Third Time’s the Charm – Megan Moroney

Addie

M y hands shake as I send the text I’ve been dreading for the last forty-eight hours. A few days after talking to Declan and hearing his assurance that he would join dinner, I decided I would face the terror and speak to my parents.

It’s taken two days to work up the courage to text my Dad.

Me: I am willing to talk. Next weekend is fine if you can still make it, but there’s a home game I have to work. I’m free to get dinner Sunday night following the game.

I slide my phone across the table and continue to process the invoices for last week’s produce orders so I can send them off to the finance department for processing.

It’s been a quiet morning, and practice is in full swing for the home game against Houston this weekend, and the interns haul cardboard boxes of fruit and vegetables into the large walk-in cooler in the back.

My phone dings and I fly for it, panic and nerves swirling around my chest. Instead of my parents, it’s Declan, who should be at practice, running around, not texting me.

Declan: This is a cordial invitation for you and Nora to attend the greatest sleepover ever at my house. This Friday. Be there or be lame.

Me: Aren’t you supposed to be practicing?

Declan: Said I had to pee. Meet me in the equipment room. Quick, before they think I died.

I rush out of the room and down the hall toward the spare equipment room. I reach out a hand to turn the knob, but the door flies open and I’m pulled into the dark room.

“What are you—”

Declan smashes his lips to mine, stealing my surprised gasp. He consumes me, and I clutch his bicep to keep from falling to the ground.

This is not what I was expecting, but as he trails his hand down my waist and over the globe of my ass, I can’t say I’m disappointed.

He nibbles at my lower lip, then breaks the kiss. The smile on his face is a glorious sight—wide and full of joy.

“I’ve thought about that all morning,” he admits, “You’re a hard woman to chase down at work.”

“I purposefully hide from you,” I say sheepishly, “Or else I would get nothing done, and I’d like to keep my job.” His smile transforms into a smug thing. Cocky man. “Get back to practice,” I demand, shoving him toward the door.

He digs his heels into the ground and kisses me one more time before he exits the small room. I’m breathless as we return to the hallway.

Declan backpedals toward the practice field, but pauses at the door and calls out, “Sleepover on Friday! Bring your jammies!”

“Go!” I yell.

“Not until you RSVP!”

“We’ll be there,” I say, and he grins before slipping through the door.

There’s nowhere else we’d want to be.

When I step back into the nutrition room, oranges cover the floor, and the interns frantically pick them up, turning their polos into makeshift baskets. I heave a deep breath. Nope. Not acknowledging this.

I step around a pile of oranges and return to my table in the corner, and the mango and coconut milk smoothie I put together earlier. It’s my favorite combination, and I often throw in other tropical fruit to enhance the flavor. It melts like sugar on my tongue, and I hide a smile behind the cup as Louis chases a rogue orange across the room.

He glances over sheepishly, and I throw a fist in the air.

I’m still laughing when I pick up my phone, but it dies a quick death on my lips.

Mom: We will be there. Made a reservation at Bucco’s at 7 pm.

Dread drops like a stone in my stomach, and instead of lingering in it, I pull up the photo of Nora, Declan, and me standing in the stadium, holding hands, and I let it wash all the worry away.

Nora sits quietly in the backseat of the car, peeling stickers from the book Declan bought her and transferring them to a notebook, creating the perfect mosaic.

When she asked where we were going, I lied through my teeth and told her to the pharmacy so I could buy tampons. That squashed any further interest, and the car has been silent ever since—except for the early 2000s Rhianna playing through the speakers.

This feels like a big step—one that can’t be undone—and it creates nerves, and worry, but also unbridled anticipation.

I don’t regret telling Declan he needs to be settled in his choice. Nora accepted him faster than I could have expected, and both of our hearts are on the line.

He’s been called a playboy, but I’ve never thought that was true. A serial dater, sure, but it’s clear now he’s been searching for where he belongs. I want him to believe he belongs with us, but he needs to come to that decision because it’s what his heart is telling him, and not because we fit the mold of what he’s been missing his entire life.

I pull into Declan’s driveway, and Nora’s head lifts in the rearview mirror.

“Where are we?” she asks, surveying the yellow door and large porch.

I help her out of the car and grab our bags, then take her hand and lead her toward the front door.

A small goose sits in the corner with a yellow rain jacket and boots, and a sign around its neck that reads ‘Welcome Addie & Nora!’. I suck in a small gasp and my nerves flutter around my chest.

Nora leans down to smell the flowers in a porch pot, and I knock on the door.

