“You didn’t see it online?” Ronan’s eyes widened in surprise.
I frowned. “No?” Since arriving here, I’d avoided the internet. Seeing photos of desirable women draped all over the men I loved was bad for my mental health.
“Yeah, he dumped her in a restaurant, in full view of some bitchy influencers. The video of her throwing a bowl of soup all over his head went viral. There are memes about it now. Just Google ‘pissed-off ex’ and ‘soup head’.”
Declan rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Ronan, for having fun at my expense.”
“Oh, come on, bro, it was fucking hilarious!”
“Trust me when I say it wasn’tfucking hilarious.”
“Yeah, it was,” Ronan chuckled while Conal shook in silent laughter.
The minute I had a moment, I wassogoogling that.
“Does that mean she’s not your girlfriend anymore?” I tried not to sound hopeful. And failed miserably.
“No, Verity, Bridget is not my anything. She never was.”
“Hmm.”
“You’re my everything.” His words sank in, but I refused to take them at face value. Not after he’d let me in and then shoved me back out again. My feelings mattered. I’d made great strides these last few weeks and allowing him to play football with my emotions all over again was no longer an option.
“Then prove it.”
I didn’t want diamonds, or designer clothes, or any other bullshit gift that meant nothing. I wanted him to treat me with respect, listen to me, and, most of all, open his heart to me, like Ronan and Conal had done.
But Declan wasn’t like his younger brothers.
Thanks to his upbringing, he’d learned to keep his emotions under wraps because doing the opposite was a sign of weakness.
It wasn’t, of course, but here we were. Toxic masculinity at its finest.
I waited for him to respond to my challenge, but he stayed silent. Disappointment crashed over me, bringing my old insecurities to the surface.
He didn’t want me enough to fight for me.
I wasn’t worth it.
But before I could spiral completely, he’d ripped me away from Ronan and Conal.
“Hey!” Ronan yelled in outrage. “Give her back!”
“She’s not a toy, asshole,” Conal reminded him, although he didn’t seem happy about losing me, either.
“We’ll be back in a few hours,” Declan said, ignoring their tantrums. “I’m taking the car.”
“And what the fuck are we supposed to do while you’re gone?”
“Take the dog for a walk.”
“No fucking way, it might eat me.”
I giggled. Beneath the menacing growls, Petal was soft as a kitten. She loved head scratches and since I’d started feeding her bacon in the mornings, she’d added me to her pack.
“Put me down!” I grumbled as Declan tossed me over his shoulder, clearly forgetting I had legs.
“No, you might run away.”
