He’d spent the morning at a quiet table in the corner of Dream Puff’s trying to get some work done for DAR, but with the crackerjack team he’d put in place, there wasn’t much to be done, which was probably a good thing. No, it most certainly was a good thing. Because Declan couldn’t concentrate if his life depended on it.

His thoughts continually drifted to Evie.

Waking up to see her watching him.

Feeling the uncontrollable surge of need to protect her when he’d heard Tony’s voice in the kitchen.

Holding her close against his bare chest.

Kissing her neck.

Breathing in her scent.

Fighting with himself to pull her to him and crush his lips to hers in a kiss that told her exactly how he was feeling.

Every moment of their morning played over and over again in his head until finally the ringing of his cell phone woke him from the trance he was in.

He answered without looking at the call display.

“Hey. Where are you?” Mitch asked without preamble. “Ian said you didn’t go home last night.”

“I needed some time.” He didn’t answer the question.

“Look.” Mitch took a breath. “We’re sorry. We’re all sorry. We acted like jerks and you’re exactly right—you’ve been nothing but supportive and we should have done the same.”

“You should have.”

Mitch chuckled. “We want to make it up to you.”

“How’s that?” Declan grinned. He couldn’t stay mad at his brothers. Not really. But it didn’t mean he couldn’t give them a hard time. “Paying for the honeymoon?”

“Will you settle for dinner? Jade wants to have you both over so we can properly welcome Evie into the family.”

Declan felt a twinge of guilt at the idea that Evie was never going to be a proper part of the family, but he pushed it away. A dinner with his brothers and their partners would be fun, and after the morning she’d just had, Evie needed a little fun. “That sounds good. When?”

“Tomorrow night? Jade said something about today being a busy day filming on set so everyone will probably need a little break by tomorrow night.”

Jade was producing Gwen and Ian’s show, Mr. Summer that Cal was starring in, making Mr. Summer a real family affair.

“Tomorrow night should work.” Declan closed his laptop and started to put his papers away as he spoke. “I’ll check with Evie and make sure it works for her.”

“And of course Jonah is welcome too.”

“Of course.”

It hadn’t even occurred to him that they’d go for dinner without Jonah. He and Evie were a team. Now the three of them were a team.

For now.

And that team, no matter how temporary, had a very important job in a few minutes. Evie was going to bring Jonah by a bit early before Tony was meant to show up so she could prepare him for meeting his father.

“Mitch, I appreciate your call and I’ll let you know about dinner as soon as I talk to Evie, okay?”

“Okay.”

Declan could hear the hesitation in his brother’s voice. “Is there something else?” He wanted to be a good brother, but just then Evie and Jonah walked into the bakery. He stood and waved so she’d see him. “I really need to get going.”

“It’s fine,” Mitch said. “I don’t want to keep you. I just wanted to make sure you knew that we are really sorry for being assholes last night. After you left, we all talked about it and we’re really glad you’re happy, man. And Evie? She’s awesome. I don’t think you could have found a better woman. She’s really great.”

Declan’s eyes didn’t leave Evie as she made her way through the crowded cafe. “You got that right,” he told his brother. “She’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”

She blushed when she realized he was talking about her. Declan winked and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. The best part of their little charade was getting to touch and kiss Evie, but he was cognizant that her son was standing there as well. He gave Jonah a high five and finished his call with his brother. “Mitch, it’s all good. Don’t worry about it. But I’ve gotta run now. Talk soon.”

He hung up before hearing Mitch’s response and turned his attention to Evie and Jonah. “How’s it going this morning?”

“I’m going to meet my dad today!”

Taken off guard, Declan looked to Evie, who only shrugged. “I’ve told him about Tony since he was old enough to remember. There are no surprises here.”

“That’s a good way to be.” Declan nodded. “How about a hot chocolate while you wait?” He handed Jonah a five dollar bill, and the boy made a beeline for the counter. “How about you?” he asked Evie. “Can I get you a drink, too?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t possibly. My stomach is in knots.” She wrapped her arms around her waist. “I don’t even know why I’m so worried. Jonah is so excited, it’s like Christmas for him. All he’s ever wanted is to meet his dad.” She shook her head sadly. “I called Russ this morning and he said I’m doing the right thing by letting it happen. That the more cooperative I can be regarding issues like this, the more likely it is that the judge will see reason. I just…” She dropped her head.

Declan moved quickly around to the other side of the table and wrapped her in his arms to hold her close. There was still so much he needed to know about Evie, but without a doubt, he knew she was doing her best to be strong and the last thing Evie would want to do is cry in front of Jonah.

“You’re doing the right thing.” He spoke softly in her ear. “I can’t even imagine how hard it is for you, but you’re an amazing mom. Jonah is going to be just fine.” He kissed the top of her head. “And so are you.”

---

He made it feel so natural, as if she belonged in his arms.

The second Declan wrapped her into a hug, her nervousness and worry eased. It wasn’t gone. As far as Jonah was concerned, she’d likely never stop worrying. But it was so much better knowing that Declan was there to support her.

Even if it wasn’t real.

“Thank you,” she whispered into his chest. “It means a lot that you’re here today.”

