Eventually, we made it back to his house and talked until the sky started to lighten up outside. Declan told me about his bandmates and what being on tour was like, but he listened more than he spoke. He nodded along as I complained about school and how I didn’t know what I was going to do after graduation. He laughed as I recounted stupid stories about my parents and growing up in the city. And when I finally shut up and yawned, he pulled the covers up to my chin and made sure I was tucked in properly before starting to hum something.

With my head on his shoulder and his lips on my forehead, I closed my eyes, the vibration of his voice lulling me to sleep.

---

I woke up wrapped in his arms, his breath warming my neck. I needed to pee but didn’t want to move. When the horror of peeing in his bed became a distinct possibility, I hurriedly tiptoed into his bathroom, hoping I could sneak back into bed before he woke up.

Once I was done, had washed my hands, and splashed some water on my face, I opened the door to one of the world’s most beautiful sights. Declan was standing right there, in the middle of a full-body, heart-stopping stretch.

“Good morning, stranger.” Before I could respond, he grabbed me around the waist, dragged me against his naked body, and kissed me. A couple of minutes later, he pulled back and grimaced. “That’s some morning breath you’ve got there, babe.”

I smacked him. “You’re not supposed to say that!”

“I didn’t say it was bad—just that it was morning. But don’t worry, I’m man enough to handle it.”

“Gee, thanks.” When he leaned down to kiss me again, I pushed him away, keeping my face tucked down so he wouldn’t be subjected to my breath again.

“I told you I’m man enough to handle it. But I guess you’re not.” After blowing into his hand to check his own breath, he went to the bathroom vanity, opening the mirrored cabinet. Then he paused. “Promise not to get weird about this.”

“About my awful breath?”

“I said morning, not awful.” He shook his head and pulled out a new toothbrush. “Red’s your favorite color, right?”

How did he—?

“That wasn’t me being creepy, by the way.” He must have been responding to my expression. “You mentioned it the night we met.”

“You remembered an off-hand comment I made about my favorite color?”

“And you didn’t remember my name, yeah.” At least he could laugh about it.

“Gee, thanks a lot, Dylan.” I yanked the toothbrush away from him. “Did you really buy this for me?”

He shrugged, his cheeks almost the same color as the toothbrush. “The day after you forgot my name. Yeah. Wishful thinking, I guess.” He closed the cabinet and leaned against the counter. “You could take it home if you want—think of me whenever you put it in your mouth.”

I would’ve caught the innuendo even if he hadn’t added the not-at-all-subtle bounce of his eyebrows.

“Or…I could leave it here for the next girl you bring home.”

“Gross, no. It’d have been in your mouth.”

“My entire body has been in your mouth.”

“Mmm…yeah.” He smiled and smacked his lips together, reaching for me. “And yet, I’m still hungry.”

I pushed him away and ripped open the toothbrush packaging. “Down, boy.”

“Oh shit.” He stood up straight, his eyes wide. “I can’t believe I forgot about her. She’s going to kill me.”

She?

“Hurry up.” He brushed past me and threw on some jeans and a T-shirt. “We gotta go do something.”

With a mouth full of paste, I mumbled, “Where are we going?” But he was already gone. So, I finished brushing and got dressed as fast as I could. He whizzed past me again to brush his own teeth. As soon as he was done, he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the apartment. But we didn’t head for the elevator—we turned left, went twenty feet down the hallway and stopped in front of the apartment next door.

He faced me and spoke seriously. “Before this goes any further, I need you to meet someone.”

“Okay,” I said slowly, skeptically.

“She’s the most important thing in my life, and her opinion means everything.”

I suddenly got nervous. It was a little early to be meeting his parents. “What if she doesn’t like me?”

“She will. Unless you like cats. You don’t, do you?”

“Um…they’re okay.”

“But you don’t have one.”

“Nope. I’ve never had a pet.”

“Wow. That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. Not even when you were a kid?”

