Declan (Wild Men Book 8)

by Melissa Belle

  “I’m social, yes,” she says. “But you’re my only real friend, Mia. I flit around, party it up, and then I go home alone. Or with a guy I never spend the entire night with.”

  “And why is that?” I ask her. “Why are you so damn picky?”

  She averts my concerned gaze. “Back to you. You’re the one in distress right now, not me. You’re not just getting married to a man you barely know. You’re marrying one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time! This is going to change your life, honey. I hope you’re prepared.”

  I’m not prepared, but not because Declan’s famous. It’s because I don’t know how I’m going to turn off my attraction to him. Physically or emotionally.

  Chapter Eleven

  Mia

  Eating dinner with Declan and his family at Wild Ranch doesn’t help resolve my attraction problem.

  The second Jamie Beth and I walk through the door of the main house, I fall for my future fake husband a little harder. The ranch and the smell of barbecue cooking in the backyard feel like home.

  And Declan…sweet Lord.

  If it’s possible, he looks even more gorgeous tonight than he has the previous two times I’ve seen him. He’s wearing a maroon button-down shirt and black jeans that hug his muscular thighs and ass to perfection. His facial hair is neatly trimmed, and his gray eyes are bright as he fixes them on me.

  “You look beautiful,” he says, his gaze running down the length of my body in appreciation.

  I took off my coat before we rang the doorbell, so Declan is seeing me as I wanted him to.

  Yes, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I worked at looking good for this dinner. I don’t often try as hard as I tried tonight, and even Jamie Beth, who normally urges me to “work it girl” in frustration, was impressed.

  I paired a blue fitted sweater with a diamond-shaped cut out in back with a black mini-skirt, black sheer tights, and black-heeled strappy shoes. I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail and matched my dark red lipstick with a hair ribbon that Jamie Beth wound through a section of my ponytail.

  I feel sexy, and I can tell Declan approves. His eyes darken as we keep looking at each other, and we don’t break the contact until Jamie Beth clears her throat loudly.

  “My family can be a bit overwhelming,” he says to me quietly. “Tell me if it’s too much, and we can go for a walk.”

  I’d take him up on that offer regardless, but I don’t want to seem like I’m overly happy to see him. Which I am.

  “Let me introduce you around.” Declan invites us further into the house.

  Luke and his three brothers are all hot, a fact Jamie Beth is quick to mutter under her breath as soon as we’re introduced. Brayden is the youngest and the only one who’s married, and his wife, Leleila, is gorgeous with long chestnut hair, green eyes, and super-cool, purple-framed glasses. Their twin girls, Ashley and Abigail, have blond hair like their daddy and green eyes like their mom. Ashley leaps into Declan’s arms and begs him to take her to pat the pony.

  He carries her outside with Abigail racing behind him. I can’t help sighing to myself at the image of Declan gently holding a little girl in his arms. He undoubtedly adores his nieces. Brayden chuckles as he grabs his daughters’ jackets off the couch and follows after them.

  “That’s one hot daddy,” Jamie Beth says to Leleila. “He also seems sweet.”

  “He’s the best.” Leleila smiles widely. “I don’t know how I got so lucky sometimes.”

  As she and Jamie Beth continue chatting, Luke says to me in a low voice, “Thought maybe I’d be seeing you again around here. Congratulations on your engagement.”

  I cross my arms over my chest. “I would say thank you, but you know it’s not real.”

  He raises one eyebrow. “I know what I see. Looks real from where I’m standing.”

  I try to stop my jaw from falling open, but I don’t quite manage it. Before I can come up with a coherent response, Luke’s twin brothers descend upon me.

  “So you’re Declan’s fiancée. I’m Chase, and this is my twin brother, Cooper.” I shake hands with both of them.

  Chase and Cooper look identical with their blond hair and matching blue eyes. They’re cowboys through and through with tall, muscular frames that fill out their worn jeans and flannel shirts.

  Beside me, Jamie Beth is staring at the twin brothers. And when my best friend stares, she doesn’t have an ounce of self-consciousness.

