Page 58 of Stolen Sun

“Spill it, ma’am,” she orders, “Every juicy little detail!”

I fill her in on everything in regards to how the meeting with Jaclyn went last night and what I learned from Grant.

“Whoa. A child? As in, you need to have one?” She asks.

“I don’t know what she meant, and the only way I’ll be able to find out is if I can meet her again since Grant said he didn’t know what she meant either.”

“What about Declan? He was there? What did he think about all of this?” She asks.

“He already knew. And he’s keeping other things from me too,” I admit. Saying it out loud somehow makes it hurt worse.

“Maybe he has a good reason?” She suggests.

“Maybe, but we can’t build a relationship on secrets, Kate. My entire life has been built on fucking secrets.”

“He’s going to make up for it. I’m giving him the benefit of doubt. Your tune has changed quite a bit about him. You stayed with him again? Did you sleep with him this time?” She asks.

I sigh, knowing I can’t lie to her because she’d be able to see it in my face.

“Ah! I knew you were walking a little funny!” She squeals and giggles, not even needing my admission to know the truth.

“Great, like that’s not embarrassing,” I say, blushing.

“He gives big dick energy, so I’d be super disappointed if you weren’t sore all over. I like to pride myself on being able to read that particular quality in a man,” she says as she flips her hair.

I smile to myself and sip my wine.

“Why are you here instead of with him?” She asks.

“Because I’m going to deal with my shit. And because I’m pissed at him for keeping secrets from me. I can’t be with him until I’m done with my dead husband’s family drama. Well, and my own family drama, I suppose,” I admit.

“And why not!?” She asks, completely appalled.

“I’m more likely to get the answers I need if my parents don’t know I’m with him yet. Also, my dad threatened to keep him away from me before, and hestayed away for ten years. He could’ve come to me, but he didn’t. I need to not feel like hitting him for that before I can see him again. What if my dad threatens him again? He’s just going to leave me in the dark again?”

“For once in your life, Noel, fuck everyone else. Who cares what your parents think about who you date now? The fact that they arranged your marriage to Nate is proof enough that they don’t deserve the opportunity to explain themselves. Declan does not strike me as a coward. He must’ve had a good reason to stay away.”

If only I could bring myself to tell her that Declan wants to kill my dad, literally. Or that he chained me a fucking ceiling to literally keep me from leaving him again figuratively. It sounds dumb even in my head.

“Well, I’m going to get answers first,” I placate her.

My phone chimes in the kitchen, and I know in the depths of my soul that it’s Declan. I ditched Chance to go to Grant Holdings. I couldn’t show up there with him without having to explain who hired him to Grant. Plus, I need some space from Declan to figure this out, and I can’t have that if he knows where I am. I ignore the phone for now and ask Kate about her coffee beans.

Kate’s family owns a coffee shop, and she recently began experimenting with roasting her own coffee beans. She says it’s her way of having her own piece of the pie. Her brothers have handled the business since her parents retired a few years ago.

She was a surprise baby when her brothers were already in high school. Her father has always spoiled her, and her brothers do the same. The only difference is her father turns a blind eye to her wild lifestyle while her brothers watch her like a hawk, always there to protect and save her when she takes things too far. They were all shocked when she said she wanted to roast coffee beans and mass produce them when she settled on the right flavors.

“Hello?” Kate is staring at me from across the room.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you,” I admit, my mind wandering.

“Aren’t you going to check your phone?” She’s looking at me like I’m losing my mind.

“Yeah, I better check it,” I say, getting up.

I have two messages from my mom. I reply that I do want to meet her for lunch on Tuesday. That works out even better than going to their house. I’d much rather ask her some of these questions in person without Dad around.

Setting my phone back down, I realize how much I wanted it to be Declan. The man admits to wanting to kill my own father and keeping life-altering secrets from me, but I desperately want a text from him. What does that say about me?

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