Chapter 31
DARCY
We all have that one pair of jeans that just fit. They make your ass look good and don’t dig into your stomach when you sit down.
Well, these jeans were my pair. And as I pour myself into them, fighting with the zip and button while I lie flat on the bed, I slowly come to terms with that cold, hard truth.
“Are you wrestling or getting dressed?”
From flat on my back, I roll my eyes toward the ceiling. “Both,” I grunt out, securing the button on a deep inhale.
Archer stands over me, arms folded across his chest. In a black T-shirt and dark blue jeans that hug his sculpted thighs, he looks anything but bloated. Unlike me.
He smirks. “I would offer to help, but my expertise centers more around taking your clothes off.”
I circle my stomach. “I reckon you’ve done enough already, wouldn’t you say?”
With two hands underneath my ass, he scoops me off the bed and carries me through to the kitchen, where he sets me on the island, coming to stand between my legs.
He runs his hands along the tops of my thighs. “This was the first place you sat when you came over to my apartment that time. You brought coffee and asked me if I had a girl in my bed.”
“That seems like a long time ago.” I reminisce. “So much has changed since then. I feel like I’ve grown ten years older.”
He cups the sides of my face in his huge hands. I’ve never craved the security or safety of a man before in my life, and I was convinced I wouldn’t ever. Now I’m thinking I simply had the wrong type of guy.
Archer kisses the underside of my chin, working his way down my neck. “I’m so fucking happy we could get the eight-week scan on my day off.”
The way I want him to take me back to bed so we can do unholy things …
“And if we don’t head out now, then we’re going to miss it,” I reply.
He pauses on kissing me and glances at the clock above the oven. “We have at least another ten minutes.”
“Your maths is appalling—you know that?” I’m aiming to sound bratty. Instead, I come off as turned on because I absolutely am.
He smooths his tongue across my pulse point, fingertips dancing toward my apex. “I like to think of it as optimistic calculations. I drive a Mercedes AMG GT Coupe. I promise we’ll make it on time.”
I quirk a brow at him. “You know I’m a good girl, and you’re a bad influence, don’t you?”
He moves to my earlobe, biting it gently between his teeth. “Yeah, but you’re officially mine now, so there’s no point in fighting it. Just let me have my way with you.”
I part my thighs wider for him. “When you say you want to have your way with me, be specific.”
He groans and pulls me forward until I can feel his hard cock pressing into my jean-covered pussy. “Lots of sex and plenty more babies.”
I pull back, ready to tell him one is more than enough, when his mobile starts buzzing at the other end of the island.
Reaching across, Archer picks it up and then looks at me. “It’s my mom.”
I wave an excitable hand around. I haven’t spoken to Julia since Archer broke the pregnancy news. “Answer it. Answer it.”
He groans like a petulant teenager. “I wanted to have sex.”
I raise a brow. “Archer Moore, answer the phone to your mother.”
“Hey, Mom,” he says in a bright tone, his spare hand reaching for the top button of my jeans.
I bat him away and strain to listen in.
“Hang on. Darcy’s here and wants to say hi. Let me put us on speaker.”
“Oh! Of course, it’s your scan this afternoon. Why don’t you put me on video call so I can see you both?”
Archer narrows his eyes at me when I nod profusely. “Hang on a second. Let me get dressed.”
“Archer! You did not just answer the phone while having—”
“No, he did not. He’s playing with you,” I cut across Julia.
Talking to her about sex is not how I envisaged our first proper conversation.
Flicking the camera around to face us, Archer stands just in front of me as I peer over his shoulder from my seat at the island. He holds the phone out in front of him, and Julia’s bright smile fills the screen.
“We can only be a few minutes, as we need to leave for the clinic.”
Julia just continues smiling at us both before she bends down and picks something up off the floor.
“Oh my God!” I gasp, hands covering my mouth when a ball of fawn-colored fluff with pointy ears and an attitude for days sits on Julia’s lap. “Is that a Chihuahua?”
“Sure is,” she confirms. “This is Stella. She’s my baby. Say hello to your brother and his girl.” Julia lifts her left paw, waving it at us.
