As they approached, Julie looked up with a friendly, but curious smile on her face.

“Oh, hi, you two. How great to see you. Evan, these are some friends of mine, Declan and Ella. Can you say hello to them?”

Evan looked up from his meal and gave them a shy smile. “Hello.”

Ella felt her heart stutter in her chest and then flip over. There was no doubt in her mind now that this was Declan’s child. The resemblance was uncanny right down to those beautiful eyes that she admired so much. If love at first sight was possible, she had just lost her heart to the little boy giving her his father’s smile. She shook herself out of her own daze in time to realize that Declan was standing beside her in a similar daze. She gave him a gentle nudge in the side and he lurched forward, almost upending their tray. She decided to give him a moment to recover by continuing the conversation. She couldn’t really tell Julie that she was happy to meet her since they were supposed to already know each other so she settled for giving her a warm smile before turning to Evan.

“Well hello there, Evan, it’s so nice to meet you. I see you got a Happy Meal, what kind of prize did you get?” She knew she had asked the right question when he started digging in his box enthusiastically until he came up with a car and stickers to decorate it.

“I got a race car, but mom says I have to finish my food before I can play with it.”

Declan had finally recovered enough to lower their tray to the table and step back for her to precede him into the booth.

“I bet your mom wants to make sure your tummy is full so you will have lots of energy to play with your new car. I bet Declan would love to help you when you both finish eating.”

Evan swung a hopeful look toward Declan, who nodded saying, “Sure, I’d love to, Evan. I used to collect cars like this when I was younger and still have a pretty good collection.” All three sets of eyes swung to Declan with varying degrees of surprise. He laughed saying, “Hey, it’s a guy thing, right, Evan?”

Evan beamed back at Declan and Ella could literally see the first fragile strands of a bond forming there. With care and attention, she knew it would eventually flourish if Declan treated it with care. As they continued to discuss cars, she turned her attention to Julie and saw her valiantly trying to wipe at the moisture welling in her eyes. She grabbed a napkin from their tray and quietly passed it over to her. She took it with a smile of gratitude. Since Declan occupied Evan’s attention, Ella quietly said, “You have a wonderful son. You must be so proud of him.”

“He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. I hardly remember my life before him.” Then she leaned closer and dropped her voice further, “It’s nice to see you again, Ella.”

“You too, Julie. How long have you known Claire?”

Julie laughed, “For years. We used to work together and she would babysit Evan for me some while I was in school. I’m so happy for her and Jason. She really deserves to finally be happy. So do you work with Declan?”

“Yes. We both work at Danvers, but not in the same department. We met there though.”

“Have you been dating long? Yikes! You don’t have to answer that. My mother used to call me Nosey Nelly because I never stopped asking questions. I know poor Claire feels like she’s giving a tabloid interview every time we’re together.”

With a chuckle, Ella said, “I don’t mind. I’m like that too, only worse. Instead of asking questions, I just blurt out whatever is on my mind without thinking about it first. I’ve had more than my share of awkward moments when I wished I could stuff something in my mouth. To answer your question, we haven’t been officially dating long, but we’ve been friends for a while now.” They both looked over to see two similar dark heads bent in concentration over the small car from the Happy Meal. Declan was painstakingly peeling the small stickers off the sheet and Evan was applying them. Things appeared to be going well in that area, and she didn’t want to ruin the moment by distracting them. Picking up a French fry, she turned her attention back to Julie and asked, “Are you married or dating anyone?” Before Julie could answer, she rolled her eyes and pointed to herself. “See, I told you not to worry about asking questions, I’m just as bad if not worse!”

“You just might be my new best friend,” Julie joked. “I’m not married, but I’m engaged. We’ve been dating for about two years. Graham wanted to come tonight, but I was afraid it would be too much testosterone at one table. He’s great though. He’s a policeman. He won Evan over when he let him sit in his squad car.”

“I bet. Isn’t that every little boy’s dream?” When Julie stood up to let Evan out for the playground, Ella was appalled to realize she had consumed half of her meal without noticing. Apparently she had gotten so comfortable with Julie that she chatted on while eating. She could only hope that she hadn’t talked with her mouth full. Declan put his hand on her leg and gave it a small squeeze. She put her hand on top of his and leaned into his side.

Julie took her seat as Evan ran off to play. She looked at Declan inquiringly. “I think that went pretty well?”

Nodding, Declan said, “Yeah, he seems like a good kid.”

Smiling with obvious pride, Julie agreed. “I don’t know how to put this so I’ll just be direct and ask what your intentions are now? God, I know that sounds medieval, but you know what I mean.”

Ella felt Declan squeeze her leg tighter as he said, “I hate to come off sounding like an asshole Julie, but I can’t just take your word for something like this. There’s no arguing the fact that there is some resemblance between Evan and me, but I don’t want to have any doubts about something this important.”

Far from being offended, Julie smiled and said, “I never expected anything different. It was a long time ago and this is major. If you have any interest in seeing Evan again, I would insist on a paternity test. I don’t think you would be able to form a relationship with him without the piece of paper that proves you are his biological father. Since I work at the hospital, I can easily arrange for that to be done if you’d like.”

He reached in his back pocket and pulled a business card from his wallet. “Just give me a call with the details and I’ll be there. After the results are back, we’ll go from there, if that’s okay with you.”

“Sure, that’s fine. If you guys want to take off now, that would probably be for the best. Evan might start asking which kid is yours if you stay any longer.”

