Page 74 of A Game Plan for Love

Suppressed emotions bubble to the surface and I have to fight away the tears. Is that what it’s like to have a partner in life? Quiet moments to yourself to decompress without any guilt?

I demolish another candy bar and spend a few minutes scrolling through social media on my phone.

The fact Declan recognized I was overstimulated isn’t lost on me, nor is the fact he offered solutions and gave me space without any judgement.

After a few minutes, I find them inside, waiting by the entrance. Nora’s mouth moves a mile a minute, and Declan nods along to whatever she’s saying. His gaze lifts, and when he spots me, his smile transforms into a glorious sight. It overtakes his whole face, and I falter a step.

I’ve never seen a smile like that from him.

He and Nora meet me halfway, and he pulls me against his side and places a soft kiss on my forehead. “Feeling better?” he whispers, hand trailing along my waist in a soothing motion.

I nod, words lodged in my throat.

Gracefully, Nora saves me from any response. “I want one, too,” she demands, hands on her hips and lips downturned.

Declan gives me a befuddled look like I'm any help in translating her demand. He's on his own.

With immense softness, he asks, “What did you want?”

“A kiss.” She presses a finger to her forehead, brows crunched. “Mommy got one. I want one too.”

He looks at me with a surprised, bemused smile on his face, but waits until I incline my head. My heart races in my ears as he leans down and kisses the top of her head.Nora is quite pleased as she takes both of our hands, a satisfied smile on her face that she got what she wanted.

Declan and I share a look laced with affection, and I have to make a concerted effort to still my racing heart as we walk through the first part of the aquarium.

It’s impossible to deny my attraction to him, and the chemistry is off the charts, but it all pales in comparison to the way he treats me and Nora—like we’re the most precious things in his life. At least, it feels that way.

When Nora speaks, he offers her his full attention. He’s emotionally intelligent in a way I could have never anticipated. Self-aware enough to know he’s made mistakes and worked to make them right, but confident in who he is. Proud of his friends, and caring towards others.

He stops in front of a jellyfish tank with Nora and they watch them hover in the water, giggling when they hit each other. His head cranes over his shoulder and he offers me a smile full of warmth and affection.

We move on, and Nora gasps as the massive coral reef exhibit comes into view. She drags Declan by the hand to the front of the glass, and he picks her up and perches her on his waist. They point out a fish and giant clams lining the bottom.

Nora yells, “Shark!” when one swims in front of the glass, then laughs loudly when Declan jerks and startles her.

The bright light of the tank illuminates them into dark figures, and they each reach out a hand and place it on the glass. I scramble for my phone to capture the moment, and as I snap the photo, Declan turns and waves.

He looks like a man whose dream is turning into reality.

Nora steals his attention again, and I make the photo my screensaver.

It starts a tiny kernel beside my heart, but the longer I watch Nora and Declan interact through the aquarium, the larger the longing grows until it’s a heavy presence on my chest.

I want this to last forever.

“Mommy, look, it’s Nemo!” Nora points to a soft pink sea anemone, and clownfish dart in and out. “And Dory!” she yells again when a blue tang swims by the glass.

I smile brightly at my daughter and allow her to take my hand and lead me toward the next exhibit. There are sea otters and tufted puffins, and Declan spends ten minutes taking photos of the birds.

“They’re fucking adorable,” he admits, blanching when he catches his words. Nora misses the swearing, and he sighs in relief.

Dramatic, but warranted.

We work through the rest of the aquarium, and when we make it to the gift shop, it’s like Christmas morning. Nora runs over to the stuffed animal display and pulls out a fluffy sea otter.

“Can Ipleaseget this?” she asks, batting her eyelashes at me. “I’ll be so good.” I choke on a laugh. My answer doesn’t come quickly enough, so she spins to Declan. “I promise to keep my room clean,” she says to him, which is a big, fat lie.

We exchange a silent look over her head.

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