Sinead had convinced Dec they needed to stay with Mary for support. Two weeks later, they were still at the farm house in Middleburg.
The woman needed some serious female encouragement. While Jillian was fun when she brought a bucket of margaritas and demanded a girl-only, all-weekend drink fest, Mary also needed someone to let her cry it out.
Jill had flatly stated she did not do crying.
After a few days of basically trying to avoid Mary, Flynn had disappeared entirely, apparently on an assignment. Sinead decided that was a good thing. Mary seemed to be tight around him and the last thing she needed was any additional stress in her life.
So she and Mary watched movies, drank wine and ate chocolate. Took long walks around the farm. Mary told her every wonderful thing Huntley had done leading up to their wedding, and everything awful thing he’d done after it.
It couldn’t help but make a girl wonder. Declan was like no man Sinead had ever known. She’d seen all his light and a glimpse of his dark and she loved all of it. He’d hinted at making things permanent. What if he also changed? Became something different? Someone different?
And there was all the talk about babies. He wanted five, to which she told him he was insane, and they’d worked out a deal for two with an option for three.
BABIES.
And forever. Part of her felt a little guilty being so happy knowing what Mary was going through. She planned to talk to Dec about it today.
They had both been there for Mary when she needed them. Now it might be time to give her some space. Being miserable was worse when you were around two people who, for the most part, were acting like lovesick teenagers.
Yes, she would gently let him know that it was time to give Mary some breathing room, and if they wanted to talk seriously about making things permanent then they should figure waiting at least six or seven months to make that happen. Which would give Sinead time to be really comfortable with their life, Mary time to heal and Declan… well he probably wouldn’t be happy, but he’d give in to her reasons because they were logical and sound.
The truth was, aside from typically winning the battle for which movie they were going to watch, he was a pushover anytime she asked him for anything.
Her hair done, and again wearing it down and loose because she knew he liked it that way and because it made her feel more confident, she left the bathroom expecting to find him staked out on the bed waiting for her.
If he asked she might cave, but he was going to have to be careful not to mess her hair.
Only he wasn’t naked on the bed. Instead, on the bed was a beautiful white strapless gown and a pair of shoes that she knew just looking at them cost more than the entire sum she’d ever spent on shoes in her life.
Cinderella wasn’t good enough to wear those shoes.
He was standing next to the bed with a small smile tugging his lips. Like a boy who couldn’t wait to show off his surprise. He was wearing black suit pants, a white tuxedo shirt and a bow tie hung undone around his neck.
“I bought you a dress again,” he said, stating the obvious.
“I can see that.”
“And shoes. I know how you love ridiculously expensive shoes.”
She was about to correct him when she realized there were bigger issues at stake. “Dec, where am I going in that lovely white dress?”
“Why, downstairs to your wedding, of course.”
“Dec,” she breathed out.
He came toward her with purpose. His hands cupping her cheeks to hold her eyes on him.
“I know you’re going to say it’s too soon. I know you’re going to say we need time. You’ll probably also be worried about how it will make Mary feel, but she was the one who asked me why I was dragging my feet. Because she knows me. She knows when I want something. When I love someone. I’m all in. There is no walking away for me. Ever again. And the truth is I want to call you my wife. I want to hear you say my husband.”
“You’re very particular about the things you need to hear, do you know that about yourself?”
He smiled. “I do. And the next time I’m making love to you, I’m going to demand to hear those very words from your lips. However, in order to do that we need to make things legal.”
“Who am I marrying? Declan Gallagher or David Whitmore?”
“Lucky girl that you are, you’ll need to marry us both. We will scurry off to Vegas for the Whitmore wedding. Today it will be me, and I wanted something more intimate. Flynn’s back, Jillian’s here. Obviously Mary. My family. Plus, I have another surprise waiting downstairs along with a very friendly judge who agreed to do this for me on short notice.”
“Dec, you’re impossible.”