Page 25 of The Ex Next Door (Charming, Texas #8)

D eclan didn’t know when he’d ever been this excited about a date. Possibly never.

“How much longer?” Amy asked from next to him in the passenger seat. “I still think this is just plain silly.”

She wore a red bandanna tied around her eyes because he didn’t want her to have clue one where they were headed until they were seconds from embarking.

Even if she thought this was silly, she’d been a good sport about it.

At this point, she could probably already smell the marina.

Thanks to Finn, Declan was able to get a chartered boat on the cheap.

Practically free, particularly when they were using him as a guinea pig for their latest model.

They’d been wanting to offer a dinner cruise on the bay for a while, which would involve multiple couples.

But tonight, they were flying solo. Just him and Amy.

Everything was ready for what he hoped would be a great night and a memorable first date.

Considering his actual first date with Amy, years ago, had been at McDonald’s, anything would be an improvement. This was already miles ahead of anything he could have pulled off at seventeen.

He maneuvered into the marina parking area closest to Nacho Boat Adventures. “Not yet. I’ll come around.”

“Good grief,” Amy said, reaching for him when he opened the door. “I can smell the bay and I can hear the waves. What are we doing? Going fishing?”

“Not quite,” he said, holding her close and pulling her along.

When they reached the gangplank, he steadied her facing the catamaran. “Okay. Here we go. You can take it off now.”

“Oh.” She made a little sound in the back of her throat that sounded like a mix of surprise and pleasure. “We’re going on your brother’s boat?”

“We’re having cocktails and dinner.” He took her hand and pulled her up the plank. “Surprised?”

“Yes, I hadn’t thought of anything this fancy.”

“I think you look fancy.”

When he’d walked next door to get her, she’d been wearing a short blue dress that reminded him of the pink one he’d liked so much. Amy could definitely rock a dress like nobody’s business.

“Welcome aboard. I’ll be your captain tonight.” Noah Cahill touched the brim of his hat. “We’ll be shoving off shortly into some very smooth sailing tonight and cocktails will begin soon after.”

“Where are we going?” Amy asked.

Noah bowed. “Just a mile offshore where we’ll anchor out and dinner service will begin.”

“Oh, y’all added a dinner cruise to Nacho Boat Adventures!” Amy squealed.

“It was Twyla’s idea. She read it in a book and hasn’t stopped talking about it,” Noah said and motioned for them to gather on deck.

Within minutes, they were pulling away from the marina, on the deck rail facing the bay. Declan pulled Amy into his arms, tight around her waist, resting his chin on the top of her head. She was small but fit perfectly in his arms.

“This is so romantic!”

“You sound surprised I can be romantic.”

“Sure, it’s a lot more than I expected. I just thought we were going to a nice dinner somewhere on the coast. Maybe Galveston, but I didn’t think we’d literally be on the water.”

“Can’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Good evening,” a voice said from behind them. “I’ll be serving y’all the cocktails.”

The voice was from Tee, the kid that worked for Noah and Finn. Most often he was in the boat shack where they sold and rented equipment, but Finn mentioned they were trying to give him more responsibilities.

“You should know I’m pretty discerning when it comes to cocktails,” Declan said, quirking a brow.

“Oh, dude, yeah. They’re the same ones you made and dropped off earlier.” He blinked. “I don’t think I was supposed to say that.”

Amy laughed. “No wonder you had so much to do to prepare before this.”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

Amy cocked her head. “There isn’t going to be a violinist, is there?”

“I couldn’t find anyone.” Declan shrugged. It wasn’t like he hadn’t considered it, but Finn had rolled his eyes and told Declan not to shoot so high on the first date or he’d live to regret it.

But he was serious about this and wanted Amy to know it.

As a single mom, she wouldn’t want to waste time on anyone who would be a one-off.

Fortunately, even if he hadn’t planned it, he’d told her on the day she moved in what he wanted.

What he was looking for. Basically, he wanted what Finn had finally found.

What his parents had enjoyed for almost thirty-five years.

It existed. But it had to be with the right woman.

Amy was that woman, and he grew to be more certain every day.

So, he had no violin, but he had flowers and mojitos—Amy’s favorite—and a great meal catered by the new head chef at the Salty Dog. Music that would be piped through the speakers through his Bluetooth.

Once they’d anchored out, Noah and Tee set up a table draped with a white cloth and chairs with a great view facing westward toward the cresting sunset. He held Amy’s hand as they sipped on their drinks and ate a delicious seafood dinner of Chilean sea bass with risotto and asparagus.

