Hadley and Landon had arrived first and they were in the process of eyeing the house as they removed their coats when Dr. Taft arrived right behind them commenting on how nice the house was and how luck she was to live in such opulence. It was an odd comment, but when he smiled charmingly at her and insisted that she call him Nelson she forgot all about it.

They moved into the formal living room for drinks and after they had a few they had all loosened up enough that the conversation no longer felt stilted. Hadley had started reminiscing about some of the trouble that she and Livy had gotten into in high school, much to Livy's embarrassment, when they heard the front door slam closed.

Livy thought it was odd, Raoul only used the kitchen entrance and Ashley rarely came by the house, it was only when Declan requested something from his files in his study that she visited, and it was never after five o'clock.

Livy stood, prepared to greet Ashley, she really couldn't imagine who else it could be, when Declan appeared in the open doorway. Only, he wasn't a Declan she recognized. He was wearing faded and well-worn blue jeans, a black cable knit sweater, and massive work boots. His hair had grown uncontrollably curly and his thick beard hid the bottom half of his face. He looked massive and not a person anyone would want to mess with.

Livy and Declan stared at each other in silence. Eventually, his eyes drifted away from her and towards the other three people sitting behind her, but still, neither one said a word. Livy wasn't sure what she should say, she was shocked he was even there. He wasn't due back for another two months.

She felt a sudden panic, had something terrible happened? The thought plunged her back into the past when she had arrived home from a day out and been greeted by Declan with the news that her Father had passed away while she had been out. She knew he thought badly of her for not being there, and she had always felt terribly guilty about it. It was one of the biggest regrets of her life.

Closing her eyes, she sunk into the chair behind her, unable to hide her pallor. Fortunately, her back was towards the other three so she was able to take her time and regain her composure as best she could. When she opened her eyes, Declan was watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"Livy, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" Hadley asked in a chipper voice.

Swallowing hard, Livy forced a smile. "Sure, Declan Brooks this is Hadley Linton, Landon Nixon, and Dr. Nelson Taft. Hadley, Landon, and Nelson, this is Declan." She was unsure how she should present him, was he her boyfriend, fiancée, friend, she couldn't decide so she didn't say.

Declan stepped further into the room crossing his arms, still not saying a word.

"How exactly do you and Livy know each other?" Nelson asked, looking between the two of them. But his question wasn't answered because Raoul entered suddenly.

He was just as stunned as Livy was but, while she seemed to be having trouble accepting his sudden appearance, Raoul adjusted quickly, speaking rapid Spanish which Declan answered just as rapidly.

"One more for dinner, excellent," Raoul said in English before hurrying away to adjust dinner accordingly.

"Don't mind me," Declan insisted as he walked over to the drink cart to pour himself a glass before sitting down in the chair opposite Livy.

The room's atmosphere changed dramatically, and the conversation once again became stilted.

"How are you enjoying the Interior Decorating course Livy?" Hadley asked, her eyes glued to Declan.

"It's interesting, but I'm not sure it's what I want to pursue this time around."

Hadley nodded and smiled. "You have some time to decide, don't you?"

"I do." Declan was staring at Livy as she nodded looking down at her hands. Thankfully, Declan's phone rang and he looked at it before breaking away and moving out into the hall to take the call.

"Who is he?" Hadley whispered as soon as he was out of the room.

"What do you care?" Nelson asked Hadley with frown.

"Do you want Nelson and I to ask him to leave?" Landon asked, looking pale at the thought. It was obvious to Livy that the others thought he wasn't wanted, that he didn't belong.

She shook her head but didn't get a chance to respond as Raoul entered and told them that dinner was served. Livy stood and led the way across the hall, passing Declan, who was still on the phone.

They had all settled in when Declan joined them a short time later. He made the large room feel crowded as he took the head of the table. It was his rightful place, but it was evident that the others thought he was being pushy.

He didn't speak as he fell to his meal like he hadn't eaten in a week, and the other's carried on a conversation while shooting him subdued glances.

