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He felt alive for the first time in a long time. Three years. Longer, if he factored in the way she made him laugh. Laughter had been a lot longer than three years.
But more importantly, Piper made him feel protective of her. She was sassy, funny, and determined, but the little she'd shared with him had gotten him fired up in a damned hurry.
Piper was a freaking blast of sunshine, and it was bullshit that people were trying to bring her down.
He didn't like it, and he was going to help her.
And it felt good as hell to care, to have a mission, to focus on her, instead of his own shit. She'd gotten him out of his shadows and focused on hers. It had been a long time since he'd felt like being the man his dad had trained him to be, but Piper had ignited something in him that he'd been missing.
This fake fiancée was going to be exactly what he needed.
For the first time in years, he had hope.
Hope that he wouldn't live in darkness forever.
CHAPTER SIX
Kitty was pouring tequila when Piper walked into the kitchen. "You little minx," Kitty said, pointing the neck of the bottle at Piper. "You looked me right in the eye and lied to me. And to think I liked you."
"You still like me, but now you respect me as well." Piper took a breath, trying to focus on the present, instead of the little moment she'd just had with Declan. He'd been married? His wife had died? Holy crap. That explained so much.
His pain had been raw, etched into every word he'd so carefully chosen, into every taut muscle in his body, and she'd had to summon every last bit of self-control to shift her energy into a teasing vibe, instead of trying to open the door he so clearly wanted closed.
She knew if she gave him any sympathy, he would have shut down right then and there. Maybe ended their deal. So she'd fought to be light-hearted. It had worked, but wow. She could feel the weight of his past in her own heart.
"Hellooooo, Piper." Kitty waved the bottle in front of her. "Earth to Piper."
Piper took a breath and then forced a smile at Kitty. "Right. Sorry. I was trying to decide how best to play this. Would youbelieve we weren't involved until five minutes ago, and I wasn't actually lying to you at the house?"
Kitty barked with laughter. "More lies. I detest lies." She set the tequila bottle down and held out a glass to Piper. "Drink up, my devious little wench. I'm going to grill you like you've never been grilled."
"Right. Okay." Piper took the glass as Declan walked into the room. They met gazes, and she flashed him a light smile. Nothing heavy. Just following the tone he'd set when he'd told her about his past.
Declan gave her an adoring smile that was absolutely heart-melting. Tender. Warm. As if she was the only thing in his world that mattered.Holy cow.He could melt her defenses in a heartbeat if he chose to. What the heck?
He walked right over to her, put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. He kissed her cheek, clearly staking his claim to her, then turned to his mom. "It was my idea," he said. "I wanted to keep our relationship a secret."
"Why on earth would you keep it a secret?" Kitty asked. "I can't even express how happy this makes me, even if the woman you've chosen is a liar." She winked at Piper when she said it, though, so it was all good.
"Because it's about me and Piper," Declan said. "Not you or Eric. It happened gradually and naturally, without any external pressure. I needed that. I needed the privacy."
Hurt flickered across Kitty's face. "You think we would have messed it up? Is that what you think of us? All we want is for you to be happy."
"I know, Mom," Declan said. "I just didn't know how it would play out with Piper. We needed space to experience it. Just us." He tightened his arm around Piper again. "Plus," he said, "I didn't want you to scare Piper off. She's a fragile little thing."
Piper and Kitty stared at each other, then they both burst out laughing. And just like that, the tension was broken.
"Piper is no fragile little thing," Kitty said with a snort. "If shewas, there's no way she'd be able to put up with you. Am I right, Piper?"
"He's not so bad," Piper teased. "He's much less cranky than he used to be."
"Maybe because he's in love, eh?" Kitty asked, her eyes glittering.
Tension flickered through Piper. Love? They hadn't discussed love. Yes, of course, if they were engaged, then they would be in love, but that felt so personal. Love was such a trap.
"I'm less cranky because Piper likes my famous macaroni and cheese, so now I have an excuse to bake it," Declan said, sidestepping the topic.
"Is that so?" Kitty eyed them both speculatively, clearly trying to figure out exactly what their status was, and how serious they were. "So, how long has this been going on? Days? Weeks? Months? The whole two years Piper's been living here?"
