Page 21 of Returning to Everton

There’s a huge oak tree in the front yard. I love how it gives the house and yard a lot of shade. The house is the typical Victorian. It’s grey with white trim, peaks on the roof, and even a turret with arched windows. I think I know what room Violet’s going to pick. I cross the yard and climb the steps to the front porch. Man, they weren’t kidding. This porch wraps around damn near the whole house! I start walking around the porch and realize the left side of the porch wraps all the way around and leads into the back porch. I turn around and walk the other way. Only to find the porch ends at the edge of the house, where I can tell the solarium is. I head back to the front of the house and find Declan standing there waiting for me with this sexy smile on his face.

“Sorry,” I say. “I had to see where the porch stopped.”

“Well, if you’re that impressed just by the outside, wait until you see the inside,” he winks at me as he holds the door open for me. I walk inside and find Declan must have come in while I was admiring the porch and turned on all the lights. I look around, and Declan starts pointing things out. There’s a family room to the right that has a gorgeous bay window that looks out into the front yard.

Declan leads me around the house, and the more I see, the more I fall in love with it. It’s really the perfect house for a family—plenty of room. I don’t see anything wrong with this house at all. Makes me wonder why he doesn’t live here. Why would he rent this beautiful house? Then I recall him saying something at dinner about his wife.

“I’m sorry, Declan, but I have to ask. Why do you rent this house? It’s perfect. Is there something wrong with it that I just can’t see right now?” I finally ask after walking around all the upstairs bedrooms and making our way back downstairs. He sighs, and I start to think maybe I shouldn’t have asked.

“I bought this house for my wife when we first moved here eight years ago. She wanted a big house that we could grow into. It was perfect, and she loved it. But then she died giving birth to Logan and I just couldn’t stand to live here anymore,” he sounds resigned. I could tell he didn’t really want to talk about it. “My best friends took me in. They took pity on the single dad with a newborn son and let us move in with them. They’ve been helping me raise Logan since he was born. But I still had this big beautiful house, and I just couldn’t bring myself to sell it. So, I rent it, make a little extra money to take care of Logan and help the guys out after everything they’ve done for us,” he tells me. He sounds a little better by the end of his story. Like talking about his friends and how they’ve been there for him, makes reliving his pain bearable.

“I’m so sorry, Declan. I’m glad you had such good friends there to help you. They must be some amazing men to do that,” I tell him.

“Yeah. They are. Alright, let’s go see the kitchen. I know you’ve been waiting for it,” he chuckles.

I allow the change of subject because I can tell it’s difficult for him to talk about his wife, and I really do want to see this kitchen. We walk down the hallway into this huge open kitchen. I am torn between stopping and staring with my mouth agape and exploring every corner of this amazing kitchen. I go for the latter.

As I walk further into the room, the first thing I come to is the huge island. It can easily fit six people! It’s right in the middle of the kitchen, and it curves around, making a sort of u-shape. I run my fingers over the smooth grey granite countertop as I walk around the island glancing around the room. Just trying to take it all in. There are grey granite counters and dark mahogany cabinets everywhere. There is a white farmhouse sink in the island, and a brand new white dishwasher below and to the right of it. Behind the sink is a huge white fridge. There is no way I’ll be able to fill that thing with just Violet and me. There’s another small island between the large island and the other cabinets, that has a smooth glass stove-top built into the counter.

I turn and see a double oven in the wall. I could do a lot of baking with that oven. I walk around some more and find a huge walk-in pantry. The kitchen is open and airy. The white appliances, the windows, and glass doors looking out to the backyard brighten up the whole room.

This whole kitchen is just over the top though. It’s big in every way. Everything is just huge and looks brand new. This kitchen is definitely a chef's dream. I mean it’s actually a little too big for me. It’s just the two of us, we don’t really need this much space. I turn to look at Declan and he can tell by the look on my face something’s wrong.

“What’s wrong, Rowen? I thought the kitchen would be your favorite part,” he says.

“I love the whole house so far, Declan. I do. I’m just starting to think it might be a little much. It’s just me and Violet. We don’t really need this much room. And this kitchen? It’s big enough to feed an army! What am I realistically going to do with a kitchen this big?” I ask him.

“Well, you can have company. You’ll have plenty of room for all of your friends and family to come for the holidays or just to visit. You can host dinners,” he says. “Come on let's see the rest of the house. Don’t count it out just yet.”

I sigh but agree and we continue the tour. The next room Declan takes me to see is the solarium, and it does not disappoint. It’s amazing. It’s a circular room made completely of glass. I can just picture myself sitting in this room during the day and watching Violet play in the backyard with her friends, or at night, curled up with a glass of wine and a good book. I look up and I can see the clear night sky. There are no clouds, so I can see every star. It’s absolutely beautiful.

I turn my attention to the backyard and realize just how big it is. Violet would definitely have a lot of room to play. Heck, we could probably put in a pool. No, Rowen. You’re renting, not buying. You can’t just put in a pool.

“I know the yard is huge. I’ve been thinking about putting in a pool to cut down on the lawn to mow,” he laughs. “Plus, who doesn’t want a pool, right?”

It’s like he read my mind. “Are you a mind reader, Declan?” I chuckle. “I was literally just thinking how there’s enough room for a pool. Then you mention putting a pool in. Come to think of it... You did the same thing in the kitchen earlier.” I furrow my brows and tilt my head. “I was starting to rethink renting the house because it was just so much house, but you convinced me to give it a chance and finish the tour. Then I saw this room and thought to myself, why the heck wouldn’t I want to live here?”

“Ummm... I mean... kinda?” he stammers as he rubs the back of his neck.

“Wait, what? I was just joking. You mean you really can read my mind?” I question him.

“Well, not all the time no. It’s not exactly a fun power to have, Rowen. Constantly hearing what everyone is thinking. I’ve worked really hard on blocking it. Now, I mostly just hear people when they’re thinking really loud. Which you were about the house. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to intrude on your thoughts. I’ve been trying to keep a lock on it, but every now and then I’ll catch a stray thought,” he’s quick to reassure me.

Well, I mean I guess it’s not really his fault... and I do tend to think pretty loud sometimes. “I’m sorry, Declan. I’ve been away from magical people for so long I guess I don’t know how to interact with them anymore. I’m used to just Violet, Quinn, and my family, who all, thank god, can’t read minds. I’ll try to think more quietly so you’re not constantly bombarded with my crazy thoughts,” I chuckle to myself.

“Well, they’re not all crazy,” he says suggestively.

My eyes widen. Surely, he’s not talking about... those kinds of thoughts.

“Oh, yes, I most assuredly am. Those are my new favorite thoughts. From you at least,” he smirks at me. “Please, feel free to think those thoughts whenever you wanta mhuirnín,”

“A mhuirnín? What does that mean?” I ask.

“Sorry,” he rubs the back of his neck again. “It means my dear in Irish. I sometimes slip into the language of my homeland,” he murmurs.

He looks away from me when he says that, so he misses my smile. “I think that’s sweet. It’s Gaelic, right? I’ve always wished I could speak another language. And that has always been one of my favorites. It sounds so romantic and sexy,” I blush, I didn’t mean to say all of that.

“Really? I’m sure I could teach you some words sometime,” he offers.

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