Page 9 of Only You

She looked away and noticed the light had turned green.

“Oh, yeah, that’s it.”

“What?”

“You always avoid eye contact when you lie or are avoiding the truth. It is one of your big tells.”

It was? And yes, people forgot to be on guard around Rowan because of those dimples and his sparkly eyes. Even his cousin.

“Listen, it’s not so much of avoiding temptation as avoiding making a fool of myself. I’m not the guy’s type because I’ve seen them.”

“Well, he sounds like an asshole. Let me beat him up.”

She smiled. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too. You need to come to see me in Cali. You would love it there.”

“No. It sounds too sunny and optimistic. I need cold weather and dreariness a few months out of the year.”

He laughed as she pulled into the parking garage down the street from Fitzpatrick’s. Once she parked, Eileen checked her phone one last time.

“What?”

“I’m on call this weekend. Just want to make sure I didn’t miss anything.”

They both slipped out of the car. She locked it, then joined him at the back. He offered his arm once again.

“Shall we?”

Again, she smiled because she was happy that he was home and in one piece for now.

“We shall.”

Three

“You did a good job, Declan,” his mother said. He looked at his mom. Deidre was fiercely loyal, independent, and hard-headed. He never had to question her love for him, and when he chose culinary school over the firehouse, she was the first one he told.

“I didn’t do all of it. Kaitlin organized everything.”

“And you helped. I know all of you boys did, but you the most. The others are not good with organizing, not like you and Kaitlin.”

“Dad seems to be having a great time.”

They both watched his father as he talked to a group of his parents’ friends.

The whirlwind that was Conrad Santini came barreling through, followed by Joey Santini. She was laughing as she watched him run to his father. He watched as the man picked him up. That connection…it left him envious. He had never thought wanting a child would hit him, but when Kait had little Mike, and now with Wendy pregnant with a girl, he was. This need started when Kait had Mike right after Wendy returned from her work abroad.

He frowned. He’d been thinking of that more and more, but it had more to do with Eileen. She had him thinking of things like that, but he hadn’t even gotten a kiss from her.

The door opened as if the gods controlled fate, and she stepped inside. Jesus, his heart was pounding, but the way she was dressed…

Declan was used to seeing her in her pantsuits—which he loved. But this…this made his head spin and left his palms sweaty. Eileen wasn’t a curvy woman. She was more athletic, with long, lean muscles and an ass he had fantasized about a little too much. The dress she wore… clung to her, making the most of all of her assets. Everything around him faded as he watched her laugh at something and look back at someone who was definitely not her brother. He shot a dirty look at his sister. Kaitlin shrugged.

Without taking his gaze off her, Declan made his way over to her and the jerk she brought with her tohisparents’ party. His mom had already cornered Eileen before she could even talk to anyone. The stupid guy with her had his mother laughing before Declan made it to the trio. He was tall and fit. Probably not a cop, but there was something about him. The other man reminded him of Kaitlin’s husband, Brando, who was a Marine but was teaching at the University of Maryland right now.

By the time he arrived, he had worked himself into a real temper.

“I’m so glad you could both make it. Sorry about Zane.”

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