Page 43 of Broken Promises

“I came over because Jon and Harrison are both on their way for a family meeting. Feels a little wrong to leave Declan out, though.”

I smile at how quickly Cal accepted Declan as one of us. Maverick and Kai have, too, mostly. It’s Belle who hasn’t. I don’t think, anyway. She hasn’t spoken to me much in the past two days. Whatever Declan said to Harlow the other night got her on his side as well. I don’t know where Jo stands with me, never mind Declan. She’s still staying at Harlow and Cal’s.

“Jon and Harrison? What does one have to do with the other?” I ask.

“Oh, nothing. Jon wanted a meeting and then Harrison called Harlow about some concerns related to Senator Wolfe, so she told him to just come over so she didn’t have to repeat everything he was saying to all of us.”

I hold in my sigh. If Jon wants a meeting, it means we need to get back to work already, even though we’ve been off the road for less than a week. Harrison needing to talk is likely going to throw Mav back into a depression. There’s no way there’s good news about his criminal father. I just wanted some time without being worried about everyone I care about.

“Come on,” Cal says, standing and holding out his hand to help me up. I let him, suddenly feeling defeated. “Harlow is making quesadillas for lunch.”

“Why didn’t you mention that sooner?” I ask, perking up. Cal laughs and throws his arm around my shoulder. Declan picks that moment to walk through our front door.

“You making a move on my wife, Callahan?” Dec asks, chuckling, but the way he’s looking at where Cal is touching me is anything but funny.

“Fuck no,” Cal says, quickly dropping his arm and stepping away. “Even if I wasn’t madly in love with my own wife, yours is terrifying.” I scowl at him, a little offended. Cal points at my face. “See what I mean?”

Dec laughs and pulls me into his chest. “I find it sexy as fuck.”

Cal looks horrified. “You’re serious.”

“As a heart attack,” Dec says, leaning down and kissing me in a way that is inappropriate for company.

“Gross,” Cal mutters. “Lunch is getting cold.”

“Lunch?” Dec pulls away and perks up so fast that I laugh. “Why didn’t you say that sooner?”

“Same fucking person,” Cal grumbles under his breath, stomping out of my house on the way to his.

“Come on.” I grab Declan’s hand and tug him out of the house. “Harlow is making quesadillas.”

He scoops me up into his arms, causing me to let out a surprised scream, and runs right past Cal and into his house. “What are you doing?” I ask, laughing as he sets me down on a stool in front of the island in Cal and Harlow’s kitchen.

“I love quesadillas,” he says, like the answer is obvious.

Harlow laughs from where she’s standing behind the stove. “I made double the amount I normally would for this amount of people, plus a few extra.”

“Are you allowed to eat that amount of cheese before a game?” Kai asks, snagging the quesadilla Cal was about to put in his mouth and taking a giant bite.

“Hey!” Cal complains, but Harlow is right there with another one. He smiles and kisses her. “Thanks, Firecracker.”

“I don’t stick to the super clean eating thing like some players do,” Dec says, shrugging. I snort, which earns me a wink. He eats healthy. He just refuses to give up cheese. Not that I can blame him.

Everyone stacks their plates with quesadillas, salsa, sour cream, and the Mexican rice Harlow also made. We decide to eat at the dining room table even though normally we would be in the living room. With the way our family is growing, Cal is going to need a bigger table.

“Alright, who wants to go first?” Jo asks after we’ve finished eating.

Jon clears his throat. “I had a meeting with Isla from the label this morning. They want to add more tour dates. Local this time. They want to advertise it as a hometown tour type of thing. Only New England venues and only for a two-month period.”

I look at Declan. He’s already looking at me, a small smile on his face, but it’s not making his eyes twinkle in the way his real smiles do. He’s happy that Shattered Halo is doing well but hates the distance.

Jo hands out a mock schedule she printed for us, but before I can look at mine, she slides a second schedule next to mine. I look up and she gives me a small smile before going back to her seat. Comparing the two, I realize one is a proposed tour schedule with dates and locations and the other is Declan’s game schedule.

I gasp when I realize what she did. “Jo.” It’s all I can manage. She worked the tour around Dec’s games. He has twenty-eightin the two months we’d be touring. Thirteen of them are home games, and Jo made sure I’d be here for all of them.

“I couldn’t work in any of his away games since they’re not really close to where we’ll be. The only one that I think would be possible is Buffalo. We’re home for a week around that one,” she says. I smile at her, and she smiles back. All the hurt feelings between us disappear with her thoughtful gesture. “He can even make both Boston shows.”

“Thank you,” I tell her.

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