by Mya O'Malley
She was there, of course, looking adorable in her tight blue jeans.
“Declan!” A wide smile spread over her face as she spotted him.
“Hi, Amber.” He paused and took her in.
“Come on, let’s go meet her.” Amber appeared nearly as excited as he did about the prospect of this dog. It was very cute.
Declan’s eyes zeroed in on every kennel they passed. Yelping filled the air as he and Amber made their way to the middle of the facility. Amber turned on her heels and took hold of his sleeve. It felt funny to have someone touching him after all this time. The sweetest smile he had seen in years met him as Amber opened her arms and gestured toward the dog.
Droopy, sad eyes met his. She had a fawn coat with a speck of white, just like a deer. This girl was on the small side, hard to believe that she was about eighteen months old.
“She’s not a puppy? She looks so tiny.” She looked perfect.
“She was the runt of the litter. An elderly couple brought her in, very nice people, but they didn’t have a big yard and they said that this girl here is high energy. I don’t know, I’m thinking that if she had plenty of exercise that she might not be so wild. What do you think?”
“Let’s take her out. Is there someplace I can play with her?”
“Absolutely. Her name’s Delilah.”
Amber must have noticed the look on his face as he heard the name. Scrunching up his face, he shook his head. “Delilah?”
Amber’s soft chuckle filled the air. “Yes, Delilah. But the good news is that she goes by D. Or you could just rename her.”
D. He could handle that nickname. “D it is. I wouldn’t want to confuse the poor girl.” Amber gently unlocked the cage as D hesitated.
“Now, just so you know, D here is a bit skittish, probably just nerves about being in a new place.”
She may have been skittish, but she walked right up to Declan and pressed her tiny body against his.
“Oh my, it seems she likes you. I mean, seriously, she hasn’t warmed up to anybody like this.” Amber scrunched her brows.
Declan allowed D to lean against him, feeling the dog’s tiny heartbeat fluttering as he stooped slightly to pull her close. He knew in that instant that he would adopt her, to start his own little family. “I’ll take her.”
“I knew you would. But please, take a moment to play with her out back just to be sure.” Amber giggled at the sight of D and Declan, huddled close.
After snapping a leash onto her collar, Amber guided D outside, Declan following closely.
“Here you go. Enjoy. I’ll be inside if you need me.”
He wished that Amber would stay, be a part of this special moment. It was becoming clear that he could use a friend here in Florida.
As if reading his mind, she shook her head. “You two need to bond. I’ll be inside when you’re ready.” Amber turned to head back.
“Amber?” Declan called for her.
“Yes?” Sunlight streaming from the window hit her shiny blonde hair.
“Thank you.” He meant it. Today would be a bright day that he would always remember.
“You bet.” And she continued on to the office area.
Extra time with D only cemented the fact that this dog was already his. Grabbing her leash, he whistled for her and she ran straight for him.
“Whoa girl, take it easy.” After running around the perimeter of the fence, she slammed into him and leaned in for a sloppy kiss.
Amber had the paperwork ready to be signed. Explaining that all of her shots were up to date, Amber handed him a folder with the essential paperwork.
“That’s it. Enjoy her.” But their gaze held as Declan struggled for something to say, to prolong his stay.
Declan moved closer, taking his hand and placing on top of her small one. “Remember when I told you that I didn’t want to talk about it?” He was referring to her questions about his leg.
Nodding once more, Amber maintained eye contact. He gripped her hand tighter. “Would you like to grab a cup of coffee when you get off later? I’m kind of in the mood to talk.”
Suddenly shy, Amber simply nodded once more.
“What time do you get off?” He was feeling confident now, perhaps ready to let a new friend into his life.
“Four o’clock.”
“I’ll be here to pick you up.” With a wink, he clutched D’s leash and headed for his truck.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MIKE STAYED AWAY FOR two whole days. She was relieved on one hand, but grew more anxious as time passed. This wasn’t like him, not at all. With all their recent arguments over Declan and her past, she realized this one thing. She didn’t want to lose Mike — that much she knew after their time apart.
