Chapter 21

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Livy was at the end of her rope. She had lived her life the past week waiting for the other shoe to drop. Declan had had to go out of town on business once again, and she had been left on her own with the children. It had been fine the first few days, but then Gabriel had gotten into a fight at school, Ilsa had started cussing, which Maria thought was hilarious, and Maria had taken to chewing her food and then spitting it out on her plate.

The only saving grace had been that she had decided to quit her job early, and since they already knew about the kids it seemed there was no reason not to use that as the reason why she was quitting. The real reason was that she had been too nervous to return, she was worried about running into Velma, and she was also worried about Nelson and Hadley cornering her as well. She still attended classes, she was too close to the end of the semester not to, but she always made sure she was in a crowd as she moved across campus.

Declan had called the night before and said that there was an important party that he needed her to attend with him and he would fill her in when he returned home, and that was why she was in the condition she was in now.

Livy thought they had been doing so well that day, Gabriel had had a good day at school, Ilsa hadn't said a single cuss word, and she had been so pleased that Maria had eaten all of her dinner she had let her have a second helping of dessert. However, now Livy was wearing that dessert and trying not to throw up her own dinner.

She had managed, with the help of Raoul, to get all of the kids tucked into bed. Then she had rushed around like a mad woman as she got ready for her evening out with Declan. She had chosen a lovely wool dress that was off the shoulder. It was a striking red color, well it had been, until Maria had wandered into her room, with Isla close behind, saying her tummy hurt. Livy had pulled her close and checked her temperature which seemed fine, but then she had erupted like a volcano. Bright blue projectile vomit went everywhere, all over her clothes and shoes, and Livy was doing her best not to vomit herself.

She couldn't hug Maria, who looked stunned, and Ilsa had started screaming every cuss word she knew as he hopped from foot to foot, but Livy couldn't do a single thing as she fought back the nausea. Then Maria started howling because she thought Livy was mad at her and this brought Gabriel who, like Livy, felt the need to vomit at the sight and smell of vomit, but whereas Livy had been successful in holding it back, Gabriel had not been.

And this was exactly how Declan had found them when he finally returned home.

He took in the scene, looking stunned, his eyes swiveling to Livy, but when he saw her green color he reached for the trashcan and got it under her just in time, and he held her hair back as he told Ilsa, in a very firm and oh so Declan tone, that if he ever heard her cuss again she would be sorry.

"Is Aunt Livy mad at me?" Maria wailed.

"No sweetie. She just can't handle vomit, much like your brother there." Gabriel stood in the doorway looking a little green. "Gabriel, take your sisters back to their room and have them clean their faces, change their nightgowns, and brush their teeth, then you do the same. It looks like poor Aunt Livy took the worst of it."

At the reminder Livy threw up once more and he patiently waited for her to finish.

"Welcome home dear," she said sarcastically once she caught her breath, but she jumped up and ran into the bathroom as she smelled the sour stench of her and kids vomit once more.

Gabriel did as he was asked and took the girls out of the room.

Livy kicked off her shoes, peeled off her stockings, then stripped out of her dress before turning on the shower getting the water as hot as she could make it. She had finally stopped gagging when she heard a knock at the door.

"Livy!" Declan called.

"Yes!"

She heard the door open. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she said as she started to rinse her hair.

"Can you be ready to go in half an hour?" he asked, sounding closer than he had.

She was a little upset that he was still insisting that they go out after all of the drama. Three out of four of them had just puked their brains out and he wanted to go to a party.

"Please Livy, it's very important," he said softly from the other side of the curtain.

"I'll try, how are the kids though?"

"They're fine. Maria is as good as new, it must have been something she ate," Declan said.

Livy thought of the second dessert and held her tongue, knowing he was probably right.

"I'll take your clothes." She heard a rustling form the other side of the curtain then the door closed.

She finished bathing quickly, then jumped out of the shower reaching for her robe on the back of the door. When she exited the bathroom, it was to find Declan on his hands and knees with a fresh towel wiping away the last traces of vomit.

Livy shuddered, glad that she wasn't going to have to do it, and Declan looked at her and smiled, guessing her thoughts.

Moving to her closet she picked out another dress, this one was a pink wrap dress, it wasn't as nice as the other one but it would do.

She was about to step back into the bathroom to dress when she felt Declan's hand on her arm, stopping her.

"Just a minute Livy." He pushed her to sit on the bed before he moved to his jacket which was on the bed behind her. He reached into the pocket and pulled out a jeweler's box then he sat next to her and his weight caused the bed to tip and she tilted towards him, their shoulders touching.

He opened the box and she saw a beautiful ring set. It had diamonds and rubies and it was stunning. He took her left hand and slid the rings onto her finger.

"I'm sorry it took me so long."

She swallowed hard as she looked at her hand in his hand, his rings on her finger. She wished it was real, oh how she wished it was real.

"What's wrong Livy, don't you like them?"

"I do, they're beautiful," she cleared her throat.

He reached out and lifted her chin. "What is it Livy? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's been a rough week."

He tucked some of her wet hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here." He pulled her lip out from teeth. "It was quite the homecoming though, you couldn't have planned it better." He smiled gently.

"Who are you?" The words lept out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"What do you mean?" He traced her cheek.

"You're not the Declan I knew, sometimes I see him but not as much, like this insistence that we go to this party, even though we all just threw up. That's the old Declan, but the cleaning, the rings, the gentleness, who is that?"

He pulled her to him and kissed her softly. At first, she was passive but as his arms pulled her closer that changed and her arms wound around his neck. She forgot everything, her bad week, the party, all of it fled her mind as his hands and lips caressed her.

He broke the kiss and set her away from him. He was breathing as hard as was and he bowed his head taking a few deep and shaky breaths. "I would love nothing more than to skip this party and stay here with you tonight, but we have to go and we have to present a united front."

Livy felt her anger rise. "Why? Is that what the kiss was for, a little warm up session." She stood up, she was angry that he was able to pull away so easily from her. He had been able to stop the kiss and she had been lost. She was hurt and embarrassed that he hadn't been as affected by it as she was.

His eyes narrowed. "Now is not the time for one of your temper tantrums Livy."

"Temper tantrum! I'm hurt and mad and embarrassed Declan, I am not having a temper tantrum."

He looked at her confused. "Why?"

"Never mind, we're running out of time. "I'll be ready to go in half an hour." She assured him as she locked herself in the bathroom. She wanted to cry but there was no time.

Trust, Declan had said to trust him, and that's what she should do.

But she didn't understand why he had kissed her like he had, as if she mattered.

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