Page 38 of Wicked Devotions

He turns and walks out of the natatorium. My teammates are long gone, as are the coaches. I consider jumping back in to punish myself with another hour of hard laps but need to get back to the dorm instead. I have a test coming up to study for.

I’m shocked to see Declan standing outside by the curb when I walk out to my car. “Why are you still here?”

“My Uber canceled. I’m waiting on another one.”

“Cancel the ride. I’ll take you.”

He regards me with curiosity for a second but eventually agrees and follows me to my Challenger. We make small talk about the car until he gets a phone call from his father. After murmuring a string of curses, he answers. I can barely make out some of the conversation, but it sounds like his dad is going off about him flying here. They go back and forth a few times before Declan says goodbye and hangs up.

I don’t ask what that was about, and he doesn’t offer. Neither of us talk anymore as I drive him out to the small airstrip he flew his Cessna into.

“Can I ask a favor?” I say before he gets out.

“Sure.”

“Keep me updated about Harper. Just about how she’s doing and especially if she gets any more letters.”

“I can do that.”

I watch him walk through a gate and over to his plane before driving off. At least he was willing to hear me out about figuring out a way to let Harper earn some of her own money. That’s the most important thing. Time will tell if he keeps me in the loop on anything else.

Chapter

Fifteen

HARPER

Emerson brings in a platter of grilled salmon from the outdoor kitchen as I set the salad and risotto I made out on the table. Cy and Declan come in from the home gym they have set up above the garage right on time for dinner. They’re both sweaty and shirtless as they pull chairs out to sit.

“Shirts?” I ask with a pointed look. We don’t eat full meals together often, so it just feels weird to not have the bareminimum decorum.

“Seriously?” Declan’s eyebrows shoot up at my request.

The people pleaser within me immediately wants to back down, but over the weeks I’ve been with them, they have all told me to assert myself. It’s hard to go against the very nature that was literally beaten into me, but I draw a deep breath and hold fast.

“Yes.”

They look at each other, and Cy stands up. “I got you.” He jogs over to the stairs and takes them up two at a time.

“Look at you, making demands and sticking to your guns.” Emerson gives me a proud smile.

My cheeks warm at the praise. I guess it’s a side effect of my formative years that any type of positive reinforcement or commentary makes me embarrassingly giddy. One compliment can give me an unimaginable high.

I don’t know what to say in return, so I just smile shyly at him. We’ve grown closer since I started working at the stables. He drives me most of the time and then sits in his car or on a bench near Annie’s stall and studies. I’ve told him he doesn’t have to stay, that I’m well protected at work withsecurity cameras and people everywhere, but he claims to like it.

He’s the most serious of the guys and radiates a stern aura. But he’s also the most liberal with making nice comments and encouraging me. If he didn’t live here, I’d still be uncomfortable.

All Declan and I do is fight and argue. I don’t know why, but he brings out a sassy side of me I didn’t even know existed. It is liberating in its own way. Knowing I’m safe enough with him to fight and stand my ground is a new freedom I didn’t even know I was missing.

Then there’s Cy. Every morning we run together and catch each other stealing looks. I’m so drawn to him, both physically and emotionally. We feel like kindred spirits even though neither of us talks about our past. I’ve caught him wandering around late at night when I’ve been woken up by my own nightmares. It makes me wonder what keeps him up.

My favorite thing is watching them interact together. It’s easy to see why they became friends, even with their vastly different backgrounds. Emerson’s family is open-minded and progressive, despite their deep southern roots. It’s always made them black sheep in society. I’m sure he foundcomfort in Declan being a northerner. Cy just wants a family, and he found his in these two.

I start to clean up after dinner, but Declan takes the plate from my hands. “Cy and I will clean up since you and Emerson cooked dinner.”

“I don’t mind doing it.”

Irritation flares in his emerald eyes. “Well, I do mind.” He grabs another plate. “We’re equals in this house. You didn’t move in here to serve us.”