  “See something you like?” Cooper says to her in a slow drawl.

  “Ha!” She flips back into guarded Jamie mode. “Not especially. You?”

  He winks at her. “For sure. Can I get you ladies a drink?”

  We both accept his offer, and he leaves and then returns with a glass of red wine for Jamie and lemonade for me.

  Then, Declan’s brother, Cam, and his pregnant wife, Savannah, come through the door.

  “Oh my God.” Jamie grabs my hand. “Between Declan and his brother? I don’t know who’s sexier.”

  I’d pick Declan every time, but I get her point. Cameron looks so much like Declan but more mischievous. He tells me that he played hockey, too, for most of his life.

  “I didn’t have the drive my brother does to be the best,” he says as he wraps an arm around Savannah. “Or his talent.”

  Savannah shakes her head, her dark hair brushing across her shoulders. “Not true,” she says to me. “Cam’s incredibly talented. He just didn’t love it the way Declan does.”

  I smile as she puts a hand on her belly. “When are you due?”

  “Soon,” she says. “Hopefully extremely soon. I’m ready to have this baby.”

  She laughs, and Cam kisses her head as Chase and Cooper join us and fight for Jamie Beth’s attention. She loves every second of their flirting.

  And I fall a little harder for my future husband. Because Declan’s cousins and brother and their wives are, in a word, awesome.

  When Declan, Brayden, and the girls come back inside, Declan joins our group.

  “Cam and Vannah, did you decide on godparents yet?” he says in a teasing tone.

  He steps closer to me, and the heat from his body reaches me. I subtly try to pull away.

  But Declan doesn’t let me. He wraps an arm around my shoulders, almost the same way Cam’s is around Savannah’s. And a tiny part of me mourns the fact that this upcoming marriage won’t be real like his brother’s is.

  Cam, who doesn’t look like he misses anything, stares at Declan’s arm before he looks at me and grins.

  But Savannah elbows him. “Leave your big brother alone,” she says before turning back to Declan. “Yes, we’ve decided on godparents,” she says. “We were going to wait to tell everyone, but…” She glances at Cam, who shrugs.

  “We can tell them now, babe, if you want.”

  She smiles at him. “I do. Declan…” She turns back to him. “We’d be honored if you would be our little one’s godfather. We’re going to ask my sister, Molly, to be godmother.”

  Declan’s eyes widen in obvious surprise. “I was joking around,” he says. “I was sure you’d ask Bray.”

  Cam looks over at Brayden, who playfully salutes Declan. “Oldest brother gets dibs,” Brayden says.

  “What do you say?” Cam asks Declan. “Are you in?”

  “Absolutely.” Declan pulls Cam in for a hug and then kisses Savannah on the cheek. “I can’t wait.”

  “Let’s eat!” Luke calls out, and everyone rushes out of the room.

  Everyone but Declan and me.

  I shift so I can face him. “Congratulations,” I say softly.

  He looks at me. “Thanks.”

  “You’re great with kids,” I say.

  “You think so?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”

  He studies my face. “That’s something I knew I liked about you right away,” he says. “You don’t hide anything.”

  “Kind of ironic, don’t you think?” I say. “Co
nsidering that we’re about to enter into an enormous lie together.”

  “How did your dad take the news?”

  “He’s thrilled. And the amazing thing is—I’m being completely honest with him. He knows I’m not actually dating you, and he’s still so optimistic. He genuinely thinks I’m going to thank him in a year.”

  “For forcing you to obtain a husband?”

  I laugh. “I guess so.” Then I stop laughing. “After my mom died, my father went into this shell. He never got over her death.”

  Declan reaches out and takes my hand in his. “I’m sorry, Mia. I didn’t know your mother had passed away.”

  I bite my lip. “Thank you.”

  “So the contract she drew up for you…I can see how it would hold more meaning.”

  “Yes. My dad would never dishonor her memory by changing the terms.”

  “I understand.”

