Chapter 42
42
LAYLA
A rcher hands me the bouquet of red roses he just purchased from the florist then he brushes his lips across my cheek. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Belle.”
I’m strolling around the farmer’s market with Archer and Sky. All eyes follow us as I bury my nose in the rose petals and sigh. I’m blushing like a beefsteak tomato because I know that this little romantic moment between my fake beau and me will have the rumor mill churning for days.
“Belle?” I sigh wistfully, ruminating on the pet name Archer calls me.
“ Belle is French, you know? It means ‘beautiful’.” He’s obviously very proud of himself for that piece of trivia.
“Ooh. Look at you—my international Lover Man.”
When I say that, he freaking starts to blush. “Lover Man,” he scoffs. “Are you ever going to come up with a better nickname for me?”
I giggle. “Never. You love it. Your ears turn pink every time I call you that.”
“It’s you, Belle. You make me blush like a dorky teenaged fool. I admit it. Happy now?” He kisses the side of my head.
“I honestly cannot tell you how happy I am, Archer Brighton,” I confess truthfully.
He really went all out today. In addition to the flowers, he bought me a pair of pajama’s from Daphne’s boutique and a sexy red dress that I’ll be wearing when we go out tonight, as well as some crystal jewelry he had custom ordered from Ziggy’s metaphysical shop.
“You’re being really over the top,” I tell him, peeking at him above my flower petals.
“No way.” He wags his head. “I’ve always been alone on Valentine’s Day. I’m enjoying getting to spoil you this year.” There’s a rueful look on his face. I think it’s because neither of us knows where we’ll be on February 14th of next year.
Later on tonight, Nicky and Ronan are hosting a potluck to celebrate the anniversary of their first date. They offered Archer a pass to skip the party because of his injury. But he shocked us all when he insisted that he and I wouldn’t miss it. He also insisted on coming along to the farmer’s market with Sky and me to pick up cupcakes for the party.
Who is this new Archer Brighton?! Participating in society and everything. Without being forced to!
Archer is still recovering from his hockey incident. He’s still bruised up, and he’s also kind of limpy with his sore ankle. But he seems to be growing tired of all my fussing over him.
He’s been putting on his best tough guy act, downright refusing to take any painkillers. He insists on acting like he’s perfectly fine when he’s not.
I had ‘the nerve’ to try and take out the trash this morning. He snatched the bag right from my hands and marched it out to the curb in an angry, barefooted limp.
The man’s stubbornness is off the charts.
But I kind of love the moments when he lets me take care of him. The other night, he even let me talk him into an epsom salt bath to relieve his lingering aches and pains. His only condition was that I had to join him in the tub. I didn’t complain at all.
He waves off my every offer to handle things around his house or even around the hardware store. Mostly, he just asks for my company.
We spend our evenings in his library, trying to piece his jigsaw puzzle back together. At the end of the night, he usually requests nighttime snuggles. Those snuggles always end with him inside me while I’m moaning his name.
My god—the man is an amazing lover. He’s generous and attentive and so damn skilled. Even with his injury, he makes my pleasure his priority and he’s always coming up with extra creative ways to make my toes curl. So, yes—now that we’ve come up with our new agreement to bend those original rules of his, we’ve been taking full advantage of our living situation.
“Hey, not too fast, buddy,” I call out to Sky for the fourteenth time when he tries to run ahead and point out all the booths that look exciting to a busy toddler.
The Sweet Tooth for Love Festival is currently in full swing here at the market. The whole look and feel of the place has completely changed since the last time I came shopping. Instead of the festive Christmas vibe, everything is now decked out in a romantic red and silver heart scheme. It’s like Starlight Falls has turned into a Hallmark movie set overnight.
I’m starting to think I might be in said Hallmark movie when Archer buys me a steaming paper cup of hot cocoa, before leaning in to button my coat right up to the top.
Ha. Who am I kidding?
My story is probably closer to going up on the Lifetime Network. But it is what it is. I can’t change the painful events of my past. I have no control over my uncertain future. But the present? I’m enjoying the present moment very much.
It doesn’t take long to find some adorable red velvet cupcakes for the party. Even still, the three of us go from booth to booth, browsing all the Valentine’s-themed goodies. I pretend not to notice how slowly we have to chug along so Archer can keep up.
