Page 65 of Possession

He kissed the side of my head, and I didn’t miss how his mother watched us.

“You always made my Declan smile,” she said.

“I’m lucky to have her.” He tugged on my hand. “Always have been.”

“Dinner is on the stove, settle in, and then come help me set the table. I want to hear how you’ve been all these years.” She nodded and turned to walk into the kitchen.

“I’ll be right there, Mrs. O’Connell.”

“It’s just Irene, honey, you know that,” she said over her shoulder.

I giggled, she may have aged more than she should’ve, but she hadn’t really changed at all.

“I told you she always loved you.” Declan pulled me to his chest and covered my mouth with his. He kissed me until every knot of stress in my shoulders untied. His hands were on the small of my back, and his fingers walked along my spine until they tangled in my hair.

I pulled away before I moaned into his mouth. “How do you do that?”

“Kiss?” He raised his eyebrow and smirked.

I hit his chest. “No.” I shook my head and laughed. “You kiss me like that and I forget the world.”

“You’re stressed, I can feel it.”

“What happened to your mom, Declan? She looks ten years older than she should.”

He took a step back and linked our hands. “She was married to a drunk, she suffered through his death, and it doesn’t help she never tells us anything. She finally admitted to Liam a few weeks ago that she’s been having some heart issues. That’s why Kieran won’t move out, he helps her around the house. She can’t do much.” The color in Declan’s irises went dark, his pupils narrowed, and he squinted just enough that the creases around his eyes deepened. He was hearing them, it was the face he made when the voices began to speak. Guilt being his biggest trigger it seemed.

“Hey, youalldo a lot for your mom.”

It took him a moment to answer as he sifted through his thoughts. “I know.”

“Come on, let’s go help her with dinner.” I gave him a small smile.

His lips spread into a grin. “I had her make your favorite.”

“Beef stew?” My eyes widened—I died for her stew.

He nodded. “Kieran went out and bought the Guinness last night. He made me promise to save him some leftovers.” Declan chuckled, his good mood back in place, set firmly in a brilliant smile.

“Now I’m even more excited.” I laughed as he pulled me into the kitchen.

Over dinner Declan was quiet as his mother recounted his father’s last days. It was like she never really got a chance to mourn, and a part of me wondered if the guys hadn’t let her. They all had their issues with him, but she’d love him regardless of how he’d lived his life.

“Enough about all that depressing nonsense. Tell me about you. How’ve you been?”

My smile waned. My life wasn’t a departure from depression, it had once been the definition.

The heat of Declan’s hand found mine under the table. The stew bowls were empty, the bread she’d put out half eaten, and for some reason my eyes trained on the crusty crumbs that sat on the tablecloth as I tried to think of where to start.

“Mom, let’s—”

“It’s okay.” I squeezed his hand.

“I got married not too long after Declan and I split. It was what my parents wanted… he wasn’t a very good husband.” I inhaled a shaky breath and pushed through it. His mom’s attention was on me, her eyes soft and open, awaiting my confession. “And, he’s not really a good man either. I got lost there for a while, but I found my way back. We’re getting a divorce. He’s bringing the papers on Wednesday.”

“He is?” Declan turned to look at me, his brows dipping into a V.

“He is. I spoke to him today.”

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