Page 38 of Finding You
I was studying the menu, internally debating between barbacoa and chicken Tinga when I felt Declan squeeze my hand. I looked up from my taco daze to see two older people approaching. A tiny, determined looking woman with a steel-gray bob was walking ahead of a tall, cheerful man walking with a cane. Declan turned and whispered to me, “It’s go time.”
Declan straightened up as the woman approached me. “Declan, sweetheart. I didn’t expect to see you here.” She didn’t let him respond before walking right over to me and grabbing both my hands. She looked up at me. “This must be Astrid. I am so pleased to meet you, dear.” She held up my arms as her gaze traveled up and down my body before meeting my eyes. I felt immediately self-conscious. I desperately wanted this woman to like me. I didn’t know why, except that Declan loved his family. I wanted them to love me too, even if I was just his fake girlfriend.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Quinn. And this must be Captain Quinn.” I tried to turn my attention to him, but she did not drop my arms. She stood, perfectly still, assessing me. Probably calculating how she could get rid of me since I clearly wasn’t good enough for her son.
So I was doubly shocked when she pulled me into a tight hug. For such a tiny woman, she was deceptively strong. “Oh dear,” she said, finally releasing me, “you are so lovely. And please call me Annie.”
“Mom, don’t overwhelm her. She just met Liam and he acted like a weirdo.”
“It’s just such a pleasant surprise to see you with such a”—she paused—“lovely and accomplished young woman.” She beamed at me. She turned to her husband who was walking slowly toward us.
“Captain, get over here and meet Declan’s girlfriend,” she clucked.
The Captain ambled over slowly and held out his hand. “Please excuse my Annie, she is overly invested in our sons’ love lives.”
I shook his outstretched hand and liked him immediately. His jovial, casual nature was in direct contrast to the tightly coiled intensity of his wife. “We’ve been hearing all over town how brilliant and accomplished you are. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
I smiled and felt a little defensive of Declan. “Oh, I’m sure that’s just rumors. And speaking of brilliant and accomplished, Declan has been filling me in on your booming business and all his innovative ideas for the future.”
The Captain coughed and looked at Declan, who beamed with pride. It felt good, bragging about my fake boyfriend. Was this what real relationships were like? Two people having each other’s backs and taking on the world together? Because that sounded really good right about now.
Declan pulled me close, as if trying to shield me from their well-intentioned questions. The Quinns seemed like kind, helpful people who really loved their kids. It made me feel a bit jealous actually. I couldn’t imagine my mother ever caring about whom I was dating, and she was definitely not a spontaneous hugger.
After we chatted with his parents for a bit, they excused themselves to find some of their friends. Mrs. Quinn specifically noted how excited she was for me to attend Liam and Cece’s engagement party in February.
As soon as they were out of sight, Declan grabbed me by the shoulders. “I have never seen my mom like that in my life.” He took off his hat and ran his hands through his hair. “And the way you told my dad I was brilliant? Thank you.”
I smiled at him, feeling a warmth spread throughout my body.
“Wow. This is going to work, Astrid. It’s going to work.” His smile was so broad, so genuine it broke my heart a bit. Why couldn’t his parents just accept him as he was? Why did he need a fake girlfriend to win their approval? And why was I so sad that we were succeeding at faking a relationship?
Pull yourself together. This is the plan. Stick with the plan. He doesn’t want to be your real boyfriend, and the last thing you need is a distraction. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement to help you get your life back on track. “So did I earn a taco?” I gazed up at Declan and batted my eyelashes.
“Sweetheart, you earned a dozen tacos. Let’s feed you.”
My fake boyfriend certainly knew the way to my heart.
* * *
This was one of the most fun nights I’d had in years. The Christmas tree fire was incredible. Declan had introduced me to his other brother, Callum, and asked him to take a picture of us. We posed in front of the massive pile of trees before it was lit, and it was easily five times as tall as we were. We took a few pictures, including one where he was kissing the side of my head while I laughed. Logically, I knew I should post it on Instagram as evidence of our relationship, but part of me wanted to keep it private, a sweet reminder of this surprisingly fun evening.
“So you and Khal Drogo, huh?” Callum was studying us curiously. I stood up a little straighter, meeting his eye. I wasn’t about to let his skepticism get under my skin. Callum was the complete opposite of Declan. He looked like a young congressman in his expensive wool coat and cashmere scarf.
I smiled. “I get that reference!” I realized after the fact that I sounded like a total dork.
Declan put his arm around me. “I’ve been catching Astrid up on all the TV and movies she’s missed. We’re currently watchingGame of Thrones.”
Callum seemed confused, so I tried to explain. “I haven’t consumed much pop culture for the past ten years. I’ve been working nonstop and haven’t made time to keep up with this stuff.”
Declan put his arm around me. “I will happily educate you.”
He wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I tried to suppress a giggle.
“How do you feel about superheroes, Astrid? My brother is obsessed,” Callum teased.
Declan looked sheepish. “I read a lot of comics as a kid.”
“I haven’t seen any superhero movies.”
