Page 28 of The Ex Next Door (Charming, Texas #8)

L ater, Declan chopped carrots for the salad while Amy rested on his couch with her laptop.

She was taking an online practice test, and he was doing his best not to distract her.

He’d already donned his grilling apron because Amy said watching him cook shirtless, wearing only his jeans, was not only seriously distracting but also dangerous.

“Dangerous to whom?” he’d said with a wink.

“You. I don’t want you to get burned.”

“Okay, good point. I’ll put on an apron. I don’t want you to jump me while I’m cooking. You’re right, that could be dangerous.” He’d flashed his chef’s knife, the best part of cooking.

All the cool cutlery.

Man, he could get used to this cozy kind of setting.

It wasn’t the sexiest thing to announce but deep down he was a homebody.

He remembered he and Amy had always had a quiet and steady relationship.

They’d rarely argued, unusual enough for teenagers that friends used to say they were like an old married couple.

And true, they spent nights together watching TV or playing board games.

Neither one of them was a party animal and, of course, Declan was forever training for something or the other.

He had to remind himself, though, that it wouldn’t always be Amy and him in their domestic bliss.

For at least half the time, David and Naomi would be here, too.

Lucky thing he liked kids and especially those two.

They were difficult not to like. He and David were especially simpatico, which, of course, made sense.

Maybe since David was mad at his father, Declan could now be a sounding board.

He certainly understood what it was like to have a less-than-understanding father.

What he really could not help David with was an under-involved father.

But he could take up the slack there if nothing else.

He chopped and minced, and eventually the smells of garlic and onion permeated the air as he stirred them in olive oil.

“That smells delicious.” Amy came up behind him, curling her arms around his waist, then lightly kissed his back.

The move sent a sting of desire slicing through his body. “No distracting the chef.”

“I’m taking a break.” She came around the other side of the counter to sit on a stool. “And anyway, we should really talk about something kind of serious.”

While he didn’t like the sound of that, his ears perked up. “What is it?”

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot and, well… I think and hope you will agree.”

This was probably the moment where she reminded him that they needed to take things slow since there were children involved.

He recalled her saying something like that right after he’d kissed her for the first time, and he’d understood.

But he hoped, and maybe he was pushing his luck here, that after last night something had changed.

It certainly had for him. This was what he wanted more than anything, a family with Amy.

There was just no one else in the world like her for him.

He was already half in love with her but if she wanted to slow down, he’d understand and accept it.

Timing was everything. He could be a grown-up about this.

“I know what you’re going to say.” He held up a hand. “Because of the kids, we should keep this thing between us a secret for now.”

She frowned. “Is that what you want?”

“What? No, I thought it was what you wanted.”

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Actually, I was thinking that we need to tell the kids about us.”

Whew. Talking to Amy. Always so easy. Why couldn’t it be this easy with anyone else? Cut to the chase. They were always honest with each other, and always spoke up.

He was so flattered, however, it took him a moment to formulate his response. “Yeah. Sure, I agree.”

“What do you think we should tell them?”

So, she was going to let him do this. No, she probably only wanted his input. The truth was he figured Amy would know exactly what to say to her children. Apparently, calling someone Daddy’s “friend” had backfired, so he hoped that she’d learned something there.

He stirred, considering his response. “Can we tell them the truth?”

“I always think honesty is best, but it has to be age-appropriate.”

“But not too age-appropriate because ‘friend’ didn’t work.”

“No, it didn’t.” She sighed. “That was a big fail.”

Declan set his stirring spoon down and met her eyes. “Can we tell them I’m in love with their mother?”

He watched as Amy’s eyes glimmered, shifted and softened.

This time, he’d fallen first. This time, he understood what he had with Amy and how that was not something to be casually dismissed.

Like the risk taker he’d always been, he gave her his heart, just set it at her feet.

He did not give his heart lightly or easily, but it was not so much giving it to her as acknowledging that she’d always owned it.

He stepped toward her when she slid off the stool, closing the distance.

