Chapter 21
twenty-one
. . .
Archer
This woman was so far under my skin, I couldn’t see straight. I was done fighting it. She’d made some fair points last night, and if that was truly how she felt today, now that she was sober, then I was open to discussing it.
“Do you remember the conversation from last night?” I asked.
“The one where I made a fool of myself? Yep. It’s playing on repeat in my head at the moment.” Her cheeks flushed pink, and she wouldn’t look at me.
“Winnie,” I said, reaching beneath her chin to turn her face to look at mine. “What you said was very honest, and I appreciate it. I should have talked to you, but I chose to avoid you to try to make it easier. I’m glad you called me out for it.”
“I guess we know who the mature one is, huh?” She chuckled as a wide grin spread across her gorgeous face.
“Listen, I stand by what I said, Archer. I like you. But I’m not looking for anything more than you are.
It can be something we just keep between us, and if we kiss again, great.
If we like it, great. If it leads to doing more than kissing, and we’re both feeling it, great.
It doesn’t have to mean everything. I’ve tried that path, and it didn’t work out so well for me. ”
“I get that. I just didn’t want to do anything to risk destroying this,” I said, motioning between us. “You’ve been really good for Melody and for me. And I like having you in my life. I just don’t want to disappoint you.”
I cleared my throat, because that was a lot.
Her gaze softened. “You have no idea how high my threshold for disappointment is.”
I had to laugh. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“I won’t be disappointed, Archie. We’ve literally talked about what we don’t want and what we do want more than I ever discussed my needs with the man I dated for years and then married. I promise, you need not worry.”
Her words struck me, and I felt my chest tightening.
Because Winnie was pure goodness. I’d recognized it pretty quickly upon meeting her.
She deserved to have her needs met.
She deserved to be heard and respected and loved.
And it bothered me that I couldn’t give her everything she wanted, but I could sure as hell give her more than she was asking for.
That much I knew.
“How about this,” I said, reaching for her hand. “We already spend a lot of time together, and we continue doing that, but when we’re alone, we do whatever you want to do.”
“And what do you want to do, Archie?” she asked as she moved closer. She climbed on my lap as I wrapped my arms around her.
“Right now, I want to do this,” I whispered before turning her in my arms and kissing her. Her fingers moved to my hair as my hands slipped beneath her loose tee and stroked the soft skin of her back.
We sat there making out like teenagers once again, and my dick raged against my joggers.
I could kiss this woman for hours and never tire of it.
Her lips were soft, and she made these little noises that turned me the hell on.
Had I ever wanted anyone the way I wanted her?
My phone rang from the nightstand, startling us both. I pulled back, and her eyes were wild with need, lips plump from where I’d kissed her.
My gaze locked with hers as my phone rang a second time.
“Get it. That might be your mom,” she said, but she didn’t slide off my lap, and I loved it.
I reached for my phone and kissed her hair before answering. “Good morning.”
“Daddy, why didn’t you pick up the first time?” Melody asked.
“Hey, angel face. Sorry about that. I couldn’t get to the phone quick enough,” I said.
“Mimi is making pancakes, and we want you and my Winnie to come eat breakfast with us.”
I looked down at the gorgeous woman sitting on my lap. She nodded, then hopped off the bed and moved to the closet to grab some clothes.
“Sure. We’ll be there soon,” I said. “Love you.”
“Love you, Daddy.”
I ended the call as Winnie hurried to the bathroom. I moved to my feet before quickly getting dressed. I walked that way and noticed that she hadn’t closed the door. She pulled a sweater over her head as she turned to look at me. She’d already slipped into a pair of faded jeans.
Her eyes moved down to where my dick was still straining against the gray fabric of my joggers.
I cleared my throat and shrugged. “Can’t really help it.”
“I know we need to go, but how about we make a deal to meet up later tonight?” She raised her brows. “Finish what we started.”
“I’m just getting started, Winnie,” I said as I moved closer and my large hand covered the side of her face.
Her chest was rising and falling. “Me too.”
“All right. Until later,” I said. I leaned down and kissed her once more before I took her hand and led her out of her bedroom. We both pulled our jackets on and were soon out the door.
“I like our new normal,” she said once we were in the truck.
“Our new normal?”
“Yeah. We act completely normal around everyone else, and then we have this secret of our own when we’re alone.”
I laughed. “I like our new normal, too.”
I just hoped like hell I wasn’t fucking things up.