"Declan, what do you do for a living?" Nelson asked. They had just been discussing why science was so important for the betterment of society, and their most recent research project which was top-secret, cutting edge, and going to make a massive impact in the field of medicine.

Livy had been bored by the conversation, but she had enjoyed watching and listening to Nelson, as he made his key points, whatever they were.

"This week I'm a merchant marine," he said leaning back in his chair and laying his napkin in his lap.

"And next week?" Nelson leaned forward, appearing to be very interested but there was a slight hint of condescension in tone.

Livy closed her eyes waiting for Declan to erupt but he didn't. When she looked at him he looked mildly amused by the man. It made Livy defensive on Nelson's behalf.

"Well, that all depends on Livy?" Declan turned to meet her eyes.

"How does it depend on Livy?" Hadley asked, looking from one to the other.

"It all depends on if she decides to keep me, doesn't it?"

Livy felt her anger start to rise. He was playing some sort of game and she wasn't sure what it was. If she kept him! She didn't have a choice and she had wanted to get married four months ago. But she couldn't say this in front of the others so instead she stood. "Should we move back to the living room for coffee?"

"No, thank you, Livy. I think Landon and I are going to go," Hadley said as she stood, looking at Landon, a secret message passing between them. Not for the first time, Livy wondered if there was something going on between them.

Declan looked down at his watch with a frown. "If you'll excuse me as well..." He rose as Raoul entered the dining room. There was another quick exchange in Spanish before he walked out, leaving the others in an awkward silence.

Livy saw the other two off before she asked Nelson once again if he would care to join her. Nelson readily agreed and followed her into the living room. Raoul was right behind them with coffee before he quickly disappeared once more.

Livy wished she could relax but she kept expecting Declan to return at any moment and it was making her uneasy.

"Who is this Declan?" Nelson asked sensing her mood.

"He was friends with my father, they used to work together. He's been helping me since his death." Livy explained doing her best to keep it simple.

"Your father owned a shipping company, right?" He sipped his coffee, watching her with a concerned look.

She nodded. "Yes, Declan has control of it now."

Nelson frowned. "Surely you should have control, if it was your father's business."

"I have no experience." Livy shrugged.

"And because this Declan is a merchant marine, he does?"

"It's more than that. It's complex and I really don't want to discuss it." She didn't. She had never wanted the business, and Declan had bought her father's shares fair and square, he owned the majority stock. Livy was to inherit the money that he had paid for the company. It was all handled before her father's death, and it had never bothered Livy.

"Just promise me you aren't in some kind of trouble," Nelson said quickly, looking over his shoulder.

"No, nothing like that." Livy blushed. "Tell me more about this project of yours, when do you hope to have it finished?"

He began to talk in earnest about it, and had asked her to join him on the sofa while he drew something out for her on a pad that he pulled from his jacket pocket. They were sitting close together and his knee was brushing hers. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek as he bent closer to draw something out on the paper in front of him.

She turned to make a comment and his eyes caught hers. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" he asked as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her cheek. She was a little lost in his stare and the compliment. His touch was almost loving.

A throat cleared in the doorway and Livy looked up with a blush to see Raoul watching them with a haughty expression. "Miss Livy, do you have a moment." She heard disapproval in his voice.

She quicky stood, excusing herself before following him across the hall.

He held open the door to the study and Livy entered to find Declan standing behind his desk buttoning the cuffs on his dress shirt as he read something on the computer screen in front of him.

He had completely transformed from curly headed blue-collar worker to suave businessman once more. His hair had been trimmed and his beard shaved, and Livy was guessing that Raoul had a hand in it.

She walked into the room a little further as Raoul closed the door and she stood with a chair between her and Declan for protection, convinced that he was about to read her the riot act. She continued to get more and more nervous until he shut his laptop, making her jump.

His grey eyes took in her appearance as he reached for his tie.

"You look lovely Livy, how are you?"

