Never Been Ready (Ready #2)(60)

She squeezed my hand, and I felt my pulse begin to slow. Her touch always calmed my nerves.

"God, I love you."

She smiled, and we eventually made our way out of the car and down the long walkway. Leah knocked on the door. It was a weekday and just past noon. If anyone were home, it wouldn't include Connor. Leah and I had figured it would be best this way, talking to Sarah first, rather than showing up, unannounced, with Connor in the house.

A few seconds passed by before a familiar brunette opened the door. It took her a minute, but the recognition appeared, and she pulled me into a tight hug.

"Declan, it's so good to see you!"

"You, too, Beanpole. How are you?"

"I hate that nickname! And as you can see, I'm not quite a beanpole anymore!" she said, wiggling her hips as she led us inside.

"No." I laughed. "You look great, Sarah."

"Turns out having a baby will work wonders on a figure if you have none."

"Congratulations are in order, I guess," I said warmly.

"Thank you. Her name is April, and she's ten months. She's down for a nap, but she should be up soon." Sarah smiled and then motioned for us to sit down in the family room. It was large and filled with baby stuff —a rocker, swing, toys.

As I looked closer, I saw a few older toys lying around —an iPod, some sort of hand held gaming device in the corner, and a few action heroes. Connor was definitely living with them.

"So, what brings the Hollywood star to my door today and who have you brought with you?" she asked sweetly.

I introduced Leah and they exchanges pleasantries, complimenting each other on their outfits and shoes, and all the other shit women did when they met.

"I heard about Heather," I said, trying to get to the point.

"Oh, yes, we lost her a few months ago in a car accident. She was like a sister to me, you knew that. Even after Devin whisked me away to Virginia a few years ago, we always remained close. I miss her every day."

"I'm so sorry, Sarah. I know you were like sisters. I still remember how you used to raid each other's closets and finish each other's sentences. I always envied that closeness you had."

She blinked back tears and nodded silently. "Thank you, Declan. I really appreciate you coming by to pass on your condolences. You didn't have to come all the way here to do it though."

"Well, I'm moving to Virginia permanently, so I wanted to come by and say how sorry I was. Leah's a nurse in Richmond. She works in labor and delivery."

Sarah looked a bit confused, but she smiled. She asked if we'd like anything to drink or to snack on but we politely declined. I was getting a tad annoyed with Sarah for avoiding the topic at hand. She had my son, and she was obviously going to make no attempt to tell me.

"I was lucky enough to meet Leah through my good friend, Logan. You remember Logan, right? He used to come visit me from time to time in college."

She nodded and started to reply, but I just continued, "Anyway, he lives in Richmond now with his wife and daughter. He's an ER doctor. He works on all sorts of trauma cases...including car accidents."

She saw my eyes narrow in on the action figures on the coffee table. Her eyes widened, and tears began spilling over.

"I'm sorry, Declan. She made me promise not to tell you, and I was just trying to be a good friend."

"Why, Sarah? Why would she do that? I deserved to know!" I roared.

"She went to visit you after she'd found out she was pregnant," Sarah said quickly.

"What? No, she didn't," I argued.

"Yes, she did. She flew to California. She said L.A. was completely different than any other place she'd ever been to, but she managed to find where you lived. She saw you coming out of your apartment. There was a woman with you, and Heather said you basically gave the woman the toss. Told her you had a great time and sent her on her way."

My jaw ticked, and I cursed under my breath. I hadn't gotten over Heather well. Getting over the heartbreak had been what had ushered in the new phase of my life where I'd spent years moving from one woman to the next, never allowing myself to get too close. I'd been too afraid that I would get hurt again.

"So, she left? Without talking to me?"

"You have to understand, Declan. She had a baby on the way, and she was scared you weren't the same man. She had to make a choice, and she chose to protect her child."

"She chose wrong, Sarah. No matter what was going on in my personal life, I would have done anything for him, anything."

"I tried to change her mind," she said.

I picked up the action figure and held it in my hand, wondering what he looked like when he would play with it. I wanted to know everything about him. What kind of music did he like? Did he like Mexican food? Did he like watching movies?

"I want to meet my son, Sarah."

Chapter Twenty

~Leah~

Unfortunately, Declan didn't receive the answer he had been hoping for. But he hadn't gotten a no either. Sarah had said she would need to discuss it with her husband, who was currently away on business, and he wouldn't be returning for a few days. She'd promised she would call us soon and give us a decision. She'd seemed open to the idea, but having never met her husband, Devin, I really didn't know how things would go.