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CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Cash

“Treehouse B&B, this is Cash speaking.”

“Cash?” The voice on the other line was confused. “I thought you worked at Swallow’s Nest Resort. Did I call the wrong number?”

I chuckled. “Nope. I used to work there. But now I help…run this place.”

My brain still tripped over the knowledge I was no longer just helping . I managed this place. Declan made it official the moment my shifts at Swallow’s Nest ended.

I had a title, a salary, and an invitation to add my name to the deed anytime I liked. Maybe I would eventually, but there was no rush. I didn’t need a piece of paper to understand that Declan was inviting me to share his life.

“Oh, that Declan is a sneaky one! Good for him.”

I recognized Pearl’s voice now that I heard it.

“Good for me too,” I said.

She giggled. “I’m happy for you two. I was just calling to see if he’d be coming by the Outdoor Market this week. I wanted to give him some strawberry preserves as a thank-you for sharing his delicious fruit with me!”

“Should I be jealous?” I joked.

“Oh, you!”

“Delcan’s busy outside right now, but I’ll tell him you called.”

“Perfect! Thanks, lovey.”

I scribbled down a message then slipped out the back door to watch Declan out in the garden. He was kneeling in the dirt, looking relaxed and happy.

Finding out Nate had betrayed him had hurt, but knowing the vandalism and theft would end was a huge relief. Gray and the guys had gone to pick up the greenhouse supplies, and they were continuing construction.

Not a minute too soon either, because Gray had decided to go back to Riverton and his foster brothers. He was going to finish out his responsibilities in Swallow Cove, sell off most of his belongings, and drive home.

Home. It was a funny word that still caused a pang in my chest.

My phone rang, and there was my mother on Caller ID as if she knew I’d been thinking about her. I’d only seen her a few times since we left home—mostly in passing while we both worked at the resort.

I’d asked her for space, and she’d respected my request, but I couldn’t put her off forever.

I took the call. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hey, Cash. I, um, wanted to call and tell you that I drove your dad to rehab this morning.”

“Oh.” My heart fluttered, then sank. What was I even feeling? I should be happy Dad had gone to get help, but we’d been here before, hadn’t we? I’d told Mom he needed to go back and yet…it didn’t mean he’d get better this time.

It didn’t mean anything would change.

“I’m trying,” she said softly. “I know it might be too little too late for you. I’ve tried to do the right thing for your dad and you kids both, but I know I made mistakes.”

I swallowed. “This doesn’t mean we’re going to come back. I have a life here now. I’m managing the B&B, and I really can’t do that from somewhere else.”

“You’re an adult, Cash. Of course you don’t have to come home.”

What she didn’t say hit harder than what she did. “You want Kat to come back?”

“She needs her mom, especially at this age. I promise you that I’m going to put her first from now on.”

“And when Dad comes home from rehab?”

“He already knows that he has to make it work this time. You kids come first. I made that abundantly clear.”

Declan looked up from his gardening, catching my eye. His forehead furrowed, and he climbed to his feet, dusting the loose soil from his knees. Even from across the yard, he could tell something was wrong. I’d never had a connection like that with anyone else.

“I’ll talk to Kat,” I told my mom, hoping to wrap up the call.

“Thank you,” Mom blurted. “I’ve missed her so much. Missed both of you.”

“I won’t make her do anything,” I warned. “And even if she goes home, if Dad pulls more shit, she’s coming right back here. I’ve got a B&B, and there will always be a room for her.”

Maybe my name wasn’t on the deed, but Declan was letting me run the B&B. Hopefully, he wouldn’t mind me using that as leverage.

“I understand,” Mom said, sounding chastened. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure she’s happy and safe in her own home. But I’m glad she has you. No matter what, I know Kat will be taken care of. You’ve looked out for her, looked out for both of us, more than you ever should have had to, and I’m so sorry I let you shoulder that burden for so long.”

My eyes burned, and I blinked hard a few times as Declan reached me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He didn’t say anything, just held me, a solid support at my side. Someone I could always lean on, even if I hadn’t been able to lean on my parents.

Mom had done her best. She loved us. If she had any blame in this, it was that she was too loving, too forgiving to take a stand against Dad. But she was trying, so I tossed her a bone.

“We’ve missed you too. Maybe you can come out for dinner this week, and we can all discuss it.”

“Really?” Mom sounded surprised. “That sounds great.”

If nothing else, I could finally make arrangements to get the rest of our stuff out of the house. Kat and I had both been avoiding it because we hadn’t been ready for another confrontation, but we couldn’t stand still, unmoving forever.

It was time to figure out what came next. Plus, it’d be nice to stop wearing the same damn clothes over and over. I was a colorful guy, and I needed to express it through more than a handful of outfits.

We said a stilted goodbye. It was going to take time for our relationship to heal. While I’d lived at home, I’d been so angry at my father that I’d never processed my mom’s role in our situation. She’d enabled Dad.

But then I had too, hadn’t I? By staying and supporting the family, I’d allowed it to continue as much as she had. We’d both done our best in a crappy situation, though. Maybe it was time to focus on the future.

“You okay?” Declan asked.

“Yeah, just a call from my mom. She’s sent my dad to rehab.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

I nodded. “If it works, it is. There’s no guarantee it will. Hell, I don’t know if I want to see him again, even if it does. Is that awful?”

“Not even a little,” Declan said. “You feel what you need to feel, love. No judgment here.”

“And if Kat doesn’t want to go back there, I sort of told my mom I’d let her stay with us…indefinitely. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is,” Declan said. “This is your home, which makes it her home, too. She always has a place here. If your parents fight it, we can get a lawyer. Whatever it takes.”

I pulled his face to mine for a soft kiss. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“I believe you harassed me into loving you.”

I laughed. “I can be very persistent.”

“Yes, you can, but I’m so glad you came crashing into my life. I can’t imagine a future without you in it now.”

Declan smiled at me, and this expression was so warm and full of love it was miles from the resting bitch face that he was known for. It was the real Declan, the one he’d kept tucked away, guarded behind walls of surly indifference.

This kind of smile was rare and only for me, but that only made it more precious.

“You know,” I teased, “with the B&B fully renovated, we can book a lot more guests.”

Declan grimaced. There was the grump I knew and loved.

“That’s…good,” he said, looking as if he’d bitten into something sour.

“Mm-hmm.” I slung my arms around his neck. “Maybe we should move out into The Roost? You know, it’s a lot closer to the greenhouse and my introvert can hide out away from other people until—mmph!”

Declan kissed me so hard he nearly knocked me off my feet. “You’re perfect, you know that? You have the best ideas.”

“I know. It was my idea for you to love me.”

He pinched my ass, making me yelp, then kissed me again.

I could get used to this life, this man. The rest of the world might see his resting bitch face, but all I saw was the love of my life.