“Of course I’m here.” He chuckled. “After all, if we’re going to get married, you’re going to have to get used to having me around.”

She lifted her head with a start, and immediately saw Jonah next to Declan. Evie forced a smile. Declan played their little game well. Maybe too well. But she wasn’t about to complain.

“I will have to get used to it,” she said. “But I’m looking forward to that.”

He kissed her forehead. “So am I.”

“You guys are gross.” Jonah groaned and looked away. “When’s my dad getting here?”

Not even a public display of affection could distract Jonah from the reason they were there. Evie had to smile at his enthusiasm. As stressed as the entire situation made her, at least her son was happy. Ultimately, that was the only thing that was important.

“It looks like he’s here already.” Declan gestured over her head. She turned, and sure enough, Tony and his wife Lauren were walking in. Tony looked unsure, maybe even nervous. Lauren, on the other hand, wore a broad smile that only got wider the second her eyes landed on Jonah.

A moment later, the woman had her arms around Jonah and was squeezing him tight. “It’s so good to finally meet you, darling. You’re just so big. I can’t believe how big you are.”

“He’s eight.”

Evie bit her lip to keep anything ruder than that escaping her mouth. If Lauren noticed the sarcasm in her voice, she ignored it. Evie wasn’t convinced she’d noticed. But Tony had. He was giving her an annoyed look, but Evie didn’t care. The woman was fawning over her son as if he were a newborn baby.

She reached out and gently but firmly removed her son from Lauren’s embrace. “Jonah,” she said. “I’d like you to meet your father. This is Tony.” She gave his shoulders a quick squeeze and Jonah extended his arm.

“It’s nice to meet you, Tony. I mean, Mr. Clarke. I mean…” He looked back up to Evie quickly. “Should I call him Dad?”

She smiled. “Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Okay.” Jonah nodded with a maturity far greater than his years. “It’s nice to meet you, Tony.”

When Tony took his hand and smiled, the resemblance between them hit Evie with a force that took her off guard. She took a step back, but before she could stumble, Declan was right there behind her, holding her up. She leaned into him, thankful for his support.

After a few minutes of small talk, it was Declan who suggested that Jonah take Tony and Lauren to a separate table so they could talk and get to know one another. A little something inside Evie broke a little as they walked to the other side of the cafe, but she needed to get used to it.

It’s a good thing, she reminded herself. Every boy needed a father and the fact that Tony wanted to be part of his life—even if it was eight years late—was a good thing. She needed to remember that. Ultimately, it wasn’t about her. It was about Jonah.

“You okay?”

Declan was sitting across from her after getting her a latte and cinnamon bun. She was purposely trying not to look at the other table and instead focused on the foam flower that had been poured on the top of her drink—at least, what she assumed was a flower. Suzy had been practicing her coffee art, and while she was definitely getting better, some of her designs were still pretty hard to decipher.

“I’m good,” Evie said after a moment. “I mean, as good as can be expected, I guess. But it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

“Good.”

She nodded. “It is. I mean, if Jonah’s happy, that’s a good thing. But I can’t help but think about this whole custody mess. I mean, what’s Tony thinking? He can’t just come in here—”

“Hey.” Declan put his hand over hers. “Don’t think about that now. You and I both know it won’t happen. But it does look like he wants to be part of Jonah’s life and that is a good thing. The custody situation will work itself out. It’ll be okay.”

She ripped off a piece of bun and dipped it into her drink. “I hope so. When I spoke to Russ this morning, he told me to be as agreeable as was reasonable. If I can show that I’m willing to have shared custody and co-parent effectively, the whole thing will be easier.”

Declan smiled and patted her hand. “I think that’s good advice.” He stared into her eyes and for the briefest moment, it felt natural and real sitting there with him. As though they really were a couple. As if maybe they could be.

“Declan, I want to—”

“Mom.”

Evie turned as Jonah ran up. “Tony and Lauren want to take me mini golfing tomorrow night. Can I go?”

Tony was right behind him. “I should have asked you first.”

She narrowed her eyes, but recovered quickly. “Yes, you should have.”

“Can I go, Mom? That new fun zone just opened up at Stone Summit, and I really want to go. Brandon was telling me about it. His dad took him last week and he said it was super cool. Can I go? Please?”

There was no way she could say no now. Truthfully, when she’d heard that Malcolm Stone had created the fun zone as a way to bring up some summer tourists to the ski hill in the off-season, she’d wanted to take Jonah up to check it out and support the new venture, but she’d been so busy with the store there hadn’t been time. Jonah’s face was lit up with hope and excitement. She looked to Declan and back at Jonah. “Of course,” she said with a smile she didn’t feel in her heart. “I’m sure that will be a lot of fun.”

“Awesome! Thank you, Mom.”

“Thank you, Evie. I’m really hoping we can do more of these—”

“One thing at a time.” Evie cut him off.

Declan reached out and took her hand. “It’s fine, Evie. Because my family really wants to have you over for a celebratory dinner.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and left a gentle kiss over her ring. “These things always seem to work out.”

For the dozenth time that morning, she was thankful Declan was there. This time her smile definitely reached her heart. Maybe even a little more than she expected it to.