The door swings open, and Declan’s smile is bright and excited, eyes glittering with something I’ve never seen before.

“Nora…” he calls out quietly.

Her head jerks up from the plants, and her eyes are full of disbelief. She sprints over to him and he catches her in his arms, spinning her back and forth.

They’re momentarily lost in their world, and she clings to him tightly, like if she lets go, he might disappear forever.

“Are you ready for the sleepover?” he asks.

Her eyebrows skyrocket. “Sleepover?”

His eyes meet mine. “Your mom didn’t tell you?” She shakes her head cartoonishly. “You’re both spending the night, and I have a special surprise for you.”

“Can I have the surprise now?”

His attention flickers to me, and I nod. We drop the bags in the entryway, and Declan carries Nora toward the room he decorated for her. Fear creeps up my throat as he pauses in the doorway and opens his mouth to speak.

“This is your surprise,” he says, taking hold of the doorknob. His face is uneasy as the door creaks open, and the room comes into view.

Seeing the room the second time is equally jarring as the first, and my hands tremble as Nora slowly steps into the space and spins around. Her eye catches on the vanity, and she scurries over, opening the drawers to find children’s makeup and hair accessories.

She squeals loudly, takes out a sparkly purple bow, and clips it into her hair. With the bow bouncing in her hair, she moves on to the bookcase and takes out a Magic Treehouse novel, holding it tightly to her chest.

“This is mine?” she asks.

I’m not sure if she’s referring to the book or the bedroom, but Declan nods and steps toward her. “This is your room. We can change whatever you don’t like,” he adds hastily.

Nora blinks, then wraps her arms around his legs, squeezing him in a tight hug that springs tears to my eyes. Gratitude and excitement shine on her face, and when she releases him, she yells, “I want to live here forever!”

She leaps onto the bed, jumping on the mattress, and her skirt billows as she crawls between the large throw pillows.

“I love you, Decy,” she adds quietly, before picking up her book and burrowing into the pillows once more. Her focus turns to me. “Can I stay here and read?”

“You can stay as long as you’d like.” My voice cracks at the end, and Declan places his hand on my lower back. I lean into the touch, and the emotions pour in.

“We’ll come get you for dinner.”

Declan ushers me out the door and into the kitchen, and once we’re out of sight, he takes a sharp left and drags me into a large pantry.

Oh my god, this is marvelous .

It’s floor-to-ceiling storage with a small benchtop that holds appliances. I step closer, and each basket and drawer is meticulously labeled.

I give Declan an odd look. “Deon has a label maker, and everything was already labeled at his house. He’s expanded.”

Any further questions die on my tongue when he steps forward and the pantry door slams shut. He strides toward me until my thighs are pressed against the countertop, and in one swift move, he lifts me and drops me onto the countertop.

He slips between my parted thighs, and his head lowers until our lips are inches apart and our breaths mingle.

“Hi, baby,” he says, and I melt. Baby. His hand caresses my cheek with reverence. “I’ve thought a lot about what you said,” he starts, and my stomach plummets ten stories, “and I talked about it with Sharon…” he pauses, then pulls out a manila envelope from one of the shelves. It shakes slightly in his grip, and terror seizes me. “The only regret I could have in life is if I let you and Nora slip away.”

He extends the envelope, and I take it with a shaky grip of my own. Declan waits with bated breath as I pull out a packet of papers and scan the top.

My shocked gasp is the only sound in the pantry as I continue to read the bank statement and trust information.

“You can’t,” I say, voice trembling.

“I did.”

“Declan…” The trust fund he set up for Nora stares back at me, and words clog in my throat. “Why?”

His eyes soften.

“I think you know why.” He turns his head to look in the direction of Nora's room. “I never want her to worry about anything. Even if we don’t work out, it belongs to her. Only stipulation is that she gets an education in whatever interests her.”

“You’re choosing us?”

I hate the way my voice cracks and trembles, and how vulnerable the question sounds, but my heart is pounding in my chest, and hope is swelling like a tsunami, and I need him to say the words.

He hasn’t told me he loves me, but he loves Nora, and those words seem minuscule compared to the other ones I’m desperate for.

A tear slips out, and he immediately banishes it with his thumb, the rough skin scraping along my cheekbone.

“I’m choosing you, baby. And her. And us.” he pauses, inhaling a deep breath. “I’m choosing me, and what makes me happy—that’s you and Nora.”

He presses a soft kiss to my lips, and I pour affection into the kiss, though it borders on something more. Love.

Declan has made it very easy to fall in love with him. So easy it’s second nature, like breathing. His palm cups my jaw as he deepens the kiss, and I wrap my legs around him, tugging him closer.