Although he would never admit it, Mike’s mother had done a number on him. Morgan tried to keep in mind all of the rejections he had suffered as a child. Even some of the men whom Mike had referred to as stepfathers had all abandoned him. It was clear to Morgan that he felt threatened by Declan’s memory and was afraid to lose her.
It would be up to her to make the first move, to call him. Mike hadn’t answered, so she had sent a text asking how he was and that she needed to speak with him. No response, but about an hour later, he appeared at her door, knocking, as if he were a total stranger.
“Come in.” Brushing a stray hair aside, Morgan could see that he had deep shadows etched beneath his eyes, similar to her own.
Silently, he followed Morgan up the stairs and into the large kitchen. Morgan busied herself putting on a pot of coffee as Mike settled in at the table.
“Coffee?”
“Nope.” His response was quick and sharp.
“Well, okay. If you don’t mind, I’m going to have a cup.”
“Morgan, sit. What is it that you want? Why did you ask me here?” Brown eyes bored into her hers. His stiff posture told her that he was still quite upset.
“Mike, I’m sorry. I’ve been doing some thinking…” she started.
Rising from his seat at the table, Mike paced the room, hands flying. “I can’t do this anymore, I can’t compete with the ghost of a perfect man, Morgan.”
“But… nobody ever said that he was perfect. I never…”
“Didn’t you, though? Morgan you never had to actually say the words, but I know that’s how you view him. I can’t compete, I never could.”
Oh my God, she was going to lose him. “No, Mike, no. I love you. I told you that. We’re going to be married!”
“I don’t think so, Morgan. I don’t think I can do this anymore. I’m sorry.”
Was he serious? How could he feel this way? Morgan felt dizzy as she approached him. Reaching out for him, she drew closer. Mike grabbed her hands and stilled her.
“I have seen you. Time after time, I’ve seen you go down there.”
Confusion set in, creasing her brows. Morgan had no idea what he was talking about. “I don’t understand.”
“I’ve watched you, countless nights, go down to that damned drawer, slip his ring on your finger. Damn, Morgan, what do you think that does to a man’s heart?”
Frozen to the spot, Morgan was rendered speechless. He was there, watching silently in the shadows. More than once, she had felt the presence of somebody lurking, watching…
“But how could you? How could you just stand there, watching me?” Words stumbled from her lips, nothing but a mere whisper. Eyes wide, she turned to face Mike.
“Make a choice, Morgan, and make it now. Forget about him and marry me. Now or never. And I don’t want to hear his name from your lips ever again.”
“I… we’re engaged, aren’t we? I said I would marry you.”
“So you said. But we never set a date. You never wanted to talk about planning for the wedding. It’s like you’re holding our plans just out of reach, dangling, but never following through.”
It was true, what he was saying was all true. What was she waiting for? Extra time to tell her that marrying this man was
the right thing to do? She had resigned herself to the fact that true love was once in a lifetime, and Declan had been the one. Love with Mike was different; she did love him, as much as she possibly could at this point.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Say that you’ll marry me.”
Running her hands through her thick hair, Morgan still didn’t understand. “I said I would…”
“No, Morgan. Marry me now. I’ll call the justice of the peace, we’ll see when he has the first available time.”
But this was crazy, she had wanted a real wedding, with the church, the dress, the banquet hall, bridesmaids.
“Mike, please.”
“I thought so.” Throwing up his hands, he ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time. She couldn’t let him leave; she had to make him turn around.
“I’ll marry you. Now.” The words escaped before she had a chance to really think it through. The one thing she knew was that she was lonely without him. God help her, she hoped she was doing the right thing.