  “She died years ago. But I still miss her a lot. And my dad does too. He married her thanks to the contract set up by her father, who started our company. My father’s so genuinely hopeful. He wants me to find the same kind of unconditional love with a partner as he had with my mom.” I smile. “He’s not thinking straight. But he means well. We’ve both been kind of lost without my mom.”

  Declan runs his thumb over the inside of my wrist.

  And that’s what we’re doing when Jamie Beth races into the living room. “Mia, did you want to step outsi…” I glance over my shoulder as she freezes, her gaze stuck on Declan and me holding hands. “Sorry! I’ll just…”

  I detangle my hand from his. “I’ll come outside with you, JB.”

  “Great!” She heads for the door, and we practically tumble outside.

  “Forgot our coats,” I say as she drags me away from the house.

  “No time—let’s go to the barn. I see it up ahead. It will be warmer there and we can meet their horses.” As we jog toward the barn, she adds, “And you and I can have privacy to talk.”

  The barn is further away than it looked from the house. By the time we get there, I’m completely freezing in my little skirt and thin sweater.

  We step inside the barn, and we spend a few minutes saying hello to the horses in their stalls.

  “Do you miss it?” Jamie Beth asks without looking over at me.

  I don’t stop patting the beautiful black shiny coat of the mare leaning her head over the door of her stall.

  “I still visit with our horses,” I say instead of answering her question. “I stop by Uncle Ned’s whenever I want to.”

  “That wasn’t what I asked,” she says quietly.

  “I know.” I blow out a breath and step back from the mare. “Sometimes. I haven’t allowed myself to miss it much.”

  “I know you visit ranches for work all the time, but living on one again will stir up some memories for you, I’m sure,” Jamie says as we find an empty office-type room and sink down onto an old, comfy couch.

  I’m sure it will. It’s almost like getting a piece of my mother back, but I don’t say that out loud.

  “Luke said this place is six hundred acres,” Jamie says to break the silence.

  “Wow.” I’m going to love exploring the land once I move in.

  “I can see how you slept with Declan,” Jamie Beth says abruptly.

  I look at her sharply. “I’d rather not discuss this here.”

  “Why not? He’s smoking hot, Mia.”

  “I know he is.”

  “But he’s also a good guy,” she says. “Like, he and his family are truly nice people. And friendly.”

  “All true.”

  The way Declan is with his family—it endears me to him even more. They all joke around and tease one another, but it’s obvious how much they care for each other.

  I’m not used to a big family. It’s been just my dad and me for so long. Even though Ned and his wife welcome us to their ranch frequently, and we spend our holidays with them, it’s always just the four of us.

  “This will be strange,” I murmur. “Having all these new people in my life. I’m usually so solitary.”

  Jamie Beth leans over to hug me. “I know,” she says. “But you know what worries me more than that?”

  “What?”

  “That you’ve already got your heart involved.”

  “I don’t,” I say unconvincingly.

  “I’m afraid you do,” she says. “And I don’t want to see you get hurt at the end.”

  At the end. Because there will be an end. And I need to remind myself of that every day.

  “I won’t,” I promise. “I’ll figure out a way to keep him at a distance.”

  “You’d better,” she says. “Or else your divorce will feel all too real.”

  Declan

  “I like her.” Cam’s statement about Mia means more than it should.

  I try to keep my expression neutral. “I didn’t bring her here to get your approval.”

  “Oh, yeah?” His eyes brighten in that irritating way he has of pushing everyone’s buttons. “Why did you bring her here?”

  “You said you wanted to meet her before the wedding. And I know you would have stopped at nothing to make sure you did. This way, she could be prepared rather than have you asses surprise her.”

  We’re standing in the middle of the living room, and Luke is listening in intently. I speak before he can.

  “Fuck off, Luke,” I tell him. “I’m done hearing everyone’s opinions on my personal life tonight. Mia and I are getting married. Eventually, we’ll get a divorce. End of story.”

  I shove down the feeling of disappointment in my gut at the word “divorce.”

  Luke steps closer to us. “You want to own a piece of the team that badly that you’re willing to do this?” he asks me. “How come?”

