Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

" Y ou having second thoughts?"

Declan didn't look over at Aiden Black, the owner of the Night Owl Pub, as he executed a perfect pour of a local beer. "About what?"

"Going back to being a cop. About your interview on Friday. I know you've been trying to pass that physical for a long time, but you're not dancing around here with joy like I thought you'd be. So, yeah, second thoughts?"

Declan set the beer on the bar and took the credit card from the customer. "No."

"Then what's the mood for? I haven't seen you this tense since you first walked in three years ago wanting enough alcohol to kill yourself."

Declan turned to face his boss. Aiden was only a few years older than he was, but had just as much crap in his past as Declan did. Different crap, but still a lot. That's why they got along. Because they both knew how to keep going when they had to. "I didn't want to kill myself."

"I know. But you were in bad shape."

The bar was quiet, as it often was on Monday nights. A few folks were playing darts. One of the pool tables had a game. And there were about five tables that had ordered some appetizers with their drinks. Not much, which was too bad, because Declan wanted to be distracted tonight. "I'm not in that kind of shape."

Aiden leaned on the bar and folded his arms across his chest. Aiden had been a boxer for a brief time in his youth, and he still had the muscles from it. He didn't employ bouncers, because he could take care of anyone who caused trouble. "You're off your game tonight. What's going on?"

Declan ran his hand through his hair. "I made a deal with the woman who lives in my guest house. She's driving me a little nuts."

Aiden's brows went up. "A little? A lot, you mean. What kind of deal?"

"Fake engagement."

Aiden stared at him in surprise, and then burst out laughing. "You're kidding, right?"

"No." Declan grabbed a cloth and started wiping down the bar. "I wanted to get my mom off my back, and she needed a fiancé for work purposes."

"This is the woman who came in here that time because she locked herself out, and she needed a key from you?"

Declan nodded. He'd forgotten about the time Piper had tracked him down. She'd swept into his bar in her business suit, heels, and tight bun, in total control of herself. Cool. Collected. On a mission.

She was so much more than that. He'd had no idea at the time.

"She running you ragged? A control freak? Too much woman for you?"

"She's not a control freak," he shot back. "She's smart, determined, and kind as hell."

Aiden raised his brows, looking surprised. "Is she?"

"Yeah. And she's passionate about her job." Declan paused. "It's inspiring."

Aiden studied him. "Because you used to feel that way, and now you don't? I haven't seen that passion in a long time. "

His friend wasn't wrong, but that didn't matter. Declan shrugged. "It's time. I can feel it."

"You feel it, eh?" Aiden hefted a tray of glasses from under the bar and set them on the counter. "Maybe you're just getting old, and you're feeling arthritis, not a siren call to go back to a job you don't actually want to do."

"I'm not old."

Aiden barked a laugh. "You're limping around here like an old man."

"My knee's getting better." But the minute Declan thought of it, the ache pulsed at him. Shit.

"If it's not the job that's getting to you, and I'm not convinced that it's not, then it's the woman," Aiden said. "Why is she driving you nuts? Because I did notice how quickly you jumped to her defense when I called her a control freak."

Declan glanced at Aiden, who was leaning against the bar as if he was settling in for a long girl talk. "Don't you have work to do?"

"I own the bar. I don't have to work. I just employ scrubs like you to amuse myself. What's going on with the future wife?"

Declan grimaced. "I like kissing her."

Aiden grinned. "That's fantastic. It's been a long time, eh?"

"Yeah." Declan tossed the towel down. "It wasn't supposed to be complicated, but it is."

"Because you like kissing her."

"Yeah."

Aiden paused, watching Declan too carefully. "And you like her ?"

Declan shot a look at Aiden and shrugged. He didn't want to put it into words, but understanding settled on Aiden's face. "If you're interested in her," Aiden said softly, "it means you're ready."

"I'm not interested in anything."

"Until you're ready."

"It's not a matter of being ready. I just don't want to go there. "

Aiden folded his arms over his chest. "I've known you a long time, Declan. You can be a stubborn ass. But sometimes you're also stupid."

Declan said nothing as he began unloading the glasses from the tray Aiden had pulled out from under the counter.

"It sounds to me like she might be exactly what you need. Stop fighting it. Jump in. See what happens. What's the worst that can happen?"

"That I fall in love with her, and she gets shot and dies in my arms." The words fell out before he realized he was saying them, but once they were out, it was too late.

They hung in the air, weighty and thick, taking up the oxygen like a thief.

"Hiding from possible loss isn't living," Aiden said finally. "And it's an insult to those who don't get to live. If you're interested in Piper, then you need to honor that. Don't kick yourself in the ass or try to crush the light that's trying to come back to life. Go with it. You owe yourself that. Just allow yourself to live your truth."

Declan braced his hands on the counter and let out his breath. "I don't want to."

"Yes, you do, or you wouldn't be having the response to her that you're having—" Aiden laughed softly. "Speak of the devil. Blue dress and everything."

Declan looked sharply to the door, and sucked in his breath when he saw Piper walking into the bar. She was wearing a blue dress that fit her like it was best friends with every curve on her. But in a fashion statement that was adorable, she was wearing sneakers and carrying a gray hooded sweatshirt on her arm.

She scanned the bar, and when her gaze fell on him, relief flashed across her face.

Something was wrong. He knew it.