After bringing D home and showing her around his house, he ran to the store and got the essentials — dog food, water bowl, crate, a few chew toys, and a soft dog bed. Once he was sure that D was settled, fed, and walked, he placed her in her crate and headed back out to the shelter.
He was there at four o’clock on the dot. Amber was waiting for him with a small smile as he opened the door. So very different from Morgan, worlds apart. This girl was innocence and freshness where Morgan was sexy and gorgeous in a way that he could never forget.
When would he stop comparing every woman he saw with Morgan? Time was making Morgan’s memory less painful. His heart would always be connected to hers, and he was truly happy to hear that she would be married, moving on with her own life. Although part of him was undeniably jealous, Morgan was his girl. But he supposed that wasn’t true anymore, not after he had given her up.
Taking a deep breath, he reached for Amber’s elbow and guided her toward his truck. Initial small talk turned into a comfortable silence as he pulled into the parking lot of a local diner.
After telling Amber to stay in the truck, he moved as quickly as he could to open the door for her.
“Thank you, Declan.” He was rewarded with a sweet smile.
There was a moment that had passed between them, standing there in the parking lot. Drizzle began to fall from the sky as Amber gazed up at him. Part of him wished he could just kiss her, right then and there. The other part still saw Morgan.
Making their way to the front door, he felt as if he had found an old friend. They ordered coffee and sat and talked for hours. Hours felt like minutes as Declan opened up to her in a way that he hadn’t thought possible, not until now. He shared about his injuries; he shared about Sean, even. Amber had remained silent, taking it all in until she reached over to touch his arm where his burns were evident.
“Oh my God, you are a brave man.”
Not what he had expected to hear. She didn’t make him feel sorry for himself, instead she brought him up, made him feel stronger somehow.
“Can I ask, was there someone? Were you married before?”
That was one thing he didn’t bring up, didn’t want to discuss. But he was in the mood to talk and before him was the most beautiful girl, kind and caring.
The words spilled out. “Yes, yes there was.” Gazing down, Declan pulled at his placemat, sucking in a deep breath before continuing.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to…”
“No, Amber. It’s fine. I want to.”
He told her of Morgan, how they were engaged to be married, how they had met even. Recalling Morgan’s face for the first time, all those years ago, when he was at her school for career day brought him back in time.
“Wow. She sounds wonderful.” Amber gazed off to a point in the distance, fumbling with her collar.
“She was. She is, I mean.”
Realizing how that sounded, he noticed Amber’s mouth draw down. Was he giving this woman the wrong idea? Attraction was evident between the two, but Declan only saw Morgan, still, after all these years. Now that he was face to face with this sweet girl, perhaps this wasn’t the best idea. His intention had never been to hurt her.
He placed his hands over hers. What could he say to help her understand?
“No, it’s over, I mean sort of.”
“Sort of? Did she leave you?” Amber was full of questions.
“It just didn’t work out. It’s been years since I’ve seen her.”
“Oh.” Clearly perplexed, Amber gazed at her placemat.
“To say it’s complicated would be an understatement, to say the least. I want to be upfront, honest with you, Amber. I like you, but I’m not ready to date anyone. Does that make sense?”
Nodding her head, Amber cleared her throat and fingered her coffee mug. Even though he had tried not to, he could see that he had hurt this woman. What was wrong with him? Of course she would get the wrong idea, with him asking her out for coffee.
“Listen. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea, me asking you here…” He started, only to be interrupted with a quick swipe of Amber’s hand.
“No, it’s okay. Look, for whatever it’s worth, I like you too. Let’s just hang out, enjoy one another’s company, no pressure, right?”
Nodding his head, Declan couldn’t agree more. “Can we move on now?”
“Sure, sure.”
But there were still questions hanging in the air, he could see it in her eyes.
“But, Declan, did she leave because of …” Hurt touched Amber’s face.
