I shake my head. “Maybe on the way back. I’m so full right now.”
“Alright, sweetheart.” He pulls me closer and presses a kiss against my hair before dropping his arm over my shoulder.
Finally, we make it to a small park and he leads us to an empty set of swings. We both take one, and I let my feet drag in the sawdust while the creak of the chains floats through the air.
“I haven’t been on a swing since I was a kid,” Declan muses. “I used to swing as high as I could, and then jump from the top. I’m surprised I never busted my ankles, because that shit was rough landing.” He laughs at the memory, and I just know a wave of nostalgia has hit him.
Nostalgia.
Does he feel nostalgic having Addison around this week, too?
I can’t imagine he hasn’t thought about when they were together, and a happier time for their family, when Sailor was a baby.
As my mind wanders back to the thoughts I’ve tried so hard to push away, I find myself retreating again.
This time Declan notices, too. “Where’d that pretty mind of yours just take you, sweetheart?”
Giving him a small smile, I shrug. “My intrusive thoughts are working against me.”
“What are they saying?” he asks gently.
“That you and Addison deserve a chance to make things right again, for Sailor’s sake. She’s the mother of your daughter, and I can never compete with that. Maybe she really does still love you.”
“Theonlything you just said that’s true is that she’s the mother of my child,” he stresses. Hopping off his swing, he comes to stand in front of me, pulling my hands from the chains, holding them in his. “She’s trying to become an actress, and that’s exactly what she’s doing. Acting. She’s trying to manipulate us. I promise you she doesn’t care about me, she just cares about furthering her own career, we both know she saw that video of us and thought to herself ‘hmm, maybe I can spinthe narrative’. There’s not a genuine bone in that woman’s body, I can promise you that, sweetheart.” Bringing my hand to his lips, he kisses the back of it. “I don’t want you getting cold feet about us, because I can’t express enough how much you mean to me.”
“I just feel like maybe you need to give it a chance, Declan. Maybe this time she’s being honest.” I hate every word as it leaves my lips but what else am I supposed to say? I’m torn between desperately wanting him, and wanting to also believe the best in people.
“I won’t.” His voice is firm, unwavering, and his gaze heated. “Even if you and I weren’t together, I would never give that woman a second chance.”
“I just want you to make sure you’re making the best choice for you, and for Sailor.” My heart splits in two, and I know this is from my own doing. “Your family deserves that.”
“I know I am, and I’m going to prove it to you, sweetheart.”
“Declan—”
“Consider this the first night of me showing you how badly I want this until there’s not a single doubt or hesitancy in your mind.”
He pulls me off the swing and I stumble into his body. Holding me tightly, he tips my head back and kisses me.
We kiss like teenagers under the moonlight until we’re both breathless.
Sliding his hand down to mine, he nods to the street. “Now c’mon. I want to buy my girl some ice cream.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“Alright, Coach, I’m all for polyamory, but it doesn’t seem you’re like you’re the type of guy who’d be down. Care to share why there’s two women in the VIP box making eyes at you across the field?”
“That’s Sailor’s mother,” I grit, answering Austin.
Looking over my shoulder, my jaw clenches as my gaze connects with Hailey’s, and I immediately lose some of the tension I’m carrying. Leaning against the railing, she looks out at me. She’s stunning, wearing one of my extra Bears hats and a red T-shirt.
Behind her, Addison sits with Sailor, also looking at me. My jaw clenches again.
Whipping my head back toward Austin, I huff.
“You good, Coach?” Gareth asks, jogging up to us. His brows furrow with concern.
“Yeah, I’m fucking good. This has just been a hellish week.”
