Page 32 of Safe (King’s Heart #1)

Landon

“Who’s ready for some fun family time?” Declan asks with his usual sarcasm, arms raised in the air and a six-pack of Dr. Pepper dangling from one of his hands.

I smirk at him, opening the door wider so he can come into Simmons’s place.

He strolls past me, dressed comfortably tonight with white sweatpants and a hot-pink shirt that teeters on the edge of being a crop top.

Simmons is going on a date tonight—something he doesn’t do very often. He almost wasn’t going to go, feeling too guilty leaving us alone for the night.

I practically forced him not to cancel, making sure he knew that we would all be fine. I’ve been watching my brother and sister for so long, it won’t be anything to do it again, especially after getting a break for a while.

When he suggested that I invite a friend over so I wouldn’t be bored, I only had one person in mind.

Simmons wanders over to where Declan and I are standing in the doorway.

He looks much more refined than usual. His dark hair that’s typically slightly unruly is brushed back, and his scruff is defined and trimmed.

The T-shirt he’s wearing is a size smaller than what I’ve seen him wear, doing significant work to accentuate his biceps and chest.

Declan lets out a weird cough and mutters under his breath, “Oh my god.”

I stifle a laugh and smack him on the shoulder, which earns me a glare.

“Oh, Declan.” Simmons stretches his hand out in Declan’s direction after shrugging a leather jacket on. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

Declan gingerly takes his hand, doing a shit job of hiding how much he’s checking Simmons out. He clears his throat. “Hello. Yes. I’ve heard about you too. Although maybe not enough.”

I smack him again.

Simmons flicks his eyes between us and gives us a puzzled smile before checking his watch. “Oop. I’m running a bit late. I’ve got to get going.” He turns his head back toward the living room where Gwen and Danny sit on the couch. “See you guys later. Have a fun time!”

Gwen enthusiastically waves while Danny grunts.

Simmons thins his lips and looks back at us, shaking his head. “Good luck with that. He’s been in a mood all day.”

I roll my eyes. “I’ve noticed.” Basically, ever since he found out Simmons was going out tonight, he’s been acting like a moody brat.

Simmons sighs. “Alright, bye, guys. Nice to meet you, Declan.”

“You too,” Declan says sweetly, turning to me the moment the door clicks closed. “Okay, you did not tell me he was an absolute Daddy .”

I pretend to gag. “Ew. He’s like a father to me. Or an older brother or something.”

“A hot one,” he says with a waggle of his brows as we make our way to the living room.

“Ugh, stop.” Gesturing to the couch, I make the introductions. “Dec, this is my sister Gwen and brother Danny.”

Danny glares and then gets up, going to his room and slamming the door.

I tip my head back and sigh. “Sorry. Like Simmons said, he’s in a mood. He’ll come out when the pizza gets here.”

Gwen stares up at Declan in awe. “You’re so shiny and pretty.”

Declan laughs, making the shadow on his lids even more glittering with the movement. “Yeah, I do love glitter. Maybe your brother will let me put some on you.”

She gasps loudly. “Oh my god! Landon, can he? I want my eyes to be sparkly like his.”

I wince. “Maybe in a few years, Gwenny.”

She pouts, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re no fun.”

Her face instantly brightens when there’s a knock at the door, and I come back with two steaming pizzas.

Like I thought, Danny slinks out of his room when the smell of tomato sauce and melted cheese drifts through the air.

We all sit around eating pizza and watching some princess movie that Gwen wanted to watch, which no one objects to.

After the movie ends, I clean up the pizza boxes and put Gwen and Danny in their rooms to sleep.

When I come out from the hallway, Declan is closing the door and holding a plastic grocery bag in his hands.

“Did you order something?”

He pulls two pints of ice cream out of the bag like it’s a magic trick. “Yes.” He goes into the kitchen, randomly opening up drawers until he manages to find two spoons and walks back toward me on the couch. “I figured we could gorge on ice cream while you give me updates about Grant-the-asshole.”

I accept the ice cream carton when he hands it to me. “Updates?” I question innocently.

He pins me with a disbelieving look. “Don’t play dumb.”

“Okay, fine,” I say, stabbing at the ice cream once I’ve opened it. “But I’m only telling you because I know you won’t repeat anything… and it might feel really good to vent.”

He crosses his heart with his finger without taking his eyes off of his ice cream.

I unload everything that’s happened. Not going into too much detail about the sexual encounters. But the basics, including how much of a dick he was to me on the bus, and then had the audacity to beg me to stay.

He stares at me, wide-eyed while shaking his head. “Wow. Well, I didn’t call him Grant-the-asshole for no reason.”

I shrug, like it’s not that big of a deal. Like I don’t care that much. “So, yeah. I’m done.”

“Mhm,” he hums while meticulously scooping his ice cream.

“What?” I ask, because it’s obvious he’s thinking something.

“Nothing,” he says in a strange high-pitched voice.

I sigh, sticking my spoon in my ice cream and setting it on the end table next to the couch. “Come on. What?”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t say anything.”

“But you’re thinking things.”

“Technically, I’m always thinking things.”

“Dec, please. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here. Just tell me.”

He stops eating to look at me, blowing out a breath. “I don’t think you’re done. That’s all. You seem to have this switch on your brain that turns off when Grant’s penis comes out.”

A guffaw of a laugh bursts out of my mouth. “You speak beautifully.” I pause, composing myself into a serious expression again. “But I should be done, right?”

He shrugs. “Yeah. If you want.”

“Can’t you just give me the answer?”

Now he laughs. “I don’t have the answer.”

I grumble nonsense under my breath.

He pats my knee. “Listen. I have my own ideas about Grant and if his posse of heathens are all a bunch of childish little dickholes.”

The corner of my mouth tips up. “Again, beautiful.”

“But it’s your life, Landon. Only you can decide if you’re done.”

I run my hand down my face, looking at the TV so I don’t meet his eyes. “It’s just… he’s got this pain… and some fucked up part of me wants to help him. I guess. I don’t completely understand it.”

Declan nods slowly, something a lot like understanding passing through his eyes when I look at him again. “I think sometimes in life, we’re drawn to people, and there’s not always an explanation. Just… try not to lose yourself while helping him.”

“Thanks, Dec. You know, you’re pretty wise.”

He smiles, taking our containers and throwing them in the freezer while he yells back at me, “Do as I say, not as I do, because my love life is actually a hot mess.”

“You want to talk about it?”

He considers that for a moment. “Maybe some other time. Right now, I want to watch a movie that will have me jumping and shitting my pants every two seconds. Sound good?”

“Well, when you say it like that, how can I say no?”

He smiles and starts browsing through the horror movies available.

I stare at the screen and ultimately agree with whatever he picks.

But the only thing I can think about is that I’m not sure I’m ready to be done with Grant yet.