Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
The House
“It’s so cold!” Lenni gasped as she came into the house. “You think we’ll get more snow?”
“Nah, the sky isn’t right for it,” Archer said. “Something smells good.”
“Salmon,” I replied from the kitchen.
Lenni hung up her coat and took off her boots before turning to Mildred and removing the dog’s coat. “Salmon . . . gross.”
“Salmon is brain food,” I called back.
Lenni entered the kitchen, followed by Archer.
“I’m allergic to salmon,” Lenni stated.
“I’ve read through your medical file,” I informed her. “You are not allergic to salmon.”
“Hello,” Archer said with a smile, leaning over and kissing me.
I pressed against him, but then quickly pulled back. “Hello.”
“Ugh, you guys are gross. Just like salmon. I don’t know what’ll make me puke faster. Seeing you guys kissing, or dead fish,” Lenni teased with an eye roll.
“Your teacher emailed your missed assignments,” I said to her. “You have a little while before dinner.”
“Okay.” She looked at Archer. “You’re really not mad at me?”
“I’m really not mad at you,” he said. “I appreciate you sharing why you cut your hair with me instead of hiding it.”
Nodding, Lenni scooped up Mildred and headed for the stairs.
It wasn’t until we heard the door close that Archer took me into his arms. “Give me a proper kiss.”
Grinning, I looped my arms around his neck and then placed my lips against his. His tongue swept into my mouth and when he pulled back, I was shaking.
“That was nice,” I murmured against his cheek.
“Better than nice,” he quipped, squeezing my ass cheeks and then releasing me.
“So, Lenni told you everything, huh?”
“Yeah. She was pretty forthcoming with it too. But I’m still not entirely sure why Nancy’s call would’ve made her do that.”
“When your life is completely out of control, what do you do?”
“Get on my Harley and ride. Would’ve done that right after I found out about Lenni, but I don’t ride in the winter. I had to settle for a horse.”
“Hmm, well, you have a motorcycle to clear your mind. Your daughter had a pair of scissors and lashed out about her lack of control. So, here we are. Speaking of Nancy . . . Why didn’t you tell me she might reach out to Lenni?”
“Honestly, I forgot,” he said. “I was going to tell you when I confronted you about calling Nancy. But then we got naked, and I had more important things on my mind.”
“So, you didn’t purposefully keep it from me?” I asked. “Hearing about it from Lenni blindsided me.”
“I’m sorry, Wyn. It really was just an honest mistake. I had no intention of keeping it from you, I swear.”
I studied his earnest expression and finally nodded. “I believe you.”
“Good.”
I turned back to snapping the ends of the asparagus and Archer moved behind me, caging me in.
“Well? Show it to me.”
I bumped my butt against him, causing him to grunt. “Show you what?”
“You know what.”
I gestured with my chin to my bag that was hanging over the back of the chair. “It’s in my wallet.”
He went to my purse and dug around and pulled out a juice box. He flipped it toward him. “Cran-apple. Why do you have a juice box in your purse?”
“There are snickerdoodles in there too,” I said with a smile. “Sometimes you just need a juice box and a snickerdoodle.”
He looked at me, his eyes blazing.
“What?” I asked, my smile slipping in self-consciousness.
“You’re going to be a great mother, Wyn.”
I swallowed. “I’m not a mom.”
“No? What you did for Lenni today . . . that was mom-coded. All the way.”
“Anyone would’ve done that.”
“You don’t really believe that, do you?”
I exhaled but didn’t reply. He set the juice box aside and went back in for the wallet. He unzipped it and pulled out my temporary Idaho ID.
“Damn. You photograph so well,” he said, studying it.
Then he frowned.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“They made a mistake.”
“What? No.”
He nodded. “They spelled your name wrong.”
“That’s impossible! I read it over and—”
“They put your last name as Larsen, not Keel.” He looked at me. “We should remedy that. Immediately.”
I rolled my eyes. “We agreed we were going to take it slow.”
“I don’t remember that. You said you weren’t ready for a baby. You didn’t say anything about not being ready for marriage.”
