by K. C. Crowne
The sidewalks ended past the hotel, leading to a highway that took you out toward Sunville. She would have to be crazy to walk along that road, especially in a storm. I stopped and pondered my next move before turning around and driving the way I came. When I got to the turn off for the hotel, I made a right and drove toward town.
I knew a spot that Eva might head, a little spot in the park that wasn’t too far down the road. And I saw someone walking in that direction.
I pulled alongside the sidewalk and Eva didn’t look at me. She didn’t have an umbrella, and she was holding her arms crossed in front of herself for warmth. I parked the truck and hopped out, running over to her.
Eva saw me. “Declan? What are you doing here?”
“I was going to ask you the same question. Matt called, told me everything. Would you like to talk?”
“There’s nothing to talk about. Lily betrayed me,” Eva said softly, shivering from the cold. She stared at me with mascara running down her cheeks and her hair soaked to her face.
I reached out for her hand and she refused to take mine. “Come on, Eva,” I said calmly. “Let’s get you somewhere warmer.”
“Did you read the news yet, Declan?” she asked, her voice choking.
“I did, yes, but Matt told me not to trust everything in the media.”
Eva shuddered again, but she didn’t say anything. I pulled off my jacket, wrapped it around her body, and tried to usher her toward my truck. She let me guide her, for which I was thankful. The look on her face told me everything I needed to know, though.
“Is it true?” I asked.
Eva froze and didn’t look me in the eye. Her voice came out weaker than I had ever heard it before. “Yes, Declan. It’s true.”
My heart stopped. I couldn’t think straight. My head was swirling with questions, but nothing made sense in that moment. “Why?”
“Why what?” she asked, finally looking me in the eye. “Why did I get pregnant? I don’t know, Declan, it wasn’t like I planned it.”
“No, no, why did you keep this from me?” Anger bubbled to the surface, replacing the confusion and fear. “You should have told me, Eva.”
“I know! And I would have, Declan. But I just found out for sure yesterday and I was still processing. Listen, I don’t know what your plans are for having kids, but you don’t have to worry. I have the means to care for this child without your help if that’s what you’d prefer.”
“What? Why would you think that’s what I would want?”
“I don’t know what you want, Declan. That’s the problem. I hardly know you anymore,” she said.
If I thought I was scared and freaked out, what was she feeling? It was clearly an accident; she hadn’t intended for this to happen. She also didn’t know me as well as I knew myself.
I calmed myself and said, “Get in the truck, please. I don’t want you getting sick.”
She stared at me defiantly, her chin held high.
“We can talk in the truck, Eva. I want to be there for you and the baby. I want to be in your life,” I said. “No matter what happens, you can count on me.”
Her features softened and she shivered again, even with my jacket. I knew it probably wouldn’t be much help, but I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close to me. I told myself it was for the warmth, but it was more than that – I wanted her close to me.
She looked up at me, tears welling in her eyes. “Declan, I—I’m scared.”
“Shh,” I said, stroking her cheek. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. We will get through this. Together.”
I kissed her sweetly on the lips, but when I went to pull away and apologize, Eva grabbed my head and pulled me close. Her mouth opened to me as she whimpered against my lips, “Declan, please…”
I don’t even know what she was asking for, but I would give her anything.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said softly, whispering as I dotted kisses all over her face. “But please, get in the truck with me. You’re freezing, and I don’t want you sick or for anything to happen to the baby.”
“Promise to keep me warm?” she asked.
“I will gladly help you warm up.”
From the devilish look in her eye, I knew we were about to get heated.
Chapter 18
Eva
Declan pulled into a private parking lot so we could talk. I placed my hands in front of the heater vent, rubbing them together and savoring the warmth. I hadn’t even realized how cold I was until I got in the truck. My mind had been preoccupied with everything that had happened with the media finding out about the baby to the fight with Lily.
But now that I was with Declan, it felt like those worries just melted away. He was sitting as close as he could to me, his arm draped over my shoulder to keep me warm, but I could tell that he was enjoying the cuddling.
“You know, even though we haven’t spent much time together since we reunited, I have to say, it feels like we never lost touch. I feel safe with you, Declan.”
“I feel the same way,” he said softly.
“I wish we could make this work.” I looked at him. His chiseled jaw clenched at my words, and those blue eyes bore into mine.
“Why couldn’t we?”
“Because we live two totally different lives. Yes, when I’m with you, I want to throw it all away and move back here, but the truth is, I’m not really sure this is where I belong. All I know is that I don’t want to be apart from you.”
He kissed the top of my head gently. “We just need to take it step-by-step, but I have no doubt we can make it work if we really want to.”
“And do you want that? Even if I go back to my life in New York City? You’ll have to put up with the paparazzi in your business, and I can’t always come out here to visit you.”
“Then I’ll come to you,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Is that any way to live, though?”
He kissed my forehead, then the tip of my nose, before finally settling on my lips. It was a sweet kiss, and I didn’t want it to end. My fingers laced in his hair, holding his face against me.
