Page 98 of Resting Beach Face
Then I fell into his arms, and he hugged me as tight as Grandma Kitty had. Her hug had been comforting and sweet.This one, though, was different. Grandma Kitty kept me from falling apart. Declan? He held me together when I shattered.
He kissed my temple. “Shh. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
“It’s stupid to be upset,” I mumbled against his chest. “Nothing has really changed.”
“Well, maybe it’s time it did,” he said. “Maybe it’s past time, even.”
I took a deep breath, his words resonating with me. Yeah. Maybe itwastime. I’d been treading water, struggling not to drown with my family, for years. Maybe it was time to reach for a lifeline.
I looked up at Declan, wondering if he could be that for me. My anchor. And for how long?
He swiped his thumbs under my eyes, clearing my tears away. “It’s going to be okay. I’m here for you.”
“Tha—” I started to say, but he silenced me with a soft kiss.
Right there in public. It shocked my thoughts away. He glanced over my head, seeming to notice our rapt audience. I turned, and Fisher gave a cheeky little wave. Damn. It was a good thing most of my friends were more tactful than me. I’d have been whistling or catcalling for maximum embarrassment.
I grinned. “You’re going to start all sorts of rumors about us, Mr. Sullivan. Naughty, naughty.”
Declan reddened a little but said gamely, “Are they rumors if they’re true?”
“In that case, kiss me again. I want everyone talking about us, especially if it makes you blush like that,” I teased.
To my surprise, he indulged me with one more kiss. “I’ll see you tonight, okay? Call me if you need me. For anything.”
My heart skipped a few beats, and I practically floated back to my chair. My friends all looked at me with varying degrees of amusement.
“About time,” Fisher said.
“I still can’t believe it,” Sawyer added. “I never thought he’d get anywhere with Declan.”
“Me either,” Brooks said.
“It’s not that surprising,” Poppy said. “Declan just needed to see that Cash was serious. He plays so much that people can’t always tell.”
“She’s right,” Skylar said. “Cash puts on a good front.”
“Cash is right here,” I mumbled, a little disconcerted by how well Poppy had read the situation.
“You’re not the player everyone thinks you are,” Poppy said. “Maybe for a while you played the part, but I think that’s all it was, right? It’s not what you really want. Not anymore.”
“No,” I said. “Maybe not ever. I don’t know. This thing with Declan, it’s…”
“Serious,” Skylar said.
“Yeah.”
“And what about when he leaves?” Brooks asked, forehead creased again. “What then? Maybe you should put a stop to this now.”
I shrugged helplessly. “I can’t just let this moment pass me by. I’m seizing the fucking day.”
“But—” Brooks started, but Skylar laid his hand on his arm, quieting him.
“Can’t you see, Brooks? Cash is in love with Declan. It’s already too late for him to do anything else.”
My stomach flip-flopped to hear it stated so plainly out loud, but I’d already known, hadn’t I? I’d been falling hard since the moment Declan stopped pushing me away.
Consequences be damned.
