Page 77 of The Wiener Across the Way

Kelsey put her finger on my mouth to shut up my blathering. “What do you mean ‘for real’? That first kiss at my hotel? The trips up to Aspen to hang out with me, the... everything?”

I pulled her hand from my mouth and kissed the inside of her wrist. “It was all very real. I think I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you.”

I was about to make a huge fool out of myself, and I didn’t care. I’d held this all in for too long and now was not the time to let her have any doubts about how I felt about her. “I’m sure there are a million other men and probably a lot of women, and non-binary folks too, that feel the same, because frankly, you’re spectacular and how could everyone not be in love with you?”

Kelsey shook her head and looked down at the floor, but she knew what I was saying was true, she was just too sweet and humble to acknowledge it. “But you’ve let me see the real you, and I don’t just love the pop star part of you that you put out there for the whole world. I love the way your hair is always in your eyes so I get to brush it away from your face, and the way you love your dog, and the deep sense of responsibility you have to your fans to be authentic for them, and the way you want to conquer the world, but with joy and kindness. That’s what I fell in love with, Kelsey.”

One of my brothers, probably one of the twins, whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, “Is he proposing?”

Jules replied, “Shut up, you’re going to ruin it.”

Kelsey’s eyes went wide, and I brushed the hair out of them and behind her ear. “Make no mistake, I would love to spend the rest of my life with you and have every intention of making that happen, but I’m not asking you to marry me right now. I just wanted you to know before we go out there to fight these dragons that I love you, and always have, so you don’t have any doubts that I am here for you through this. Okay?”

She stood there, absorbing the words I’d just poured out of my soul. Her expressions moved through shock, vulnerability, and a dawning realization. If she wanted, she could break up with me. I would have to accept her decision. But it would kill me.

For a long moment, she didn’t speak, and I wasn’t the only one in the room holding my breath.

Finally, she took a step closer to me and my stomach did a touchdown dance to rival Everett and Hayes. But my brain said there was a flag on the play.

Her eyes searched mine, and with everything in me, I hoped she saw the sincerity in all I said there.

“You had a million chances to tell me the truth, Declan,” she said, her voice laced with a mix of hurt and understanding. “But you know what? I’m glad you didn’t.”

Umm. What?

She reached up, touching my face gently. “I don’t think I would have let you in without that safety net. I was scared. Scared of getting hurt, scared of falling for someone again when I’d had my heart broken so many times. I let you in because I thought what we were doing was for show until life, the universe, and everything else forced me to admit that I was falling for you too.”

I cupped my hand over hers and fuck if I didn’t have to blink back some tears I couldn’t keep in. I was definitely about to blow my mean, tough-guy image by crying in front of everyone most important to me.

“But you...” Her voice cracked, but she steadied it with a deep breath. “You’re the most real person I’ve ever known. How can I not love you?”

Those tears spilled over, and I wasn’t for one second ashamed of showing her the emotions that were quite literally pouring out of me. She believed what we had was real.

She wiped a tear that had slipped out with her thumb, and then pulled me down for a kiss. A kiss that refilled my soul.

I didn’t know if everything was going to be alright, because it sure sounded like she was getting fucked by her record label. But if she and I were solid, nothing else mattered.

KING AND QUEEN OF THE BESTIES

KELSEY

Iwas well known to be a bit of a crier. I’d cried on stage when I got really emotional about the way a song made me feel or how the fans responded to something. I cried at movies and great TV shows, and I definitely cried reading books. But nothing tugged at my heart strings more than seeing a grown man show his true emotions and fight back tears.

It was a miracle I wasn’t bawling my eyes out right now. But somewhere deep inside, my soul was satisfied to let him shed the tears for both of us. I wiped away Declan’s tear and pressed my lips to his. We were in love for real and no one could take that away from us.

A sense of clarity washed over me. The raw honesty in his eyes, the vulnerability of his confession, resonated within me, igniting a fire I hadn’t realized was smoldering. His love, so genuine and profound, gave me the courage I needed to face every challenge being thrown at me.

Pulling back, I gazed into his eyes, a mix of emotions swirling inside me. “I love you, and I’m incredibly grateful that I’ve got you on my side, because I don’t think I can face everything I have coming at me on my own.”

“I’m so ready to tackle this head-on with you,” Declan said, then he winked. “I’ve got you, Bestie.”

That made me smile, and I needed that right now.

Declan turned to his family. “I’m sure everyone else here does too. What do you want us to do, Kels?”

I looked at the enormous family I somehow found myself a part of, and it filled me with joy. “I have to find out what’s happening with Big Marine and this supposed breach first. Get some answers. But I’d really love some breakfast, and Pooh needs a walk, and I need a space to sit and make calls.”

Mr. Kingman swirled his finger in the air. “You heard the lady. I’m on doggie duty, boys, hit the kitchen, and Jules, go to school.”

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