Page 122 of See You Maybe
Declan took a step back and inhaled a deep breath. “You’re right. This is your business. If you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to.”
Olivia’s eyes shifted, watching him warily as he pulled the large container of soup from the bag.
He forced his jaw to unlock. “Where are your pots?”
Olivia didn’t answer at first, so Declan turned toward the cabinets, so that she couldn’t see his face, couldn’t see the monster that had slipped its leash. He was going to peel Kyle Armstrong’s skin from his body an inch at a time.
“Bottom cabinet next to the stove,” Olivia said quietly, and Declan exhaled a heavy breath.
Revenge would have to wait. Right now, Olivia was all that mattered, and he needed to take care of her. Declan didn’t understand why Olivia was protecting the man, but he wouldn’t push.
Not yet, anyway.
Declan busied himself emptying the container into a sauce pot and turning on the flame. Plucking a wooden spoon from the ceramic container on the counter, he stirred the heating liquid. Slow even circles while he reined in his temper.
The last thing Olivia needed right now was his anger after facing… His stomach turned over at the thought of her alone and afraid with that bastard.
“You don’t need to do this, Declan.”
“I know.”
There was a pause. “Why are you here?”
He stirred the soup.
One circle, two circles… Breathe.
Why was he there?
“Declan?” Olivia’s voice was barely above a whisper, and like the final piece of a puzzle, his life snapped into place. Declan exhaled a long, slow breath, and for the first time in over a decade, he felt the vise around his chest ease.
“Because this is where I belong,” he said simply, not turning around.
Olivia’s breath hitched audibly.
Declan didn’t regret the words.
He should have kept her safe. The whole reason he’d walked away from her, broken both of their hearts, was to keep her safe. Protect her from him and the monsters in his world.
The whole time she’d been alone with a different kind of monster.
Declan closed his eyes, regret and fury coursing through him. “I'm sorry,” he whispered.
“What?”
Declan turned to face her, his eyes locked on hers. He saw the hope and vulnerability reflected back at him, and hated himself for being the reason she ever doubted how he felt.
“Do you remember telling me that maybe someday we would find our way back to each other?” Eyes wide, Olivia’s lips parted, but she nodded. Declan’s lips lifted. “Someday is today.”
Olivia stared back at him, frozen. Declan swallowed over the lump in his throat. “I know you might not be ready to jump back in. I have a lot to make up for, and it will take a while for you to trust me again… to forgive me.”
Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, and her cheeks were pink. “What about Fiona? You’re engaged.”
Declan shook his head with a smile. It felt like blinders had fallen off of him, and for the first time, he saw his life clearly. “No. We’re not. She planned on using me the same way I was going to use her, but I never actually asked her.” Declan knew how cold it sounded. But if Olivia chose him—if she gave him another chance—she needed to understand who he was now.
A tremulous smile tipped her lips. “I guess I should feel bad for her.” Olivia’s smile widened, then winced, bringing her fingers to her wounded lip. “But she is a super bitch.”
“My sister agrees with you,” Declan said wryly.