Once again waking up in Declan’s arms, Evie snuggled in and pretended it was her real life. The night before had been so perfect. After his surprise seduction in the kitchen and her equally surprising reaction to it, they’d cuddled on the couch to watch the latest romantic comedy that Declan had queued up and eaten that delicious popcorn he’d prepared.

Just for her.

It was like everything else he did. It was just for her.

The last few weeks had been like something out of a romance novel for Evie. She wasn’t used to having someone be so attentive and considerate of her and her feelings. Never mind her son. That was a totally different thing—the way that Declan put Jonah first and made sure he was not only taken care of, but happy.

It was exactly what a father should do.

He’s not Jonah’s father.

It didn’t matter how much Evie wished it was true, and she had. More than once in the last twenty-four hours, she’d wished that Declan McCormick was Jonah’s father and it was Declan, not Tony, who’d made the proposition to be a family.

A real family.

Evie bit back a sob and snuggled closer onto Declan’s chest.

How was it that something that felt so real could be fake? It wasn’t fair. The last few weeks with Declan had been the closest she’d ever had to a real relationship, and it wouldn’t last.

I will not cry. I will not cry.

She swallowed hard and forced herself to harden up. It didn’t matter how she felt. A relationship took two people. Two people who loved each other. And not just for pretend. For real.

Even if she had those feelings, it wasn’t enough.

It would never be enough.

Besides that, Declan had a whole foundation to look after. Hell, he was in charge of saving lives, for goodness’ sake. Thousands of lives. The last thing he needed to worry about was poor Evie Rose and her son. Not when he had real work to do. He was just being nice, and according to the conversation she’d overheard, counting down the days until he could be done with the thing he was dealing with and could move on.

She needed to tell him the truth. She needed to steel herself, and be honest with him. It was the right thing to do.

Evie took one last deep inhale, trying to memorize his scent in her memory bank. Whatever else happened in her life—with Tony or anyone else—she would always have the memories of her time with Declan. And she had a feeling those memories might have to get her through more than one lonely night.

And then she slipped out of bed.

---

Declan slept in. He never slept in, but then again, he was usually so preoccupied with work and the foundation that his mind was always racing with a million things he had to do. With Evie, he was incredibly relaxed. In fact, not since he was a kid had he ever been so relaxed. It was Evie who did that to him. Her influence was incredibly calming. With her, he was just…satisfied.

In every way.

Despite the temptation to lie in bed and reflect on the night before and the incredible sex they’d had, he did have to get up. Besides, Evie’s side of the bed was cold, and once he glanced at the clock, he was certain that if she wasn’t already at the shop, she would be soon.

Maybe he would surprise her with a coffee and a cinnamon bun? Yes, that was a great idea. He loved doing things that made her smile.

He’d happily make her smile for the rest of their lives.

He just needed to tell her that.

And that’s exactly what he was going to do.

Sure enough, after a quick shower and change, Declan emerged from the bedroom to find a note that Evie was at the store and Jonah was out playing with Brandon again.

It was funny how such a simple thing like a note left to inform him of what was going on sent joy through him. Never would he have guessed that he would be excited about such a small domestic thing. But he was. And he liked it.

Declan made the mistake of checking his phone before leaving the house. There was a message from Cal.

---

You said you were going to talk to Mom about the condo. Milena needs an answer. Soon.

---

Right. He had said he would do that. “No better time than the present.” He shrugged and dialed his mom’s cell phone number.

She picked up on the first ring, and after a few minutes of chatter, they secured a breakfast date for twenty minutes later at Dream Puff’s. That way Declan could take care of two things at once and everyone would be happy.

Perfect.

It was a short walk from Evie’s house, so Declan showed up to Dream Puff’s right as his mother pulled up out front. “You look great, Mom. The lake is agreeing with you.”

“Not you too.” She pulled out of the hug and gave him a light slap on the shoulder. “You boys are sure hell-bent on getting me to admit I like the lake.”

“Well,” he held the door for her and they walked in, “are you going to admit it or not?”

His mom shot him a look, but only said, “I’ll have a coffee and an apple Danish.”

Declan looked at her in horror. “A Danish?”

“Everyone thinks the cinnamon buns are where it’s at.” She smiled. “But the real secret is in the Danish.” She glanced at Suzy, who watched and waited for them to make up their mind. “Am I right?”

Suzy laughed. “You know I’m going to agree with you, Maureen. The apple Danishes have always been my favorite. I’m not sure how the cinnamon buns caught on before they did.” The other woman was plating up a Danish as they spoke, which she handed across to Declan’s mother.

