Page 36
THIRTY-FIVE
willa
My eyes fly between the blonde bombshell in the tightest red dress I’ve ever seen sitting on the black leather couch in front of us, and my suddenly furious husband. His hand grips mine so tight that it verges on painful, but I don’t try to pull away. Declan is never angry, not like this.
And suddenly I know who this is.
“Don’t pretend you’re not happy to see me, Decky. I paid a lot of money to see you tonight.”
“How did you know I would be here? This is a meet and greet for my wife and her band. Not me. Do I need a restraining order?” I can feel the tension in Declan’s body. He’s on the edge of snapping.
“We’re in Boston, and you don’t have a game until tomorrow. It wasn’t that hard,” she says, standing and trying to saunter towards him, but I quickly step in front of her. She sneers down at me from her towering heels just as Declan tries to pull me back.
“Bethany I assume?” She doesn’t answer me, just continues to glare at me like she can make me disappear with her hateful thoughts. “I’m Willa. Declan’s wife.”
“Yeah, I heard all about your facade of a marriage,” she says to Declan. “Don’t worry, Daddy can get it annulled so we can be together.”
Belle grabs my arm and holds tight, probably knowing I’m about to launch myself at her. Harlow takes her lead and grabs the other one while Declan wraps an arm around my waist.
“She’s not worth it, Princess,” Declan says, pulling me against his chest. I instantly relax against him.
“Not worth it?” Bethany screeches, her face turning as red as a tomato.
“Nope,” Declan says. “One drunken night with you could’ve cost me everything and it wasn’t even memorable.”
“Uh, do I need to call security?” Jon asks because he’s terrible at reading the room.
“Yes,” I tell him without looking away from Bethany.
“What makes her so fucking special? Mediocre band whores are your thing?”
I watch Kai grab Belle before she can throw herself at Bethany. Cal has a solid grip on Harlow too. If the moment wasn’t so tense, I would be happy to have friends like them.
Declan holds me even tighter and takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself. I wrap my arms around his that are still around my waist and thread our fingers together. He squeezes them before speaking.
“Willa is and always has been everything to me. She’s always been the most important person in my life, and she will be until the day I die. I don’t have to justify my relationship to anyone, especially you. But since it seems you don’t understand, I’ll put this as simply as I can.” Declan turns me in his arms so I’m facing him. He looks at me as he speaks his next words. “Willa is the love of my life. I married her because I love her and want to spend the rest of my life showing her how much. She is my forever.” He looks up at Bethany as security sweeps in to remove her. “There is no ending where you and I are ever anything to each other.”
Bethany screams and fights as security removes her from the room. She shouts about her dad killing our careers, but I barely notice her.
“I know she forced our hand and made us get married faster than we would have naturally,” Declan says as he lifts his hands to cradle my cheek. “We’re inevitable, Princess. We would’ve always ended up here.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull myself up his body so I can be face to face with him. “I love you.” He kisses me like no one is watching.
“She’s the reason I didn’t get to be your maid of honor?” Belle asks. I break the kiss to look at her, thinking she’s going to be upset I didn’t tell her, but instead she’s looking out the empty doorway like she’s considering following Bethany out.
I nod, choosing not to explain everything.
Because what Declan said was right. We are inevitable. This love I feel for him isn’t new. It’s not a new sensation in my chest or a foreign feeling I got when I looked at him. It was always there, waiting for me to acknowledge it. The reason we got married no longer matters and it would just hurt feelings. The reason we’re married now and will hopefully stay that way is what matters.
“Damn,” Cal says, scratching his jaw and looking awkward. “Not your best decision there, Dec.”
“You had a baby with a stranger, Callahan. You don’t get to comment,” Harlow says, putting him in his place. I laugh because she has a point.
Declan laughs and claps Cal on the shoulder with me still in his arms. “You’re not wrong, man.”
“Alright, she’s gone,” Jon says. “I called Jo to give her a heads up. She’s getting in touch with the PR team to make them aware in case Bethany goes to the press. But you should probably call your PR team, Declan. Get them on it from your end too.”
“Thanks. I’ll call them,” Declan says to him.
“We have your backs,” Belle says, coming to stand next to us, Kai still attached to her side. “Anyone with eyes can see your marriage is real, and you love each other. Don’t let some crazed bimbo get to you.”
I snort and slide down Declan so I can hug Belle. “I’m sorry,” I whisper to her. She squeezes me.
“I understand. I wouldn’t want to try to explain that woman to anyone. Luckily, Kai is too much of an asshole for anyone to chase him.”
“Hey!” Kai complains.
“Except for me, obviously,” she says, grinning up at him. His fake frown cracks, and he smiles back before kissing her.
“Someone, please smother me in my sleep and put me out of my misery,” Mav mutters before leaving the room. I watch him leave, the sadness weighing his shoulders down.
“We need to find Ezra,” I say. I’ve been having the small moments of guilt. Like being happy is somehow a betrayal to Ezra. I snap myself out of it pretty quickly, but then that’s followed by guilt for not dedicating more time to finding him. It’s a cycle that’s getting old and needs to end soon. I can’t keep feeling guilty over living my life and finding happiness.
“Jo and I are planning on spending our time on the bus going through more leads that have been submitted to the platform. My dad is still trying to find anything to lead us to Gavin Irons. That man is a ghost, though,” Harlow says, her eyes trained on the doorway where Mav disappeared.
“Bus is leaving in twenty minutes!” Nate yells as he breezes by.
I sigh and snuggle into Declan. “I wish you could come with us.”
“I do too, Princess.”
“We’ll see at you at your game next week,” Kai says, patting Dec on the shoulder as he leaves the room with Belle. Cal does the same thing as he leaves with Harlow.
“I meant everything I said,” Declan says when we have the room to ourselves. “I believe with everything I am that we would still fall in love and get married. We’re lucky we got to do it sooner.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Oh yeah? What else do you believe?”
“That we’re going to have kids, and you’re going to be the best mom to them. That we’re going to bring them back to the campground where we met every summer.” He kisses me, his lips barely brushing mine before he speaks again. “We’re going to go on so many adventures, Princess.”
“I can’t wait,” I whisper against his lips. The idea of kids is still terrifying to me, but I can see the picture Declan is painting, and I want it.
Declan’s lips crash into mine. I kiss him back with equal ferocity. I want him to feel how much I miss him on his lips for days.
“Willa! Bus!” Nate yells.
“Fuck,” Declan curses. He kisses me again, gently this time. “I’ll call you on the way to the airport tomorrow.” I nod, holding back tears. It’s so much harder to leave him this time around. “I love you, Princess.”
“I love you too, baby.”
We separate in the parking lot with another steamy kiss. He walks me to the bus, leaving me after telling me how much he loves me again before heading to his own car.
This is going to be the longest week of my life.
Table of Contents
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- Page 36 (Reading here)
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