Page 66 of Solid Ground

“I met Josh Carter,” I whisper.

“Oh my god,” she screeches, and I hold the phone away from my ear as Declan laughs.

“And Reece Evans.”

“I’ll tell Brandon he has to transfer to LA.”

I laugh. “Just come and visit me soon.”

“I will. Promise.”

“Talk to you later?”

When she’s gone, I put the phone down and lean my head on Declan’s shoulder.

“She’s got your back.”

“Always.”

“So do I.”

NINETEEN

ZOE

Six weeks later

I’m soover being pregnant.

Pregnant, bored, and homesick.

Declan does his best to put a smile on my face, and most of the time it works. But I’m so big now and I’ve still got six weeks to go.

“Are you okay?” Declan asks as he sits beside me on the couch. He wraps an arm around me. “Tell me what you need, sweetheart. It’s all yours.”

“I want to go home.” I sniff.

“To LA? Let’s go in the morning. It won’t take long to pack, and …”

I shake my head. “No. Home. I want my mum.”

His expression softens. “Then, we’ll do that.”

“Really?” I bite my bottom lip.

“We can be on a plane tomorrow.” Declan’s mouth curls into a smile. “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”

“You really want to meet my parents?”

He throws his head back and roars with laughter. “I want to be with you. I’ll have to meet them sometime. You need your mother, and I can deal with whatever your dad throws at me.”

I snort. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

He drops to his knees in front of me. “I’d fight wars for you and this little one. He doesn’t scare me.”

Swallowing hard, I reach out and cup his cheek. “You’re a good man. I hope you know that.”

Declan shrugs. “I’m trying. I want to be better for you.”

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