  “Because I need to stay involved with hockey somehow,” I say. “It’s my life. And Coach told me that if I become a minority owner, he’ll be able to put me in charge of other facets of the team right away. Like scouting. Things that would take years to get.”

  “You’d be a kick-ass scout,” Cam says. “If you need any advice, you know I’m here.”

  I nod appreciatively. “Thanks.”

  He and I wander outside and stand quietly in front of the bonfire.

  “Fatherhood looks good on Brayden,” I say, feeling Cam out.

  “It does.” He goes silent like I thought he might.

  “You’ll be a great dad, Cam.”

  His head jerks up, and he meets my gaze. “We had a shitty example.”

  “We did. But you’re not him. You never were.”

  He punches my arm. “Neither were you.”

  “Plus, you’ll have Brayden living five minutes away from you if you run into any problems.”

  He chuckles. “I see Bray enough as it is. Don’t want to get sick of the guy.”

  “Right.” I pull out my phone and flick to the photo of Cam and Brayden with their wives. All four are smiling. “Y’all look real sick of each other here.”

  He smirks at me. “You a little jealous?”

  He’s fucking with me, but I’m exhausted and not in the mood to keep things light. So, I tell him the truth for once. “I always was.”

  The grin on Cam’s face freezes as he tilts his head. “For real? You were?”

  I nod. “Luke and I used to call you guys the baby-ass Wild cousins. We fucked with you all the time, remember?”

  He glares at me. “Dec, of course we fucking remember. You assholes were brutal to us. Stealing our clothes when we were camping out on Wild Ranch so we had to run back to the house freezing our dicks off. Oh, and don’t forget how Luke filled up Bray’s cowboy boots with horse shit.”

  I laugh. “Hey, we were older brothers. And we were jerks when we were kids.”

  “We got you back, though. We shoveled cow dung right underneath Luke’s bedroom window during the heatwave so all he could smell was shit.”

  We’re still laughing when I say to him, “In all
seriousness, Luke and I envied how close you guys were. I think that’s partly why we screwed with you so much. That, and we were bored teenagers.”

  “Hey, you’ve got plenty of time now to hang out with Luke,” he points out. “And Chase and Cooper.” He furrows his brow. “Are they like the middle cousins?”

  I shrug. “They’re closer to my age than yours. They used to hang around when I was visiting. I guess they’re tweeners.”

  “Tweeners, huh? Is that like one foot in and one foot out?” His expression turns serious. “You better watch what you’re doing, big brother. You may want to brush this thing with Mia off as fake and arranged, but a marriage is still a marriage. You’ll still be exchanging rings and vows with this woman.”

  I swallow. I know he’s right, and what can I say? He may be ten years younger than I am, but he’s been down that aisle for real. I stay silent and let him finish.

  “You can say what you want about yours and Mia’s end goals,” Cam says. “But mark my words—when you officially become husband and wife, you’ll feel the shift. And I just hope you’re okay with walking away in a year. If you’re not, things could get awfully messy.”

  “I’ll be okay with it.”

  I better be.

  Chapter Twelve

  Mia

  Once Declan and I announce our intentions to marry, my dad and Uncle Ned take over from there. It’s a little scary how quickly they mobilize. Within a week, our engagement has been announced to the national media.

  A week after that, I sign an NDA, Declan and I both sign off on the marriage contract and the prenup, and Uncle Ned puts out the spin that Declan Wild and his fiancée are so in love they can’t wait to marry. So, they’re not. Our wedding is planned for the following Saturday.

  So here I am at the courthouse on Saturday afternoon. We lucked out with the weather; no snow, and in fact, it’s unseasonably warm. I’m dressed in a simple white dress that Jamie Beth and I found off the rack at the local department store.

  I’m wearing Mom’s antique blue bracelet on my left wrist for good luck—something old, borrowed, and blue in one shot.

  “I feel like my entire life is happening and I’m not at the helm. I’m just a passenger along for the ride,” I admit to Jamie Beth as we stand just inside the courthouse and wait for the others.