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Declan
The next day, news of Belle and me picking up our marriage license is all over the city of Philadelphia with speculation on when we’re getting married and whether it’s a shot-gun wedding. That’s the part I hate the most.
Dad, Cooper, Murphy, and I are getting fitted for our tuxes for Dad and Katherine’s wedding when a journalist and his crew have the nerve to come inside the door and try to get a picture. “Can we get a statement, Declan?”
It’s almost comical to see Murphy and Cooper close ranks so that they can’t get the picture of me they want. Dad walks out of the dressing room and over to the reporter. “Here’s your statement, guys. My son is happily married to an amazing woman I’m proud to be able to call my daughter. Now, if you ever want access to my pressroom again, get the hell out of here and let me enjoy my day off with all my sons.” Dad holds the door open for the reporter and photographer to leave, then turns to the shop owner. “I’ll give you a thousand dollars if you’ll close the shop for the next hour while we’re here.”
“Done,” the older gentleman tells my father as he flips his sign to “Closed” and locks the front door.
While Murphy checks out ties, Cooper and I sit down in the two leather chairs set up outside the dressing room. “So, you thinking about moving yet?” Coop asks, leaning back and crossing his leg.
I blow out a breath. “We haven’t talked about it yet, but we need to. I need them safer than where we are now, but it’s their home. It’s the only home Tommy has ever known, and it has all Belle’s memories of her parents. I don’t know how she’s gonna feel about leaving it.”
“She’s probably not gonna be thrilled about the idea of leaving it, but Belles is a momma bear. She knows the best thing for Tommy and my future nieces—”
I cut him off, “They could be nephews, asshat.”
“Nah. It would be so much more fun to watch you deal with two girls.” He lifts his eyebrows and grins an evil grin. “Anyway, she’s gonna want to keep the kids safe, and you need more privacy and more security for that. I’m not saying lock yourselves behind a wall, but you need what Brady’s parents have. You need land between you and your neighbors that you can fence in. You need a kick-ass security system. You know I’m right, man.” Cooper looks over at Murphy, who’s holding up a navy blue tie with green shamrocks on it and shakes his head. “It’s New Year’s, Murph, not St. Patrick’s Day.”
“Whatever. I like it, I’m getting it,” Murphy grumbles.
We spend the next hour with each of us getting our tuxes fitted before Murphy steps away to take a call. When he comes back, he announces, “Rocky’s having her babies. I need cigars.”
Murphy and Cooper leave in Murph’s car, and I drop my dad off at his house before I head over to find Belles. She’d gone over to the home that Murphy shares with Brady, Nattie, and Bash this morning to pick up Tommy. Brady and Bash were giving Linc a tour of Philadelphia, so Belle texted me earlier that she was going to hang out at the house with the girls for a little while. I can only imagine what’s going to come out of Tommy’s mouth if he sees Rocky giving birth.
When my phone rings, I see Hunter’s name flash across the screen and hit the speaker. “What’s up, man?”
“They know, Dec. I’m so sorry,” Hunter answers, frustration lacing his voice.
“Dude, they’ve been following me all morning. Dad just gave a statement an hour ago. We knew once we filed for the license, it would only be a matter of time,” I tell him. “There’s nothing we could have done differently.”
“Dec, man... They know Annabelle’s pregnant. They know it’s twins. According to the article that just ran, it came from a source within her doctor’s office.”
“Fuck!” I hit the steering wheel. “How am I supposed to tell her this? What the hell am I supposed to do now?”
“Scarlet wants to meet as soon as you can. She and Becket will meet you at the stadium, and they’ll conference me in.” He waits a beat. “You still there, Dec?”
I pound the wheel again. “Yeah, I’m fucking here. Fuck! Tell them I’ll meet them in twenty minutes.” I disconnect the call and turn the car around.
Thirty minutes later, I’m sitting in Scarlet Kingston’s office, pissed off with my hands fucking tied. Scarlet sits behind her sleek white desk. Her hair is pulled back in a low bun at the back of her head. She’s got on jeans that are so tight, they should be cutting off her circulation with a black cashmere sweater and bright red heels, making her look as intimidating in her day-off clothes as she looks in her skirt suits. Becket leans against her desk, listening to Hunter’s voice through the speaker phone. In his worn jeans and faded Foo Fighters t-shirt, he seems relaxed and not at all concerned.
The first thing I thought when I saw him was that Belle would love that shirt. “Listen, Hunter. My office is in the process of sending a cease and desist letter that should help going forward, but it’s not gonna touch the damage that’s been done.”
“No, you idiot,” Scarlet says to her brother. “That’s my office’s job. I’ve pulled everyone in, and we’re working on getting a statement out. Once I’m satisfied with the statement, I’ll send it to Declan and Annabelle for approval, and we’ll release it. This statement should be the only time it’s discussed publicly.” She looks across the desk at me. “Do not answer any questions. Tell your wife the same thing. This is it. You’re not some tabloid whore, and I’m going to destroy everyone who ran this story.”
I glare at Scarlet. “Oh. I thought that’s what you wanted. Me talking to the press and public, I mean.”
The door swings open, and Max Kingston walks in. “No, Declan. We wanted you to step up and become the face of the organization. And you’ve done that. You’ve done your interviews. You’ve answered the questions in the press room and the locker room after games. The public gets Declan the quarterback. They get Declan out in public. They have no right to this. If I have to personally shut this shit down myself, I will.”
When Max stops next to my chair, I stand and shake his hand.
“Please tell your wife I’m sorry she has to go through this. And hey, congratulations.” He grins. “She’s a lucky lady.”
“Yeah, we’ll see how lucky she feels after she hears this.”