“I’m going to have to try this.” He paid for their purchases. “But it will have to be pretty awesome to sway me from the buns.”

They made their way to a table in the corner and sat down. His mom immediately dug into her Danish and before she could eat it all, Declan held out his hand for a piece.

“It is good,” he had to agree. “But I don’t know…”

“You stick with your cinnamon bun, son.” Maureen finished off the rest of her pastry and licked her fingers. “More for me.” She laughed and patted her flat stomach. “Not that I need them. Too many of Suzy’s delicious goodies will be the death of me.”

“Don’t even talk like that. Besides, you look amazing. You always have.”

“Thank you.” She raised her coffee mug. “You always were my favorite.” She took a sip of her drink and set it down carefully before she looked at Declan. “I suppose you were told to speak with me,” she said, getting straight to the point. Declan always did like that about his mom. Straightforward and to the point. She never had time for fooling around or playing games. “Well, I’ll save you the time. I’m not interested in—”

“Mom.” Declan held out a hand to stop her. “Before you say no to the condo, I want you to consider all the facts. I know that Cedar Springs has some bad memories for you but things have changed now.” She opened her mouth to speak, but Declan quickly continued. “Ian and Gwen are here, as well as Mitch and Jade. And they’re going to have a baby. Your grandchild, Mom. Your first grandchild. You’ll want to be close to the baby, Mom. I mean…a baby. And one you don’t have to take care of. You only get to spoil it rotten.” She smiled and shook her head. “Not to mention that it looks like Cal and Milena will be here for a while and how great is that? To have everyone together and get to know these new women in your sons’ lives.”

“Don’t forget you and Evie.” She tilted her head and gave him a look that, if he didn’t know better, meant she knew his relationship with Evie was full of shit.

“Right,” he said quickly. “And us. See? There are so many reasons for you to be in Cedar Springs again. Plus.” He gestured to the empty plate in front of her. “There are Danishes. And you could have one every day. Or…” he spoke before she could object, “every second day. You know, to protect your girlish figure and all.”

That put her over the edge. Maureen dropped her head in her hands and started to laugh. “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? The condo?”

“Of course.” Declan shrugged. Was there anything else? “Cal told me you weren’t committing to anything and he needed an answer for Milena. Besides, what were you just about to object to? What did you think I was talking about?”

Maureen waved her hand and shook her head. “I thought you were going to try to convince me to get that lake view condo Milena had saved for me. And I told both her and Cal, I don’t want a lake view. I want a mountain view but they just won’t listen to me. You’re right, Declan, there are a lot of good reasons for me to be back in Cedar Springs, but all of those reasons do not erase all of the bad memories that I have from here.”

“I know.” He nodded solemnly. “But you must have more good than bad.”

“Of course I do.” She looked at him as if he were crazy. “I always have. You forget that I’ve been coming out to the lake here since I was a child. Long before your father did his best to ruin this place for me, I had my own love affair with the lake. That will never go away.”

“Good.”

“And I’ve already decided to sell my house in the city and move out here. After all, it’s time I retire and I have some savings set aside. Besides, maybe I could help Ian out with the marina, or Jade and Mitch when the baby comes. Jade seems so set in returning to work, but I have a feeling that she won’t know what hit her the second she holds that little bundle in her arms.”

Declan laughed and picked up his mug. He completely agreed with that. Jade was a tough cookie on the outside, but she was going to absolutely melt when her baby was born.

“I’m going to take a mountain view condo and that’s that,” his mother said with authority. “And now that all of that is settled, let’s talk about what I really want to talk about.”

“What’s that?” He took another bite of cinnamon bun and promptly choked on it when his mother spoke again.

“Why you’re pretending to be engaged to a woman you’re obviously in love with.”

He gripped the table and coughed hard before taking a few gulps of hot coffee. Finally, the bun dislodged and he recovered enough to speak. “What?”

“You heard me, Dec. I’m not stupid. I knew there was something up the minute you announced this engagement.” She stared straight into his eyes. “I’ve been trying to figure it out since you’re obviously so smitten with her. Why would you pretend to be engaged to a woman you’re in love with? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“In love?”

Declan’s mind spun. He was only just realizing this truth on his own. How could his mother know what he’d only barely started feeling himself? That’s what didn’t make sense.

“Yes, Declan. Love. It’s not hard to see.”

“It must be.” He shook his head. “Because I’m not—”

“Engaged? Or in love?” She tipped her head and narrowed her eyes.

