Page 117 of Trouble

“I love them both too.” My stomach knots a little, though, as I prepare to ask a question I’m not sure I want to know the answer to. “But aren’t you worried that they won’t accept us?”

Cade laughs. “Please, our mothers have been hoping we’d settle down for decades. They’ll be thrilled.”

Declan’s demeanor is much more reserved. He scratches his chin. “Not sure they expected us to settle down together.”

The smile that splits Cade’s face is so big it makes him squint. “No. I think you surprised all of us with that.”

Without a thought of how the three of us might look to passersby, Declan steps closer and splays a rough hand over Cade’s cheek. He cups mine with his other hand and gently strokes us both. “The two of you surprised the hell out of me too. I’m sorry I didn’t handle it well. Sorry Ididn’t express myself better.” He sighs. He’s clearly still beating himself up.

But I certainly understand that coming to terms with who he is and who he loves didn’t come easy. That when the world is sure to judge us, it would obviously make it less than easy to be honest about how he was feeling.

Communicating can be a challenge, even when a person’s only concern is whether someone feels the same. Throw in fear of judgment and ridicule, and the challenge multiplies. It took incredible courage for Declan to come to terms with all that he has in such a short period of time. I’m proud of him.

“You owe me no apologies,” I tell him, cupping my hand over his. “And in case I haven’t said it today, I love you, and I’m proud to be yours.”

Lips curving into a delicious smile, he dips down and kisses me. When he pulls away, he turns to Cade, his hand still on his cheek. “And you. Can you forgive me for getting it so wrong?”

“I forgave you when you texted me.”

Declan scowls. “What?”

Cade’s easy smile falls into place. “You never text anyone but Mel and Liv. It took a lot for you to send that message.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Declan huffs.

“What is?” Cade frowns, looking from Declan to me.

“That your standards are so low,” Declan grits out. “Baby, you need to demand more from me. You deserve more.”

Cade chuckles, but Declan’s expression remains serious.

“Well,” Cade says, “you did mention groveling.”

Declan steps up to him and murmurs against his lips. “I’m going to grovel so good.” The kiss he lays on Cade is completely different from the one he shared with me. Where ours was sweet, theirs is aggressive. Nips and growls, tongue and teeth.

Cade’s fingers dig into my sides as he pulls away, panting.

“Okay, you need to take me home before I start stripping right here,” I tease, my breaths coming quicker now too.

With a laugh—that rare, beautiful laugh—Declan drapes an arm over me and turns. “For what it’s worth,” he says, guiding us backtoward Cade’s building, “I have no idea how my family is going to react either.”

From my other side, Cade replies, “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Liv is your biggest fan—besides us, of course—and the Langfields are the least judgmental people I know.”

Declan lifts his chin and assesses Cade over the top of my head. “Beckett is the most annoying person I know, but the rest of them are fine, I guess.”

Despite the goose bumps over every inch of my body, Declan’s humor has a way of warming me from the inside out. He’s so serious, so gruff, and that makes moments like this so special.

Declan scans the buildings as we pass, so his face is turned away when he says, “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”

Cade and I blink at each other before we turn in unison to Declan.

“What’s tomorrow?” I ask.

“Oh,” Cade says, “the whole family goes to Beckett’s for Christmas Eve.” He doesn’t elaborate, as if that should make sense to me, before he lifts his chin, eyeing Declan again. “And you want us to be there?”

With a sigh, Declan drops his head back. “Do I have tosayeverything?”

I laugh. “Yes, Declan. Use your words.”

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