“Not great,” I admit. “But Andie is her child, not mine. I can’t force her to stay home and live off me forever. Although I have offered to pay for a private nanny and lord knows Aspen has the skills to fully vet and background check anyone so I know we’ll get a good one.”
“Is she at least thinking about that?” Declan asks and I nod. He kisses me softly. “You’re a great uncle.”
“I am,” I reply. “I’d make a great dad one day too. If we go that route. And you would too.”
Yesterday evening when I came home from an AA meeting, Declan was sitting on the porch with Andie on his lap. He was gently rocking her in one of the rocking chairs and explaining to her, in a soft voice, the best way to find a sand dollar at low tide. She of course didn’t understand a word of his highly detailed instructions, but it was still the cutest thing ever. I finally understood why women get all mooney over men with babies.
Now though he almost frowns, his eyebrows pinching a little and his mouth flattening into a line. “We’ll see.”
I blink. “We’ll see? Not ‘no thank you’ or ‘fuck off’?”
He smiles. “That little cherub may be softening my heart. Maybe. I’m still undecided.”
“To be honest, so am I, so don’t worry about it. No pressure.” I grin. “When Andie is thirteen and acting like a brat and has every guy in junior high chasing after her, I’ll probably want a dog instead.”
“Oh God no,” Declan rolls his eyes. “I’ll take a kid over a dog. Major’s hair is on every piece of clothing I own!”
I laugh and roll over so I’m on top of him. My naked body against his perfect, naked body. “How about doggy-style? Is that allowed?”
“Oh fuck yeah, that’s allowed. You on all fours in front of me…” Declan groans and then tilts his head to kiss me, his teeth tugging on my bottom lip when he pulls away. My dick jerks with life at the sensation.
I lean in for another kiss, and whatever else he’ll give me, when there’s a knock at the door. It’s hard and sharp, and not at all expected. Yes, Aspen is home but she never interrupts. Ever. Even before Declan moved in she was great at giving me privacy. She speaks before I can ask what she wants. Her voice high and tight, like the buzz of a skate sharpening machine. “They’re here. They are fuckinghere!”
Declan and I exchange concerned but confused glances. I roll off of him and sit up. “Who?”
“The parental units!” Aspen spits out. “Our parental units. And they won’t leave!”
What the actual fuck?
Declan and I both jump out of bed. He rushes to the walk-in closet and I yank the summer quilt off the bottom of the bed and tie it around my waist. I head to the closed bedroom door and crack it. “They’re in my house?”
Aspen shakes her head, her curls bouncing around her round face. “No. I stepped onto the porch expecting it to be Javi or Terra or, I don’t know, the Amazon guy. But there they were. I slammed the door shut and Andie started crying. I told them to leave but they said they won’t budge until we talk. I won’t do it, Abbott. I will not let them near her.”
“Okay. Okay. I’ll deal with it. You stay upstairs. I’m gonna get dressed and handle it.”
I close the door and turn to see Declan emerge from the closet, fully clothed in canvas joggers and a crisp navy polo shirt. He’s holding a pair of pants for me and a shirt. I take it from him. “I heard,” he says before I can explain.
“Who the fuck do they think they are?” I mutter as I get dressed.
“The same people they’ve always been,” he says with a soft, sympathetic tone. “And I’m going down there with you. I don’t want you handling this alone.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” I say, but honestly, I want him there.
“I’m your best friend. I’d want to be there to back you up even if I wasn’t romantically, madly in love with you,” he says calmly and simply, like his words didn’t just make my heart expand two sizes in my chest.
“I don’t deserve you,” I whisper and kiss him one more time before heading to the door and throwing it open.
Aspen is pacing in the hall with Andie clinging to her neck. The little girl has pink cheeks, watery eyes, and a runny nose. She’s picking up on her mother’s panicked energy.
I run a hand over her head. “It’s okay, baby girl. The bad people aren’t going to bother you.”
I kiss the top of her head and try to give Aspen a reassuring smile. And then Declan and I make our way downstairs. As soon as I step onto the porch, I can see them standing on the front stoop through the screens. Dad notices us first. His eyes focus on me with a smile that dims a little when he sees Declan. “Son. Declan.”
His voice carries through the screens. I really wish I had converted this porch to three-season, with glass windows, last year. Then I could shut them and not have to hear either of them. “This is private property and you’re not invited guests.”
Mom looks like she’s about to burst into tears and I fight the guilt I feel wanting to bloom in my gut. “Abbott, honey, we just want to talk. I just wanted to hold my grandbaby.”
“She is your ex-daughter’s child,” I correct.