Shaking his head to signal a firm no, he ran his hands through the air. As much as he wanted to spill everything to this woman, his parting with Morgan was one topic that he needed to keep close to his own heart.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“DO YOU, MORGAN MATTHEWS, take this man…”
The nuptials resonated in her head as Mike gazed down at her, his eyes filled with happiness. Or was it triumph?
“You may kiss the bride!
The clerk threw his hands up in the air as Mike pulled her in for a long, hard kiss. Morgan was now Mrs. Thompson. Morgan Thompson. That sounded okay to her. Smiling up at Mike, she gazed into his soft eyes.
“I love you, Mrs. Thompson. You’re finally mine. All mine.”
Why did the words sound menacing? Brushing the thoughts to the side, Morgan smiled wide and sighed.
“Love you, too.”
Glancing across the room, she could see Elle and Billy. Elle peered over at her friend, locking eyes. Elle glared at Mike and ran from the room. Wait…
“Morgan, what is it?” Mike woke her out of her dream. She needed time to clear her head.
“Just give me a moment, honey.”
Leaning over to get out of bed, she caught her breath. Was this a sign? The dream concerned her. Nagging doubt about Mike’s ultimatum consumed her thoughts, apparently even in her sleep. Surely, Mike must think this was another Declan dream, but this time he was the focus of her dream.
“What is it? Is it…”
“For God’s sake, no! It’s not!” Morgan snapped. Her bottom touched the bed again and she ran a hand through her tangled hair.
“Calm down. I didn’t say anything.” His denial was ridiculous.
“But you were going to, weren’t you?”
Her patience was wearing thin. What had she agreed to? After sharing her plans yesterday with Elle, she was seriously questioning Mike’s motives. Essentially he was bullying her into marrying him in a way that she wasn’t happy or comfortable with. Little girl visions of the perfect wedding day, complete with the most gorgeous dress flitted through her thoughts.
Elle was appalled that Mike would want to force this kind of quick wedding, against her wishes. Once a big fan of Mike’s, Morgan could feel Elle’s opinion changing. But how much of this was Morgan’s fault? Had she forced this to happen, played a part in turning Mike into a jealous, demanding man?
“I… I’m sorry. I just thought that…”
Standing once more, Morgan started to head to the bathroom. “Forget it.”
Mike pulled at her wrist, guiding her back to bed.
“What’s the matter, Morgan? You went to bed with a chip on your shoulder and now this.”
“Mike.” Gathering up her courage, she knew that it was important to speak her mind. If she didn’t speak her mind now, she would just be setting up a lifetime of cowering to his needs without a say on her part. “I… I don’t want to marry you like this.”
Mike shot straight up in bed. “What do you mean?”
“I still want to marry you, but like the way we had planned. I want to take our time, plan a proper wedding, even a tropical honeymoon. It’s my dream.”
Mike took a moment to ponder over what she had just announced. He seemed to choose his words carefully.
“I can’t take any more of Declan.”
Declan again. Mike seemed to bring up his name a lot more than she did lately.
“You’re my fiancé, Mike, you. Just stop it or you’re going to destroy everything that we have. I know you don’t want to lose me, but you’re going about this all wrong. Marry me, but in the way that we had planned. That’s all I can offer.”
The words came across strong, firm. It made her feel good to clear the air, to speak up for herself. Something told her that she wasn’t going to lose him. Gazing into his sad brown eyes, part of her was so angry with him and the other part felt sorry for the pain he was going through. She caught a glimpse of the small, insecure boy he had once been.
“I need some time, Morgan.” He stood, and headed straight for the shower.
Since that day at the diner, Declan and Amber had become close friends. This was a friendship built on trust and companionship. From time to time, he could see that Amber wanted more, but she did a good job disguising her feelings, playing the role of a good friend. But he knew, and heck, if Morgan didn’t haunt his very soul, he would ask her to be his girl in a heartbeat. It was the first time in years that he actually felt alive, back in the land of the living. This little woman was rescuing him from a dark place, giving him drive and purpose.