Chapter 46
46
ARCHER
“ P ink?” Nolan grumbles, yanking his bow tie away from his throat. “Why do we have to wear pink? I look dumb in pink.”
I stand in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror, tugging and pulling at the bow tie around my own neck. I’m feeling all out of sorts in these fancy clothes.
I’m much more comfortable in weathered jeans, a flannel and work boots. But with all these weddings my siblings have lined up for the foreseeable future, I’d better get used to dressing up.
Felix lifts a shoulder nonchalantly as he strikes pose after ridiculous pose in the huge mirror. “What Daphne wants, Daphne gets.” He aims finger-guns at his reflection before blowing imaginary smoke off of each muzzle.
I shake my head. What a little dumbass …
My brothers and I are all here for the final fitting, and Felix is in a great mood as he tries on his wedding tux. It suits him, I guess.
Ronan elbows the groom-to-be out of the way to get to the mirror. “I don’t know what your problem is, Noles. I look great in pink. Maybe I’ll wear it more often.”
Mason seems to agree, looking pretty impressed with his own reflection. “Me, too. I read somewhere that men who refuse to wear pink just aren’t comfortable with their own masculinity.”
“I’m plenty comfortable with my masculinity,” Nolan argues, marching back into the dressing room and slamming the door. “This just makes me look pale.”
I grunt out a short laugh, while the rest of the guys give Nolan shit for being such a drama queen. I may agree with him a little, but I think Layla will like seeing me in this tuxedo thing, so I don’t bother voicing my complaints out loud.
I wonder if I could convince Layla to let her groom wear jeans at the wedding. Nice jeans, of course. Not my stained denim work pants. But maybe a new pair with a tailored hem and—
Wait. What the…? What the hell is wrong with me? Being my bride is the furthest thing from Layla’s mind, unfortunately for me.
But I miss her, dammit. I haven’t seen her all day. She took the day off from the hardware store because Sky was up with a cold last night. When I called her at lunch time, her voice was hoarse and she seemed to be coming down with the same bug that made the little guy sick.
I immediately called Rainbow and asked if she could have some of her famous miracle cold remedies delivered to my place. Then I ordered chicken soup from one of the restaurants in town and had it delivered as well. Anything to make life easier for Layla. I know the last thing she’d want is to be stuck in bed for days on end.
If it weren’t for this damn tux fitting, I would have closed up early and gone home hours ago. Now I just need to get home to them to see if there’s anything I can do to make them feel better.
Geez. I’m so fucking pussy-whipped I can barely even see straight.
“Felix was right…” I mutter, not realizing that I spoke out loud until my brother perks up beside me.
“Of course I was right,” the asshole preens proudly. “Wait—what was I right about?”
I sigh loudly, staring at the mirror. “I want to be with Layla,” I admit.“Like, for real. Forever or whatever.”
A loud hush floats around the dressing area of the tux store. I catch my brothers all trading looks around me.
“So, why do you look like you just buried your dog?” Darius asks from where he’s seated in the corner, staring at pictures of Ziggy on his phone.
“Because…” I grunt, tugging at my collar again. “It doesn’t matter how I feel. It’s one-sided. She doesn’t love me back.”
I hear a scoff.
Then a chuckle.
Then all the guys break out into laughter.
“Are you serious?” Mason asks, shaking his head.
Nolan blinks at me. “You are fucking blind if you don’t see it.”
Felix elbows me in the ribs. Hard. “Of course she’s in love with you, you big donkey.”
That’s the moment Dad strolls into the back of the tux store, dusting snow off the shoulders of his jacket. “Who’s in love with who?”
“Layla,” Ronan supplies, all too eager to rat me out.
Dad waves a dismissive hand through the air. “Of course that girl’s in love with you, Archer. I can tell just by the way she looks at you.” He gets a weird, far-off look in his eyes. “Back in the early years, your mom used to stare at me the way Layla stares at you. I’d catch her staring at me all the time. But don’t tell her. She thinks she was sweet and subtle about it. But I knew what she wanted…” Dad waggles his brows, motioning at his crotch.
“Ah, gross.”
“I need to go shove pencils in my eardrums now.”
“Come on, Dad. We don’t need to hear that stuff.”
Our father lets out a loud belly laugh as the guys continue groaning and making gagging sounds.
I ignore them all with their bullshit. I get lost in my head and I’m honestly grateful for Dad’s distraction.I don’t want to have this conversation with them. I just want Layla.
I can’t help but think about everyone’s comments, even on my ride home from the tux shop. I just can’t wait to get back to Layla. To see if there’s really a spark in her eyes when she looks at me.
I’m down the hill from my house, when I spot cop cars up ahead. My brows pinch together at the sight of flashing blue and red lights on my street. As I draw closer, my suspicions are confirmed.
The police are parked at Layla’s old house. I slow my truck to a stop, rolling down my window when I see the deputy sheriff standing next to his car in the street.
“Hey, Gary. Is everything okay?” I ask him.
“Domestic disturbance,” he replies.
My heart starts pounding.Even though Layla said she’d never go back, I can’t help but fear the worst. Did Razor convince her to come over and talk? Did he somehow worm his way back into the picture? Did she stop by her old house to pick up more stuff for Sky?
Sitting behind the wheel, I see Razor being walked out of his house, escorted down the steps in handcuffs. Meanwhile a hysterical Janet stumbles out onto the porch, sobbing as she speaks to the other uniformed officers.
It’s not Layla. Not my Layla.
Flooded with relief, I finish the rest of my short drive home, feeling even more impatient to get back to the peaceful life I have with Layla. When I open the door, I find her cuddled on the couch reading a story to Sky.
As I step inside, they both look up at me with smiles on their faces.
I’m so fucking happy to be home. There is nothing I need outside of these four walls. Everything I could ever want is sitting on that couch, grinning up at me.
I kick off my boots and join them, cozying up on the couch on the other side of Sky. The little boy seems to be mostly back to his rambunctious self and aside from his runny nose, his cold symptoms seem to be almost gone. But Layla looks over at me with red-rimmed eyes and a weak smile, and I know she isn’t as lucky.
I help her finish the story. We take turns reading the book. Sky puts himself in charge of turning page after page, directing whose turn it is to read aloud.
It’s not long before the child begins dozing off.I meet Layla’s eyes over the top of his droopy head. She gives me a tired smile. She sneezes.
“I’m gonna go get him to bed,” she says, wiping her red nose with a tissue from the box on the coffee table.
I’m in awe of how she accomplishes so much every single day. Getting a toddler off to daycare. Working all day long. Somehow finding time to make dinner. Spending time with her son, and then getting him off to bed each night.
All without complaint.All without asking for help. Even when she’s sick.
But I see the exhaustion in her eyes. I just want to make her burdens lighter.
“I’ve got him,” I whisper. I scoop the little boy off of Layla’s lap.
She doesn’t fight me. She doesn’t try to be superwoman. Instead of trying to prove how strong she is, she just lets me help her tonight. I smile to myself because I feel like I’ve made a dent in her armor. Finally.
Just as I’m about to step inside the bedroom and lay him on his mattress, Sky loops his tiny arms around my neck and squeezes.
“Wub you, Mista Musdache,” the little boy murmurs.
My heart explodes in a way I’ve never experienced before.
I swallow over the rock in my throat, kissing the top of his head. “I love you, too, kiddo.”
This. I’ve always wanted this in my life. I needed it long before I even realized it.
And from the way my heart is aching in my chest right now, I know I can’t afford to lose Layla and Sky.