I know I said there was going to be a hospital visit, but the Declan flashbacks kind of took over this chapter, on the plus side we get a look at Adam and Declan's bromance.
"So what was that, I was expecting more than just a kick to the groin followed by a… hug?" Holly J hadn't been able to fully process what exactly had happened back at Adam's, Fiona continued to look out the window but she was confused about what had happened too. One minute she hates him with every fiber of her being and the next thing she knows she can't help but to hug him for how sincere he sounded, something he said had stuck to her.
I didn't mean to propose and especially not with our ring…
"I don't know what happened back there, his apology was just so real that I couldn't be mad anymore, its that I think maybe I haven't gotten over him seeing him brought back some feelings that I have been trying to ignore for three years. I thought that if I just completely threw myself into our business that I'd just forget, but I couldn't…I haven't been able to." Fiona braced herself for whatever Holly J was about to yell at her, but was surprised to see Holly J had a sad smile on her face.
"Fi I know you, don't you think that I heard you all those nights that you cried yourself to sleep, or that I noticed that sometimes you had the saddest look on your face every time someone who barely resembled Adam passed by. Why do you think that I never told you anything about Adam even though I've always known exactly what he was doing because of Anya. You're my best friend and business partner there's nothing you could say that would surprise me." Fiona had tears in her eyes and the two girls hugged.
"I want to get him back" Fiona felt Holly J stiffen and they looked at one another and laughed.
"I stand corrected, apparently you can still surprise me…but how exactly do you plan on doing that they are engaged and I think he loves her" Fiona grinned "Yeah but did you not hear his speech, he said that he didn't mean to propose and he's going to have to tell her about the ring" Holly J raised her right eyebrow and just nodded.
"That doesn't mean he doesn't love her, for all you know they're going to get over this, and then what are you gonna do break them up…" Holly J looked at the expression on her friends face.
"Oh my god you would totally be a home wrecker wouldn't you?" Fiona just shrugged as they arrived at there hotel.
"And how is my favorite redhead?"
"Hey Declan, I'm doing good, how is my favorite little brunette?"
"She's fine she just misses her mommy"
"Well just kiss her every day for me, and tell her we'll be back soon"
"Of course I do that anyway. What's wrong?"
"I'm just worried about your sister"
"Why? do I need to catch the next flight to San Diego?"
"No, nothing that serious it's just that we ran into Adam today.."
"Oh…how did she take it"
"Well she kicked him in the groin"
Declan audibly took in a painful breath "Ooooh that had to hurt, but why such an outburst I mean it's been three years?"
"We found out that he proposed to Anya with Fiona's ring"
"Oh Adam the stupid things you do, he hasn't told me anything about this new development"
"Why would he tell you anything, you guys haven't spoken in years"
Declan stayed quiet for a second
"Actually you guys haven't spoken to him in years, we have been keeping in touch "
"WHAT! How did I not know this Declan, I'm your wife, and if your sister knew…"
"Exactly this is why I didn't tell you guys anything you guys would act like it was WWIII, but hey look at it from my perspective, will you listen to me."
"Okay, okay what is your reasoning for staying in touch with Adam."
"I have a sister, wife, daughter, mother, and a lot of fake guy friends. Adam has always been completely real with me, he was almost my brother and in many ways he is my brother regardless of his and Fiona's relationship status, he keeps me sane. To tell you the truth he's the reason I was finally able to propose to you."
It was Holly J's turn to stay silent, because Declan definitely needed Adam's friendship, and she understood why he wouldn't want to cut him out of his life.
"Okay I understand, I had no idea that he helped with the proposal though, care to explain"
"Alright, it was about a year after the break up and we had been arguing about whether or not our relationship was going to go anywhere and to be honest I was considering just telling you that I didn't know and that maybe we should take a break."
"Okay now I have to hear this story"
Declan paced around the room wondering if he should actually propose or just let Holly J go, the part of him that was scared as hell of any kind of real commitment yelled at him to just break-up with Holly J. But the part of him that couldn't bare to lose her was whispering do it, do it, just do it. He didn't know what to do so he dialed Adam's number. Finally in a groggy voice Adam picked up.
"Declan? Do you have any idea what time it is, we have a 9 hour difference bro, it's 4 am here in San Diego."
"Sorry man but I really need your help with something, do you mind" Adam could hear the desperation in Declan's voice.
"No, but hang on I have to go to the bathroom"
"Fine, hurry up" Adam got up from his bed and into the bathroom, Declan began to hear what he thought was water running, but then he heard a flush and the faucet being turned on, then Adam put the phone to his ear again.
"Adam, did you take the phone with you to the bathroom?"
"What oh yeah I forgot to put it on the night stand"
"Adam swear to god if you had the phone next your junk as you peed I might just hurl" Adam chuckled.
"Relax I put the phone down on the sink, so what's so important that you interrupted my beauty sleep"
"Sorry I know how much you need it" Declan said with a smirk on his face.
"Ha Ha Ha, very funny but no seriously what's up?"
"Okay so you know how me and Holly J have been arguing on where our relationship is headed"
"Yeah, sure so what you want me to tell you what to do?"
"Kind of, because right now the part of me that wants to be free is yelling at me to break-up with her, what should I do listen to it"
"You are in idiot"
"Thanks man, I appreciate the kind words"
"Come on D this is so easy."