“I don’t know if there’s an alternative, Eva. Because what I do know is that I don’t want a life without you. And now that you’re carrying my child, I want to do everything I can to make it work. Even if that means I leave everything behind here.”
“Shh,” I placed my finger to his lips to silence him. “Don’t talk like that.”
He kissed my fingertips, bringing a smile to my lips. He grinned back at me, and I felt like I was going to melt into him.
“We’ll figure it out, Eva. I know we will.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because I believe in us,” he said, kissing me again.
I opened my mouth to him, his tongue meeting mine and dancing in a perfect rhythm. I became even more aware of how close he was, yet it felt like he was still too far for my liking. Without much warning, I swung myself over and straddled him in the driver’s seat. Declan chuckled and stared at me with the sexiest bedroom eyes.
“You promised to keep me warm,” I whispered as I closed the distance between our mouths again, grinding my body against his.
“That I did, and I am never one to break a promise.”
The next few minutes were a blur of him slipping my dress up and sliding my panties aside and me managing to unbuckle his pants. We were laughing like two teenagers, and I even checked to make sure we were alone in the parking lot. It was empty, as the rain was still coming down hard and no one in their right mind would be out in this willingly.
His fingers slipped and slid against my pussy, teasing my clit until I shuddered, not from the cold, but the desire coursing through me.
Declan lowered me against him, his cock pressing into me and rubbing the same place his fingers were only seconds before. I kissed him deeply as I rode him, rubbing our bodies together because it felt so damned good.
My body ached for him in ways it had never ache
d for anyone before.
“I need you inside me,” I begged.
He guided his cock into me, stretching me as he slid inside me.
I let out a gasp, my head falling forward against his. His hands on my hips gripped me tightly, holding me against him as I stared deep into his eyes. Slowly, I began rocking my body, grinding against him. He kissed me long and hard, nearly stealing my breath away.
“Yes, God yes,” I whimpered, feeling him deep inside me.
Holding his face in my hands, I rode him in the truck, and it wasn’t long until I felt warmth growing inside me. I pressed my lips to Declan’s to silence my screams as I came, my entire body shaking like an earthquake. Declan held me against him, my pussy spasming around his cock. He let out a low groan as he throbbed inside me, emptying himself deep within.
“Yes, yes,” I whimpered, feeling such joy and pleasure. I pulled away from his kiss and stared deep into his eyes with a smile.
My thighs were still shaking from the intense orgasm, but Declan held tightly to me, almost like he was afraid I might bolt. But I wasn’t going anywhere.
I rested my forehead against his and asked, “Do you really think we can make this work?”
“Absolutely,” he said, and I wanted to believe him.
“I—I just don’t know, Declan.”
Disappointment washed across his face, my words hurting him, but I had to be truthful.
“I can’t imagine being in a long-distance relationship at my age, and while I won’t deny you the chance to see your child, I won’t move back to Liberty. I can’t leave my life behind.”
I’d come to know those words well – I’d said them since I left, every time Matt had asked me to come back. I believed it too. I couldn’t come back here, not after everything that happened, but also because of my career.
Yet…coming back to Liberty had shown me something, and it felt good to forgive my father as well as Jessica. The fear of running into people who might hurt or shame me, that fear had dissipated. Liberty wasn’t as horrible as I remembered.
But I couldn’t leave my career behind.
“I know, and I’d never ask you to do that, Eva. But like I said, I’ll come to you.”
“I can’t ask that of you, Declan.” My heart ached as I slipped off his lap and back into the passenger seat.
“All I’m asking is that you think about it. I’m confident we can make this work,” he insisted. “We owe ourselves the opportunity to see where it goes. We owe it to our child.”
The baby. He was right about that, and I’d meant that I would never keep his child from him, but how were we going to make it work?
“I just need time to think about it,” I said softly. “Do you mind giving me a ride back to the hotel?”
“Of course,” he said, zipping up his pants and starting the engine.
We drove in silence to the hotel, and Declan parked in front. I didn’t jump out of the car right away, though.
“Do you want me to come in with you?” he asked.
“No, I need some time alone to think about everything,” I said. “But I would like to ask a favor of you.”
“Anything.”
“I’m going over to my dad’s this evening for a family dinner, and I’d like you to be there. I think my father has forgiven you for what happened, so there shouldn’t be any drama. But I need to tell him about the baby, that he will want to know. And I’d like you to be there when I tell him he’s going to be a grandfather.”
Tears welled in my eyes when it hit me – my father would never get to know his grandchild. I wiped the tears away and steadied myself, trying to put on my best strong face.
“Of course, Eva. I’d love to be there when you tell him.”
“Thank you, Declan,” I said, reaching for his hand and squeezing. “And please know that in a perfect world, I would love to be with you. I just don’t know how we can do it, and I just need time to figure it all out.”
“I understand,” Declan said, lifting my hand to his lips and planting a kiss on the knuckles. “Take all the time you need, Eva. I know you’re going through a lot.”