He lets a small groan escape, and I catch it with another kiss, this one deeper and slightly frantic now that I’ve realized I’ve fallen in love with him. My hands roam his stomach, over the hard muscles, and down to the hem of his top. I slip beneath the fabric and he sucks in a breath as my hand slips below his waistband to grip his cock over his briefs.

“Adeline,” he chastises, though his breath hitches when I squeeze.

He hardens beneath my palm, and my core clenches as ragged breathing fills the space. I hop off the counter and drop to my knees.

“Block the door,” I command, and he shifts to the left.

My hands tug at the waistband of his gray sweatpants until they’re hanging around his knees. His briefs fall next and his cock bobs against his stomach, abdominal muscles taut with restraint. A small smattering of hair trails from his belly button to his cock, and my throat dries at the sight of him in daylight.

He peers down at me, pupils shot, and fists clenched at his side.

I lean forward and drag my tongue along the underside, starting at the base and ending by swirling my tongue around the head. I pull the tip into my mouth, sucking lightly, before releasing him.

A deep groan tumbles from his lips, and I squeeze his thigh. “You’ve got to be quiet.”

“I’ll try, baby, but I’m making no promises.” His hands tangle in my hair, tightening around the loose auburn strands. I huff a laugh and his dick twitches when my breath hits his exposed skin. “ Fuck.”

I take him as deeply as I can in one swift movement, and his grip turns deathlike as I bob my head up and down, slowing at the top to flick my tongue on the underside of his head.

His breath catches, and I do it again and again until he’s twitching in my mouth. I trail my hand along his thigh, up and down, then take his balls in my hand and gently tug. Declan’s hips jerk, and his cock hits the back of my throat.

“You’re doing so good,” he praises, and my heartbeat picks up. He guides my head deeper. “Just like that, baby. You look so pretty with my cock in your mouth.”

My skin is on fire, and I’m moments away from combustion. Pleasure in my lower stomach coils like a snake ready to strike, and every soft groan adds to the pressure.

I release him with a pop!

His eyes are a deep blue, like the sky before an impending storm, and I take a moment to drink him in. His skin is flushed, and his hair is in disarray.

He caresses my face tenderly, and when his thumb trails along the seam of my lips, I take him in my mouth. He gulps, then takes himself in his palm, pumping a few times, before resting the head of his dick on my lips.

He taps a few times, and nothing has ever been erotic as this moment—his silent demand, and the blatant adoration in his eyes.

“Addie,” Declan whimpers—he fucking whimpers —when I gently drag my teeth along the shaft.

His thighs shake, and with one more flick of my tongue, his head falls forward and he barrels through his orgasm, coming in my mouth. I continue to suck until he softens and when I swallow, his pupils blow and he drags me off the ground and into a searing kiss.

It morphs into something slow and tender, and when we break apart, his breathing slows. He pushes a strand behind my ear.

“You’re captivating,” he whispers, and my cheeks flame. “I’m the luckiest man alive. After Nora goes to bed, there’s a surprise for you, too.”

My heart gallops as he presses one last kiss to my forehead and slips his sweatpants back over his hips.

“We better get out there and make dinner,” I say, tugging him along.

“Pizza rolls are already in the oven,” he responds, patting my butt as we slip out of the pantry.

“She’s never going to want to leave,” I chastise, though the words have no bite.

“That’s kinda my game plan.” My eyes jerk to him, and he shrugs. “Step eight. Convince them to stay forever.”

I open my mouth to ask what the hell steps one through seven were, but I’m cut off by a garbled, “Am I in trouble?”

Declan and I spin to find Nora quite literally with her hand in a cookie jar, pulling out a chocolate chip cookie, and one already half-chewed in her mouth.

I blink.

You know what? I’m passing the baton on this one. I pat Declan on the shoulder. “Time to take one for the team.”

He can be the bad guy and tell her it’s not good to sneak sweets before dinner.

Declan does the opposite of what I want. “No, you’re not in trouble. There are no trouble foods, you can eat what you’d like within reason.” My jaw drops, and he continues, “Though, sweet treats are the best after dinner and when you share them with someone else.”

Nora extends a cookie to me. “Here.”

I take it from her small, grubby hands that are covered in blobs of melted chocolate. “I’m going to wait for after dinner,” I say politely, before placing it on the counter.

“What’s for dinner?” she asks.

Declan’s eyes sparkle, and he smiles directly at me before saying, “Pizza Rolls.”

Nora’s victorious cheers will replay in my mind forever.