Hey guys. I am SO SORRY about leaving you guys high and dry. I was trying hard to find an editor for my story, but you know how it is sometimes, life just keeps you busy. So I've decided to just submit this one in as it is. You'll find some typos and errors, but like I said, it's hard to find an editor with time to spare.
I do want to thank you guys for your great comments and support. I have really been taking them to heart. Hopefully this chapter will hold you over until the next installment.
I would like to warn some of you that there is one part in the story that might seem strange to you. Declan, at one point, talks about one of his former love interests that is extremely young for him. In the Traveler culture, girls tend to marry young with older husbands (although probably not as old as Declan). However, I will say that nothing sexual has happened between them and nothing is hinted about it either in later chapters. I repeat, NOTHING sexual happened.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it. Keep the comments coming, there like crack to me. Chapter four is coming soon!
Declan was sitting on the couch with his father, watching the game on TV. The twins were occupying themselves, Joanne with her dolls and Patrick with his monster trucks. It had been a couple days since he had really spent any quality time with his family. Seeing how hard he had been working, Fergus had given him the next two days off to just relax. Sitting at home on the couch, Declan was doing just that.
"Oy, Margret," his father yelled toward the kitchen, "could ya grab a couple of cold ones for me and Declan over har."
Declan heard a door open and close before he saw his mother walk around the couch with two beers in her hand.
"I swear, I married one lazy man and raised another." She jokingly smiled at them.
"Eh, but you love us all da same." He reached for the beer in his mother's hand.
"Well, of course I do." She walked over and handed her husband the beer before sitting on the arm of the couch. "I got ta be loved and taken care of by two of da best men in the world." Margret rapped one of her arms around Ducky's broad shoulders.
Declan had those same shoulders, broad and powerful. He and his father were pretty much built the same way, tall and heavily built. Upon first seeing them, most people thought he and his dad were exact replicas of each other. But once you got past Ducky's swollen boxer face, you wouldn't see much of a resemblance. Declan looked more like his mother in that regard. Both of them shared the same high cheek bones and green eyes. His mother was a real beauty, even though age had begun to creep up on her. Declan could start to see a bit of grey growing on the sides of her black hair.
"How's the game?" She asked.
"Uhh," Ducky grumbled. "It's the kids these days. None of them know how to play. Patrick could do better than they can."
Hearing his name, Patrick lifted his head and gave them his toothless grin. "I'd beat them all, too."
Ducky clapped his hands and laughed at his eight year old son. "I bet you would, my boy. I bet you would."
"Don't encourage him like dat." Margret playfully hit her husband's shoulder. "I already have one boy ta worry about." She said, inclining her head towards Declan.
"Oh you ain't got no'ting to worry about. We were just talking about sports. That aint no'ting compared to being in the ring. Declan's tough as nails when it comes to fighting. That's pure talent he's got. That thar is what's gona take him to the Championships, and I'm gona be sitting here watching him on TV and cheering him on when it happens."
"I've got ta make it past the semi-finals first, dad."
"You will. I know you will." Ducky lightly patted his wife on the ass. "Why don't you go whip us up a couple of sandwiches for us?"
"Of course dear." Leaning down, she kissed her husband sweetly on the mouth before standing and heading toward the kitchen. Declan smiled as he watched her walk away. He had always admired the simple love his parents had had.
Unconsciously, his hand began fingering the phone next to his knee. It had been about a week and a half since he had last seen Cheyanne at the café. They had exchanged numbers before they parted ways, each promising they'd contact the other when enough time became available. Three days past, then another, then seven, and here it is, a Tuesday, eleven days later without even a word from the other.
Declan wasn't really bothered by the lack of communication between the two of them. They had each agreed to contact the other when enough time had cleared up on their schedule to hang out. Their agreement did not require that they text or call one another in between that time. No one needed to check up and see how the other was doing. No sir that was not the type of relationship they had. Then again, if that wasn't the type of relationship they had, what did they have?
Declan quickly scolded himself for even thinking such a thing. They didn't have anything. She herself had even said that they shouldn't try to put a label on anything. So why was he sitting here getting all worked up about it. It's not like she was anything special. As far as he was concerned she was just some girl; some girl he had sat down and had lunch with, some girl who he had told more than one Traveler secret too. Damn it. None of these stupid thoughts had even bothered to occupy his mind until he saw his parents together. Why would seeing the two of them bring up thoughts about Cheyanne?
Turning his phone over, he clicked on an icon and opened up a new text message. His thumb hesitantly hovered over the first letter when Darcy decided to march into the front room.
"Hey daddy. Hey Dec." she plopped herself next to her brother. "How's the game?"
Declan looked at his eighteen year old sister and sighed. Just like him, Darcy favored there mother, relatively short and curvy. She did, however, have a longer face then the rest of the McCarthy children, a face that she got from her dad. Over the years she had gone from a skinny freckle faced girl to a full figured young woman, and the result scared him. Many boys had begun noticing her more, and Declan had had to chase off quite of few of them. Right now she was wearing a tight white tank top with lime green shorts.
"Fine."
"Who ya texting?" She casually leaned over and tried to get a better look.
Declan quickly locked his phone and shoved it in the front pocket of his jeans. "None of yar business."
Darcy huffed and flipped her black hair over her shoulder. "I was only asking."
"Like I said, it's none of yar business." He turned back to the TV. "Mom's in the kitchen, shouldn't you be helping her with something."
"Yes, but I have a question to ask you first." Angling her body towards him, she leaned in a little and placed her chin on his shoulder. "George Anne is gona have this big party for her sixteenth birthday and I was wondering if you'd be willing to come wit me."
"Isn't her birthday in February? Why are you asking me now?" he asked, still concentrating on the game.
"It is. She just wants to plan ahead so all the preparations can be done on time. She's planning to make it a Valentine's Day, winter wonderland theme. I'm helping her plan it, and it would really suck if I ended up not going to the party after putting some much work into it."
"What did Da say?" The only reason he asked was because most Traveler girls weren't allowed to go anywhere without having permission first. He didn't want to her to go to a party, only to find out later that she was forbidden to go. That would mean he'd be getting the brunt of the yelling.
"He said I'd be able to go as long as I had a chaperone, which is why I need you to take me. If you say no, I'll be missing out on the greatest party of the year."
"There will always be another party Darcy." He said simply.
"Oh, please Dec, just take me. I promise I won't bother yous once we get there. I'll even leave an extra hour early if ya get to bored, and afterwards you can take me back home and go anywhere you want."
"I can go anywhere I want regardless. You forget, I don'a live here anymore."
