Declansat back on the couch, nibbling on his cookie. He’d never been good at puzzles.
“Isent for the divorce papers,” Declan said, suddenly suspecting that wasimportant.
“You’reso close to figuring this out,” Charlie encouraged, taking another one ofOwen’s cookies.
“Isent for the divorce papers,” Declan repeated. “It was my idea, so… Ash thinks…it’s what I want. Because I didn’t exactly say that I didn’t want him to signthem, because I thought it was whathewanted.”
“Andthat’s important, because…” Charlie prompted.
“BecauseI never told him how I feel,” Declan said, as if he was just realizing it forthe first time.
Hewas, really.
Heknew he’d never told Ash he loved him—he’d just figured that out himself—buthe’d approached this with Ash as though it was just a test to see if he wasinto guys.
He’dnever told Ash it was abouthim, specifically.
Ashthought Declan wanted to leave him. Declan had never said he didn’t, or told Ashwhat he meant to him, or… anything.
He’djust assumed that Ash would know, like he knew everything else.
“Whatif he doesn’t feel the same way?” Declan asked.
Charlielaughed.
Thatwasn’t quite the response Declan had been expecting.
“Again,without breaking any confidences… my advice would be that it’s a bigger riskthat he walks away thinking you wanted him to than to tell him how you reallyfeel.”
Declanstood, stuffing the remainder of his cookie in his pocket for lack of a betterplace to put it. “I get it. Thanks, Charlie. I owe you free coffee for life.”
“I’lltake one free coffee,” Charlie said. “As long as my two favorite bookstoreowners are still around for me to talk to while I drink it.”
Declansmiled at that. “I think we will be. Ihopewe will be.”
Charliedarted forward, wrapping his arms around Declan in a suffocatingly tight hug. Hewas stronger than he looked. “You will be. Give Ash my love.”
“Ihave to give him mine first,” Declan said.
“Youdo. Now go.” Charlie gave Declan a gentle push toward the door. “And come to dinnertomorrow,” he called after him.
“Willdo,” Declan called back as he headed out of Owen’s office, paying for hisgroceries and then making a beeline for the toy vending machines Owen had inthe front of the store.
Hewas never going to do thisright, but he was going to do his best thistime.
ChapterTwenty-Six
Ashcursed as the pile of books he’d been carrying wobbled, teetered, and thencollapsed on him, all but the book on the bottom falling from his arms and allover the floor.
Todaywas obviously not going to be his day.
Hegot it. He did. He’d agreed, specifically, to thirty days of marriage. This hadalways been a temporary arrangement.
Somepart of him had thought it might become the real thing. Maybe if they’d hadmore time, or he’d been more open with Declan…
Butthen, maybe not, and maybe telling Declan he loved him at the first, tiny hintthat he wouldn’t be totally rejected would have left them in a much worseposition now.
Maybethere was nothing Ash could have done to avoid this.