Livy's mouth dropped open as he turned to look in the mirror over the fireplace so that he could tie his tie. She had expected to be reamed for the earlier scene in the dining room.

"I-I'm fine Declan. What are you doing back so soon?"

"Did I ruin your party?" he sounded amused and, as usual, his offhanded comment angered her.

"If I had known you were coming I would have-"

"Kept your boyfriend a secret? I did notice a sudden pallor at being caught out."

She clenched her jaw at the words he was putting into her mouth. That was not why she was upset, but if she told him the truth it would only bring back a horrible memory for both of them.

"What have you been up to, by your friends earlier comment I take it you're going back to school?"

"Yes, but I'm sure Theodora told you all about that," she hissed. The man could make her spitting mad in less than an instant, no one else in her life had ever been able to do that. Why did he always put her on the defensive?

"No, why should she?" He finished his tie and turned back towards her as he reached for his suit jacket.

"Because you asked her to keep an eye on me."

"Sure, but not to report back to me; only to be a friend if you needed one."

She couldn't believe he had admitted it.

"I don't need her as a friend, I have my own, thank you."

He looked at her as if he was debating saying something, but in the end, whatever it was, he changed his mind.

"Just so long as you only keep it on the friendship level."

"What's that mean?"

"It means that soon you will be my fiancée, and it was agreed that we would make this marriage look as real as possible, something that won't be possible if you take a lover just before we announce our engagement."

"How dare...of all the...I never agreed-" she sputtered in her anger, unable to form a cohesive sentence. She could feel her blood pressure shoot through the roof as she gripped the chair.

There was a sudden knock at the door and Garrett Reed walked in, looking at his watch. "Are you ready-" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Livy staring down Declan.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"No, I was just leaving," Livy said before she flounced out the door, slamming it behind her. She took a few deep calming breaths before she rejoined Nelson in the living room. If her smile was a bit forced he didn't seem to notice.

She sat down next to Nelson and in her anger and frustration began to gab about nothing in particular while he made murmuring noises of agreement. It took a few minutes but eventually she calmed down enough to let him get a few words in as well, and they were in the process of discussing her degree choices when Garrett walked in plopping into a chair.

"I seem to be in all the wrong places at all the wrong times this evening, don't I?" He smiled at Livy, enjoying his own joke at her expense. She looked at the handsome dark-haired man as he sat before her looking intrigued by her current situation.

She had meet Garrett a few times in the past, he had been friends with her father and Declan so they had often attended the same functions which meant there was no need for introductions, at least between her and Garrett.

"Garrett Reed this is Dr. Nelson Taft. Nelson this is a family friend Garrett."

Garrett leaned forward and shook the man's hand, which was more than Declan had done. At least Garrett had some manners.

"It's good to see you back home Livy. We should all go out to dinner one night, you haven't met my wife yet, have you?"

Before Livy could answer Declan walked into the room his brief case in hand.

"Are you ready Garrett?" He looked from Livy to Nelson with a bored expression. "Livy will you see us out please?"

Livy followed them to the door watching as Garrett walked ahead to a waiting car.

"I have to go to London, there is a situation that has to be dealt with, it came up unexpectedly and that's why I wasn't able to give you warning about my return." He handed his bag to the driver who had approached them and he took it to the car.

Livy noted for the first time, the strain around his eyes. Whatever was going on must be serious, and she felt like a heel for giving him a hard time.

"I'm glad that you went back to school and I am happy that you're making friends, but keep in mind what I said. I don't care about your past I only care about the present, and I need to know that you'll take this marriage seriously for as long as it lasts, so please think about whether you'll be able to do that." He looked at her one last time before he joined Garrett in the car and it slowly pulled away from the curb.

She rubbed her face. Once again, he had made her feel like a child, like she was in the wrong for her behavior. She vowed there and then that in all of her future dealings with Declan she would remain cool and in control. She really wasn't as immature as he made her feel, at least she hoped she wasn't.