Page 30 of This Feeling

“Right,” I said with a quiet laugh. “I’m just going to go ahead and…um… I’m going to go.”

Declan grinned. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

“Oh? Why?”

His one brow rose. “You’re dating my brother, so…”

His words faded, and another nervous bubble of laughter slipped free. “Right! Yes. I’m dating your brother. I forgot.”

Brows drawn down in confusion, he repeated, “Youforgot?”

“No!” I quickly said. “I didn’t forget…exactly. I mean…well…we broke up, then got back together, and I…”

“Harp?” Brystol called from the bottom of the steps, saving me from the hole I was digging myself into.

“Coming!” I singsonged, then turned and nearly slid down the handrail to escape Declan.

Declan

I stared at Harper and Brystol as they headed back to the flower shop and slipped in through the back door.

“Women,” I mumbled, shutting the door and shaking my head. I wasn’t even sure why Brystol had dropped her news bomb on me. Harper, I could understand. But me? I get she wanted a guy’s thoughts on it, but holy shit. I knew Brystol from growing up in the area, but not well. Maybe my living in the apartment above her toy store made us closer friends in her eyes. I wasn’t sure.

Then my thoughts quickly turned to Harper. She looked beautiful today, like always. She wore dark jeans, a long-sleeve shirt with her flower shop logo on the front, and brown ankle boots. Why was that so fucking adorable?

Though something still struck me as off with her and my brother. Now more than ever. She actuallyforgotthat she was dating Sean.

The sound of my phone vibrating on the counter pulled me from my thoughts of Harper.

“Speak of the devil.” I accepted the call. “Hey, Sean. What’s up?”

“Mom wants you to call her.”

I raised my brows. “Um, okay. Why didn’t she call or text me then?”

He sighed. “Shehasbeen for the last thirty minutes, and she’s freaking out because you’re not answering her messages.”

Rubbing a hand over my head, I blew out a breath. “My phone was on vibrate, and I guess I didn’t notice it going off. Is she always like this if you don’t reply right away?”

“Yes. Welcome home.”

I laughed. “What are you up to?”

“Work. You know…for Dad in the family business.”

I could hear the hostility pouring out of my brother. “No one forced you to be an accountant, Sean.”

He huffed. “Yeah, right. You ran off and joined the Marines, so that left me to be the one to make Mom and Dad happy.”

“Maybe if you had some balls on you, you might’ve stood up to them and told them you didn’t want to be an accountant.”

“Fuck off, Declan! It doesn’t matter anyway. The golden boy is home now. And the best part, Mom is callingmeto do her bidding where you’re concerned.”

“Again, it’s not my fault you don’t know how to stand up to our parents.”

“You don’t know a damn thing. Just call Mom so she’ll stop hounding me at work.”

The line went dead, and I could imagine my brother pouting at his desk. What in the world did Harper see in him? I rolled my eyes and hit my mother’s name.

---