Page 97 of A Game Plan for Love

Nora leans down to smell the flowers in a porch pot, and I knock on the door.

The door swings open, and Declan’s smile is bright and excited, eyes glittering with something I’ve never seen before.

“Nora…” he calls out quietly.

Her head jerks up from the plants, and her eyes are full of disbelief. She sprints over to him and he catches her in his arms, spinning her back and forth.

They’re momentarily lost in their world, and she clings to him tightly, like if she lets go, he might disappear forever.

“Are you ready for the sleepover?” he asks.

Her eyebrows skyrocket. “Sleepover?”

His eyes meet mine. “Your mom didn’t tell you?” She shakes her head cartoonishly. “You’re both spending the night, and I have a special surprise for you.”

“Can I have the surprise now?”

His attention flickers to me, and I nod. We drop the bags in the entryway, and Declan carries Nora toward the room he decorated for her. Fear creeps up my throat as he pauses in the doorway and opens his mouth to speak.

“This is your surprise,” he says, taking hold of the doorknob. His face is uneasy as the door creaks open, and the room comes into view.

Seeing the room the second time is equally jarring as the first, and my hands tremble as Nora slowly steps into the space and spins around. Her eye catches on the vanity, and she scurries over, opening the drawers to find children’s makeup and hair accessories.

She squeals loudly, takes out a sparkly purple bow, and clips it into her hair. With the bow bouncing in her hair, she moves on to the bookcase and takes out a Magic Treehouse novel, holding it tightly to her chest.

“This is mine?” she asks.

I’m not sure if she’s referring to the book or the bedroom, but Declan nods and steps toward her. “This is your room. We can change whatever you don’t like,” he adds hastily.

Nora blinks, then wraps her arms around his legs, squeezing him in a tight hug that springs tears to my eyes. Gratitude and excitement shine on her face, and when she releases him, she yells, “I want to live here forever!”

She leaps onto the bed, jumping on the mattress, and her skirt billows as she crawls between the large throw pillows.

“I love you, Decy,” she adds quietly, before picking up her book and burrowing into the pillows once more. Her focus turns to me. “Can I stay here and read?”

“You can stay as long as you’d like.” My voice cracks at the end, and Declan places his hand on my lower back. I lean into the touch, and the emotions pour in.

“We’ll come get you for dinner.”

Declan ushers me out the door and into the kitchen, and once we’re out of sight, he takes a sharp left and drags me into a large pantry.

Oh my god, this is marvelous.

It’s floor-to-ceiling storage with a small benchtop that holds appliances. I step closer, and each basket and drawer is meticulously labeled.

I give Declan an odd look. “Deon has a label maker, and everything was already labeled at his house. He’s expanded.”

Any further questions die on my tongue when he steps forward and the pantry door slams shut. He strides toward me until my thighs are pressed against the countertop, and in one swift move, he lifts me and drops me onto the countertop.

He slips between my parted thighs, and his head lowers until our lips are inches apart and our breaths mingle.

“Hi, baby,” he says, and I melt.Baby.His hand caresses my cheek with reverence. “I’ve thought a lot about what you said,” he starts, and my stomach plummets ten stories, “and I talked about it with Sharon…” he pauses, then pulls out a manila envelope from one of the shelves. It shakes slightly in his grip, and terror seizes me. “The only regret I could have in life is if I let you and Nora slip away.”

He extends the envelope, and I take it with a shaky grip of my own. Declan waits with bated breath as I pull out a packet of papers and scan the top.

My shocked gasp is the only sound in the pantry as I continue to read the bank statement and trust information.

“You can’t,” I say, voice trembling.

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