“I’m just now getting used to the idea that we live together.”
“We’ve been living together this whole time,” he pointed out. “What’s changed now?”
“We’re now romantically involved. And I feel like I didn’t . . .”
“Didn’t what?”
“Get any courting. There was no wining and dining. We skipped a bunch of steps because of how we met. I want a little romance, Archer,” I said, laying the asparagus onto a cookie sheet.
“I don’t want to just fall into a life like we’ve already been together for years, you know? Romance me, just a bit.”
“Romance, huh?” he asked, finally taking his cowboy hat off and setting it aside. “What are you doing this weekend?”
“Knitting potholders. What do you think I’m doing? Nothing.”
“Go away with me for the weekend.”
“We can’t go away for the weekend,” I protested. “We’ve got Lenni. And Mildred.”
“Brooks and Poet already agreed to watch her anytime we need,” he said. “Poet wants to take Lenni shopping for her flower girl dress anyway. They can crash here with Lottie if they want. It works for everyone.”
“Did you ask Lenni how she feels about this?” I demanded.
“We’ll ask her at dinner, but I’m sure she’d be fine with it,” he said with a grin. “Come on, you said you wanted romance. Let me romance you.”
I snorted. “You just want to be able to have sex in the hotel room. Admit it.”
“I admit it. Fully.”
I pretended to think about it for a moment and then asked, “Where are you thinking of taking me?”
“Libby, Montana.”
“What’s there?”
“There’s a wood carving festival going on. I think it’ll be fun. We can pretend to be a real couple.”
“We are a real couple.” I rolled my eyes.
“Ah so you finally admit it. Good.”
“Archie.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“That’s a yes.”
“There’s my girl,” my dad said as his face filled the cell phone screen.
I smiled. “Hi, Dad.”
My mom settled in the seat next to my father, her face appearing. “What are you up to?”
“Laundry,” I stated. “I feel like it never ends.”
“It doesn’t,” Mom said. “Even with you out of the house there’s always a mountain of it.”
“That’s because neither of you like doing it,” I pointed out with a laugh. “And then you have to rock-paper-scissors to see who throws in the next load.”
“We’ve got a system,” Dad said. “It’s worked for twenty-eight years, no reason to change it now.”
I sighed, warmth curling through me. “Happy anniversary.”
“Thank you, honey,” Mom said. “The flowers you sent are beautiful.”
She panned the phone behind her to show off the gorgeous tulip display on the kitchen counter.
“Really brightens up the winter dregs,” Dad said with a rueful shake of his head. “I don’t remember winter being this . . .”
“Cold?” I supplied.
“Cold, snowy and icy. And it came early this year. I think it’ll be a long, hard winter,” Dad said. “That’s it, we’re moving to Florida for the winters from now on.”
Mom laughed. “You’ve been saying that for the last ten years.”
“I mean it this time,” Dad said, but his voice lacked conviction.
“We can argue about this later,” Mom said as she turned her attention back to me. “What’s new with you?”
I took a deep breath. “I’m moving to Huckleberry Hill. Permanently.”
My parents fell silent and then my mom elbowed my dad in the ribs. “You owe me dinner.”
“Yeah, you called it,” Dad said with a nod.
“Called what? That I’d move here permanently?” I asked in exasperation.
“It’s not that big of a surprise, honey,” Mom said. “Your best friends are there. Plus, Archer and Lenni.”
My heart kicked up with adrenaline. “What about Archer and Lenni?”
“Oh please.” Mom rolled her eyes. “It’s so obvious you’re in a relationship.”
“Obvious? Obvious how?” I demanded. “I didn’t say anything. Did I?”
“Didn’t have to,” Mom said. “I knew there was something going on between you two the moment you turned the phone around for us to meet Lenni.”
“Wow, it’s fun being completely readable,” I stated flatly.
“I’m right, though, aren’t I?” Mom fished. “You and Archer are together?”
“Yes.” I sighed. “We’re together. He’s taking me to a wood carving festival this weekend, actually. Just the two of us.”
