AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I take a small bite of the cheeseburger he ordered for me. “How are you going to do that?”
He shrugs. “If you agree to not fuck another man while you’re in New York, that would help.”
I let out a laugh. “That would mean you agree not to fuck another woman until I board the airplane headed back to London.”
He lifts his chin, keeping his eyes pinned to mine. “I’ll happily agree to that.”
It feels as though my heart clenches inside my chest. “I’ll agree to it too.”
A broad smile skates over his lips. “Good.”
“You didn’t really think I was on a date with your brother, did you?” I reach for my water bottle and crack open the lid. “Ryden isn’t the type of man I’m interested in.”
He watches me take a drink. “Does Ryden know that?”
I swallow so I don’t choke on the laugh brewing inside of me. “Ryden asked me to meet with him to talk about Roxy.”
“Sure he did,” he says sarcastically. “His eyes were practically popping out of his head during dinner the other night. When he walked into Sean’s apartment, he was laser-focused on you.”
“I was laser-focused on someone else,” I tell him.
“Me,” he states.
I shrug both shoulders. “It’s a secret.”
His gaze drops to the white tank top I’m wearing. I put it on along with a pair of white silk panties when Harry answered the door to grab our food.
“Tell me one of your secrets, London.” He smiles. “Just one.”
I run a fingertip over my bottom lip. “I kind of liked that you were jealous.”
“No shit?” He chuckles. “That’s not a secret, Ava. You took a lot of pleasure in watching me come undone in the diner and on the subway.”
“It was hot,” I toss that out with a smile. “It made me very, very wet.”
He stares at me, not saying anything for a few seconds. “If I didn’t have to get back to Roxy, I’d toss you on that couch behind me and go down on you again.”
I want nothing more, but I need time to catch my breath.
Today has been one of the most incredible of my life.
“There’s always next time,” I say with confidence.
“And the time after that and the time after that,” he adds as he moves to stand.
He rounds the table, leaning down to kiss my mouth softly. “Thank you for everything.”
I reach up to stroke his jaw. “No other women while I’m in New York, right?”
He grabs my hand to press his lips to my palm. “Now, who is jealous?”
I laugh it off, but I’m already dreading the moment I board the plane to go back to London because he’ll be free to go back to his life before me, and I’ll become a distant memory to him.
“What’s so urgent?” I ask as soon as Declan opens the door to his apartment.
He called me twenty minutes after Harry left to ask me to meet him. His voice had a panicked note that I haven’t heard often.
Decky motions for me to enter, so I do.
I didn’t take time to think about what to wear or how my hair looked. I slipped on a pair of jeans and a white sweatshirt and tied my hair back in a ponytail.
“Sean and Callie are having a baby,” he says.
I stare at him. “I was there for the announcement, remember?”
He pokes a finger into my shoulder. “I remember, but seriously, Ava, Sean is going to be a dad.”
I can’t tell if this is shock or something else.
It’s been two days since we found out our brother and his fiancée are expecting. I’m still floating on cloud nine for them, but I know it’s early, and expectations have to be tempered.
“We need a special gift for them,” he goes on. “Something one-of-a-kind that is only for them and the baby.”
Since Callie explained that her due date is seven months away, I remind Declan of that. “When they’re past the first trimester, we can start thinking about that.”
“I’ve already been thinking about it.” He shoves a hand through his hair. “Compose a lullaby for the baby, Ava. I’ll help you get it recorded. It can be just for Baby Wells.”
Tears fill my eyes. “Do you think they would like that?”
He grabs hold of my shoulders. “I think it’s the perfect gift. What better gift to give this baby than something special created by you?”
Not wanting to jinx anything, I suck in a deep breath to level my emotions. “Once Callie is in her second trimester, I’ll start working on that.”
“Good.” He nods.
I study his face. “Has this made you think about having kids, Declan?”
He drops his gaze to the front of his white button-down shirt. “I suppose it has.”
“You can have a baby on your own.” I smile. “Unless you’re set on the old-fashioned way, and you’ve got a specific woman in mind.”