Caught in his own lie, Declan knew there was no point carrying on with the story. He shrugged and smiled wryly. “Okay,” he admitted. “The engagement is a sham, but you can’t say anything.” He looked around quickly but the coffee shop was relatively empty and the few customers there weren’t paying any attention to them. “It’s important to Evie for her custody arrangement. I promised to help her.”

Maureen nodded slowly. “Okay. But that’s not the real question here, is it?”

“What is?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Why are you only pretending, Dec? You obviously love her.”

“I do?”

She shot him a look.

“Okay, I do. I love Evie Rose.” It felt good to say. Better than he thought it would. A smile spread over his face. “I really do.” He chuckled and looked down at his coffee. “I can’t even believe it myself, but I do. She’s just so…she’s everything, Mom. Every time I’m with her, she just makes me feel so good and I’m happy. She makes me smile and laugh and…Jonah. He’s just amazing too. I never thought I’d feel this way about anyone else. Let alone a family.”

His mother smiled and reached across the table. “Oh, Declan.” She took his hand. “Of course you were going to fall in love one day. Just because you saw what happened between your father and I doesn’t mean that love doesn’t exist. It does. And I’m glad you’ve finally opened your eyes to it.”

That was it. His mother had nailed it. He’d seen the pain she’d gone through when he was just a teenager and her own love dissolved around her. He’d witnessed how hurt she was and how it had cost her everything to keep going and build a life for them after what his father had done. Declan had sworn he’d never put himself in a position where he’d ever have to feel that way, or make someone feel that way. He’d sworn to never love.

And he hadn’t.

Until Evie.

“But what if…” He dropped his head. “What if I hurt her, Mom? What if I can’t love her the way she needs to be loved? The way she deserves to be loved. What if…”

“What if?”

“But she has Jonah.”

“She does.” Maureen smiled. “He’s a great kid.”

Declan nodded in agreement. “He is. But…what if I hurt him the way that Dad hurt me?” The minute the words were out of his mouth, he felt both a sense of relief and a sense of pain so deep, he’d managed to hide it for almost ten years.

She squeezed his hand. “You won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do,” she said. “Declan, you are not your father. You are a different man. A kind man. A good man. You have so much to offer to a family. Not only are you not going to break Evie and Jonah’s hearts, you’re going to heal them. And they will heal you. All three of you will grow and love and be better together. The only thing that would hurt the two of them would be if you closed your eyes to everything that is right in front of your eyes and walked away from the best thing you’ve ever had.”

Declan let that sink in for a moment and finally he nodded. “You’re right.”

She laughed. “Of course I’m right, Dec. I’m your mom.”

“Thank you.” He squeezed her hand but it wasn’t enough, so he got out of his chair and gave her a tight hug. “But I have to know one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“How did you know?” he asked. “About the engagement, I mean. How did you know it wasn’t real?”

She winked and kissed him quickly on the cheek before she whispered in his ear. “A mother just knows these things.”

---

She should have told Declan the truth before she went to the shop, but she just couldn’t. She was going to tell him before she left, but he was still sleeping and the thought of waking him up only to tell him that they didn’t have to pretend to be engaged anymore just didn’t feel right.

Of course, nothing felt right.

In fact, she couldn’t think of any scenario where it would feel right to tell Declan good-bye.

Because that’s what she was going to have to do. She’d have to tell him good-bye and she’d never again feel his arms around her, or his lips on hers, or his body moving inside hers.

A sob escaped her throat at the thought of it.

She’d tried hard all morning to rationalize her decision but she didn’t have to rationalize it, because it was the only thing to do. She couldn’t keep lying to Declan just to keep him around. No matter how much she wanted to.

But what she wanted wasn’t just to have Declan around; it was to have Declan around because he wanted to be there. Because he wanted to have a relationship with her. Because he loved her.

But that wasn’t the case.

And as much as that hurt, she was a big girl and she would be okay.

She picked up her phone and dialed his number. She’d tell him right now.

But before she could hit Send and make the call, she hung up and dropped her phone as if it were on fire. She couldn’t do it over the phone. It didn’t feel right.

Nothing felt right.

Evie walked away from the counter and her phone. She’d call him and make a plan to get together after work. She’d tell him in person. She’d make the call…right after she sorted the new dresses that had just come in.

But then a customer came in, and then another one, and by the time Evie had a moment to think about it, an hour had passed. She stared at her phone, still sitting where she’d left it on the counter.

Okay, Evie. You can do this.

She picked up the phone again, dialed the number and then—the bells over the door jingled as another customer came in. “I’ll be right with you,” she called before putting the phone down and going to greet her customer.

Except it wasn’t a customer.

It was Tony.

