Page 116 of Destined Lovers

“You do?” she mutters.

“Mmhm, a special date night.” I lean down, press my lips to hers, and she smiles against me at the idea.

She pulls back only a smidge. “I love you, Dec, and I love that I can tell you so. I’m sorry about earlier.” She pushes back a bit of hair that’s fallen in front of my eyes.

“I love you too, angel. Please don’t put yourself at risk anymore. It’s almost over. Who was at the door anyway?”

“I ordered some supplies from the local paint shop, and he was dropping it off. I knew he was coming, so I didn’t think it was a big deal.” She sheepishly shrugs.

“I’m sure itwasfine. But what if it wasn’t? Calling one of the guys to walk over with you only takes a second.”

She nods, and I think I detect a slight tremor. I don’t want to scare her, but she needs to take this more seriously.

She cuddles back into the crook of my arm, “You smell amazing,” I murmur, and she giggles. I take another big breath to get a whiff of her scent. It smells therapeutic, almost like I would smell it in a posh spa.

“Thank you. I’ve added notes of thyme, lavender, cedarwood, and others you would never know.”

I raise my eyebrow, there is not a lot I don’t know, and I don’t mean that arrogantly, but it’s the truth.

“Fine, maybeyouwould know,” she rolls her eyes. “I’ve been meaning to ask you if it’s okay if I include Maeve in my perfume making. When Agnes moves here, I’m sure she will want to make some. It was the thing we did together. I’d love for her to help pick out what to mix. I can have her smell and choose what she likes best.”

I cup her cheeks, squishing her lips together, then pressing mine into them.

She chuckles, “What are you doing, crazy man?”

“I just love you so much. Of course, you can ask Maeve.”

“You love me because I’m asking Maeve to make perfume with me? She’s my family too. Why wouldn’t I?” She scrunches up her face, not understanding, like calling Maeve family is the most natural thing.

Which, I guess, to Nora, it is. Maeve, me, and Agnes are now her only family.

Though I hope that when she meets my friends, she can add them to her chosen family as I have, they’re pretty incredible people, and I want her to have what they’ve given me.

Hope, love, and support.

* * *

“All right, Pip, now, because of you, we’re late, so let’s get moving.” She stands up, and I slap her arse, knowing it’s smarting.

“Fecking, hell, Declan. Are you insane?” She punches me hard in the arm.

I don’t hold back my smirk, “There’s my girl, my beautiful spitfire. The submissive sex maniac long gone.”

She throws her head back and laughs loudly, the beautiful sound echoing through the room.

“Come on, you eejit. I finally get to leave my lair, and we have people to see, places to go!”

Aye, apersonto see, whom I amnotlooking forward to seeing.

17

Nora

I runmy hands over my forehead and apply pressure to my temples, hoping to calm the pounding in my head. If I look over at Declan, I know he’ll see my judgment toward him.

Even though I know, it’s completely irrational. He’s doing everything he can, I’m sure of it. I can’t get my mind to stop thinking, isn’t there alwayssomethingelse you can do?

We’re on our way to a late lunch after meeting with Archie. A thirteen-year-old boy, Declan mentors through the charity he runs with Wills. And what I saw made me want to grab that kid and run for the hills.

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