I’ll be honest, the dog does not look impressed.
“Archer is her favorite,” she continues. “I’ve been telling Stella that she can’t go getting all jealous when the baby arrives. Can you, my love?” She finishes the last part of her sentence in a sickly-sweet voice.
I love her even more.
Something off-screen catches Stella’s attention, and she releases a muted bark, ears pricked like a meerkat as she launches from Julia’s lap.
Julia chuckles and brushes the hair from her trousers. “I just have to say, Darcy, I knew you were my son’s love interest when I saw you in the arena restroom that day. You’re exactly his type.”
Archer rolls his eyes, but despite his apparent disapproval, I can see the love he has for his mum; it rolls off him in waves.
“Maybe one day, he can convince you to give him a shot and start dating?” she asks, hopeful eyes flicking between me and Archer.
“Well, actually …” My boyfriend’s face morphs into the biggest damn smile I have ever seen. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into his side, planting a kiss in my hair. “We already figured that part out. She’s officially mine, Mom. All fucking mine.”
I can’t help but blush at his actions as Julia scolds her twenty-something son for dropping the F-bomb.
“I’m so happy for you both.” Her eyes soften at her son. “I know you’ve been chasing Darcy, and now you have the girl. Now all you have to do is—”
“I know; I know,” he quickly confirms, pressing a kiss against my forehead. “I’m not going to fuck anything up. I love her too much.”
If I don’t melt into a puddle right here, I’m pretty sure Julia will.
“Just …” Archer trails off, clearing his throat. “Just make sure you don’t say anything to anyone, okay? I’ll tell Emma and Dad after the twelve-week point, but the pregnancy and us is … it’s kind of complicated right now.”
I can tell that Archer’s statement serves as more of a reminder than it does a request to his mum, and she nods her head quickly. “I got it.”
“Only you, Darcy’s mom and her friend, and Darcy’s girlfriends know about the pregnancy.”
I smile at that, recalling the look on Kendra’s face yesterday in Rise Up when I said I’d be skipping caffeine for the next seven months.
Naturally, our group chat hasn’t stopped with ideas and suggestions for the nursery styling and links to cute baby clothes from Jenna and Kendra.
Collins, on the other hand, wants to know when she can apply for the baby’s motorcycle license.
Fat fucking chance.
Just like Mum, Kendra agreed it was wise to wait to tell Jon. Unfortunately, she also agreed that Jack would lay Archer out the second he found out.
“Okay, before I go—because I know you need to head out—I have to ask. Are you going to find out the gender? After eight weeks, you have the option to via a blood test.”
I swallow hard. I knew this from the research I’d been doing and conversations with Mum. So much of me wants to find out since I hate surprises and love shopping—which is only made easier when you know what you’re having—but … needles.
Archer looks at me, rubbing my thigh in slow circles. He doesn’t know about my needle phobia, and that, combined with the way I always seem to be sick, I’m sure he’ll think I’m a wimp.
“I’m going to leave that decision to my girl.”
He leans down so only I can hear. “About a year ago, Jack mentioned your fear of needles. We were talking about my thigh tattoo at the time. I want you to know that if for any reason you’re scared or holding out on any tests you want, like for the gender of our baby, then I’m here to hold your hand.
Nothing bad is going to happen to you when you’re with me. ”
Every nerve I possess sparks as crackles dance across my skin, and I look at Julia when Archer kisses below my ear.
I can see the pride she has for her son, it’s palpable, even via a brief video call.
“I’m going to let you two get to your appointment,” she says.
“Okay, Mom.” Archer wraps his arm around my waist. “I’ll send you some pictures from the scan.”
She grins like that’s exactly what she was about to ask him. “Good. And then I want you both here for Thanksgiving …” She pauses. “Actually, what about Christmas?”
Archer gazes down at me, phone still outstretched in his other hand. “I’ll be spending Christmas wherever my girl is.” He looks at his mum then. “And I want you with us for sure.”
Julia’s face lights up. “I would absolutely adore that.”
Archer tears his gaze away from me, focusing back on Julia. “Our last Christmas before we’re a threesome.”