“Hey,” he said simply. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Well…” She held up her hands lamely. It’s not as if she could tell him that she was just about to call and end her fake engagement with the man she actually loved. “No,” she said after a moment. “It’s fine.”

He smiled and slowly walked closer, as if he were scared of her. And maybe he was. “I just couldn’t wait,” he said after a moment. “Did you give my offer any more thought?”

“Your offer?”

“Working it out, Evie. Trying.” When she didn’t respond right away, he added, “Me and you. Jonah. Making it work as a family.”

A family.

With Declan occupying her mind, she’d almost forgotten about Tony’s offer.

Almost.

“It’s worth a try, don’t you think?” Tony came closer still, but she didn’t shrink away. She was tired. Tired of pretending. Tired of fighting. Tired of all of it. Her heart was breaking for what she was going to lose with Declan, but it was nothing compared to what she could lose if she didn’t at least consider Tony’s offer. It was crazy and on some level, they both had to have known it. But also, it sort of made sense. If she didn’t have to share custody of Jonah, she would never have to feel that emptiness when he was gone ever again.

“Well?” he asked. “Have you thought about it?”

Before she even knew what she was doing, Evie nodded. “I have.”

“And?”

“It’s not a completely terrible idea.”

Except it was. It was a terrible idea. She didn’t love Tony. She loved Declan.

But that’s not real.

Just because she loved Declan, didn’t mean anything. He wasn’t the one standing in front of her, offering her the chance to be a family. Maybe if he was…

No maybe about it.

Everything would be different if he loved her in return.

“I know you’re engaged.” Tony was talking. “And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Lauren and I…well, we’ll definitely have a few things to work out before we…make it official.”

She nodded numbly. “Of course.”

“But if you give me a few days, I can talk to Lauren and make sure she knows that it’s not because I don’t love her—”

Evie held up her hand to stop him. She didn’t want to hear the details. It was one thing for her to end things with Declan. They weren’t really together. But Tony was going to end his marriage to be a family with her and Jonah. It was crazy.

It was wrong.

It was so very wrong.

“Tony, no,” she said. “You love Lauren and we’re not…” She waved a hand between them. “We’ve never been…I mean…”

“We never loved each other,” he finished for her. He took her hands in his. “No, but we were young and we both love Jonah.”

She nodded. That was true.

“And isn’t that enough? Relationships are formed on a lot worse,” he said. “Love for a child seems like a pretty good reason to be together.”

She nodded again, but a tear slipped from her eye. “I’m just not—”

Tony silenced her with a kiss. It was hot and wet and sloppy and the only thing she felt from his touch was empty.

Evie was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear the jingle of the bells until it was too late. But it was Lauren’s voice that cut through the noise in her brain and brought her back to the moment.

“I knew it!”

Startled, Evie pulled back, out of Tony’s completely awkward embrace, and took a step back toward the safety of her counter. “Lauren, I—”

“You…” Lauren shook her head in disgust and focused her attention on Tony. “How could you do it like this?” Her blonde ponytail shook from side to side, her face screwed up in hurt and anger. If Evie hadn’t have been more than a little scared of the other woman, she might have felt bad for her.

“Now, Lauren.” Tony took a step toward his wife. “Remember, we talked about this.”

“You did?”

Tony ignored Evie’s question. “You agreed with me that it was important for families to stay together and do what was best for the child. Evie is the mother of my child.”

“So that’s it?” Lauren demanded. “You and Evie are getting back together? You’re going to be a family with Jonah and this is how you were going to tell me about it?”

“No,” Evie said.

Tony turned to her. “No?”

She shook her head. “No. This isn’t happening, Tony. Not ever.” She must have been completely messed up to even have considered it for half a second. But there was no way it would ever happen.

“I don’t know how you could do this to me, Tony,” Lauren cried. She was growing louder and louder. Thankfully there were no customers in the store. Evie didn’t even want to think about what a mess that would be. But she needed to get them out of there.

“Why don’t you guys go and talk about this?”

“But we still need to—”

“No, Tony.” She cut him off. “Go and talk to your wife.”

“I don’t want to talk to him,” Lauren wailed. “There’s nothing he can say.”

Tony looked at Evie for help, but she only narrowed her eyes and gestured toward his sobbing wife.

He nodded and turned his attention to Lauren again. “Darling, we need to talk. Let’s go somewhere and—”

“No.” Tears flowed down the other woman’s face. Her mascara left black streaks down her cheeks. “There’s nothing to talk about. I can’t…you would…no.” Lauren covered her hands with her face and sobbed loud, wracking sobs.

Tony looked to Evie for help.

