Page 71 of Declan
“Hey, Jax.”
“Declan, it was a beautiful wedding, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, just like yours and Presley’s. Where is your beautiful wife, anyway?”
Jaxon chuckled. “She’s over there by the wall with Willa, Priscilla, and Lucy. I’m sure they’re up to no good.”
“Surely, not,” Declan teased.
“What’s been going on with you?”
“Just working.”
“What about Elise?”
Declan set his glass down and looked at his cousin. “How do you know about her?”
“Please, between Hartland, Spring City, and Clifton, nothing gets past anyone. Is she coming back?”
“It doesn’t look like it.”
“Then go get her.”
“It’s not that simple—”
“Sure, it is. I went after Presley. Devin went after Willa, and Roark went after Priscilla. You do what you have to do.”
Declan shook his head. “It’s her dream to be in New York.”
“Declan, you love her. If she wants to be in New York, then you need to be there with her.”
“I’ll think about it,” he said as he lifted his glass to his lips.
Jaxon laughed. “Yeah, you will.”
Declan shrugged. His cousin knew him well. Declan wasn’t going to New York. It just wasn’t for him. He knew a lot of people who would love to live there, but he wasn’t one of them. As he’d told Rawley, he’d never fit in that world. He was Montana born and bred and as much as he missed her, he knew it was for the best. He also knew he’d never stop missing her or loving her.
“Are you and Presley ready for Christmas?”
“Presley has all her shopping done. I haven’t even started.”
“There’s less than three weeks, Jax. You need to get busy.”
“Hell, we haven’t gotten a tree yet. Usually, Presley has it up and decorated by the day after Thanksgiving.”
“I don’t have one yet either. Looks like I’ll be heading to Nick’s farm soon.”
“Yeah, I’m hoping to get there tomorrow.”
Declan downed his drink, set the glass on the bar, and slapped Jaxon on the back.
“I’m heading home. Tell Presley hello for me.”
“You know, going home won’t get Elise out of your head.”
“Looks like I’ll have to learn to live with that.” He touched the brim of his hat, got off the stool and strode through the crowd, to tell Markie and Nate that he was leaving.
He looked around to find them and laughed when he saw them alone at the back of the bar, then made his way toward them, getting stopped several times by people he knew.
