Chapter Twenty-Eight

Declan stopped bringing up the idea of Sophia moving home, as he wanted her to call it. She’d come in her own time, he knew, and the more he pushed, the harder she’d stall.

She was scared. Hell, he was, too, but not enough to stop him from going for what he wanted. The bar was doing great business. She’d added a three-style slider to the lunch menu—a suggestion from Parker and Garrett—and the crowd loved it.

Declan glanced at Damon, who was currently enjoying said special and a pint of beer. He had a few hours before he played this evening but came in early to eat and “hang” as he’d explained.

“You need anything else?”

Damon shook his head. “Nah, man. This is awesome. Compliments to the chef,” he said.

“I’ll let him know you said so.”

Beth, a new hire, was handling the floor with ease, and his next waitress would be showing up in about an hour. He leaned back against the bar, taking it all in, and smiled. Sophia was good for business, good for him. They hadn’t managed their third date yet, but he had something planned for tonight. The door to the bar opened, and a rush of cool February air blew Taylor in. She smiled and waved, stomping the light dusting of snow off her boots.

“Hey. You don’t usually come in midweek,” Declan said, grabbing a glass to pour her a soda.

Undoing her long jacket, she set it on a bar stool and took the one next to it. She smoothed out her long blond hair and with a big sigh flattened her palms on the bar.

“Wow. It’s blustery out there,” she said, a wide smile on her pretty face.

“I thought only Winnie the Pooh and grandmas said that,” Declan said, setting the drink in front of her.

Taylor laughed and picked up the drink. “Thanks. You might be right. Maybe that’s why I can’t get a date.” Her cheeks had a rosy flush to them, and her laugh was the kind a man wanted to bring out in a woman. Not him, but it had always surprised him that Taylor hadn’t found the one. Turning, he caught Damon looking at her and arched a brow. Something brotherly rumbled around in his chest at the musician’s show of interest. Taylor could damn well find someone who wasn’t a guitar playing hotshot with slick hair and slick looks. That didn’t show up at a bar three hours early for a gig. Jesus, man. You own the bar. He’s a good guy.

“You could get a date, Tay. You’re just picky. Rightfully so,” Declan said, still staring at Damon, who’d met his gaze. An amused expression lit the guy’s eyes.

“Hey Taylor!” Sophia showed up out of nowhere and joined them.

Declan turned, his instincts making him lean in to take her mouth. She let him, but laughed and patted his chest.

“You are the absolute worst at no PDA at work.”

He chuckled and nuzzled her neck, touching his mouth to her ear. “Stop looking like you do and it won’t be so hard.”

Leaning back, she looked up at him, and the heat in her eyes turned him on almost as much as the affection he saw there.

“I’m about to order food here. Too much of this is going to turn my stomach,” Taylor teased.

Sophia swatted Declan, then grabbed a glass and filled it with water. “See, you’re upsetting the customers.”

“Taylor isn’t a customer,” Declan argued.

“So, my meal is free?” She smiled at him.

“Uh. Yeah. Sure. But not what I meant.”

“I’m teasing, Dec. I just sold three more tables and a dresser. I can afford your new special, which is exactly what I’m craving.”

“I’ll ring it in.”

“Oh, me, too!” Sophia’s eyes brightened comically, and Declan stroked a hand down her hair.

“Really? Or are you not going to want it by the time I put it in front of you?”

She stuck her tongue out at him and walked out from behind the bar, joining Taylor on one of the stools between her and Damon.

“The baby can’t make up its mind,” Sophia explained to Taylor.

Declan punched buttons on the computer, ordering both women food. “Yeah. It’s the baby.”

Taylor laughed. “You two are adorable. You’d think you’d been together twenty years.”

He caught Sophia’s blush, and his heart pumped harder, vibrating off his rib cage. A couple of years ago, the idea of twenty years with a woman— even with a mortgage—would have made parts of him freeze up. Not anymore. Right this minute, looking at her gorgeous face, the way her dark hair fell over her shoulders and her eyes locked on his, twenty didn’t seem like enough.

“Go back to work,” Sophia said softly, making Dec feel like they were the only two people in the room. Since they weren’t, she was probably right.

He filled a couple of orders for Beth while listening to Sophia and Taylor talk.

“You filled everything out?” Sophia asked.

“Yeah, the online form is super easy. I’m still not sure, though.” Taylor looked down at the bar as if somehow the shiny surface was fascinating.

“It’ll be fun. If nothing else, you get to meet a bunch of people and hang out,” Sophia said.

Dec knew, no matter how much she wanted her matchmaking venture to work, she wouldn’t push Taylor if she was truly uncomfortable.

“Dec? Can I get a soda?” Damon called from the end of the bar. It curved a little, so he wasn’t sitting in the women’s line of sight.

Sophia turned, seeing him for the first time. “Hi, Damon. I didn’t even know you were here. How are you?”

Damon smiled. “I’m good, love. You?”

“I’m great. Oh, where are my manners? I’m sorry. Taylor, this is Damon. He’s the new musician we have playing every couple of weeks. Before he makes the big time. Damon, this is Taylor, a friend of ours. Her family owns the inn on the bluff.”