My gaze shot to my dad, whose bushy eyebrows knitted together, but he said nothing.
“Dad?” I prodded.
“Huh?”
“Do you have any sort of feeling about any of this?” I asked.
“You still living in the same house with them?”
“Yes.”
“He still paying you to be the nanny?”
I shook my head no.
“So, you don’t have a job?”
“Not technically, no,” I admitted.
“Give me his number,” he said.
“What?”
“Archer. His number. I want to talk to him.”
I swallowed. “Oh. Well, I don’t think—”
“Either he tells me his intentions with you over the phone or I’m flying my ass out there and he can say it to my face.”
“Well, I’d love to see you . . .”
“Wynslow Frey,” he said.
I groaned. “Not the middle name.”
“You’ve shacked up with a cowboy—who has a mustache, by the way—and you want me to keep a level head?”
I frowned. “What does his mustache have to do with anything? And how do you know he has a mustache?”
“You sent us pictures of the Rudolph Lancaster photoshoot, honey,” Mom reminded me.
“I know about men with mustaches. I used to be a man with a mustache,” Dad stated.
Mom shot him a seductive smile. “It was a good look for you. You should grow it back, love.”
Dad momentarily turned his attention to my mom and waggled his brows. “It’ll be all gray.”
“Don’t care, you sexy silver fox, you.”
“Okay this has been fun,” I said, “but I have to go vomit now.”
“Text me his number,” Dad commanded.
“I will.”
Mom took the phone and stood up, walking with it to a different room. She closed the door behind her, so we had some measure of privacy. “Are you happy?”
I paused and then nodded.
“He’s the one, isn’t he?”
I nodded again, a slow smile creeping across my lips. “Archer seems to think so.”
“But you don’t?”
“I’m gun shy,” I admitted. “Even though Archer makes me feel completely different than anyone else. How can I trust it?”
“Trust yourself, you mean?”
“Yeah.”
“Sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith.”
“So, you don’t think I’m completely crazy for moving here to be with a man who I’ve known for what, a month? Jeez, even I’m surprised.”
“You’re not just moving there for Archer. You’re moving there for Lenni too. And your friends who are your family. I understand exactly why you’re doing it.” She smiled. “Let go, Wyn. Really let go. Let Archer all the way in.”
“And what if he hurts me? What if this turns out to be a big mistake?”
“Love is never a mistake,” she said. “I can see the look in your eyes. And I can see that you’ve never felt this way before. It’s time to give real love a chance, even if you’re scared.”
I sighed. “Thanks, Mom.”
“I’ve always wanted to see Huckleberry Hill in the summer,” Mom mused. “That’ll give you a few months to settle into your new life and get ready for us.”
“Book the tickets,” I said, my heart bursting with happiness.
“I will—and don’t worry about the conversation between your father and Archer.”
“I’m not worried,” I said. “Archer can hold his own against Dad.”
“That’s exactly what your father wants to see.”
“Can I ask a huge favor?”
“Sure, I’ll finally give you my aquamarine and diamond earrings you’ve been eyeing since you were thirteen.”
“Thanks, but I don’t want—wait really?”
She grinned. “When you turn thirty. Now what’s the favor?”
“I have a couple of things in storage in the city. On one of your weekend trips, can you—”
“We’ll clean out the storage unit and send you the boxes.”
“Wild, isn’t it?” I asked with bemusement. “One day, you’re living your life in one city. And then all of a sudden, you meet someone and your whole world changes.”
“Wait until you have a baby,” she said. “Then your universe changes.”
Baby.
“Does he want more kids?” she asked. “Have you talked about that yet?”
“Yes. We have, and he does. No rush, though,” I said. “Twenty-eight years, you and Dad have been together. What’s the secret to a long and happy marriage?”
“Humor,” she said. “Trust.”
I nodded.
“And a whole lotta sex.”
“Mom!” I laughed.
“You look different, honey. I mean that. Not just happy, but—happy on the inside. You’re glowing. That’s how I know this one is different.”