Page 28 of Declan
“So,” I say, trying to control the squeak in my voice. “Colton basically set us up. He wants us to spend the next seven hours trapped in a car together because...”
I know exactly why he’d pull something like this. Because I stupidly confessed that I was in love with Declan. I love Colton like a brother, but I’m going to fuck him up so badly when I see him. I’m talking atomic-level wedgie.
Declan groans, scrubbing his hands over his face. “He thinks he’s helping. That if we spend some time together, just the two of us, we’ll be able to get past...what happened.” He winces, glancing at me. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what the fuck he’s doing. It never occurred to me he would put you in a position like this.”
“It’s not like him. I mean, he’s nosey and opinionated and loud, but he’s also really thoughtful most of the time.”
“I know,” Declan mutters. “It’s Evie and Mia. He’s turned into a total love addict. He wants everyone shitting out rainbows and unicorns, just like him.”
My heart’s in my throat. “Love addict. So he wants us to talk because...?” Please say because you’re madly in love with me and just need time to prove it.
Who am I kidding? As much as I might have dreamed about that. About Declan falling to his knees and declaring his undying love for me, I’d probably freak out and run as far and as fast as I could. I know how to obsess. I know how to be the aggressor. I have no idea how to be chased by him.
Declan shifts, eyes wandering the terminal. “Probably, so we stop acting awkward around each other.”
“You’ve always acted awkward around me,” I say flatly. He flushes, eyes meeting mine before darting away again.
“Yeah. Well, I’ve been working on that.”
I suppose he has been. This wanting someone who didn’t want me, then said shitty things to me, then starting giving me presents thing sucks.
“We have other options,” he says, planting his hands on his hips, keys dangling from his fingers.
“Like?” Go ahead, tell me all the ways you want to get rid of me.
“Like we can call another charter and wait for a new plane to come get us. We don’t have to go to the wedding at all. Fucker can’t blame us after he pulls this shit.” He wanders over to the windows facing the parking area, frowning. He pulls out his cell, studying something on the screen for a while.
I join him at the window, watching a few people darting to their vehicles, dodging a few small raindrops. I haven’t spent much time in places like this. The surrounding mountains are so high it feels like they’re looming over us, blotting out the sky. I spend all my time in the heart of a city, skyscrapers doing the same thing, but somehow, there, I always feel in control, in my element. Here, in these mountains, I feel smaller.
Declan bites off a curse. “There’s a storm system coming this way. In a few hours, this place is going to be shut down.”
“So, no plane.”
“No plane,” he echoes.
“If we go now, can we beat the storm?”
“We’re heading west. It’s coming from the north. In theory, yeah, we’ll beat it.” I don’t like the sound of in theory.
“What happens if it turns?”
“Then we’re going to have to find a place to stay until it blows over.”
“Hypotheticals aren’t my favorite. Can we try some real talk?”
He squints at me. “Real talk? We haven’t been really talking so far?”
“You’re the one that said ‘in theory.' So real talk, right now the storm is headed right here, where we’re standing. If we do nothing, we’ll be sleeping on the floor in this terminal. I don’t sleep on the floor. Ever. Or we hit the road. The storm forecast shows it should miss us. Seems like an obvious choice, doesn’t it?”
He tightens his grip on the keys, bringing them up between us, studying them. Finally, blowing out a breath, he nods. He’s got our luggage in his hands, and he’s leading us out to the parking lot within minutes, hitting the alarm until we see the lights flash on a black SUV.
He throws our bags in the backseat and opens the passenger door, looking at me expectantly.
I raise my eyebrow. “Why don’t I drive? You can sleep for a bit, then we can trade off.”
“Get in I’ll drive.”
The way he says ‘get in’ puts me on edge. “I’m a great driver,” I say, proud of how level my voice is.
