AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“About what?” she asked.
Declan knew he’d opened the door and there was no use turning back now. “When my mom left, my dad was so angry. I figured that whatever happened, she didn’t appreciate him and all he’d done. I shut her out and took his side.” Declan ate the chip, leaning back against the pillow as he continued, “Christmas was her favorite holiday and everything was a reminder of what we lost. When he was first diagnosed after his fall, I stayed in town and took over the store, thinking that my entire life, all my dreams, were gone.”
“No wonder you were such an angry man,” she murmured.
“Maybe. Now that my mom’s back, she’s been having sleepovers with him and saying she’s moving back for good. I thought if he sold the store, and she was here, I could get back to my life, but the thing is…”
He trailed off, putting everything together in his mind before he finished, but Holly poked him in the knee impatiently. “The thing is?”
Declan chuckled. “Can’t a guy collect his thoughts?” Without waiting for an answer, he continued, “My life isn’t mine anymore. I moved back two years ago, thinking that the world was against me, bringing me back here, but the truth is I like being a handyman. I like going to my studio to paint without someone constantly comparing it to another artist. I like being nearby in case my dad needs me, and I’ve finally made a group of friends I wasn’t expecting.”
“Please do not tell me you decided to stay because of my brother, Pike, and Tony, because that’s just depressing.”
Declan chuckled. “And Clark. You can make fun of me all you want, but they are good guys. They kind of blindsided me and by the time I realized that they made being here better, that they were the most supportive friends I’d ever had, it hit me like a bat to the chest: I didn’t want to leave them.”
“I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that Clark, Nick, and the goon squad are the reason you’re considering not leaving.”
“I don’t know if I’m really going to stay. I was ready to take off and move on a few weeks ago, but the longer I live here, the more I ask myself what’s waiting for me out there that’s so great? I may find it ridiculous sometimes, but in Mistletoe I have friends. Work. My studio.”
“You’re saying maybe living the small-town life isn’t so bad?”
Declan smiled. “I’ve discovered a few perks and had to reevaluate my opinion.”
“What would you do if you stayed? You talked about running a gallery or becoming an art professor. Not exactly jobs you’ll find here. And I get you like being a handyman, but what about your art? Are you just going to keep painting and stacking them against the wall?”
He cocked his head to the side, studying her. “You looked through my canvases?”
Holly blushed. “When I was grabbing Leo. You were sleeping in the truck and I—Declan, they are gorgeous. You should really look into having them displayed.”
He shrugged. “It’s not about that. I love painting, and showing people my work is great, but I want to inspire others to tap into their artistic sides.”
“What about opening your own gallery here? If your dad is planning on closing the store anyway, why not buy his building and you can do exactly what you want. You could even hold art classes for locals and tourists.”
“And fill it with all of my paintings?”
“You think that this area doesn’t have local artists, but we do! I’m telling you, build it and they will come.”
Declan frowned. “That’s from a movie, isn’t it?”
“Really? You skipped Peter Pan but know Field of Dreams?”
“My dad loves sports and action flicks, what can I say?”
“Back on track, if you want to stay here, and your dad agrees, I think you can do it. If you need another reason to stay, that is.”
Declan didn’t say it out loud, but Holly may have played a role in his revision of his opinion on Mistletoe and why he wanted to stick around. She was amazing, different from anyone he’d ever known, and he needed to figure her out. He’d been rolling through life like a train, never getting off the tracks, and boom, along came Holly and her smart-ass, take no crap attitude and she’d derailed everything Declan thought he wanted.
“I’d have to run the finances and follow up on artists and interest.”
“Let me know if I can help.” Holly handed him his chip container and hopped off the bed. “I’m going to brush my teeth again and grab a water. Don’t go anywhere.”
Declan had a few more chips while she was gone and returned the chips to the cupboard before brushing his own teeth in the guest bathroom. When he returned to her room, the light was off and she was already in bed, with her back to him. He climbed in beside her and before he’d even settled in, Holly was backing her butt up into his crotch.
“Are you hinting at something or what?” he asked, smiling as he slipped his arm around her waist.
“Yeah.” She glanced over her shoulder, and he caught the flash of her grin with the light streaming in from the window. “I want to be the little spoon.”
Declan chuckled, his hand splaying over her stomach as he pulled her back into his body, his mouth caressing the exposed line of her neck. “Are you tired?”
