Page 66 of #Lovestrong

Declan

For me, spending today out on the boat for Lena's birthday has been wonderful. I really hope she's enjoyed it as much as I have. My dad got a ton of food and we've spent the day on the lake, fishing and having fun. My mom is hiding a cake for Lena too. I'm pretty sure she's getting ready to do that, and then we're giving Lena her presents, which I'm excited for but also a tad nervous. I've never been one to ask my parents for money for anything outside school and sports.

I worked for three summers to save up enough money to put the down payment on my car and as a Christmas gift, my father leased it, but I use all the spare money I make doing odds and ends around town to pay the car payment, insurance, and keep gas in the thing. What little my parents help me with is because I've never dropped below an A average in school.

Darcy is the one who uses their money like they owe it to her. She's lucky if she keeps a C average, and that's also why she doesn't have a car. My parents may let her blow money on everything else, but when we were sixteen, I overheard my father say he wouldn't give Darcy something she could easily kill others with. She's never taken the initiative to make money, so my father's never coughed up the money to buy her a car. I don't blame him. The day Darcy starts driving is the day I take my happy ass off the road.

Mr. Harrison is sitting in a folding chair with my dad at the back of the boat. Both of them have lines in the water, just chatting it up. I'm glad they seem to be getting along. Lena is sitting on the floor next to her dad with her feet in the water, leaning back on her hands, content as can be.

She's so beautiful. I've tried to be less attached with her dad here. I don't want to upset him or piss him off in any way. I'm pretty sure that man could crush my entire skull in one hand. Despite Mrs. Deb's comment about her son being a teddy bear, he still kinda terrifies me.

"Let's have everyone come inside for a minute," Mom says, trying to hide the excitement in her tone.

I turn and smile at her. She's hopeless at surprises sometimes. My dad and Mr. Harrison get up and go through the doorway first, and before Lena follows them, I grab her arm and pull her toward me. Her body is flush against mine and makes me perk up in all the wrong places, especially given we're out with our parents.

Running my fingers through her hair as I tuck it behind her ear, she sighs and leans into my hand. "Happy Birthday, baby. I love you."

When my lips touch hers, everything in me ignites and intensifies as she runs her hands up my chest and wraps her arms around the back of my neck. "Love you too."

She grins as she lets go of me and takes my hand in hers. Walking into the cabin, she stops short and gasps. I step up behind her and snake my arm around her waist, kissing the back of her head. On the table is a two-tier round cake made to look like a soccer field topped with a soccer ball. ‘Happy Birthday, Lena’is written in cursive across the top with candles blazing around the outside.

Everyone breaks into the birthday song and I peek around at Lena's face. She's got tears in her eyes and her face is a deep red. It's cute when she's embarrassed. As the song finishes, Lena closes her eyes before bending at the waist to blow out her candles. Her rear-end presses right into my crotch and I have to stop myself from grabbing her waist and pulling her against me harder. This girl is going to make me spontaneously combust from sexual frustration.

I love it though. And her.

After everyone eats cake, I guide Lena out to the patio and sit her in a chair right in the middle. Everyone comes out and I sit in a chair next to her. Jackson and Candice sit on the ground next to me, while my dad and Mr. Harrison sit in chairs across from us. My mom, with an excited pep in her step, starts bringing out gifts from the cabin.

Lena's jaw drops as she stares up at my mom. "Oh my gosh, this is so unnecessary."

"Shush. Let me have my fun." My mom hands her a decent-sized box and then walks over to sit on my dad's lap.

My parents have been together twenty-five years, and while their marriage hasn't always been perfect, they've always worked through everything. That's what I want with Lena. I can't take my eyes off her as she works her way through her gifts.

She opens a card from my parents and squeals. "Oh my gosh! Is this for real? You're paying for us to visit the University?"

My eyes widen as I slowly turn to look at my dad, who is smiling. "Well, Carrigan mentioned you and Candice were talking about the open house they are having in May. I thought it’d be a good idea for all of you to go check it out."

Lena gets up and hugs both my parents with a mega-watt smile on her face. Before she sits down, she and Candice hug and jump up and down with an excited scream. Jackson and I look at each other and roll our eyes as we chuckle. Those two are too funny together, but secretly, I'm looking forward to going away with her.

As she sits back in her chair, I lean forward to pull a thin, rectangular box out of my back pocket and hold it out to her. She looks from the box to me, and for the first time, my face gets warm. Gently, she takes the box from me and slides the red ribbon from around it.

When she opens it, her breath catches. "Declan. It's beautiful."

I stand and walk behind her as she pulls the necklace from the box. The moment I saw it in the store when my dad and I were shopping, I knew it was made for her. I take it from her hands, and she lifts her hair as I clasp it around her neck.

The white gold chain is long and lets the diamond-encrusted cross hang down between her breasts. She takes it in her fingers and stares at it for a moment before tilting her head back to look at me. "Thank you."

I lean over her and give her a soft upside down kiss. "I'm glad you like it." I stand up enough to look in her eyes and my heart melts when she reaches up to touch the side of my face.

"I love it."