by Anna Brooks
Nik reaches him and pushes him away, whispering in his ear and nodding toward me. Declan’s chest rises and falls so hard I can see the movement from over here, and his eyes blaze into me, searching every inch of my body and darkening with every new scrape he finds.
“Oh, shit.” Meara squeezes my hand really hard, and I tear my gaze away from the scene in front of me to see a different kind of panic on her face. “My water just broke.”
My eyes widen, and I look down at the puddle of water on Declan’s porch. “Oh, my God.”
“Oh, my God,” she repeats.
“Dec!” We both scream, and Declan and Nik reach us in a matter of seconds. “Her water broke,” I shout even though he’s right in front of me.
“Honey, Jesus.” Dec pulls me to him, and I wince when my arms rub against the fabric of his shirt.
Nik shouts commands, and suddenly a paramedic jogs over with a gurney.
“Hop on, sweet thing. Let’s go have a baby,” the older woman with a Southern accent says to Meara.
“Hey, Fran.” Meara smiles, somehow knowing the paramedic, but then she flinches and grabs her stomach.
“Dec, go with your sister.”
“No, he needs to stay with you.” Meara offers a smile through her pain, and it’s enough for me. She may not have forgiven me, but it’s at least a mustard seed of hope that she doesn’t loathe me anymore. Meara lets go of my hand and takes Nik’s as he helps her on to the stretcher. The paramedics and Nik speed walk to the ambulance, and I breathe a sigh of relief when they drive away, knowing she’s in good hands right now.
Another paramedic appears out of nowhere and kneels down, opens a kit and dons rubber gloves. Officer Simmons asks me questions, and I try to answer him as the paramedic picks glass out of my arm. A whirlwind of activity makes me dizzy, but I stare into Declan’s eyes. His determined and loving hazel eyes look into my own, telling me how much he loves me with more than words.
He did everything he could. Got an alarm on the house, had Nik pick me up when he couldn’t. I know he’s blaming himself right now, but he couldn’t be more wrong. It’s not his fault I got hurt. He’s the reason I’m finally, finally healed.
Chapter 18
Declan
AMIE’S SO STRONG. SHE shook off any pain or anger or fear from what had happened with Larry the entire time we were at the hospital waiting for my sister to give birth. When we went into the room and saw Liam and Meara’s brand new baby girl, Melody Lee, the same middle name as Amie’s, she only smiled, wiped her teary eyes, and hugged my sister.
“You saved me, saved us,” Meara said into Amie’s hair.
“He was there because of me. It was my fault—”
“You risked your life for me. I’ll never forget that.”
Amie blew it off as if it were nothing, but I found out the truth from Meara right then and there. Just how brave Amie was and what she did to potentially save my sister’s life.
Amie and I made love late last night and this morning too. We came together, and I held her, too afraid to admit how fucking scared I was when I got the alert on my phone that the panic button went off yesterday. I drove as fast as I could, and my eyes got blurry when I pulled up and saw all the flashing lights.
The moment I spotted my woman, the fucking love of my life, alive and breathing but with blood all over her and scratches on her body, I lost it. That fucker dared to come into my house and attack my girl… again. Thank the dear Lord that I also had Nik alerted if it went off. If he hadn’t gotten there when he did, who knows what could have happened to Amie? Or Meara.
If they hadn’t pulled me off Larry, I would have killed him. I know it. I’d have beaten him until his brain bled out and I would have gladly watched as the blood leaked from his ears. But they did, fortunately for him, and honestly, I was glad because jail isn’t where I need to be. I was assured that since he was already a wanted man, he was going to be going away for a long time.
I’m sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for Amie to finish getting ready so she can go to work, against my insistence that she take a day off. She was attacked yesterday, for Christ’s sake, but she said she’s already missed enough work and needs to get back to normal.
I figure this—me waiting downstairs for her with a bagel and coffee—is her new normal. It’s perfect. I’m feeding Clover some mushy banana crap, and when Amie turns the corner and sees us, she smiles.
