all fours and give a quick shake. Max came a little closer, and Declan put his hand down, ready to snag him if he jumped.
“Hello, handsome,” Max said. “That’s quite a face you have. And a tail. And a body.”
In response, the dog whipped his fluffy tail, making them all laugh.
“He needs a name as striking as he is,” Max said. He put his hands on his slender hips and leaned forward, holding the dog’s gaze. “You shall be Judah. That’s the Hebrew form of Thaddeus, if I’m not mistaken. My grandmother Amelia had a big black dog named Judah when I was a little boy, and I loved him.”
“Judah.” Declan nodded. “It suits him.”
“Judah it is,” Evie said, giving her grandfather a gentle hug. “Now can I take you back upstairs and bring you some food?”
“Declan can walk me up,” he said. “I’d like a private word with him, if you don’t mind.”
She looked a little surprised at the request, but Declan crooked his arm toward Max.
“It would be my pleasure, sir.”
They turned to the stairs and paused at the bottom of the mountain of red. As long as he could remember, the carpet on these steps had been ruby red. Kind of garish, but it suited the house.
“Slow and easy, son,” Max said. “Nineteen steps.”
“With a squeak and a nickel.”
He smiled as they made their way up, taking their time, but not talking until they reached the top. When they did, Declan turned and looked down at Evie, who was sitting on the floor, petting Lus—Judah—who’d gotten back onto the bed.
She leaned back and looked up at Declan, her eyes bright even from the floor-to-ceiling distance. “You okay?” she mouthed.
Maybe she meant with the job of trudging Max up the stairs, or maybe she was wondering about all the emotions of being in the house. Didn’t matter. She just…got him. And that made him way more than okay.
He nodded and added a wink, then lost sight of her as they headed down the hall.
“I am not going to lie,” Max said as they got closer to the bedroom. “I was dumbstruck when Evie called to say you were coming here.”
Declan was quiet for a moment, not sure how he was supposed to respond to that.
“But then, Finola told me. She said it could happen.”
He slowed his step as they reached the doorway. “Finola? My grandmother?”
“Yes, she was here yesterday.”
Gramma Finnie had been here? While Declan processed that, Max released his grip on Declan’s arm and crossed the room to a massive four-poster, taking off his slippers and easing his body onto the bed.
“She’s a fine-looking woman, that Finnie Kilcannon.”
Declan gave a quick laugh. “She’s…something.” Including a little deceptive. He’d handed her a bag of croissants a few hours ago and told her that Evie was coming to see the dog. She’d never said a word about being here yesterday.
Of course she’d understand all the emotions of this house, but it was unlike his grandmother not to at least offer up her best Irish saying to fit the situation. Instead, she’d shared a few secret looks with her partner-in-crime, Yiayia.
What the hell was she up to? Sending him to the bakery and…
“So, let me guess,” Declan said as it all started to make sense. “You and my grandmother both had a sudden need for raspberry croissants at exactly the same time this morning.”
He lifted his gray brows and took his time getting situated in the bed. “And what if we did?”
Declan smiled, helping him pull up the covers as he fell back on a few propped-up pillows. “Then I’d say you were both very…optimistic.”
“What else is there when you’re staring down the barrel of one hundred years old?”
There’s minding your own business. But he didn’t have the heart to say that. “Well, I’m not exactly sure what you think will come of this, but—”
“A baby.”
Declan jerked back. “Excuse me?”
“A baby could come of this.”
“A…” He couldn’t even say the word.
“Oh, I know Finnie wants hearts, flowers, and a big ol’ wedding, and that’s fine…or not. But there is one thing my granddaughter needs, and only one thing to make her—and me, if I have to be honest—happy.”
A baby? Declan stared at the old man.
“Good idea, huh?” Max gave a grin, obviously misinterpreting Declan’s stunned response. “You could do that, right?”
He didn’t even take the time to let that idea settle, instead deciding to explain something to the old man. “I know this might seem like science-fiction to you, sir,