His simple, earnest question breaks my heart just a little bit further. He looks nervous, like he’s expecting a resoundingno.
But there’s nothing to stop and consider. No other answer that would suffice. When I tell him, “Yes, of course,” his shoulders sag in relief.
He plants a soft kiss on my mouth, just a brief touch of his lips against mine. “How about tonight?”
God, this sweet, eager man. I want to protect this side of Declan at all costs. I like the cocky, button-pushing, sarcastic Declan, though I tried my hardest not to. But this one, with the sweet kisses and gentle smiles? This Declan feels like he’s all mine.
Which is why I hate that I have to tell him, “Olivia and Grace are coming over for dinner tonight.” Disappointment flashes across his face for the briefest of seconds before he settles into an easy smile.
“No worries,” he says. “Sean and I have plans after work tomorrow. How about Sunday?”
“My family might kill me if I miss Sunday dinner,” I admit ruefully. “We could do lunch, though?”
“Lunch it is,” he agrees. “Text me your address and I’ll pick you up at noon.”
I so badly want to stay out here on this bench with Declan and forget the rest of my responsibilities, but I’ve left Noah on his own for too long already. Not that he’s not perfectly capable of handling things without me, but he shouldn’t have to.
I climb off Declan as gracefully as I can, which is to say, not gracefully at all. It’s awkward in my dress and strappy sandals, which are admittedly not the best footwear for a day spent on my feet, but I manage. I’m finger-combing my hair when Declan stands and settles a hand on my hip to tug me closer.
“Have a good rest of your day,” he says, dipping to plant a kiss on my forehead. I wonder if this is histhing, forehead kisses with his goodbyes. A girl could get used to a thing like that.
“You too,” I say, rising on my tiptoes to kiss his stubbled cheek. I hear his sharp intake of breath and wonder if anyone’s ever kissed his cheek before.
“Bye, Declan.” I give him a small wave before I turn and head back inside, where I find Noah waiting eagerly by the register at the back of the shop.
“So,” he says, leaning against the counter behind the register and crossing his arms. “Have a nice chat?”
“Sure,” I say noncommittally. I throw in a shrug for good measure. “Everything okay in here?”
“Yep,” Noah says, nodding.
“Great.”
“Sure.”
I busy myself straightening the small rack of business cards that don’t need straightening, trying to ignore Noah’s eyes boring into the side of my head.
“So,” he says again. “Should I knock before going out to the backyard from now on? Make sure you two are decent?” he jokes.
My jaw drops. “We weretalking!”
“You liar!” Noah yells, laughing. “Your cheek is all red from his facial hair.”
I reach up to touch the spot on my jaw that Declan kissed, hoping my cheeks aren’t as flushed as they feel.
“Get back to work,” I grumble, ignoring the way Noah laughs when I don’t deny his accusation.
The rest of the day is a blur of finishing arrangements for weekend events and another rush of customers in the late afternoon, just before closing. Even through the chaos, I find my eyes drawn to the shop next door, where Declan’s been hard at work all afternoon, bent over various customers’ body parts as he inks works of art into their skin. Even so, he almost always looks up and meets my eyes, as if he can feel the weight of my gaze on him.
None of this is lost on Noah, of course. The third time he catches me smiling through the window, he starts singing the chorus of Jessica Simpson’s “I Think I’m in Love with You.” Too loud and horribly off-key, might I add.
I roll my eyes and ignore him, though there’s atinypart of me that wonders if that’s even a possibility with Declan and I. I have no idea what he’s looking for. Is he looking for something casual? Something tells me he’s not a relationship kind of guy.
I’m getting ahead of myself, though. We haven’t even gone ononedate yet, let alone enough to be worrying about the long-term.
God, it’s been so long since I’ve really dated anyone. Since the last one crashed and burned in a blaze of glory that had the whole town talking for months.
I definitely didn’t expect Declan to be the one who finally changes that.
