You Sang To Me - I'm Not Broken Hearted Trilogy, Book 3

Chapter 4 - Allie

                  

When we arrived home that night, Patrick went straight down to his studio, closing the door behind him without a word. Declan settled on the couch in the living room with his phone, probably texting Ruby. I knew neither of them wanted to be bothered, so I went to my bedroom to change my clothes. I pulled on  pair of pajama pants and one of Patrick's old button-down shirts, then pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I pulled out my laptop and settled into bed with it, typing away at my book. About an hour passed like that, the entire house silent, except for the gentle vibration of the wood floors, the only indicator that Patrick was playing music downstairs.

            Finally, my half-closed bedroom door slowly creaked open. Looking up, I found my son standing in the doorway, a look on his face that rivaled his father's puppy dog eyes. It was remarkable how much he looked like Patrick, really. The only difference being that he didn't have sideburns like his father did at his age. "Mom?" He said, stepping cautiously into the room, his hand still on the doorknob.

            "Yeah, baby?" I said, finishing a sentence I had been typing. I looked up at Declan, and he was still standing in the doorway, looking at the floor like he couldn't find the words he wanted to say. "Dec," I whispered, sliding my computer to the side, "Come here."

            As if he were still just a child and not the eighteen-year-old that he actually was, Declan clambered up on the bed and sat beside me, leaning slightly against my side. He looked down at his hands, absently picking the dirt out of his fingernails. "I'm worried about Rose, mom," he mumbled.

            "I know, sweetheart," I whispered, rubbing my hand up and down his back. "She's just growing up, that's all. She'll be fine."

            "Yeah," Declan sighed, as if he wanted to say something else, but instead, he just leaned his head against my shoulder. For a moment, I just sat there and ran my fingers through his hair. His hair was just like his dad's, the same color and everything, but Patrick's was much thinner now that he was getting older.

            "Dec?" I finally asked after a few minutes.

            "Hmm?"

            "Do you know how much money Rose took from you?"

            Declan sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. About a hundred, I think. It's not important."

            "You don't want the money back?"

            "Nah," Declan sighed. "She's my sister. If she had asked, I would have given it to her."

            "Even if you knew what she was going to use it for?"

            "Well, maybe not then. But she would just steal it anyways, like she did." He laughed softly, finally lifting his head. "Hey mom?"

            "Yeah, baby?"

            "Can Ruby come over tomorrow?"

            I smirked and ran my fingers through his hair again. "Of course, baby. Just make sure it's okay with Uncle Joe."

            "Oh my God," Declan said, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Uncle Joe was all over me earlier!"

            "Well it's his daughter," I chuckled, "What did you expect? You know how your father is with Rose. It's the same thing."

            "I know," he whined, drawing out the vowel in the word. "That's why we hang out here more often. Nobody bothers us here."

            "Except your sister," I teased, playfully nudging my son as he laughed with me. I glanced at the clock, noticing that it was already close to midnight. "Why don't you go get some sleep, Dec? It's getting late."