12. Archer
ARCHER
It was the morning of Jack and Ruthie’s wedding, and Ace’s trainer had been over again to do their run around the property. I’d told her she had to do it early because soon there would be delivery trucks and extra vehicles here to set up for the wedding.
“I’m assuming you’ve vetted everyone coming and going?” she asked.
“Yes. Vince , Axel , and I vetted every single person who will be on the property today,” I assured her. “ You might have a backup career in security if you ever want it.”
She just rolled her eyes at my comment, but I wasn’t taking any chances with the hits out on Ace and me.
It was a small wedding, and we knew everyone attending.
Wade was Jack’s best man, and Ellie was Ruthie’s matron of honor.
There were only about thirty other guests, plus the bare minimum staff, most of whom we knew personally.
Diego was our DJ for the night. The bartenders were staff from the Watering Hole , hand-picked by Wade and Tammy .
Vince’s mom and sister had become self-appointed wedding planners.
The only “outsiders” were the catering staff, which we had kept to three people total.
However, just to be on the safe side, we had also hired two police officers to man the entrance to our street. Dane and Andre were also here attending the wedding but would be keeping an eye on all the cameras that covered the perimeter of the property via their phones.
I had just finished showering and getting dressed and was going to take Percy out to do his business when Ace came down the stairs into the living room.
I froze and stared as she came toward me.
She had on a long red dress made of silk or satin or something of that nature.
The dress was sleeveless and had a V -cut in the front.
Not enough to be indecent, but enough to show just a hint of cleavage.
The same cleavage I had once had my hands on, my lips on. My mouth watered at the sight of her.
“You look stunning, Ace ,” I told her, not once taking my eyes off her.
“Thanks,” she said, a little blush appearing on her cheeks. “ You don’t look too bad yourself.”
I had on black dress pants and a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up a bit. I had a red tie on the kitchen counter I planned to wear, which would complement her dress, though I would be nowhere near as stunning as she was in the color.
Her hair was loose, with waves cascading down her shoulders, and she was holding a pair of red heels in her hands. She already looked amazing, but I knew once she added those strappy red heels, she would look even more tempting, adding to my torture.
“I’m going to take him out quickly before I put these heels on,” she said, bringing me out of my stare.
“I’ve got him,” I told her, holding up the leash in my hands. “ Go ahead and put your shoes on and do what you need to do, and then we’ll head over.”
Ten minutes later, we were out the door and walking over to the space between Jack’s and Vince’s houses where the wedding was taking place.
We were nearly the last to arrive, so we grabbed two seats and chatted with a few people around us, including Tammy and Diego . I checked in with Dane and Andre , who were all set to go and had also made contact with the cops by the entrance.
The music began to play, and everyone who was still milling around took their seats as Jack , Wade , and Ellie made their way down the aisle.
Then the music changed, and everyone stood up as Ruthie and her grandfather began to walk down the aisle.
I was so happy that she had a newfound family here through our group of friends and coworkers.
She was like a sister to me, and I knew she and Jack would keep each other on their toes.
At the end of the aisle, Jack went to collect Ruthie from her grandad and muttered something to her as he took her hand.
“Keep it in your pants until the ceremony is over, son,” Ruthie’s grandfather said, loud enough for all of us to hear, eliciting a round of laughter.
Axel had offered to be their officiant, which would likely make this more entertaining.
Axel began, but I heard a sigh next to me and looked over at Ace .
She seemed to be taking it all in—the guests, the scenery, the decorations—and I realized she and I never had this.
I knew that if I was able to convince her to give me another chance, I’d give her a real wedding.
One like Ruthie was having, where she could invite friends and her family and have decorations and whatever else she wanted.
“Jack, it is now your turn to vow for Ruthie ,” Axel said, breaking me out of my thoughts.
Jack turned to Ruthie with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. “ Ruthie , I’ve known you were it for me since the day I walked into Ranger Shield Security and you called me a shitwhistle.”
Laughter filled the crowd as he continued. “ I promise to always love you, even when you bring home more stray dogs.”
It was true. They went from one dog when they first started seeing each other to now having four.
“You keep me on my toes, and I look forward to you arguing with me about everything under the sun and then having makeup time afterwards.” Jack winked at her. “ And I promise to protect you from snakes as long as we both shall live.”
Ace and I chuckled along with the rest of the crowd.
“Ruthie, now it is your turn to vow for Jack ,” Axel said, causing my grin to get even wider.
“Jack…” Ruthie’s voice hitched as she spoke. “ While I can’t promise to get to the end of my vows without ugly crying, I do promise to love you every day.”
Ellie leaned over and handed her a tissue, which she gratefully took.
“I promise not to force you to watch any more Disney princess movies—mostly because we’ve watched them all by now,” she continued.
“ And I promise to love you no matter how loud you snore. You’re the best thing I never knew I needed, but I’m so happy I found you,” she told him, her voice catching on the words.
“ Although I’m pretty much perfect, I promise to continue to grow and love you more and more every day, making me an even more ideal wife. You’re welcome.”
More chuckles from the crowd as Ruthie’s voice hitched for the last part. “ I promise to be the best partner I can be…and make you never regret asking me to marry you.”