“Oh, I meant to tell you. You should have heard David bragging about you. He’s so single-minded about baseball now, so much more than he ever was with soccer. I guess I have you to thank for that. Along with so many things.”

“He’s a great kid. They both are.” He paused, remembering. “You know what Naomi told me the other day when I was over mowing the lawn? ‘Did you know books let you travel without moving your feet?’ I laughed about that one.”

“Should I be worried about her? Maybe she reads too much.”

“Nah, she’s fine.”

She blinked and lowered her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to talk about my kids on our date.”

“Why not? They’re part of our lives.”

“I know, but… Everything I’ve read about dating as a single mom warns against talking too much about the kids.” She patted her lips with the napkin. “I’m just learning my way around all this.”

“It’s different with us.”

She met his eyes and smiled. “True, we didn’t swipe right for each other.”

He was grateful for that. Thankful she’d moved in next door instead of across town where eventually she would have started dating again via app. He would have never had a second chance with Amy.

“I bet this isn’t the way you’d pictured your life going.”

She probably viewed her divorce as a failure, and having seen his brother go through it, Declan understood the emotions behind it.

“Not at all. After all, from the beginning, I’d originally pictured my life with you.”

It wasn’t what he’d expected to hear, but those words deeply gratified him.

“We took a left turn somewhere and lost our way.”

“I can’t regret my past because I have David and Naomi.

There’s no world in which I don’t want them to be exactly who they are, and that means Rob as their father.

But yeah, I do wonder what might have happened if you and I had children.

If we had been married instead. Would we still be together?

Would we be going through a divorce right now? ”

“We were too young.”

“I know. I don’t think we would have made it. Not then.”

“And that would have killed me.”

“Oh, Declan.” She reached to cup his jaw. “You were always so perfect for me.”

The words landed like a gift.

“Well, miss.” Declan stood and offered her his hand. “It’s time for the dance portion of the evening.”

“There’s no music.” But she glanced around as if she half expected a band to suddenly appear from below deck.

“Ha!” Declan reached for his phone and scrolled to his app. “Wrong again.”

The music began to play, a playlist he’d accumulated of every sappy love song known to man.

Call him sentimental, but he knew Amy. She loved this stuff.

The first song was Lionel Richie’s “Truly,” and if he was going to pick a song that perfectly described his feelings, this would be the one.

Declan felt every word of the lovesick man singing to his true love.

He didn’t know how it had happened, how he’d fallen in love so quickly but it seemed there was a cellular memory in his heart surrounding Amy.

There’d never been anyone else like her, and he could say that now because he’d experienced this.

They swayed together to the music, holding each other, laughing when Declan decided to spin and dip Amy and she nearly lost her balance. He caught her easily.

Just like Lionel said, there was really no other love like hers. She’d always brought out the best in him. There had never been anyone like Amy for him and he didn’t think anything could be more perfect than this night.

* * *

“Thank you for a lovely evening,” Amy said to Noah and Tee after they’d returned portside.

“Thanks, buddy,” Declan said. “I owe you one.”

The evening was idyllic. Declan had pulled out all the stops, creating flawless moments.

She was stunned at his thoughtfulness to every detail.

As they walked to his truck, she was on such a high that she almost feared she’d wake up.

How could this be happening to her? Her, no-frills Amy Holloway, ordinary and plain.

Wife and mother of two. Declan looked at her as if he saw someone else.

A different woman. The woman he apparently saw was some kind of goddess.

“I can’t imagine a more perfect evening,” she said. “You really outdid yourself.”

“It was important. You deserve it, Amy. You do so much for everyone else and rarely think about yourself.”

“You’re sweet. I do think about myself, though.”

“Not enough.” He opened the passenger door for her.

“Oh, what’s enough?”

While Declan was coming around to the driver’s side, she pulled out her cell. They hadn’t had any reception on the boat and being apart from her children meant she wanted to be available at all times.

Rob had called her a number of times. She hit Call Back, but it wasn’t Rob who answered the phone.

It was Naomi.

“Mommy?”

Amy smiled at Declan as he got in the truck, buckled and squeezed her leg. She mouthed, “It’s Naomi.”

“Hey there, young lady, what are you doing with your daddy’s phone? Everything okay?”

“Mommy, I want you to come quick! David is missing.”