Damon came off his stool to shake Taylor’s hand, and Declan caught Sophia’s eye. He saw the mischief in it and tried to communicate his concern with setting up someone he considered a good friend with a musician. They had reputations for a reason. He frowned. You had your own reputation and can’t play any instruments. He was being judgmental. When the hell had he gotten so protective?

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Taylor,” Damon said. His voice was smooth, and Declan listened closely for any signs of the guy being a player. Maybe he had a couple of slick lines at the ready.

“You, too. What kind of music do you play?” Taylor fidgeted with her glass.

“I do covers of almost every kind, but I tend toward a folksy rock vibe when I do my own stuff,” he said.

“I’d love to be able to play an instrument. It’s just one of those things I always thought, hey, I should do that, but never did. I admire people who do,” Taylor told him.

“Taylor is a very talented artist. She refinishes furniture and creates beautiful pieces. She also does custom signs and photography,” Sophia added.

“Oh yeah? My mom’s birthday is coming up. You have a card or anything? I’d love to get her something special. Unique,” Damon said.

Declan walked forward, feeling a responsibility to watch out for Taylor. Sophia’s eyes widened, and the kitchen bell signaling an order up rang. Slipping off the chair, she smiled at him. A sultry, sexy, knowing fucking smile.

“Our food is up. Come help me grab it, babe,” Sophia said, her voice soft. She moved out from between Taylor and Damon, who all too happily took her vacated seat.

He met her at the end of the bar, surprised at the way the term of endearment—one he used for her frequently—lit him on fire. Made him feel more possessive and better, more wanted. Like she was staking her own claim.

“I see what you’re doing,” Declan mumbled under his breath, putting his hand to the small of her back.

“Stop shooting big brother eyes at Damon. He’s a sweetheart, and you know it,” Sophia hissed.

“Oh yeah. That guy’s a sweetheart, and he knows it. Which is why he probably gets laid more in a month than—”

Declan bit his lip and looked down at Sophia’s amused gaze.

She put her hands on her hips. “More than? Hmm. Maybe more than a small-town, bar-owning Romeo?”

His heart snagged, like a foot on a rug. He didn’t want her worrying about his past or bringing it up. It was nothing. Just the road that led to her. He cupped her cheek.

“You’re the only one that matters, baby. You know that.”

She leaned into his palm and covered his hand with hers, then pressed a kiss to his skin.

“I do. And it’s the same for me. If that can be true for us, then let it be true for others as well.”

“Adam was right, women in love always want everyone else to be in love, too,” he said. He shook his head, about to turn and grab the food orders when he caught the look in her eye and replayed his words in his head.

Shit. Had he just painted her into a corner? Why had he said that? Assumed that.

“I didn’t mean… I just meant…shit. I should have said lust. Or like. Whatever. Get that scared look off your face, Sophia. Don’t even think of running.” A little piece of him—tucked deep down in the hollows of his chest—worried that one day, she’d up and go again, and this time, she’d take his heart.

Sophia stepped into him. “I’m not running. Ever again, so don’t accuse me of that.” The front of her body molded against his, and from the corner of his eye, he saw his line cooks smirk and back up to give them the illusion of privacy.

“And I’m not scared. Well, maybe a little. But no more than you. So, we can be scared together.”

He couldn’t think with her touching him like that, but he recognized the challenge in her tone. He wasn’t backing down. He loved her. Hadn’t really planned on telling her in a crowded bar with a growing number of spectators tuning in to them.

“Say it then,” he goaded so quiet only she could hear.

“You first,” she whispered back, her eyes playful.

“Ladies first.”

“Not this time.” It was the hint of vulnerability in her tone that she couldn’t cover that undid him.

Declan leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, as close to her ear as he could so he could whisper, “I do. And you know it. But I’m not saying it here, with all these people watching. Tonight, when I get you alone is a different story.”

She leaned back and slipped her arms around his neck, and he felt her shuddery breaths. Not caring one bit about giving her what she needed in front of his staff, he held her tight and rubbed his hands up and down her back.

“Uh, boss? You want me to run this food out?” Colton asked.

Declan let go of Sophia, hearing her sniffle, but was glad to see she wasn’t crying.

“I got it. One is Sophe’s,” he said, watching her carefully.

She crinkled her nose adorably, looking like they’d offered her a plate of dirt.

Colton laughed and shook his head. “Dammit. I owe you five bucks.”

Sophia scowled. “For what?” She looked back and forth between him and Declan.

His chef pointed at him. “Dec put a note on your order and said that he’d eat it when you said you didn’t want it and to make you a fruit cup with a side of toast for when you changed your mind.”

“You did not,” she accused.

Declan shrugged, taking both plates while Colton lifted a fresh plate of fruit and toast onto the pass through.

“You think you know everything, Declan James,” she said, taking the plate.

Declan and Colton laughed again as she walked away, back to claim her spot by Taylor.

“Not everything,” he mumbled, following her. He had no idea what to do with everything he was feeling. No idea how to make sure he was enough so she’d never want to up and leave again. But he had a few thoughts on how to cement things between them. Starting tonight.