I felt so connected to him, especially now that I’m finding out we have so many things in common.

“Same,” I said, staring at him in awe. “But sometimes I’ll throw in a blueberry muffin.”

I slid out of bed—still naked from last night—and looked down at my rain-soaked clothes in the corner. “Um, do you happen to have . . .”

Declan chuckled when I turned to face him. He pointed over at his dresser. “I have plenty of T-shirts and boxers in there. Take whatever you want.”

I opened his drawers and picked out the first T-shirt and pair of boxers I could find. With him still naked in bed, I knew I could use those few minutes to get into his kitchen and find that recipe Linda wanted me to get.

“I’m going to make us some breakfast,” I said, slipping on his clothes and focusing back on him. “Is that okay? Or do you want to go out?”

His smile made my whole body tighten. If I wasn’t so hungry, I would hop back in bed and demand another round in the sheets.

“I’m good with us eating in.” He sat up and patted the space beside him. “But first, there’s something I want to tell you. I was going to tell you last night, but we got a little busy. It’s one of the reasons why you found me out in the rain.”

I sat down and he rested a hand on my thigh, his gaze on his fingers as they made circles on my skin. “When Elijah died, I pretty much ran away from New York. I wanted to avoid anyone and everyone I knew. The last thing I wanted to see was disappointment and blame on their faces.” His eyes lifted to mine. “My parents were the main ones. I thought they would blame me for not protecting Elijah.” Before I could speak, he shook his head, saying quickly. “They don’t blame me, Ayla. I talked to my mother yesterday for the first time in I don’t know how long. Now that I’ve spoken to her, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. My parents don’t blame me at all.”

I placed a hand over his. “That’s great, Declan. I’m glad you were able to talk to your mom. ”

He nodded. “Me too.” Then his smile broadened. “And speaking of my mom, she wants to come down with my dad and visit. I told her about you. She wants to meet you.”

Excitement bubbled in my chest. “You want me to meet your parents? Isn’t that kind of serious for you?”

Declan wrapped his fingers through mine. “It is.”

“So, what does that make us?” I asked, hoping he couldn’t hear my heart’s erratic beating.

His eyes never wavered from mine. “I would love for you to be mine, Ayla. That is, if it’s what you want.”

My heart felt like it was about to explode with happiness. I leaned down and kissed him. “It’s definitely what I want.”

“Good,” he said, kissing me again.

The room erupted with the loud gurgling sound of my starving stomach. Declan laughed and nudged me off the bed. “Okay, okay, I won’t keep you any longer. I’ll be down in a few minutes to help you with breakfast and make some coffee.”

“No rush,” I replied, hurrying to the door with my phone in hand.

When I got into the kitchen, I could feel my pulse racing. I could hear Declan’s footsteps upstairs as he hopped out of bed. There wasn’t much time for me to snoop. I started on one end of his kitchen and opened the drawers. Linda had said the recipe would be in a drawer.

The first one I opened contained silverware, while the second one had knives, spatulas, and big spoons. I moved down the line of drawers to find dishrags, hand towels, and one filled with pens, notepads, and various oddities like nails and bolts.

Declan’s footsteps thumped down the stairs and I had only one drawer left to search through. I opened it quickly and I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest. Papers were scattered all inside of it and they were all recipes. I rummaged through them and held back my squeal when I found the one that said Grandma’s Coconut Cake .

I quickly took a picture of the recipe and texted it to Linda. The mission had been completed. A few seconds later, Linda replied to my text.

Linda: I knew you could do it. Hope you two had a good night.

My cheeks burned hot and I smiled. It wasn’t going to be long before everyone in the neighborhood knew I spent the night at Declan’s. We were going to be the talk of the town .

Declan strolled into the kitchen, shirtless and wearing jeans that hung low on his waist. While he worked on the coffee, I pulled out the eggs and bacon from the refrigerator. It didn’t take long for the whole kitchen to smell like the brewing coffee. It was heavenly.

“What kind of coffee is that?” I asked, scrambling up the eggs in a pan while I had the bacon in another.

Declan poured me some in a mug and handed it to me. “Hawaiian coconut. You’ll love it.”

I loved flavored coffees, but I’d never tried that one before. It was steaming hot, so I blew it off for a few seconds and then took a sip.

“Oh, my God,” I marveled, trying to savor the first sip. This coffee is amazing.” The coconut flavor practically bursts into my mouth. Declan stared into his cup with a triumphant smile. “Why are you smiling like that?” I questioned. It was as if he was part of a secret I wasn’t privy to.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh, I don’t know. But I’m sure my mother will love you if you tell her that.” Declan grabbed the bag of coffee off his counter and handed it to me. Bean Haven was the brand.

I opened the bag and breathed in the scent. “I could literally smell this all day. Is it your mom’s favorite or something? I’ve never heard of the brand before.”

“Oh, it is her favorite,” he said, grinning mischievously. “She created it.”

My mouth dropped in shock. “Are you seriously saying she made this coffee?”

He nodded and I could see the pride on his face. “After my mom retired from being an accountant, she and a couple of her friends decided to create their own coffee brand. Their coffees are in several shops in New York, but she’s hoping to expand.”

I took another sip and moaned at how good it was. “The people here would love it. I’ll buy a bunch of K-cups for the lounge at the clinic. And I can always talk to Dolly, the owner of the Magnolia Mart, about selling it in her store.”

Declan set his mug down on the counter and walked over to me. “You’d do that?”

I turned the stove burners off since the eggs and bacon were done, and I folded my arms around his neck. “Of course, I would. You know if you brew coffee like this every morning, I’ll have to come over and drink it. You’ll never be able to get rid of me.”

He chuckled. “I’d love that. Although I’m a little upset the reason you want to be here is because of the coffee and not me.”

I nipped his lip and kissed him. “I’m sure you’ll live.”

His arms tightened around me; his gaze was serious when he looked into my eyes. “Last night was the first time I didn’t have a nightmare. I haven’t felt this amazing in a long time.”

“It’s because you had me beside you all night,” I said with a wink. “I kept the bad dreams away.”

There wasn’t a hint of teasing on his face when he replied. “I honestly think you did.”

We stared at each other for a few seconds, and then a wonderful idea came to mind. There was nothing wrong with spending copious amounts of time in Magnolia Grove, but I figured it’d be good to get away from our small town’s prying eyes for a few days. Plus, Declan and I could use some fun.

“So, I just had a thought,” I added, grinning with excitement.

Declan’s brows lifted. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well, my office is still closed, and we don’t open back up until Monday. That gives us a four-day weekend right now. Why don’t we go to North Carolina? I can introduce you to my best friend and we can go out and have fun. ”

He shook his head and chuckled. “Other than last night, I can’t remember the last time I actually went out and had fun.”

“Then it’s settled.” I kissed him quickly and let him go.

We needed to eat breakfast and get the first flight out of Alabama to Charlotte, NC. Surprising Kat and being able to see her was going to be epic, but spending the time away with Declan would be even better.