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it’s obvious that he has really taken ownership of the company and is beginning to make something of it. For some backwards reason this fills my heart with pride. Not because my father had been right, but because Declan had upheld his end of the bargain.
    Declan leads me through a few hallways until we come to two closed, oak doors. He gives me a sly grin as he pushes them open, revealing the most gorgeous office I’ve ever seen.
    “Wow,” I say, looking around the spacious interior.
    The carpeting is plush and soft and there is even enough room for a pool table in the corner. One wall houses a floor-to-ceiling bookcase with a ladder that extends all the way to the top.
    I grin and nod at the pool table.
    “Got a lot of free time around here?” I tease.
    He gives me an embarrassed grin. I can’t help but see that boyish look in his face, it’s the same look I remember from when I was in high school. The same look that always managed to drive me wild.
    “It helps me clear my head when I’ve got an important decision to make.”
    He shows me to his huge, oak desk and gestures to one of the leather chairs sitting in front of it. I take a seat as he sweeps around to the other side. He unbuttons his suit jacket before falling into his leather chair, and I can’t help but notice his trim waistline. He looks like he belongs on the cover of GQ .
    “How are you getting settled into the new place?” he asks.
    “It’s a work in progress,” I say. “But I didn’t bring much from school.”
    His crystal blue eyes glint as he gives me a knowing smile.
    “I bet things are a lot different now that your trust has kicked in.”
    Heat tinges my cheeks, despite the sinking feeling I get every time I think about the money I’ve been using to support myself over the last few years.
    “It’s nice, but it doesn’t define me.”
    Declan drums his fingertips on the desk, his cufflinks are bright gold, expensive.
    “Still, it must be comforting to know that you’ve got a seven figure safety net.”
    I frown as my gut twists itself into an even tighter knot. He’s referring to the trust my father setup all those years ago. He made sure that I would be taken care of, but there were strings attached to it. I had enough money to go to college and to live on modestly. But now that I had graduated I had access to the full amount. It’s how I can afford my swanky apartment, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t consider donating every last penny of it to some charity.
    “I try not to think about it,” I say, honestly. My chest rises and falls with the few deep breaths I take. “Just because I don’t have to work doesn’t mean there aren’t things I want to accomplish for myself. I want to be a part of something. I want to make something of myself.”
    Declan fixes me with that glinting, bright stare of his. His lips pull into a thin smile.
    “I see a lot of him in the woman you’ve become. He would be proud of you.”
    My heart leaps and pulses. “Thanks,” I manage, softly.
    I’d forgotten what it’s like to be around someone that knows me so well. I don’t have to pretend. I don’t have to explain. Declan understands what I’ve been through, and he understands what is important to me. It’s a little thing, a simple thing, but as far as my life has gone the last few years it means the world to me.
    He smiles at me for a few moments while my heart tries its hardest to beat a way straight out of my chest.
    “You lucked out this morning,” he says, finally. “You came dangerously close to missing the big surprise I had prepared for you.”
    My brow perks up as a slight jittery sensation rushes through me. I had totally forgotten that he’d planned something for my first day.
    “What is it?” I ask, excitedly.
    He grins at me while he makes me wait in anticipation before answering.
    “Europe,” is all he says.
    He waits a moment to let the word sink in, and when it does my heart redoubles its