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“Yeah,” Declan said, his voice lowering. “Killian fucked her up royally. I don't blame her – she was just trying to be a good wife to him. Now she just wants to take care of the kids, and I've decided, I want to help.”
We started walking from the building, but I stopped and stared at him, cocking my head to the side. His words hit me like a freight train and I wasn't sure what he meant, let alone what he planned to do.
“Help, how?” I asked.
“Well, I'm going to be taking over the bar now,” he said. “I'm going to turn it into a legit business, of course. Figured I could help with the kids some. Make sure they turn out okay, you know? I figure they could use a good influence.”
A smile pulled at my lips and stretched wide as my heart filled with emotion once more. I smiled so long and so hard, my face nearly hurt from the effort of it. I leaned in and kissed him on the lips, holding his face in my hands.
“You're a good man, Declan,” I said. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
“I love you too, Kara,” he said. “But what did I do to deserve that? Not that I'm complaining, mind you.”
“The fact that you want to be there for them, to help care for your niece and nephews, even after all the bullshit,” I said. “Not to mention, I've always wanted a large family one day – ”
“Let's not get ahead of ourselves,” he chuckled, giving me a quick peck on the lips before we started walking again.
We headed toward the car, and I buckled Jack into his car seat. Once he was safe and secure, Declan pulled me into an embrace. He kissed along my jaw until he got to my lips, and this time, when we kissed, it was passionate and full of fire. It was the kiss of a man who'd been gone too long and was making up for lost time. He slipped his tongue into my mouth, stealing my breath away.
“Forget what I said,” he whispered. “If you want a bunch of kids, we'll have a bunch of 'em. I'd do anything for you.”
My heart stopped, I couldn't even breathe. I stared into his eyes and knew he meant every word he'd just said.
He continued. “I want that too, in fact. A family. With you. An entire life,” he said. “I want you to be my wife, Kara. I may not have a ring right now – hell, I may not have much of anything – but – ”
“Yes,” I said before he could finish. “I want that too. I really, really want that too.”
“Really?” he said, sounding surprised. “But I don't have much of anything right now.”
“We'll figure that out together, Declan. I'll go back to school, you can run the bar,” I said, running my hands down his chest and I reveled in the sensation of feeling my fingertips over that hard, well-muscled body. “Whatever we do though, I know we'll figure it out and make it together.”
“I don't even have a place for us to live,” he stammered.
“Yes, you do,” I smiled. “The cabin that belonged to your family? That's where we've been staying for now. It's not much, but it'll do, right?”
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nbsp; I leaned against him, my arms around his neck and our foreheads touching. My heart pounded inside of my chest and emotion churned within me.
“You're right, it's not much,” he said, frowning.
“No, but it's enough to start our family off in,” I said. “It's already filled with happy memories, so why not fill it with even more?”
A soft smile crossed his face, and there was something I hadn't seen before in his eyes – hope. He had hope for the future. Hope for a better life – and so did I.
We were just starting out, but already, we were on a better path than Killian or his father ever were. Declan was twice the man either of them were, and for that, I was proud. It might be rough for a little while, but I had every faith that we'd come through it happier and successful beyond our wildest dreams.
“I am so freaking happy,” I said, staring into his eyes. “You have no idea.”
“I'm happy too,” he said, kissing me again.
Jack let out a small cry in the car, and we both stopped and chuckled. “Probably should continue this at home, huh?” I said.
“Oh, we will definitely continue this at home,” he said. “It's been three months since I've –”
I playfully slapped him on the chest. “Hush. Your son is right there.”
Declan looked over my shoulder and grinned. “He doesn't understand what I'm talking about yet. Do you, Jack?”
