Declan:I’m outside… can’t wait to see you.
My heart sinks in my chest, and the girls instantly notice.
“He’s here.” I whip my current top off and search my closet for something better.
“I didn’t hear the doorbell,” Brinley says.
“He texted me.”
“He didn’t come to your front door?” she asks. “I’m going to have some words with him—”
“Oh, please do,” I begin. “Do you want that to be before or after my brother murders him for taking me out?”
“Right. Sometimes I forget you live with Cam.” She laughs. “I also feel bad that we’re always hanging out without him.”
“Because that would be a great way for him to discover that I moved here?”
“Right. I’m just gonna shut up.”
“I think you’re all missing the bigger issue. He’soutside! What am I gonna wear?”
I hold the phone up to my closet and move through the hangers hoping they will find something they like.
“Wait!” Maia yells. “Go back, three hangers.”
I stop on a light gray sweater, one that I don’t think I’ve worn in ages. I pull it off of the hanger and throw it on. It’s warm, which is great for the weather, and it—
“The bare shoulder is sexy,” Brinley says. “But it’s a sweater, so it’s practical. I think we found a winner.”
“Thank you. I owe both of you, but I need to go.”
“Wait, what about sho—”
I hang up before Brinley can finish because there’s a chance once she sees my shoes, she’ll have me go out and buy new ones before I go meet her brother.
“Where are you off to?” Cam wonders, pausing the TV. He’s watching some of his hockey reels, which he does at least once a week to prepare for games.
“Out with Brin,” I reply. I hate lying to him, but I don’t know how he’ll feel about the alternative.
“Alright. Have fun and drive safe; the roads might be slick from last night's snow.”
“I will.” I wave as I head out the door and down the stairs. The second I go outside, I see his Jeep parked right in front of the sidewalk, and the moment he sees me, he hops out.
“Hi,” he says, wrapping me up in his arms. And I breathe him in. I think Declan is starting to become my favorite smell.
“Hi.”
He presses a soft kiss to my lips. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.” He threads his fingers through mine as we walk to my side of the car. The second he opens the door, I ask, “So, where are we going?”
He gives me a wide grin before giving me another small kiss.
“Do you trust me?”
“More than anything.”
twenty-three