I cracked a smile. Declan was the kindest, sweetest, most compassionate man I’d ever met. No one I’d met in New York could even come close to him, and I realized he was the perfect man for me.
He always had been.
I got out of the truck and walked into the hotel, waving at him as I entered. I walked past Lily’s room on the way to mine and it was quiet. I wasn’t even sure she was still there. Maybe she had taken my advice and run back to New York City. My heart broke at the thought of losing my best friend, but with friends like that, well, who needed enemies?
“Thank you for coming with me,” I said as Declan walked with me toward the door. “I don’t know if I could do this alone and I think you should be here.”
Even though my father had told me I didn’t need to knock, it still felt weird just barging in. I knocked on the door and heard voices on the other side, one distinctly feminine and familiar.
Lily.
I had half a mind to bolt, but Declan clasped my arm and was blocking the exit route. I didn’t have time to think of another exit strategy, since Matt opened the door with Lily at his side. She wouldn’t meet my gaze, but my brother stood tall next to her, his hand holding tightly to hers.
“What’s going on, Matt?” I asked, my back ramrod straight. If looks could kill, my poor brother would have been a melted heap on the floor.
“Well, I thought we needed to talk about this. As a family. Since you wouldn’t return my calls.”
“I didn’t have a chance to. I was…busy.” My cheeks flushed as I thought about being busy making love to Declan in his truck.
“Oh, you weren’t just avoiding me because I was sleeping with your assistant?” Matt asked in a snarky tone.
“Wait,” I said, holding up my hand. “What are you talking about?”
Lily finally managed to look up. “You know, when you came to my room earlier…you caught us… And I know I promised you, but—”
Slowly, all the pieces clicked into place in my brain, leaving me wide eyed on the front entrance of my family home. “Oh God… You mean that voice in your room was Matt?”
“Who did you think it was?” Lily asked, cocking her head to the side.
“I thought—oh crap, Lily. I made a serious mistake, and I’m so sorry,” I gushed. “I thought you were the one who told the press I was pregnant.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “You thought I sold that story to the press? After everything we’ve been through?”
“You were acting weird!” I told her. “I knew you were talking to someone, and you wouldn’t tell me who!”
“Because I didn’t want you to know I’d just slept with your brother!” she defended, matching my tone.
“I know that now, but at the time…Jesus, I’m sorry, Lily,” I said quietly.
Dad’s voice called from the living room, though I couldn’t make out his words.
“Sounds like Dad wants to see you,” Matt said. “He said to bring the conversation into the house so he can be part of it too.”
Lily and Matt stepped aside to let us into the house. Matt hadn’t yet asked about the baby, though I wondered if Lily might have told him considering their relationship.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about my brother and my assistant, but it wasn’t my place to meddle in their relationship. Besides, I had enough going on in my own life.
We walked into the living room, and my dad’s face lit up as he saw us. He was sitting in his hospital bed, hooked up to oxygen and looking rough except for the smile on his face.
“There’s my girl,” he said, trying to stand.
Matt and I rushed to him to make sure he didn’t fall, and I motioned for him to sit back down. I hugged him tightly, feeling his frail figure against me.
“Yes, I’m here, Daddy,” I whispered. My eyes filled with tears. “And I have some good news.”
; “Oh yeah?” His eyes moved past me to Declan, and he got a weird expression on his face. His tone completely changed. “What is he doing here?”
“Dad, it’s okay. Declan and I talked,” I told him quickly. “He wasn’t part of what happened back then, I promise you. He knew nothing about it.”
My dad scrutinized Declan, distrust in his eyes. “You sure about that? Because I can still beat his ass. Don’t think that cancer has made that impossible.”
“No, Dad, he’s with me.” I walked over and took Declan’s hand in mine. “We’ve cleared everything up, and we’re, um, we’re having a baby together.”
Dad’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. “You’re pregnant?”
“I am,” I said, choking up at the sight of my father’s face.
Joy mixed with sadness as he quickly realized he wouldn’t be able to meet his grandchild. He quickly pushed past the sadness, though, and the tears that filled his eyes seemed to be more joyous than anything. He reached for me again, and I hugged my father again.
“Oh Evelyn… I wish…”
“I know, Daddy,” I said softly. “But I know you’ll be watching over us, and your grandchild will know how much you love him or her, no matter what.”
“Thank you,” he said, choking up. “I’m so happy for you, I really am. Please tell me you’re going to raise the baby here, in your home?”
He seemed so hopeful, and I wanted to comfort him, to tell him what he wanted to hear – but I also couldn’t lie to him.
“I—I don’t know, Daddy. Declan and I aren’t sure how we’re going to do this yet, but I promise you, our child will know Liberty one way or another. His dad is here, after all. So is his uncle Matt.”
And I wished like hell their grandfather would be there too.
“His? Are you having a little boy?” he asked, a smile stretching across his tired face.
“I don’t know for sure, it’s way too soon. I just have a feeling it might be a boy for some reason.”
“Boy or girl, I just want my grandchild to be healthy and happy,” he said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Matt, can you please grab the wine? This is a reason to celebrate!”