“I will never regret it, ever,” Jack said and then kissed her.
“Stop that,” Axel chided. “ This is not how the book says it works. Stop kissing her until I tell you that you can do that, jerkhole.”
Jack pulled back, and I snorted at Axel’s frustration and noticed Ace covering her mouth next to me, likely trying to cover a laugh so she didn’t appear rude.
“Okay, by the powers vested in me by the state of Georgia , I now pronounce you the husband and the wife,” Axel finished. “ Now you can kiss her.”
The crowd erupted around us, cheering on the newlyweds. They walked down the aisle, and as soon as they made it to the end, Jack handed the bouquet to his sister and turned and threw Ruthie over his shoulder.
“Jack! What are you doing?” Ruthie squealed. “ I’m perfectly capable of walking to the reception site that is less than fifty feet away.”
“Good to know, but we aren’t going to the reception site,” Jack explained. “ I’m taking you back to the house so I can have my merry way with you.”
Laughter filled the crowd as he carried her down the path that would eventually take them to his place.
People started to get up and make their way to the tent where the reception was being held.
I turned to Ace , seeing a ghost of a smile on her face. “ That was nice,” she said.
It was. I usually hated coming to events like these, though I found having her by my side made it more enjoyable, even though we didn’t talk much.
I grabbed her hand and led her out toward the reception tent, and she didn’t fight me, which I considered a small win.
We made our way over to the tent and enjoyed casual conversation with all the people I worked with as we had dinner.
Eventually , people began to get up and head to the dance floor or to get more to drink from the makeshift bar area at the end of the tent.
I saw Ace scoping out the dance floor and could tell she wanted to get out there, but she was likely unsure since she didn’t know anyone here very well.
“Go on. Go dance,” I told her. “ Just save the last dance for me.”
“Okay, Michael Bublé ,” she tossed back at me with a smile, causing my lip to twitch once I realized my accidental reference to the popular song. It was unintentional, but I’d take it if it put a smile on her face.
I leaned into her space and spoke softly. “ I mean it, Ace . Dance with me.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea…” she tried to explain, shaking her head.
Deflection was her game, so I had to tread lightly here.
“One dance, Ace . It’s not going to kill you. Unless , of course, you can’t actually dance and you just don’t want me to show you up.”
She was competitive to a fault, and I knew damn well she could likely dance circles around me, but I also knew my comment would rile her up.
“Ugh, fine,” she sighed, getting up from her chair, and I knew I’d won this battle. “ But you’d better be able to keep up.”
The giddiness I felt following her out onto the dance floor should have embarrassed me. I felt just like I did in seventh grade when Alicia Corners —a girl I had been crushing hard on—said yes to dancing with me at the Spring Fling school dance.
I may have slept with Ace multiple times and had my ring on her finger for a brief period of time, but we had never danced. This was my chance to make it memorable for both of us.
When we got to the dance floor, she turned to me and put her hands on my shoulders but kept her arms ramrod straight, which meant there was a huge gap between us. I thought back to the church group dances, where this was the protocol to make sure we “left enough room for Jesus in between us.”
With Ace , this just made me smile even bigger. She could try all she wanted to keep the distance, but there was no denying the connection we had.
“You scared of me?” I asked her.
“What? No ,” she replied quickly and then realized why I was asking. “ Archer , it’s not a smart move to be too close to each other.”
“I applaud your honesty that you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off me, but just so you know, I’m aware I’m irresistible to you, and I accept this fate.” I gave her a big grin. “ I can assure you that I accept your request to have your way with me.”
At my wink, she rolled her eyes.
“Your ego knows no bounds,” she said, giving me full attitude, but I didn’t miss the lip twitch.
The mid-tempo song stopped as a slow song replaced it, giving me the opportunity I needed. I grabbed her elbows softly and slid her arms up and around my neck, putting her closer to me. My hands found their place at her hips, and I pulled her even closer so her body was flush with mine.
I leaned in to whisper in her ear. “ You look gorgeous tonight, by the way.”
“You already said that,” she returned, her breathing picking up, telling me she was nervous.
I leaned back and tucked a wayward hair behind her ear. “ Didn’t know there was a limit for those kinds of comments.”
I could feel her pulling away. I knew I needed to throw in the big guns—let her know I wanted another chance at this.
“Our relationship may have been founded and started in lust, but it was more than that, and we both know it,” I told her, holding her close but staring right into her eyes. “ It’s worth the fight. Something meant to be, Ace .”
I’d been given a gift. That gift was having Ace back in my life, even if it was for a shitty reason like a death threat.
For years after our divorce, I prayed for a way to have a second chance with her—albeit one that wouldn’t put her life in danger.
Now that I had that opportunity, I was going to do everything in my power to rectify my mistake and make her realize there was still something between us.
“I fucked up,” I admitted. “ I can admit that. Not proudly, but it’s the truth. I did what I thought was best at the time. It wasn’t. Please give us a second chance.”
She stopped moving and stared at me for a brief moment. “ I’m sorry, Archer . I just… I …” she said and then walked away, leaving me alone on the dance floor but taking a part of my heart along with her.