Chapter 13 #2
As if she could read my mind, Addison looked over at me. “I really like riding out here with you,” she said shyly before quickly glancing down at Dahlia, unable to look me in the eye after her admission.
I smiled. “Yeah? Good, because I was just thinking the same thing.”
A relieved smile tugged at her lips as if she wasn’t sure I would share the same sentiment, but little did she know that all I wanted to do was be the one she smiled at and the one to make her smile. Every single day.
After I helped Addison finish up with the horses, I headed back home to see what Archer was up to. I felt bad abandoning him the last two days, but I couldn’t leave Addison alone with Cash last night, no way in hell. I walked in to find Archer set up on my couch working on his laptop.
“Hey, Arch, sorry I’ve been MIA.” I walked over to the fridge to grab a water and then sat down on the other side of the couch. Coal curled up at my feet, absolutely spent after a day of running through the pastures at Walker’s.
“Nah, don’t worry about it. Harper told me what was going on.
Addison was texting her updates.” He continued typing, not looking up from his computer.
“I needed to catch up on some work anyway.” He finished what he was working on and then shut his laptop, turning his attention toward me.
“So, how’s the horse? Everything okay now? ”
“Yeah, he’s a lot better today.” I started to peel the label off the water bottle, thinking of how to approach the next topic. I cleared my throat, “So, uh, Addison and I slept together last night.” I looked up at Archer to see his reaction.
Archer nodded and chuckled. “I figured as much when you didn’t come home last night. You like that girl a lot. No denying it.”
I nodded, picking at the label again. “I do. I think it could be more than that though.”
Archer tilted his head and studied me. “Well, shit, big brother. You’re falling for her, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I think so.” I sighed heavily.
“So, what’s the problem? Why are you acting like this is a bad thing?” Archer chuckled.
I proceeded to tell him all about our cousin Noah being her ex-fiancé, what had happened between them, and the favor I had done for him.
Archer just looked at me, completely shocked, eyes wide, mouth hanging open.
“What are the fucking odds? That’s crazy.
I know he’s our cousin, but I never liked that little asshole.
He always ran around like he could do whatever the fuck he wanted. ”
“Agreed, but what the fuck do I do? I don’t know if Addison will look at me the same if I tell her, and if I don’t tell her, I feel like I’m hiding something from her. Then I’m no better than Noah.” I scrubbed my hand down my face and blew out a slow breath.
“Dude, you didn’t know who she was, and you didn’t find out what Noah was even up to until after you helped him.
I mean, I’m surprised you agreed to do something like that for fuck-face Noah of all people, but how were you to know that it was Addison on the receiving end of his lies?
Don’t tell her. There’s no point, nothing good will come of it, and it has nothing to do with what’s going on with you and her. ”
Archer stood up to grab some chips out of my pantry. He opened a bag and popped a chip into his mouth.
“Plus, when was the last time we even saw the guy? I’m pretty sure it’s been at least ten years.
Anytime he was in California, we always made a concerted effort not to be around.
Our mothers don’t even keep in touch all that often anymore unless it has to do with the business,” he said around a mouthful.
Noah’s family ran Frederick Developers. Our mother was just a shareholder.
Our family was focused on VRA Media, my father’s company.
“Good point.”
“I mean, I’m not saying that you should lie to her.
I’m saying that first, I think you need to talk to her about where you stand, since you’re the one who shut her down that night and told her that you didn’t do relationships.
Then see where it goes. If things get serious, find a way to tell her about Noah. But not yet.”
I nodded, processing what Archer was saying. I wasn’t entirely on board. It still felt wrong, but I was too chickenshit to tell her the truth. Especially after last night. “So, you think I should tell her how I feel about her?”
“Uh, yeah, dumbass. If you want this girl and you’re really falling for her, you’ve got to tell her because after you shut her down the first time, there’s no way in hell she’s going to tell you first.” He chuckled.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I shut her down.” I rolled my eyes. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to check who was texting me.
Addison:
Hey, do you and Archer want to grab a drink at my parents’ winery tonight? The least I could do is give y'all some drinks and food to thank you for everything you did for Cash.
And here I thought you wanted to thank me for all the orgasms I gave you last night.
Addison:
That too.
Sounds fun. I’ve been meaning to check it out. What time do you want us to meet you there?
Addison:
8 p.m.? The winery will be closed, so we’ll have the place to ourselves.
Sounds good. See you then.
I stuck my phone back in my pocket and looked up at Archer. “Speaking of Addison, she wants us to go over to her parents’ winery for a drink tonight. You in?”
Archer laughed and sat down next to me. “Always. I need to get to know the girl that’s captured my big brother’s heart, don’t I?” He placed both hands on my shoulders and squeezed them hard.
I pushed him off and punched him in the arm. “Oh, shut the fuck up.”
He barked out a laugh and rubbed his arm. “Nah, I’m serious. I’m happy for you, brother. You haven’t let your guard down with a woman since Margot, and I can tell that this girl really makes you happy.”
I tilted my head. “When the hell did you become so sappy? You’re, like, the biggest fuckboy I know, aside from me a couple of years ago.” I smirked.
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for a good love story.”