“Nothing like coming right out with the truth. You know me, Amy, better than almost anyone in my life. You know I don’t lie. I don’t cheat. I don’t take shortcuts. I work hard and I never give up on the people I love.”

Her eyes were shiny and wet. She reached for him, holding on to the straps of his apron. “Oh, Declan.”

“Sorry to spring it on you like this. I love you, Amy. That’s it. That’s all.” He pressed his forehead to hers.

“That’s everything.”

She kissed him, kissed him some more and then she took him to bed, where even if she didn’t actually say the words, Declan could feel them. It was Amy and Declan all over again, the 2.0 version. The grown-up one, where two people always meant for each other finally met the right timeline.

This version would last.

* * *

Amy Holloway was flying high.

Instead of going back to the kitchen and through all the trouble of getting dressed again, Declan carried the pan of tossed pasta in a creamy tomato sauce into bed with them.

“This is perfect,” she said, taking another bite out of the skillet that he placed between them.

“You sure? I feel like it could use a little more…something. Is there anything missing?” he asked, taking a bite, and slowly chewing as if judging his own work.

Nothing at all. She had everything she needed right here.

“It’s delicious.”

Still, it was not as delicious as the man himself.

His incredible body was muscular, with powerful thighs and flat abs.

He’d put her at ease immediately, worshipping her body, kissing every inch of flesh until she was a puddle of pure longing.

When he said he loved her, he couldn’t wipe away all the pain she’d been through in the past year, though he came very close.

She would have never guessed all those years ago that they’d someday wind up back together again.

Certainly not like this. For a short while, she’d fantasized Declan followed her out to her college, declaring he’d changed his mind.

He’d then go down on bended knee in front of the sorority she’d just pledged and beg her to marry him.

All the girls would faint dead away at her handsome fiancé and realize she was clearly the coolest girl at the sorority house if not the entire college.

Those were the dreams of a self-centered young adult who wanted everything in her life to happen immediately.

Marriage. Children. Hurry up, life, give me everything I want. Now. She had zero patience.

Now, she wondered why she’d been in such a rush.

Now, her children were growing up, her mother was aging, and so was Amy.

Now, she found herself wishing time would occasionally stand still.

Like this moment, here, in bed with the single-most-desirable man in all of Charming, Texas. Okay, so maybe she was a bit biased.

She leaned against Declan. “I’ve got to go home, but I don’t want to.”

“And I don’t want you to.”

“Do I really have to be a grown-up?” she groaned.

“Afraid so, babe. We both do. Or at least fake it till we make it.”

She loved her children, but she’d forgotten what this was like. This complete unraveling of her soul and swimming in a passion like she’d never had before. A whole carnal side of her she’d been ignoring for too long while throwing herself into raising her kids and running a household.

“Okay, I’ll be a grown-up if you will.”

Taking the lead, Declan grabbed the empty pan and rose from the bed, carrying it into the kitchen.

He was already halfway dressed in his boxer briefs.

When he returned, she remained in bed, pouting.

He offered his hand to her and guided her toward the bathroom.

They took a shower together, which was sensual even if it couldn’t end in seduction.

She towel-dried her hair and they dressed together, going through the motions as if it were the start of their day and not a Sunday night.

Declan walked her next door. “So, the kids have every other weekend with Rob, right?”

“Yes,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips. “I’m counting the days, too.”

“I’m giving you something to remember me.”

He kissed her then, long and hard and filled with such passion that her knees were liquid when they broke apart and came up for air.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said with a gasp, still holding on to his hand as she walked away. She stretched as far as she could before being forced to let go.

Amy went inside to wait for the kids. She straightened up the living room but since she hadn’t been here most of the weekend, everything looked the way she’d left it on Saturday before her date with Declan.

A few minutes later, Rob was at the door, right on time.

“Bye, Daddy!” said Naomi, giving her father a kiss and hug.

“Bye, Princess.”

David waltzed inside the house without a word to Rob, much less a hug goodbye.

“Hey, Mom,” he said to Amy, then headed straight to his room.