Sage always poked fun at herself, or — Declan felt aware of all the times that she poked fun at herself. He wanted to correct her, because the chicken was certainly more edible than anything he made himself, but was too conflict-averse to try to bother her.

He had to swallow more of the chicken and vegetables before answering her. "I know," he said, because he did feel confident that he was welcome at the Whitby household at any time. "But I'll head home tonight." He always went back. It was important to check in on Kenna — and he wasn't actually part of the Whitby family.