Sky motions over his back for me to speed it up as he runs toward the small crowd gathered near Rainbow’s booth. “Quick, Mommy! Quick!”
Archer chuckles. “That’s just his way of telling me to move my butt faster.”
I grab hold of Sky’s hand while looping my other arm through Archer’s. I smile at him. “Don’t worry, Mister Mustache. We’d never leave you behind.”
As we approach the circle of market-goers, we notice Rainbow’s husband, Jimmy, perched on a high stool, softly strumming his guitar.
Rainbow sways to the music, her colorful hair fanning out around her blushing face. Tonight, Jimmy is playing a romantic ballad just for her. She absolutely soaks up the attention. She soaks up all of her man’s love.
Jimmy doesn’t talk all that much. He’s one of those brooding lumberjack types this town is known for. But he’s obsessed with his wife and he goes out of his way to make sure she knows it.
After he croons the last notes of the song, Jimmy sets his guitar at his feet and pulls Rainbow onto his knee. Then he plants a smacking kiss on her lips. The crowd erupts into cheers and Rainbow beams like a school girl with a crush. The applause doesn’t end until Jimmy stands and takes a bow.
Still grinning, Rainbow heads back to her booth where all of her goodies are laid out for sale.
I go over to greet her. “Wow, Rainbow. That was a beautiful serenade. You’re such a lucky lady.”
“I am.” She nods in agreement. “My Jimmy isn’t the most talkative man. But he has his own ways of showing me how much he loves me.”
“He certainly does.”
A few months back, Jimmy painted a nude portrait of Rainbow, bare tits, bushy bush and all. The Garden of Eden, Reimagined —as he called it—even made it into the local newspaper, much to the horror of many of our neighbors.
But Jimmy didn’t care. He only cares about making sure Rainbow knows how he feels for her.
Rainbow glances over to where Archer is busy showing Sky some cool rocks and crystals at the end of her table. “Looks like you’ve found that kind of love, too. You definitely look like a woman whose lettuce is getting properly watered, on a regular basis.”
“Rainbow!” I hiss in shock.
She snickers with mischief. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.”
Watching Archer with Sky, my stomach tingles with butterflies. “Archer is an amazing man,” I say simply. Because that’s the truth, whether our relationship is real or not.
The lines are so blurry now. I can’t keep anything straight. This whole thing is supposed to be fake-dating. But Archer and I have both admitted to having feelings for each other. And now that the no kissing rule got tossed out the window, I’m having a hard time sorting through my tangled emotions.
She comes around the side of her table to speak with me. “Can I just say—I’m so glad you’ve put that disastrous relationship with Razor in the past. You look happy and well-rested, like a brand new woman. You’ve been absolutely glowing since you and Archer started dating.”
“I am happy and well-rested,” I realize with a laugh. “My life isn’t perfect. Far from it. But Archer makes me feel supported and safe through it all.”
“That’s what a good lover will do for you.” Rainbow shrugs with a smile. “I truly believe that, as a woman, there is no greater blessing than falling in love with a man who helps you fall in love with yourself over and over and over again.”
My gut burns at the nagging reminder that Archer’s not really mine. Not in a forever kind of way, at least. Even still, I dumbly bob my head up and down for Rainbow’s sake. “Right…”
“Speaking of your past,” she moves on. “Did you hear? Razor’s grandmother slipped and fell the other day.”
I feel my face drop. “Oh my gosh. At the nursing home? Is she okay?”
Rainbow gives me a measured nod. “I heard it happened in the cafeteria. I think she just spent one night in the hospital, but I haven’t heard much else. I’m sorry, dear.”
My gut burns with guilt. With my life being in limbo lately, I haven’t been making time for Grandma Dory like I used to. I hate the thought of something bad happening to that sweet woman. She may be Razor’s grandmother, but I’ve always considered her my own. She’s the only member of Razor’s family who embraced me with open arms or ever bothered to acknowledge Sky.
“Her osteoporosis worries me,” I mumble.
“I heard it seems to be getting worse and worse since she moved into the nursing home,” my friend says.
I sigh. “Poor thing. I need to visit her.”
Rainbow nods, giving me a hug. “Sounds like a good idea.”
Archer and Sky stroll over, reminding me that we’ve got to get going. We all say our goodbyes to Rainbow.
As the three of us head out of the farmer’s market, I can’t get Grandma Dory off my mind.