“Hey.” She leans over and kisses me, and then pinches Clover’s cheeks. “Morning, little girl.”
Clover smiles and attempts to make some kind of noise. Instead, she ends up spitting food all over my face. Amie laughs, which makes Clover flail her arms, hitting the bowl of food, and that flies across the room, too.
Amie grabs her bagel and travel mug of coffee then blows a kiss at me. “Have fun cleaning up.”
“Woman. Come say goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
“Amie,” I growl.
“No way, you’re full of banana mush. Love you!”
She giggles and runs outside, but I catch up to her right as she’s about to reach her car. I turn her and push her against the driver’s door. My hand gently cups the side of her sore face, and my lips find her smirking ones. She thinks she’s cute, and by God, she is. I love seeing her silly personality back… just one of the billion things I love about her.
I demand more from her soft lips, stroking my tongue along them and nipping at them. She sighs and parts her mouth, finally giving in to me. I eagerly delve in, and when the warmth of her tongue strokes against mine, I deepen the kiss. I tilt her head so I can get more, even though it’ll never be enough to satisfy me. I’ve missed too much to ever get my fill of everything that she is.
She grabs my shirt and wraps a leg around my waist as I push against her, the heat from her core burning through my thin track pants and right against my dick.
This immediate reaction, the way I get a fuckin’ boner just by looking at her, was not something I thought I’d ever have again. I figured that when we were dating and teenagers, it was hormones. I mean, she’s smokin’ hot, but I’ve been around many smokin’ hot women before, and none of them, ever, made me stand up and salute just by breathing.
“Mmm, honey,” I murmur against her lips and stroke the outside of the leg wrapped around me. “That’s how you say goodbye to me.” I give her one more peck, pry her leg off, and then open her car door. “Have a good day.”
* * *
Clover and I hang out around the house all day. We eat lunch together and then take a nap together. I know I should put her in her crib, but when she falls asleep on my chest, I can’t bear to move her. My arms rest around her back, securing her in place.
She wakes me up by kicking my stomach, and I smile at her sweet little face. “Have a good nap, baby girl?”
Her answer is a jumbled mess of sounds, but I talk back as if we’re having a normal conversation. “Yes, I did too. Thank you for asking.”
I change her diaper and set her in her playpen so I can grab my phone to check messages. Zack, one of the bartenders, texted that he’s sick with the flu and won’t be in tonight. Since Meara is officially on maternity leave, all the responsibility of the pub falls to me now.
Dialing Amie, I hope that maybe I’ve caught her when she can talk. Her voicemail picks up, so I leave a message. “Hey, honey. Give me a call when you can. I need to go in tonight and want to make sure it’s okay that you have Clover.”
I grab Clover and put a light jacket on her so she won’t get cold outside. It’s beginning to get cold, but we’re having one of the last nice days before the temperature drops. Once I have her buckled in her stroller, I lock the door behind me and pull back her stroller shade. It’s cloudy out today, but I still like to get outside and get some fresh air when it’s not too cold.
As I reach the end of the block, it begins to sprinkle a bit, but I continue walking. By the time I get around the next corner, the sky has opened up, and it’s pou
ring. I laugh as I jog and put the shade back up so Clover doesn’t get soaked. When we get to the front of the house, I unbuckle her, and my heart stretches at the laughter on her face.
“You think this is funny?”
She looks up, and when rain hits her in the face, she giggles even louder. My hands grip her small body a little tighter than normal so she doesn’t slide through them since everything is wet. When I get her out of the stroller, she kicks her legs and waves her arms around, loving the storm. She laughs so hard her little lips darken a shade before she takes a breath, and I push the stroller out of the way and sit down with her on the soaking wet walkway.
Her feet kick in the small puddles, and each time, she laughs harder. When she looks up and squeezes her eyes shut, I await the cry, but my little girl’s nothing but smiles. She’s discovered rain, and apparently, she loves it… The simplest thing has made her crack up the most she ever has in her life.