"If it's so easy why can't I figure it out on my own"
"Just answer me one question with complete honesty, and then we'll go from there"
"Alright shoot, what"
"When you see yourself in a house with a white picket fence a yard in the back and little kids running around whose there standing next to you?"
Declan closed his eyes and imagined it, he took a deep breath and he knew what he was going to do.
"You just imagined it didn't you?"
"Yeah I did, thanks I owe you"
"Don't worry about it, I'll call you later. My last piece of advice do it tonight while you still have that image fresh in your mind"
"Alright will do."
That night Declan had a whole romantic dinner set up and proposed to Holly J, she wasn't sure whether he was doing it because he loved her or because he just didn't want to let her go.
"Declan, why?"
"Why? What?"
"Why do you want to marry, answer me honestly."
"Because when I look at you, I see a house with a white picket fence, and our kids running around the backyard, that's why I want to marry you. Because I see a future that doesn't scare me." Hours later when they had celebrated and had been sleeping all of two hours Declan's phone went off, he quickly picked it up before Holly J could wake up and went to the living room to answer.
"Is this payback or something? It's four in the morning Adam"
"Hey you wake me up at four in the morning, I get to wake you up at four in the morning. So how'd it go did you propose?"
"Yes I did propose, and she said yes I'm getting married man, and if you don't mind I borrowed the white picket fence thing"
"Congratulations, I'm glad it worked out for you, no not at all it was right for you to use it"
"I would love it if you could be my best man, I mean this happened because of you" both Adam and Declan stayed quiet because they knew that, that couldn't happen.
"You know that I would be honored, but I can't look at your sister without it tearing me up inside." Declan sighed, and nodded his head, he knew it was a long shot.
"Okay I understand, but just know that no matter who ends up standing next to me you are my real best man"
"Of course, no one could take my place, I'm too awesome" they both laughed as they felt the tension disappear.
"Alright I'll let you go sleep next to your soon to be wife, good night bro"
"Ha okay good morning to you brother."
"I guess I owe Adam my marriage. Declan if you wanted Adam to be your best man we could have found a way to break the news to your sister and keep the peace" Holly J had no idea how much she owed Adam, to be honest she had hated him for breaking her best friends heart, but it hurt him just as much to do it.
"That's exactly what I told Adam, but he said no that he didn't want to make Fiona uncomfortable, but don't be too upset remember a week before our wedding and how I took a business trip to San Diego"
"Yeah what about it?"
"Well the business trip wasn't so much a business trip as a bachelor party thrown by my real best man, I'd tell you that story but I don't really remember much"
"Well at lest you had that, anything else I should know about your bachelor party" Declan thought hard and wondered if he should tell her.
"There is one thing but it isn't about me, it's about Adam"
"Okay well what is it"
"The whole night is kind of a blur but this moment stands out because it was so early or late depending on how you look at it that I was starting to sober up."
Adam, Drew, Eli, and Declan could barely walk in a straight line but they were determined to not take a cab because in there current state they'd probably over pay the taxi driver.
"Adam what are we doing outside of a tattoo parlor" Drew managed to say with a huge smile on his face. Declan and Eli both looked up and they were in fact standing underneath an arrow that led to a tattoo parlor.
"I thought we could get matching tattoos, to end an awesome night." All of them looked liked they were going to say hell no in unison but before they could they were being pushed in by Adam. Declan thought of just leaving but decided why the hell not, he glanced at the other two and they just shrugged with the same look on their face.
"Alright Adam you convinced us, what exactly are we getting" Eli the less drunk one of them asked.
"I dunno but our names should be in it" Adam couldn't stop slurring he took more shots than all the others.
"That sounds kind of gay, I think our girlfriends are going to wonder why we have guy's names tattooed on our bodies" Drew said then laughed at his own statement.
"No, idiot our initials A.D.E.D."
"Oh okay but what?" Eli asked.
"I dunno, Declan any thoughts this is your bachelor party after all." Declan thought about it then looked at the wall to see if anything popped out at him.
"What about a four leaf clover" they all nodded in agreement and got four leaf clovers with A D E D in the leaves tattooed on their wrists.
"So that's what the A.D.E.D stands for, I thought you said you didn't remember?"
"I remembered but I couldn't tell you what it meant without telling you everything that led to the tattoo"
"I don't see how that was about Adam"
"Well you didn't let me finish, we all got the one tattoo but Adam was definitely drunker than all of us and he got a second tattoo"
"Okay so what was this mysterious tattoo."
"He got a heart with two crowns and in the heart the letters F.C. the heart is on the left side of his chest over his actual heart"
"Oh wow, do those letters mean…"
"Yup, he told us as he was getting it but later when we were all sober and asked him about it again he said that it meant Forever Crowned, but I was plenty sober after I got mine, and I clearly heard him tell the tattoo guy to write Fiona Coyne but I convinced him to make it F.C. because at the time he was dating Anya for about 6 months."
"This is definitely huge news, so is he over Fiona?"
"I don't really know he says he is but there's always hesitation in his voice when he says it." They were both silent as Holly J tried to take in everything he said.
"What the hell does forever crowned mean?"
"Ha we asked him the same thing, and being the cocky guy he is he said it meant he was King" they both laughed.
Hey guys I thought I'd have a somewhat lighter chapter because there is too much drama. So what do you think about the situation now? Get ready the Adam v. Anya confession is coming up next.