“Go,” she said. “Just take her and go talk.” It was the least he could do. And later, when everything had calmed down, she’d tell him again how foolish his idea was.

Tony took his wife’s arm and led her out of the store. The moment the door closed behind them, Evie breathed a sigh of relief.

Everything was such a mess. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. But just for a moment before the bells once again jingled.

“Tony, go and tell her—”

---

Her words died on her lips when she opened her eyes and saw Declan in front of her. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I just assumed you were someone else.”

“Tony, from the sounds of it.” Declan grinned. “I just saw him and his wife leaving. She looked upset. Is everything okay?”

No. Nothing was okay.

---

She opened her mouth, but closed it again and simply shook her head.

“Evie?” He took a step toward her, and placed the paper bag with the Danish he’d brought her on the counter. “What’s going on? Is everything all right?”

“No,” she said after a moment. “I mean, yes. I mean…I don’t know.”

He took her hands in his and stroked his thumb along the back of her hand. “It’s okay. Talk to me.”

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she said, “We don’t have to pretend anymore.”

“Pretend what?”

“The engagement.” She pulled her hand away from his and held up her left hand. “Russ told me that it won’t matter. The judge would award Tony shared custody. This was all for nothing.” She wiggled the ring off her finger and placed it on the counter.

“No.”

It wasn’t all for nothing. Of course it mattered.

“Thank you for going along with it as long as you did.”

Evie was still talking but Declan could only focus on her now bare ring finger. He wanted that ring back in place. Where it belonged.

“I really do appreciate it,” she said. “And you were a great actor. Super convincing as my fiancé.” She laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “I mean, you had everyone fooled.”

It wasn’t acting.

“I know you have a million things to do, so I don’t want to—”

“Evie, stop.”

She turned away from him.

“We need to—”

“Do you know what Tony and Lauren were fighting about?” She spun around, her face a cold mask. He shook his head. “Tony told her that we were going to try to be a family.”

Her words didn’t register as his mind tried to rapidly work out what she’d just said to him. “A family?” He shook his head. “Like a family type of unit with Jonah and shared custody?”

“No.”

“Evie, what’s going on? What are you talking about?”

“Tony just told his wife that he wants to be a family with Jonah and myself. The three of us.”

“The three of you?” he repeated. “Together?”

She nodded and something in his chest fractured, causing a sharp, stabbing pain.

“He told his wife that?”

She nodded again.

“And the two of you discussed this?”

He waited and watched her face. She wouldn’t look at him. Finally, she nodded. “We did.”

“I see.” Declan looked to the counter and the ring she’d taken off. She’d told him what a good actor he was. Had it been acting for her the entire time, too?

No.

There’s no way she’d been acting when he kissed her, when he ran his hands down her body, when he—

“Anyway, thank you for trying to help me out, Declan. I really do appreciate it.” She turned her back to him. “But we don’t need to worry about it anymore. I know it’s been hard for you to lie to your—”

“No.” He reached out, grabbed her upper arm and turned her around. There was no way he was walking away from all of this. Not so easily. It wasn’t that simple. And he had to believe it wasn’t that simple for her either. It couldn’t be.

“Yes,” she said.

“So you’re really going to walk away from me.” He gestured between them. “From us. And get back together with Tony? Just like that?”

“It’s important for Jonah to have his dad.” She yanked her arm away from him and wrapped them around her waist.

“That isn’t an answer.” He shook his head, resisting the urge to pull her toward him. “Do you really expect me to just walk away?”

An unshed tear glistened in her eye. “Yes.”

“Just like that?”

She nodded.

Declan took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. “Okay,” he said after a moment. “I will.” He tucked his hands in his pocket to keep from reaching for her. “But first you need to tell me one thing.”

She blinked hard and nodded.

“Look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t have feelings for me. Tell me you don’t care if I turn around and walk out of here right now.”

The tear slipped down her cheek, but she looked him in the eyes and spoke softly. “Declan. I’m sorry if this is a surprise for you, or if it’s caught you off guard. I really am. Especially after everything you did for me—”

“No.” He shook his head. “Tell me you don’t have feelings for me.”

She looked down and for a moment he thought she might look up and tell him what he wanted to hear. But when she looked up, her eyes were cold and unreadable. “It wasn’t real,” she said. “None of it was ever real.”

Her words hit him in the heart. He should have told her then that he loved her. He should have told her how he felt and how he no longer could imagine life without her. He should have told her all of that. But if she didn’t feel the same way, what was the point?

“So that’s it?”

She nodded.

Declan waited one more beat before he turned around and walked out.