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“But I didn’t die because Declan made sure we were safe,” I stated.
“Ha. He’s the one who sank the boat. That doesn’t sound like he’s great at keeping you safe. And why are you defending him, anyway?” she questioned.
And why are you being so hard on him?
This was not the time for us to talk about my fledgling feelings for him. Mostly because I was still working on clarifying them myself. And when I did, it was a conversation for me and Declan to have before telling anyone else.Who knows. Maybe there won’t be anything to tell after this week. Maybe last night was the highlight. But damn, what an amazing highlight it was.
Shaking those lovely thoughts from my mind, I was forced back to deal with his one. “He didn’t do anything to cause an issue with the sailboat. A whale decided that we had been taking up his space and he decided it was his job to move us.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but the whale rammed us three times.”
“That’s crazy. They never mentioned any of that in the post. What made it do that?” she asked.
“It’s a wild creature. We have no idea. We had been sitting on the deck and then out of nowhere, bam. It was very scary.”
“This is unbelievable. A whale? You want me to believe that a whale attacked your boat?” she said.
“Yes. Not just because it’s the truth, but because I’m telling you it is. Declan was amazing. He kept me calm and safe.”And well-loved all night long. “It was Declan’s quick thinking that saved us. He found a ship not far from our location and they came and rescued us before we took on too much water.”
“That’s a good thing. You have no idea how scared I was when I read the news. I can’t believe someone posted fake information. Can you imagine what his family will think when they read it?”
My heart skipped a beat. I had been so focused on calming MaKayla down that I never thought about his family. “Oh, my God. MaKayla. I have to call him. His parents. His brother. Oh, God. I have to warn him,” I stammered. “I’m sorry. I have to call you back later. Love you.”
“Love you too, Mom. And I’m glad that you're both okay,” she said as I ended the call.
Quickly, I dialed his number, and it rang once, just as the door opened. and he came inside. He looked like hell. I rushed over to him, wrapped my arms around his waist, then looked up at him. “Declan, I have something important to tell you.”
He held me tightly for a second, then took my hand and walked us to the couch, where he plopped down. “I have something to tell you too.” His tone was one that sounded defeated.
I had no idea what had happened, maybe his friend changed his mind about the boat or something, but what I had to tell him, I couldn’t wait. “Let me go first. It’s really important. It’s about you. Someone posted on the internet that you died at sea. My daughter just called me filled with panic. It took a lot to convince her that we are both okay,” I said. He was just sitting there, staring at the wall. “Declan, did you hear what I said? People think you’re dead.”
He sat motionless, staring blankly at the wall. “My parents did,” he said softly. “That’s why I’ve been gone so long. "My younger brother called. He said that my mother saw the post on the internet. She screamed for my father. When he went to check on her, she was on the floor. The shock was too much for her. They rushed her to the hospital, and they believe she had a small stroke.”
It explained the pain I had seen in his expression. If it had been me who’d received such news, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to speak at all. I sat down beside him and grabbed hold of his hand with both of mine. His hand was trembling. “I’m so sorry, Declan. Is she...okay?”
My heart broke for him. The man who has been so strong all this time looked helpless at that moment. It was time for him to lean on me, as I have been doing on him.
“She’s been admitted to the hospital. Rian was waiting for an update from the doctors. All I know is that she is in stable condition. What that means, I'm not sure,” he said.
That wasn’t much information, but stable was a lot better than critical, but he needed to know that she was going to be okay. That was something he didn’t have right now.
“What can I do?” I asked, unsure of what he needed from me. But I had to do something. He meant so much to me and seeing him hurting was like tiny knives to my own heart.
He shook his head. “I...I have to fly home. I need to be there,” he explained.
What he needed from me was to let him go. I nodded. “Yes, you do. Did you book a flight yet?” I asked.
“No. Guess flights here are not that easy to come by. I even tried to charter a flight and there are none until tomorrow. I’ll have to wait until then,” he said.
“Or, I can call Alex and see if he’ll send the Henderson jet. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. Well, he might, but Damien is working with the president of Tabiq, so he might be more obliging,” I offered.
“I don’t want to owe the Hendersons anything. I’ll find a flight. It might just take me a bit longer than I wanted,” he said.
I’m not the only stubborn one.
I couldn’t blame him. I’d do the same. There were very few people I allowed close enough to me that I’d let help me. Declan was one of them.