Ella slid out of the booth and waited for Declan to follow. They both saw Evan wave good-bye to them before he ran toward the slide with another little boy. She couldn’t help but think of how much his life would change soon when the man beside her proved to be his father. Come to think of it, all of their lives were bound to change and Ella could only hope it was for the better.

Chapter Fourteen

Declan was quiet on the ride home. Ella thought it was probably best to call it an early night and head to her own apartment. She knew he had a lot on his mind and probably just needed some time alone. When they stepped out of the car, she opened her mouth to tell him she was going home. Before she could utter one word, he had her pressed against the door and was devouring her mouth as if they hadn’t just kissed a few hours earlier.

She moaned low in her throat as he turned and walked her backwards to the elevator. His hand was now firmly gripping her butt, pulling her up against his arousal. He was always a very skilled lover, but had been gentle with her. This, however, was something different, more intense. Through careful maneuvering and a lot of good luck, they managed to make it into his apartment without breaking contact. He pushed her against the door as it closed. His lips branded her throat as his hands unzipped first his slacks and then hers. She kicked hers aside when they bunched around her ankles, suddenly feeling the same urgency that Declan seemed to be feeling.

Still without speaking a word to her, he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. With her back braced against the wall, he took her breath away as he plunged into her hard and deep. She could feel the sweat beading on his forehead when he leaned against her and paused to let her adjust to his invasion. When she wiggled against him, wanting more, his control snapped. Gone was the man who was usually so patient and gentle with her and in his place was a man bent on possessing and consuming her. Part of her knew that she should be afraid of something this wild and raw, but the other part of her was thrilled with Declan’s loss of control. She could feel her body racing toward an orgasm so strong, she didn’t know how she would keep from shattering into a million pieces. As if sensing she was on the edge, he angled his hips so that every stroke skimmed her clit. One more deep plunge and she exploded around him riding the waves of pleasure unlike any she had known before. He continued to move inside of her until finally with a hoarse shout, her spasms pushed him over the edge as well.

Somehow, they ended up on the floor in a tangle of limbs and clothing. She was sprawled against his chest and his feet were still trapped inside of his pants. His heart continued to race against her ear as they both gasped for breath. “Ellie . . . you okay?”

“Mmmm hmmm . . .”

“Fuck me . . . I didn’t mean to be that rough with you. I just . . . lost it. I’m sorry, baby.”

“For what?” She murmured drowsily, “I’m not sorry at all. I liked it, all of it.”

Declan raised her head, looking at her in surprise. “You did? I figured I scared the hell out of you.”

Shaking her head, she said, “I might not have much experience, but I love it when you let go. You don’t have to worry about me, I . . . I seem to like what you like, and I hope we do it again.” She felt his chest rumble at her confession. Was he laughing? Maybe you were supposed to be a little less enthusiastic after rough and tumble sex. She didn’t want him to worry about her though, and she wanted to make sure it happened again.

“Oh Ellie, I love that I never know what in the hell you’re going to say or do next. Let’s get off the floor and see if we can hobble to the shower. If you’re a good girl, I might have an encore in me tonight.”

Grinning, Ella asked, “What if I’m a bad girl?”

Declan slapped her naked butt saying, “Then I guarantee I’ve got something else for you.”

And he did . . .

***

Ella woke from a sound sleep with her heart racing. Something was wrong. What had startled her awake? Suddenly, the shout came again, followed by frantic movements from the man beside her. His voice echoed off the walls of the apartment as he screamed, “Craig! It’s a trap, stop! Craig, fucking stop, stop!”

She turned on her bedside lamp and, even though his eyes were wide open, he continued on, wrapped in some unseen terror. She caught a whiff of alcohol and remembered that he had left her in bed after making love the second time. He’d needed some extra time to relax and she had drifted off before he came to bed. Was he drunk?

She didn’t stop to think, she acted on pure instinct needing to comfort the distraught man. She attempted to put her arms around him whispering softly, “Declan, it’s okay, it’s me . . .”

He recoiled at her touch before he shoved her away so hard her head banged against the headboard and she saw stars. By the time she had her bearings back, he was pacing on the other side of the room looking more confused than anything. She didn’t dare approach him again. Instead, she started softly calling his name, over and over. It took several minutes, but she could see the dream loosening its grip on him as he slowly came back to her.

“What the . . . ?” He looked around as if trying to figure out what was going on. Horror crossed his face as he whispered, “Oh God, it happened didn’t it?”

She wasn’t surprised to find out that this was apparently a common issue for him. She didn’t think someone could have such a violent dream only once. There had to be some kind of memory causing it. “Who’s Craig?”

Flinching as if she had struck him, he turned away from her. “Just an old friend.”

“What happened to him? You said something about a trap?”

“Just leave it, Ellie!”

Ella felt like he had slapped her. He never took that kind of tone with her and she had no plans to leave it alone. “Well, excuse me, but I think I deserve to know since you almost knocked me unconscious over it.”

All of the anger drained from his body instantly and his head rolled back. “Oh fuck. Oh Ellie, baby, I’m sorry.” Walking to her side of the bed, he sank down on the bed and cradled her gently against his body. The smell of alcohol was stronger now, but his words were clear with no slurring. “What happened? I don’t remember anything until I woke up pacing.”

Snuggling into his warmth, she said, “You were screaming about Craig and something about him stopping because it was a trap. I tried to put my arms around you, which I know now isn’t the smartest thing to do when someone is having a nightmare. You pushed me away and I . . . bumped my head a little.” At his look of concern, she quickly added, “It was nothing, really, I’m fine.”