“She said you met at the hospital. Interesting coincidence.”
Coincidence? Maybe he had no clue how often Declan had come to visit him. Or how often I’d been there, talking to him at his bedside and hoping he’d wake up soon.
I winced at the wrong time, and my dad caught the look. He narrowed his eyes at me, then turned his attention back to Declan.
I pleaded with my eyes but Declan set his hands on his hips. I knew before he said anything that he wasn’t going to lie to my dad—meaning, he wasn’t going to keep my secret. “We didn’t meet at the hospital, we met at work.”
Dammit. Why couldn’t he have just waited a little longer?
My dad narrowed his eyes at me. “I’m confused.”
Ever the scientist, he didn’t mince words.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside the old familiar house. It smelled musty but looked cozy.
“How about you rest for a few minutes while we get your things inside?” I asked.
My dad frowned. “I am not an invalid, you know.”
I sighed. “I know that. Trust me, I know. But I almost lost you, okay? I know you feel fine but I’d feel better if you sat for a few minutes.”
I learned the only way to communicate with him was to be just as direct. Instead of hedging around my feelings, I told it to him straight. I was worried about him. It involved a lot more than him wearing himself out, but this was the only way I knew how to take care of him.
Dad sat in his favorite recliner and let out a similar sigh. But not arguing was progress.
“I’ll bring you some water too.”
I walked into the kitchen and heard Declan follow behind me. He left my father’s bag in the hallway.
Once I’d pulled down a glass from the cupboard, I walked to the refrigerator—one my father had finally replaced because his old one broke—and filled it full of ice water.
I felt Declan before I saw him, that familiar blaze of heat against my skin that revved my passion. When I turned, he was right there, tall and steady.
“I thought you were going to tell him about us at the hospital,” Declan said in a low voice.
I bit my lip. I noticed Declan’s gaze drop from my eyes to my mouth and then flick back up. “I’m sorry.”
“I know you’re afraid he’s not up for it, but I talked with the doctor and they said everything is fine. They also said the rest of his memory will keep coming back most likely. Eventually, he’s going to remember what happened before.”
I lowered my chin and stared at the water. “I know. You’re right. “
Declan put his fingers under my chin and lifted my face so he could meet my eyes. “I can do it right now.” One corner of his mouth quirked. “I’ll just go out there and let him know that I’m madly in love with his daughter—”
My breath caught, my stomach plunging with sweetness and surprise. “You can’t say that,” I hissed, my voice low.
“Why not? It’s true.”
“Because—because… How can you be so sure?”
He took the question seriously. “In my line of work you learn to trust your gut. And after… growing up the way I grew up, I’ve learned to go for what I want. No questions, no hesitation, just straight ahead.”
“What if what’s ahead doesn’t work out?”
His eyes dropped to my mouth again. “What if it does?”
He leaned in, and his breath touched my lips. A moment before our mouths connected, I heard my dad.
“Royal!”
“Dad?” I rushed to the living room, though not nearly as fast as Declan, and arrived in front of his chair. I scanned his face. “Are you okay?”
He waved off the question. “I’m fine. I’m fine. I just remembered something.” He looked at Declan. “I was coming to meet you that day, the day of the accident. I was coming to tell you what I found.”
Declan was riveted. He kept his eyes on my father. “What did you find?”
“I found it. What you were looking for.” His gaze traveled to mine briefly.
“It’s okay,” I told him with a reassuring nod. “I know about the experiment and the serum—that’s what Xander calls it.”
“He knows too?” my dad asked.
Declan’s lips parted. He glanced at me before turning his attention back to my father. “What did you find?”
“I found out what was in it—or most of it. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. I have no idea what it does.”
Declan folded his arms. “I do.”
My dad looked from him to me, questions in his eyes. When I didn’t say anything, he released a breath and bowed his head.
“Is this how you two know each other?” he asked.
I swallowed and nodded. At least this part was true. We’d met because I needed the truth—and now I had most of it.
My dad heaved himself up from the chair. Declan and I impulsively moved to his side but my dad only started pacing. Back and forth across the living room, like I remembered him doing so many times when I was a kid. He called them thinking walks. Maybe that was part of the reason I had so much trouble sitting still. I’d gotten it from him.
“I’m assuming, from those guards that were in the hallway at the hospital, that this is larger than the both of you.”
I bit my lip and glanced at Declan. His look was partly amused. The guards in the hallway were supposed to be discreet, but my dad wasn’t an idiot. And since he’d seen me and Declan together before, he probably tried to put together a whole bunch of
