Page 25 of His to Protect

“You bet.” Declan pushed back from the table and walked the short distance to a corner I hadn’t been able to see from the doorway. When he turned around, he handed me a simple black mug and stepped back. “There’s more bacon in the pan on the counter,” he said, gesturing toward the stove. “Do you take cream or sugar?”

“Black is fine,” I muttered, still not fully awake. “Where’s Boomer?” I asked when I saw two bowls on the floor by the fridge, one filled with water.

A strange warmth fluttered in my chest as I realized Declan had fed and taken care of Boomer, something Kevin never did, and made clear he never would. If I wanted to bring the damn dog into the house with me when we were married, he wasn’t doing a damn thing to take care of it. His words, not mine.

“Outside,” Declan said as he sat back down at the table. “He was whining when he heard me up this morning, so I let him out so you could sleep. Figured you needed it.”

My mouth went dry for a moment before I found my voice. “That was nice of you. Thank you.”

He seemed to understand more about my situation than I had told him. Perhaps he had some uncanny sixth sense. Perhaps he was a secret superhero. Whatever it was, it started that strange, warm, fluttering feeling all over again.

I filled my mug and stood in the corner of the kitchen chomping on a piece of bacon. We all ate in a silence. It felt strangely comfortable.

Watching them give each other a hard time while they played videogames last night probably helped. I had enjoyed watching Declan playfully shove Derrick around when the kid beat him, or toss him a high five when he did something great. Declan might be large and muscled and intimidating on his own, but when he was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to the young teen, he radiated excitement and friendliness. Probably why I wasn’t scared, knowing he’d been in my room this morning.

From the short time I’ve known him, he seemed to be a man worthy of trust and honor.

A knock from the front door jolted me out of my thoughts and I looked at Declan.

“Probably my dad,” Derrick said, and grabbed his plate from the table. Just as he was sliding it into the sink, Aidan’s voice bellowed from the front of the house.

“Hello? You losers up yet?”

“In here, Dad!” Derrick tossed me a smile as he headed out of the room. “I’m going to go grab my stuff. Thanks for the games last night, Declan. Nice to meet you, Trina.”

“You too,” I mumbled, my coffee mug pressed against my lips. I watched him go and then watched as Declan rose from his chair.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” he said. “You can hang back, but there’s something I’d like to talk to you about once they’re gone.”

Unease swirled in my gut at his tone. Not demanding, but serious.

I watched him leave the room, knowing whatever he had to say was something I wasn’t going to like.

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