The pelts of water fall down on both of us, and if I weren’t alone, I’d try to pretend the water falling down my face was all rain, but the truth of it is, I’m fucking overjoyed. My daughter, this little human being whose entire life I’m responsible for, is healthy and happy. I never imagined that I’d start this parenting journey alone, and I pray to God that things with Amie continue on the path that they’re going so I have a partner in this. The only partner I ever wanted.
To see Clover filled with such joy heals me. She fixes all the little things that were wrong with my life and makes me feel like I matter; she makes every single bad thing that’s happened have purpose, because without them, I wouldn’t have her, and I’d go through it all a million times if it meant I’d have this little girl.
A small yelp draws my attention from Clover to the side of the house, and I squint my eyes and see a small furry head and big brown eyes staring up at me.
“Hey, little dude.” I lean over and get a better look, and the little thing crouches down even more.
I grab Clover, bring her into the house, and take off her wet clothes. I dry her with a fluffy pink towel, and then snap a comfy footed outfit on her chubby body. After we go back downstairs, I put her in her playpen and go back out to see if the dog is still there.
Poor little thing is soaked and shaking. Since my clothes are still wet, I have no problem grabbing the fur ball and carrying it inside. Clover gets excited at the sight of the puppy and tries to push herself up to see it.
I grab a few towels to dry it off, then give it a bowl of water. Poor thing is scrawny and looks so sad. I offer some scraps, which it inhales in less than a minute.
Clover screams to get my attention. I pick her up, and the little dog sniffs her hand then kisses her and tries to crawl up my leg to get closer to her. She laughs and reaches for the dog, who happily wags its tail.
I take off my wet shirt, grab the two of them, and go to my room to change. Then we all hang out downstairs until Amie walks in.
“Shit, I didn’t realize what time it was.” I get up and kiss her.
“Oh, my God, is that a puppy?” She runs over to Clover and rubs her head, then picks up the little dog. “She’s adorable.”
“It’s a girl?”
“Yes.” She holds her up to me so I can see the dog’s stomach. “No penis.”
“I didn’t really look.”
“She’s so cute!”
“Did you get my message?” I sit next to her on the floor and rub the top of her thigh.
“Oh my, you’re just adorable. What’s your name, little girl?”
“Honey.”
“You have the cutest, biggest brown eyes I’ve ever seen.”
I clear my throat. “Amie Lee.”
“What?” She finally acknowledges me, and I can’t help but smile at how happy she looks with the damn dog. God, both of the girls I love are smiling like crazy today.
“I asked if you got my message.”
“Yes. Sorry, I wasn’t able to get back to you. It’s fine. Go head to the pub, I’ve got Clover.” She turns back to the dog and nuzzles its face. “And you. Yes, I do. I’ve got you, too. Are you sure she’s not missing?”
“I called the humane society and the police. They have no reports, and they’ll call if they get one.”
“Aww.” She squints her eyes and gives Eskimo kisses to the puppy. “Are we going to keep you? Should we? I think we should. I already have a name picked out. Yes, I do.”
I already know she wants to name the thing Daisy. My girl has a thing for flower names.
“Christ,” I mumble and get up to get ready to head into work.
As the night goes on, Amie texts me pictures of the dog and Clover playing together, and at around midnight, I get a good night from her.
I get home about three in the morning and check on Clover before I go and hop in the shower. By three twenty, I crawl into Amie’s bed and pull her back to my front. The dog is sleeping by her feet and doesn’t even move.
Amie stirs and rolls over. “Hey.” She rubs a palm over my scruffy face.
“Hey, honey.”
Her hand drops as she snuggles closer to me and falls back asleep. This is all I’ve ever wanted out of life. I never wanted money or fame. I just wanted the love of this woman, and now that I have it back, I’m never letting it go.
