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“Where did you come from?”
Holly didn’t have a chance to respond before Declan’s head dipped down and his mouth brushed hers in a soft, slow kiss. Before she could even register the kiss, he pulled away, retrieving his sweatshirt from the hook with one hand.
“Good night.”
CHAPTER 18
Declan knew what he’d been thinking when he kissed Holly. He’d been standing in the kitchen listening to her defend his work ethic after having one of the best nights he’d experienced in years, and that was it. He couldn’t not kiss her.
Well, if she’d put up her hands and said no, he would have stopped, but for the several seconds that his mouth met hers, she’d leaned into him. He hadn’t imagined it, either, because when he pulled away, Holly hadn’t appeared disgusted. Instead, she blinked, her brown eyes dazed, and the moment had been too perfect to mess up. Instead of staying and having her tell him they shouldn’t have, he’d bolted out the door.
Which led to a whole internal conversation that boiled down to what the heck had he been thinking? Yes, she’d brought up the two of them exploring whatever was going on between them, but the way Holly talked about Sam with so much warmth and affection in her voice told Declan she cared deeply for him. Maybe the suggestion earlier was a moment; she had been walking back alone. Maybe she had a fight with Sam and impulsively propositioned Declan.
And what did he do? Took full advantage of it, sweeping in like a vulture and throwing her off balance with a kiss she hadn’t even asked for.
Damn it, he was going to have to apologize again.
For a while there, sitting with Holly had been unexpectedly wonderful and he’d relaxed, something he struggled to do with most people. Yet this woman he avoided crossing paths with had made him laugh. Forgot about his usual dark and gloomy mindset and engaged him to tease and play. He had no idea what came over him, but Declan wanted to experience it again.
Declan got out of his truck and headed into the house, preparing himself for whatever waited inside. He hadn’t heard from his dad, or mom, but Declan expected the man inside wasn’t going to be thrilled with him about upsetting his mom.
He unlocked the door and walked inside, barely getting the door closed before Leo greeted him with a happy meow. Declan picked up the cat, tossing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he made his way into the kitchen, patting the cat’s back gently.
“At least you’re always happy I’m home, huh?”
While Declan poured dry food into Leo’s dish, he heard a door down the hallway open and close and the steady tread of his father’s gait.
“Your mother told me what happened today,” Liam said from behind him.
Leo jumped off his shoulder onto the counter and Declan put the cat food scoop away before turning to face his dad, who stood in the doorway in a button-down shirt and khakis.
“Well, don’t you look spiffy.”
“Cut the crap, Declan. What happened between your mother and me is about us, not you. I’ll admit I was angry for many years and I—I didn’t discourage you from being angry too, but your mother is a good woman. She was, is, a great mother to you and a better wife than I deserved. If you want to blame someone for the divorce, you should point the finger at me.”
“What are you talking about? She left.”
“No, son, she stayed.” His dad took a breath, as if mentally preparing himself to continue. “Even after she discovered my affair, she stayed. It was me. I left our marriage first.”
“Your…” Declan’s stomach bottomed out, and he gripped the kitchen counter behind him. “When?”
“It was a long time ago—”
“When did you screw around on Mom?”
His dad winced, but the rage coursing through Declan’s veins was too hot to control. Liam had always told him to be a man, to respect women, and to treat every promise with honor. The man before him wasn’t honorable, he wasn’t a victim, and the reality of it was a slap in the face.
“It happened when you were thirteen. I met someone and we were involved for four months. When your mom found out, I broke things off and the gravity of what I’d done, what my choice could cost me, finally sank in. She wanted a divorce, but I begged her to wait until you were older. I thought I could make her forgive me, but she never did. She agreed to stay until you graduated from high school. It didn’t help.”
Declan swallowed. Guilt and resentment, mostly at himself, sliced through him like a knife. He’d treated his mother like a criminal, and she hadn’t deserved any of his animosity. She’d said as much, and he hadn’t listened. He was no better than his dad.
“Why didn’t she tell me? I thought she was selfish.”
“No, Declan. That was me. I took her for granted and when we drifted apart, I didn’t see her anymore. I didn’t appreciate what she did for us. I broke my wedding vows and then instead of being a man and owning up to what I did I let you think she was the one at fault. I punished her with my resentment because she wouldn’t forgive me and move on.” His father took a deep, shaky breath. “The worst of it was she never threw me under the bus because she didn’t want you to hate me.”
Liam’s eyes were shiny with tears as he continued. “These last few years I’ve come to realize I did both of you a disservice, not just after the divorce but before. I wasn’t a good father to you, and I was an absent husband to your mother. The only thing I ever did right was keep that store going, and instead of selling it when I got diagnosed, I let you handle it for me. You had your own dreams and I took them away because I was scared to let go of the only thing I had left. And maybe I was afraid if I told you, you’d never come back. Your mother always understood you much better than I did, and I realize that was my fault too. I didn’t see you either. Not until you came home.”
Declan remembered years spent trying to show his dad one of his art projects or paintings, but he’d absently tell him “Great,” while never taking his eyes off the TV screen. How many times he’d spent trying to engage his dad in conversation only to have him brush him off to go out to the garage or plop down to watch TV.