I shook my head. “My mother wouldn’t allow them. She values her furniture too much. Anything that sheds or might pee on the rug isn’t welcome in her home.”

“Then she’d hate Trevor,” he said, laughing. “At least when he’s drunk.”

“Actually, she loves everyone when she’s drunk.” Mostly. “So, who am I meeting now?”

“Kitty.”

Before I could ask who Kitty was, a long-haired brunette about our age opened the door with a smile. She was pretty and really tall. Great. So this was—

“Rebecca, this is Sara, my…someone I’m not dating.” Thankfully, he was looking over the woman’s shoulder and didn’t see the confusion all over my face. “I want to introduce her to my little girl. Where is she?”

His what? It sounded as if he’d said his “little girl,” but that was impossible.

“Nice to meet you, Sara,” Rebecca said, rolling her eyes at Declan. “Kitty got a little grumpy when I tried to move her food, so she’s in timeout in my bedroom.”

“Timeout?” I knew my eyes were enormous with confusion. Not mentioning he was a musician was one thing, but not mentioning that he had a kid? That was…something I’d panic over soon, but not in front of Rebecca or a kid. “How old is she?”

“We’re not exactly sure,” Rebecca said as we passed through her living room.

I may have complimented her on the apartment, but I wasn’t sure. Everything had suddenly become foggy. I’d been in shock before, and it was never pleasant. Time moved differently, and my body struggled to stay upright. The worst part was that it also made it impossible to think clearly—thoughts zipping around by the hundreds yet none of them sticking around long enough to grasp on to.

A kid.

Declan turned to me. “I found her living on the streets in LA about two years ago, all matted and hungry. But nearest I can figure, she’s about four now.”

“Oh, my God, that’s…horrible,” I managed with a lot of effort. Every word took focus. “How could someone do that to a child?”

Both of them stared at me for a second before busting out laughing.

“Kitty isn’t a kid, Sara. She’s my very hairy, very opinionated Goldendoodle.” He waited for me to acknowledge I knew what the fuck a Goldendoodle was. I wasn’t quite there yet. “My dog. Kitty’s my dog.”

“Oh,” I said, covering my eyes in embarrassment. Thankfully, it also gave me a chance to clear my head. I felt the adrenaline drop. “I actually know what those are.”

“Are you okay?” Rebecca asked.

“Sara?” Declan grabbed a chair and slipped it behind me, easing me down into it. “Are you allergic to them?”

“I don’t think so.” Recover, damn it. And do it quickly. I pasted on a smile and looked up at their worried faces. “I’ve never dated anyone who had a dog.”

“We’re dating?” Declan smirked. “You sure about that?”

I shrugged. “Maybe we should let Kitty decide.” When I moved to stand, he put his hand on my shoulder to keep me seated.

“Actually, it might be better to stay sitting down. Kitty’s a lot more Golden than Doodle, and you don’t weigh that much. When you add her momentum to the equation…” He grimaced. “At least you’ll know she’s coming and can brace yourself for the eighty-pound pounce.”

I gripped the chair when Rebecca opened her bedroom door. A huge, caramel-colored beast came barreling out of the room, heading straight for me. At the last minute, she swerved toward Declan. As she said hello to her…dad, I guess, her tail hammered me in the shin.

“Calm down, girl. I want you to meet someone.” He knelt on one knee and put his hand on my thigh, patting it gently. “This is Sara. She finally just admitted that we’re dating.” He glanced up at me, smirking.

I let Kitty sniff my hand and waited for a four-year-old shaggy dog to pass judgment. It wasn’t as if I’d never touched a dog before. It was just that I’d never cared if one liked me before.

When he ruffled the hair on her head, his smile unending, it hit me—this dog was Declan’s family. My desperate need of her approval meant that Declan wasn’t someone I could walk away from without looking back. There was nothing casual about we were doing.

This was real.

And the scariest part was how good it felt.