Chapter 19
Amie
WHEN I WAKE UP next to a sleeping Declan, I reach over and grab my phone to snap a picture of him. He always holds so much responsibility on his shoulders, so it’s nice to see him relaxed and content.
I carefully slide out of bed and tiptoe down the hall. Daisy follows me, and I use the bathroom. Just as I finish brushing my teeth, I hear Clover coo. With the dog at my feet, I go get her.
“Hey, baby.”
Her awaiting smile melts my heart, and I tickle her little belly before picking her up. “Let’s get your diaper changed and a new outfit on, okay? Then we’ll go eat breakfast.”
I can’t not put pink on her, and I choose a ruffled bottom and a pair of baby Converse. “You’re so stinkin’ cute.”
She giggles back and kicks her feet. “Yes, you are. You’re gonna break a lot of hearts, my dear.”
I cradle her and carry her downstairs, let the dog out, and then feed them both breakfast. When I attempt to put Clover in her playpen so I can make Dec breakfast, she cries.
“What’s the matter?”
She flails her arms, and when I pick her up, she rests her head on me and stops crying. “You want me to hold you?”
I sit on the couch and flip on the TV, scrolling through until I hit the Weather Channel. Clover’s going to be addicted to it soon. We sit together, and I play peek-a-boo and patty cake. I just wanna pinch her cheeks, so I do. Then I kiss them. “You’re the best, happiest baby I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“That’s because she’s happy with you. She knows you love her.” Dec’s voice startles me, and I shake my head at Clover.
“Your daddy is sneaky, isn’t he?”
“How are my girls?” He kisses each of our heads and sits next to me. “Thanks for letting me sleep in.”
“Of course. I was going to make you breakfast, but she wanted to be held.”
“I don’t blame her.”
I laugh and lean over to rest my head on his shoulder. Clover chews on a rattle, and we both glance back and forth between her and the television. This might be boring to some people, but to me, it’s absolutely everything I’ve ever wanted but never thought I could have.
There’s something beautiful in the simplicity of this moment. Something profound and heartfelt about the three of us—well, four if you include Daisy—doing nothing together. I used to want to do things like bungee jumping and swimming with dolphins, but this is more thrilling to me than anything else in the world. I’d do this forever if I could.
“Do you want to do something today?” Dec asks, running a finger across my collar bone.
“I’m fine here.”
“We should do something.
As a family.”
Tears, happy ones, threaten at the mention of us as a family. “Oh.” I sit up. “Like what?”
“I dunno. Go out to eat.”
“Sure. We could go to the zoo.”
“Isn’t she a little young for that?”
She must know we’re talking about her because she grunts and throws the rattle at Declan’s head.
“Nice shot!” I give her a high-five, and Dec tackles us both to the ground and assaults my ribs with his fingers. “Stop!” I laugh. “You’re gonna make me piss my pants.”
“That’ll serve you right.” He blows a raspberry on Clover’s tummy. “And you. Sassy girl. Throwing things at your daddy. You have good aim.”
“She had a big enough target.”
He shakes his head and blows a raspberry on my stomach too. “No! No, stop!”
“Say you’re sorry.”
I clamp my mouth shut, and he raises my shirt again as Clover continues laughing her little butt off at us.
“No?” he taunts.
I shake my head, and he begins to lower his. The moment his scruff tickles my stomach, I give in. “Okay, okay. Sorry.”
He looks up at me but doesn’t move his face from my stomach. I squirm beneath him and hold in the laughter threatening to burst.
“Sorry for what?”
“Saying you had a big head.”
That’s acceptable. As he’s pulling my shirt down, he tricks me and slams his mouth back down, blowing so hard I know it’s going to leave a mark.
“You’re a cheater. Stop! I said I was sorry.”
Clover continues to laugh so hard, I worry she can’t breathe. She squeals when Declan shakes his head, and I almost cry at how badly it tickles.
“Dec, stop!” I push his head away, and he finally pulls back and then kisses me on the lips.