Page 70 of Gray Area

“Hey Declan,” he calls to me before I make my way out, “make sure she knows how much you care about her. I told your mom constantly, and I still wish I had told and could tell her more.”

“I will, Dad,” I say, not even sure how to tell someone besides my dad and brothers that I love them. As I walk away, I realize I would rather take on a knife fight than do it, because I know I would win the knife fight, but I’m not positive Vivian would feel the same way about me.

Chapter 39

VIVIAN

Iget out of work and I’m beyond exhausted. With Bailey gone, we are down a staff member, so everyone is doing more and stretched even thinner than we already had been. When I get outside and see Declan’s car waiting for me and him leaning against it, I perk right up.

He is so freaking handsome, and generous, and smart, and here he is waiting for me. His face lifts when he sees me, and he opens the door to the running car for me. I walk up to him and smile. “Morning,” I say, going on my toes to put my lips on his.

“Morning,” he says back to me, his voice vibrating across my lips.

I slide inside and dump my backpack to the floor of the car. I lean back and enjoy the heated leather seats, watching as Declanmoves around the car and gets in, then drives us toward his apartment.

“How was your night?” he asks as he reaches over and grabs my hand, threading his fingers in mine and bringing the back of my hand to his lips. He does that every time we get in the car together, and I love it.

“So busy,” I say, spacing out as he navigates the streets effortlessly. “How about you?”

He shrugs. “Lonely,” he complains and I smile at him.

“Are you sulking, Mr. Falco?” I ask him and he just stares ahead.

“Yes,” he says.

We’ve just arrived at the house when I suddenly remember something from the evening before, when I had just gotten to work, that I had wanted to tell him. “Guess who I saw at work last night,” I say to him as we make our way inside.

He just looks at me, his way of asking for more, I have found. “Tim. You know, my old landlord. Someone beat the hell out of him,” I tell Declan.

“Oh, yeah?” Declan asks, sounding bored.

“Yeah, and he had a cop with him. They think he set the fire, so he’s charged with arson,” I tell him as I bring my backpack to Declan’s bedroom and drop it. I then reach in to grab clothes, finding none.

“I did your clothes last night and put them in that drawer.” He motions to the top drawer of his bureau.

I freeze. I can’t remember the last time I took clothes from a drawer. I open it and find all my things neatly folded and organized. Stupid tears start to fill my eyes.

“Seeing Tim made me think that I have to look for a place,” I say, swallowing back the emotion.

In the mirror of the bureau, I see Declan stiffen across the room. I stay where I am, and he moves to me, sliding his armsaround me. “I was thinking that you would just stay here,” he says, dropping his chin to the top of my head.

Our eyes meet in the mirror. “I don’t want to take advantage.”

“It’s not taking advantage if I want you to stay, Vivian.”

“We haven’t known each other that long,” I remind him. “I don’t want to rush anything just because of certain situations.”

Declan studies my reflection. I feel a large degree of security looking at him in the mirror, like a safety net of sorts since we are looking directly at each other. I wonder if he feels it too. “Do you not want to stay here?” he asks, his tone cooler than it was moments before.

“I don’t want pity,” I say quickly. “I don’t want you to have me here because you pity me or feel bad for me.”

“That’s not why I want you to stay, Vivian,” he says, his voice warmer again.

“Then why?” I demand. My bottom lip quivers and the tears fall down. What reason could he possibly have for us moving in together, when we have known each other for just over two months?

Declan turns me away from the mirror and holds my face in his hands, my safety net gone now. “Because I am in love with you,” he says as his eyes bore into mine.

“You are?” I ask doubtfully, almost soundlessly, and he nods, making me cry even harder, but now I have a smile on my face. “Declan, I love you too,” I say, hiccupping as I cry. “I was so scared to say it—”

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