Page 80 of Holding You
I nod.
“Yes, sorry. Just a little lost in thought.”
“I see that and I?—”
Before he can get another word out, the front door opens, and Max and Susie run out in a flash.
Declan continues to stand on the porch, his gaze sweeping over Colt and me.
My entire body becomes alert, and as much as I hate to admit it, my nipples harden from the look Declan is giving me.
His gaze turns dark as he crosses his arms, still never breaking eye contact with me.
“Well,” Colt whispers with a teasing tone, “whatever youdon’tfeel, seems like hedoesn’tfeel it either.”
I don’t have time to reply before Max practically launches himself into Colt’s arms.
“Dad! You made it!”
“I missed you so much,” Colt says and then sets him down to ruffle his hair.
“Same. This is Susie,” Max says with the biggest grin on his face. “My best friend. She’s super cool.”
“Hi.” Susie waves and then shyly spins to run back to her dad.
“And that’s Declan. He told me not to call him Mr. Young.”
“That’s great. I better go meet him.”
Max grabs his dad’s hand and pulls him toward the front porch. I follow behind them, listening to the two of them chat. It’s hard not to.
“You’re going to like him. He’s extra smart. He’s into tech stuff, just like you.”
“That’s pretty neat.”
“Yeah, Mom’s computer crashed, and he fixed it, and then he bought her a new one.”
I don’t need to look up to feel Colt staring at me.
We hit the steps and Max starts to introduce them right away.
“Dad, this is Declan. Declan, this is my dad.”
My heart swells at how happy Max looks right now.
Colt and Declan shake hands.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Colt says.
“Likewise. Max talks about you a lot.”
“He’s mentioned you a couple of times, but I have to admit, I think I might know more about Susie at this point.”
Me, Declan, and Colt all laugh, and my gaze finds Declan’s again. It's like my insides turn to mush.
I turn for the door to avoid anyone being able to read my facial expression.
“Let’s go in; it’s hot. Max’s things are ready to go.”
