Page 44

FORTY-THREE

declan

“This was a terrible fucking idea,” I say, biting the inside of my cheek while I watch the men I hired cut out parts of walls in Willa’s childhood home.

“I think it’s perfect,” my dad says, patting my shoulder. Willa and my mom are out exploring some new shops in the small town. I told them Dad and I were going fishing. Instead, I’m standing in my wife’s old bedroom watching as part of the wall her mom carefully and lovingly painted is cut out.

I take in a deep breath of relief once the piece of the wall is gently, and in one piece, placed into the windowed boxes I had made just for this. I had one made for each of the rooms her mom hand-painted designs on.

“She’ll either love this or divorce me,” I say, scratching at the scruff on my face.

“I think you’re about to find out.”

I look up to see my dad looking over my shoulder, his eyes wide and nervous.

Shit.

I turn slowly, plastering a happy smile on my face.

Willa looks around at the mess of tools and dust, her face frozen in an unreadable expression. I watch as her eyes rake over the missing rectangle of wall. I can see the anger creeping up, but thankfully the workers pick that moment to lift the box.

“I, umm,” I start, scratching the back of my neck. “I wanted you to be able to take this back home. Have some part of your mom in our home without having to keep a whole house you rarely get a chance to visit.”

I can’t see Willa’s face, but she hasn’t moved. Her entire body is so still she could be a statue.

“Princess?”

Willa spins and launches herself at me. I flinch until I realize her arms are wrapped tightly around my waist.

“Thank you,” she murmurs into my chest. She pulls back to look at me, her eyes shiny with tears, but there’s a smile on her beautiful face.

“He thought you might divorce him,” my dad says, unhelpfully.

Willa throws her head back and laughs. “I would never.”

I take her mouth in a quick kiss, knowing if I linger, it will quickly become inappropriate for present company.

“They’re going to replace the drywall and paint the whole house in neutrals to resell it. As long as you’re ready for that. Otherwise, I can have them just replace the drywall and wait.”

Willa looks around, her arms still wrapped tightly around me. I squeeze her hips gently.

“There’s no rush,” I tell her.

She shakes her head. “No. I want to sell. It’s long overdue. I couldn’t handle painting over the artwork and never seeing it again, but you solved that problem for me.” She turns in my arms so she can run a finger along the glass of the box. “I didn’t know this is an option.”

“It’s not,” Hugh, one of the guys I hired, says. “Your man had these frames specially made and then made me prove I could get the piece of my own drywall out without damage before he even hired me.”

“Declan!” my mother admonishes. I look over my shoulder at her and shrug.

“It was a wall in his office. I paid to replace it.”

Willa laughs, the sound so light that I can’t help but smile, knowing this is taking some of the weight off her shoulders.

“Thank you,” Willa says, turning back around. “This is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“Anything for you, Princess.”

She leans up on her toes, kissing me. I give into the kiss, pulling her tighter to my body. A throat clearing is the only thing that breaks through enough to separate us.

Willa laughs again, stepping back from me. She laughs even harder at the pout on my face. Grabbing my hand, she pulls me along through the house and out to the car.

“Come on, let’s grab dinner before we go check on Adira.” Willa’s smile falters when she mentions Kai’s mom. We offered to check on her while we were up here. Kai pays someone to look after her, but he jumped on the offer for us to check too. Adira has been horrible to Kai since Ezra went missing, but she’s still his mom, and he still loves her.

“We’re already here,” I point out. She looks down the street to the small blue house. “My parents can go ahead and get us a table.” I look up and see my dad nod as he leads my mom to their rental. They’re heading back home to Vermont tonight before jumping on a plane to their next back packing trip.

Willa’s shoulders slump as she sighs and walks towards Adira’s house.

“Is she really that bad?” I ask, taking her hand as I walk beside her.

“To me? No.” Willa pauses and bites her lip. “Adira was like a mom to me. She insisted I come over for dinner and study time every night after my dad died. She brought me to the mall to buy my first bra and helped me through my first period.”

“She sounds amazing.” I squeeze her hand, and she smiles sadly.

“She is. Was. Everything with Ezra wrecked her. I used to blame Gavin for leaving, but if he was protecting his son,” Willa says, pausing and then shaking her head, “I guess I still blame him a little. His wife needed him too.”

“I don’t think there was a correct answer for Gavin,” I say. I can’t imagine ever having to make that choice, and I never want to.

Willa nods slowly. “No. I suppose there wasn’t.” She continues walking towards the house, her steps slow. It’s only a few houses down from hers and really should have taken a minute or two to get there.

“Come on, Princess. Introduce me to her.” I pull her the last few feet to the stone pathway leading to the front door. Willa takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. She doesn’t wait for a response before using a key to unlock it and letting herself in.

“Adira? It’s Willa.”

“In here,” a raspy voice calls. I follow my wife inside. The house looks like it hasn’t been updated in a few decades, but it’s clean. A frail-looking woman with dark curly hair and blue eyes smiles at Willa. Kai looks just like her except for his nose and the tone of his skin. He’s much paler than her.

“I just wanted to stop in and see how you were doing,” Willa says, bending over to give Adira a hug.

“Did my son send you?” Adira asks, her tone changing to something close to resentment.

I see Willa’s shoulders stiffen. “No. I’m here with my husband and wanted you to meet him.”

I walk into the room, coming out from the shadow of the kitchen I was standing in.

“I’m Declan. It’s nice to meet you.” Reaching out, I shake her small, cold hand. Her eyes assess me from head to toe. She doesn’t smile or say anything. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Adira scoffs and glares at me. “I’m sure Malikai has nothing nice to say about me.”

I open my mouth to argue, but Willa beats me to it. “I can’t do this!” she yells, throwing her hands in the air. “I love you, Adira. I really do, but you need to stop. You can’t keep blaming Kai for something that was out of his control. Kai does nothing but make sure the people he loves are happy and safe. He’s a good person. I won’t listen to you bash him anymore.”

“Obviously not,” Adira says, her face red with anger or embarrassment, I’m not sure.

“Ezra was an adult! He was twenty years old! Kai was not responsible for his actions, nor was he responsible for looking after him like a babysitter. Stop putting your guilt on him!” Willa’s chest is heaving, and Adira looks like someone slapped her.

“It was nice to see you again, Willa.” Adira turns in her seat, giving us her back, and she stares out of the window.

“I know you know something, Adira,” Willa says, her voice back to a normal volume. “Why else would you need to drink yourself stupid every day? Why else would Gavin leave you? And why the fuck else would you treat your only remaining child like dirt?” Willa spins on her heels and marches right out the front door.

I’m about to follow her but stop when Adira speaks up.

“A mother will do anything to protect her children.”

I look over my shoulder, but Adira is still staring out the window. Her eyes look blank in the reflection.

“Secrets never stay secrets,” I counter.

“No,” she says softly. “No, they don’t.”