Page 15 of Defending A Promise
“No, this is perfect. Thank you,” I whisper back as I set Nicholas down in the middle of the queen-sized bed and start putting pillows around him, so he doesn’t fall out of it.
“I’ll go get your stuff.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
As I fluff pillows around Nicholas and then cover him up with his favorite blanket, a gigantic gray dog walks into the room. I’ve never been afraid of dogs, but I’ve never met one that is larger than my four-year-old. This must be the dog Declan mentioned to Nicholas earlier.
I watch the dog stand at the foot of the bed, stretching her nose out as far as she can without moving to try to smell Nicholas as he sleeps. It then turns to me and smells my leg and I hold my hand out to let it smell me. “It’s okay, doggie. We’re friendly. Are you?”
It looks up at me, which it barely needs to raise it’s head to do, and then starts leaning against me.
"That means she likes and trusts you,” Declan says as he walks into the room. “I put all of your stuff, toys included, in your room.”
I nod as I pet the dog. “Thanks.”
“Is it okay that Riley and Nicholas stay with us for a few days, Bella?”
The giant dog looks at Declan, then me, and then she makes her way to the side of the bed to better sniff Nicholas. Bellacovers his entire body from head to toe and I’m silently hoping my little boy passes inspection because he’ll be devastated if he can’t play with her when he wakes up in the morning. He’s been asking for a puppy for a while now and I keep changing the subject to distract him. I suspect after a few days with Bella, I won’t be able to do that any longer.
Declan and I watch as Bella walks around to the other side of the bed and then climbs up and lies down next to Nicholas with her head next to his.
“Is that okay?” Declan asks.
“I don’t know. Will she roll over on him and crush him or eat him in her sleep?” I ask, nervously.
He smirks, “The only danger your son is in is that she may snore loudly or fart terribly. It’s really a gamble which way she’ll go. Hell, she may even do both. Danes are known for both.”
And as if on cue, Bella starts to snore.
We quietly laugh. “Come on. Let’s get a drink. I’m sure you can use one.” Declan takes my hand, and I let him. He pulls me into the kitchen that I, if I actually cooked, would be in love with. There is a mammoth six-burner gas range, double ovens, a touch faucet, and about a mile of granite countertops. It’s beautiful.
“Beer or something stronger?”
“Beer, please.”
“Beer it is.” I watch as Declan walks over to a large refrigerator and pulls out two ice-cold beers. He opens both bottles and hands me one. “Here you go, my lady.”
I take a long sip, “God. You haven’t called me that in years.” It was something Declan started calling me when we would play medieval times in the backyard when we were in elementary school. I was always the princess, of course, River was the evil bad guy who had me locked up in a tower, and Declan always played the hero trying to rescue me on his white horse.
The irony of our playtime back then and today’s events are not lost on me. Once again, he’s here to save the day.
Declan smiles at the memory as well. “So, do you want to talk about it?”
I look up at him and I know I should explain everything that’s been going on, but I’m just too tired. Exhausted is more like it. “Can we talk about it in the morning? It’s been a long day.”
He stares at me for a moment and then nods. “Of course, Riley. But know that you and Nicholas are safe here. Nothing’s coming through my security system, me, or Bella. I promise.”
Knowing that we’re out in the middle of nowhere with an alarm system and a monster dog gives me some peace. But knowing that Declan’s here makes all the difference in the world.
“Thank you for saying that. Nicholas means the world to me, and I’ll do anything to protect him.”
“I know.”
I finish the last of my beer. “I’m going to head to bed. Thank you again for letting us crash here. I’ll figure something out for us tomorrow.”
“Nonsense. You’ll both stay here until this is all over. I won’t hear of anything else. Okay?”
“You don’t have to do that, Declan. You’ve got a life of your own. You definitely don’t need a single mother and a four-year-old running around.”
