CHAPTER TEN
KARA
THREE MONTHS LATER...
“Daddy is going to be home soon,” I whispered to the baby in my arms.
Jack just smiled up at me, reaching out, he let his little hand touching my face. I kissed him on the top of his head, holding him close to me as we waited outside the gates for Declan to step out. Today was the day. He was a free man. Finally, our family could be together. Whole. For real this time.
When the gate opened up, and Declan stepped through it, my heart felt like it was about to burst as my eyes filled with tears. I stood and hurried over to him. No, more like I sprinted over to him. As soon as I reached him, Declan wrapped his arms around Jack and me and held us close.
“I've missed you,” I sobbed into his shoulder.
“I've missed you too,” he said.
He pulled back a little and smiled down at his son. Jack cooed at him, making us both laugh.
“God, he's gotten so big,” Declan said.
I handed Jack over to him. The baby was so small in Declan's big, powerful hands, and seeing how gentle and tender he was with his son filled me with a joy I couldn't even begin to explain.
“He loves to eat,” I laugh. “Just like his daddy.”
Declan's gaze moved lower on me, to the soft pooch of my belly. There was still some fear in his eyes. A soft tremor of uncertainty. Still, he smiled and reached out, resting a hand on my stomach.
“Sometimes it felt like a dream, you know?” he said, meeting my gaze again. “All of it – from Jack, to you, to hearing that you're pregnant. I'd wake up sometimes and wonder what was real and what wasn't. Then, you'd stop by and I knew – I knew it was real, and that soon, I'd be getting out of that place. It was the thought of you and Jack – and our new little one – that kept me going. That and nothing more.”
“This is still all real. Very, very real.”
I rested my hand on his where he still had it resting against my belly. There was a small trace of sadness in Declan's eyes, and I could tell there was something he wasn't telling me. He tried to smile, and he seemed happy enough, but something was still very wrong.
Then again, he'd flipped on his own family and turned them all over to the authorities. They were all doing some long, hard time, and I was sure there was a lot going on inside of his head right now.
“Mind if we stop by Meredith's and see the kids?” he asked.
His question should have surprised me, but for some reason, it didn't. I nodded.
“She's been extremely apologetic since everything went down,” I said. “Who knows how much she actually knew about what Killian really did, but I'm glad she can still raise her kids. Someone has to. And despite her flaws, she's a good mom.”
“Yeah,” Declan said, his voice lowering. “Killian fucked her up royally. I don't blame her – she was just trying to be a good wife to him. Now she just wants to take care of the kids, and I've decided, I want to help.”
We started walking from the building, but I stopped and stared at him, cocking my head to the side. His words hit me like a freight train and I wasn't sure what he meant, let alone what he planned to do.
“Help, how?” I asked.
“Well, I'm going to be taking over the bar now,” he said. “I'm going to turn it into a legit business, of course. Figured I could help with the kids some. Make sure they turn out okay, you know? I figure they could use a good influence.”
A smile pulled at my lips and stretched wide as my heart filled with emotion once more. I smiled so long and so hard, my face nearly hurt from the effort of it. I leaned in and kissed him on the lips, holding his face in my hands.
“You're a good man, Declan,” I said. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
“I love you too, Kara,” he said. “But what did I do to deserve that? Not that I'm complaining, mind you.”
“The fact that you want to be there for them, to help care for your niece and nephews, even after all the bullshit,” I said. “Not to mention, I've always wanted a large family one day – ”
“Let's not get ahead of ourselves,” he chuckled, giving me a quick peck on the lips before we started walking again.
We headed toward the car, and I buckled Jack into his car seat. Once he was safe and secure, Declan pulled me into an embrace. He kissed along my jaw until he got to my lips, and this time, when we kissed, it was passionate and full of fire. It was the kiss of a man who'd been gone too long and was making up for lost time. He slipped his tongue into my mouth, stealing my breath away.
“Forget what I said,” he whispered. “If you want a bunch of kids, we'll have a bunch of 'em. I'd do anything for you.”
My heart stopped, I couldn't even breathe. I stared into his eyes and knew he meant every word he'd just said.
He continued. “I want that too, in fact. A family. With you. An entire life,” he said. “I want you to be my wife, Kara. I may not have a ring right now – hell, I may not have much of anything – but – ”
“Yes,” I said before he could finish. “I want that too. I really, really want that too.”
“Really?” he said, sounding surprised. “But I don't have much of anything right now.”
“We'll figure that out together, Declan. I'll go back to school, you can run the bar,” I said, running my hands down his chest and I reveled in the sensation of feeling my fingertips over that hard, well-muscled body. “Whatever we do though, I know we'll figure it out and make it together.”
“I don't even have a place for us to live,” he stammered.
“Yes, you do,” I smiled. “The cabin that belonged to your family? That's where we've been staying for now. It's not much, but it'll do, right?”
I leaned against him, my arms around his neck and our foreheads touching. My heart pounded inside of my chest and emotion churned within me.
“You're right, it's not much,” he said, frowning.
“No, but it's enough to start our family off in,” I said. “It's already filled with happy memories, so why not fill it with even more?”
A soft smile crossed his face, and there was something I hadn't seen before in his eyes – hope. He had hope for the future. Hope for a better life – and so did I.
We were just starting out, but already, we were on a better path than Killian or his father ever were. Declan was twice the man either of them were, and for that, I was proud. It might be rough for a little while, but I had every faith that we'd come through it happier and successful beyond our wildest dreams.
“I am so freaking happy,” I said, staring into his eyes. “You have no idea.”
“I'm happy too,” he said, kissing me again.
Jack let out a small cry in the car, and we both stopped and chuckled. “Probably should continue this at home, huh?” I said.
“Oh, we will definitely continue this at home,” he said. “It's been three months since I've –”
I playfully slapped him on the chest. “Hush. Your son is right there.”
Declan looked over my shoulder and grinned. “He doesn't understand what I'm talking about yet. Do you, Jack?”
Jack just garbled something at us, and again, we laughed.
“See? He's oblivious to the things I'd like to do to you,” Declan said, his warm breath brushing along my neck and sending shivers along my body. His hands roamed my body and I shuddered, relaxing into him.
“Good thing we'll have plenty of time for all that,” I said.
“The rest of our lives, in fact,” Declan said.
The End