Page 22 of Finding You
“Can we come in?”
“Of course. Make yourself at home.”
He walked through the door, removing his boots. I loved his manners. He didn’t do these things out of obligation, but out of desire. He was so genuine compared to most men I knew. I gestured to the tiny floral couch. “Have a seat. Can I get you anything?”
“No, thank you. I just wanted to talk to you for a second. I’m sorry. It’s late. I should have called.” He looked stressed, and I wanted to hug him and smooth out those wrinkles in his brow. He paced a bit around the tiny room before settling on the couch. I scratched Ginger’s ear and watched him for a minute. He was wearing his usual jeans and flannel shirt, and he looked good. He had rolled up his sleeves, revealing thick, ropey forearms. I had never stopped to consider forearms before. But Declan’s were beautiful. Strong and capable, yet gentle, like the rest of him. I shook myself out of my daydream and tried to focus on the present.
I also caught his eyes traveling up the length of my body. I probably should have put on a bra under my sweatshirt and maybe something other than these flimsy sleep shorts before opening the door. I crossed my arms over my chest and gestured to the couch.
“Not a problem. It’s nice to have company,” I said, taking a spot at the other end and curling my knees up. He took up a lot of space, not just on the couch but in my tiny cottage, but I liked having him here.
“So I thought about our conversation last night at The Lighthouse.”
My face fell. Oh no, oh no, oh no. I hope he’s not having second thoughts. I want him to be my date so badly. “You don’t want to go with me?”
He grabbed my hand. It felt so good. Warm and strong and large. “No. I want to go with you. But I have a favor to ask you in return.”
Relief washed over my body. He was still holding my hand. “Anything.” And I actually meant it. If he asked me to strip naked right now and roll around in the snow I would do it. If I was being honest, I would strip naked for any purpose he could imagine.
“So if I am going to be your fake boyfriend for your law gala, could you be my fake girlfriend for my brother’s engagement party in a few weeks?”
Huh. Not what I was expecting. If I was being honest, I was kind of hoping he might want me to be his real girlfriend. But that wasn’t possible. I was clearly not his type and he was not mine. Not at all. “Of course. But why do you need a fake date for a family event?”
Declan took a breath and rested his elbows on his knees. He faced the fire for a moment, composing his thoughts while staring at the flames. “So my mom has been riding me lately about being single. She is relentless. Trying to set me up, committing me to blind dates without asking my permission, and harassing me about joining dating sites.” He ran his hands through his hair. He was clearly embarrassed.
I put my hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at me. I could see the firelight flickering in his blue eyes. He seemed on edge and twitchy, the total opposite of his usual intense, controlled energy.
I gave him a minute. “I love my parents. They are really awesome. And they have both gone through a lot this year. We almost lost my dad.” He paused, staring at the fire. I kept my hand on his shoulder. “I love them so much, and I want to make them happy. But I can’t suffer through more meddling in my personal life. It’s bad enough I have to report up to my dad at the business I’ve been running for the past two years. I can’t have my mom fixing me up with every random single woman she meets on the street.”
“I get it,” I said. “You don’t want to disappoint them, but you also want to live your life. Trust me, I understand that more than you know.” And it was true. Although Declan’s family seemed completely different than my own, I could identify with the feeling of not being good enough. I understood what it felt like to disappoint your parents, to fall short.
“And I just want to live my life. I have a home and a dog and a business. My father has been giving me shit about not being the ‘settling down type’ like my brothers. And I want to show him that I can be serious, even if it’s only temporary.”
He gave me an intense look and we sat, looking at one another for a minute. My heart rate sped up and I could feel my face flush. I didn’t get flustered. I wasn’t that type of girl. I took pride in my composure and control in any situation. But sitting on a couch with Declan Quinn was turning me into a swooning romance-novel heroine.
He continued, looking encouraged. “I’m happy. No one believes me, but I am. I like my life. And I am not going to waste my precious time on dating apps in some desperate attempt to get paired up.”
He looked right at me. “No offense.”
“None taken. I was desperate. I am not too proud to admit it.”
He tipped his chin. “I respect that.”
“But this is your family. We’re really going to have to sell it.”
“What, you don’t think you can pretend to like me?” His grin was mischievous.
“No, no, not at all. I mean, I guess we have to do some research or something.” What was it about this guy that knocked me off my game?
“We’re already friends. And we already hang out. So we’ll just do that more.”
“But won’t it be a surprise to your mom if you show up with a random girlfriend?”
“Yes. So we’ll go out in town and be seen. The rumor mill will start up so fast we won’t have to do much.”
“It’s not like I have that much to do at the moment.”
“I like your can-do attitude.”