Once we arrived at my parents’ place, Winnie and I acted like we always did. There was no touching, no heated glances. Melody talked up a storm about her night and showed off the painting she’d made, and I could tell Winnie was completely entranced with my daughter.
“Stop it!” she gasped at the painting. “I love this.”
“That’s you and me and Daddy,” Melody said. “We’re making snow angels like we did last week. Even though Daddy’s looked like a big blob.”
My parents both laughed, and I rolled my eyes.
“Hey. I’m bigger than you, and you didn’t give me much space between you two.”
“Don’t worry, Daddy, I gave you a good snow angel in my painting.”
I looked down at the piece of construction paper and smiled. She loved to paint and to draw.
“It’s perfect.”
“So, did you end up going to the party?” my mother pressed.
“No. I went and picked up Winnie because she was insisting on walking home.” I had another bite of red velvet pancakes and groaned. “These are so damn good.”
“Oh, you owe me a dollar, Daddy. Mimi and I also made a swears jar. If you say a bad word, you’ve gots to give me a dollar. Right, Mimi? Right, Pops?” My daughter hopped down and hurried to the counter, then brought back a large glass jar that read Swear Jar Collection.
“I think it’s more than fair,” my father said.
“Says the man who curses on the daily.” I laughed.
“Not around my granddaughter. Do you see a dollar in the jar, Archer?”
I pushed my plate away, as I’d eaten far too much. I reached in my pocket, pulled out a dollar, and dropped it in the jar. “First dollar.”
“Uncle Bridger is going to owe me the most, I thinks,” Melody said, giggling.
“If I were a betting man, I’d say you’re probably going to collect the most from him.”
“Winnie never says the swears,” my daughter said, beaming up at the woman holding her.
“Well, some of us are just a bit more mature than others.” She smirked, and my parents seemed to think her remark was hilarious.
“Fine. You’re more mature than I am,” I said, winking at her.
“Clearly.” My mother looked between us. “I’ve always been more mature than Dad. I think women just get it, you know?”
“Totally,” Winnie said.
“Am I a woman, too?” Melody asked, tipping her head back and looking up at Winnie like she held the moon in her hands.
I realized in that moment that we both looked at her that way.
It took everything I had not to pull them both onto my lap.
“You’re a perfect little girl right now,” Winnie said. “But someday you’ll be a woman. And honestly, you might be more mature than your daddy and your uncles already.”
“Hey,” I said over my laughter.
“I can’t argue that,” my father said.
“Is no one on my side here?” I threw my hands in the air, unable to hide the big smile on my face.
“I think your daddy should have to help me with the dishes, since he already put a dollar in the jar.” My mother stood.
“I can help,” Winnie said.
“Nope. You just relax, sweetheart.” Mom winked.
“I don’t know why I have to pay a dollar and do the dishes,” I grumped as I stacked the plates and followed my mother into the kitchen.
She was still laughing as I set the pile in the sink.
“Don’t be a baby. You wash and I’ll load.”
“All right.”
“I’m taking my pops and my Winnie out to the tree swing,” my daughter called out, and I heard the back door close behind them.
“She’s good for you, you know?” my mother said.
“She’s great. She’s really good for Melody.”
“I agree. But I see as much of a difference in you as I see in Melody.”
I rolled my eyes. Here we go.
My mother was always playing matchmaker. She’d put expectations on our sort-of-relationship if she knew what was going on, and that would not be good.
We’d already agreed that it wasn’t going anywhere. We were just having some fun. Involving other people would only complicate matters.
“She makes my life easier, that’s a given.”
“I’ve never seen you smile or laugh so much, either. You’re more relaxed around her. And I see the way she looks at you. The way you look at her.”
“Now you’re just romanticizing things.” I handed her the last plate. “She works for me. She’s too young for me.”
She shrugged. “You do know that I’m eleven years younger than your father. Don’t judge someone by their age.”
Like she said, my father was more than a decade older than my mother, but he didn’t have a child when they’d met. They’d wanted the same things. To build a family together. It made a difference.
I dried off my hands and turned to face my mother. “She’s newly divorced, and she wants to be single. And I’m in the same boat. I’m not looking to expand my family.”
“And why not?” she pressed.
“Because I can’t risk that with Melody. I can’t bring someone into her life who might leave in the end. With me and Melody, there’s no risk of anyone hurting her.” I was surprised by my own words. I hadn’t realized how deep that need to protect my daughter ran.
“Are you worried about Melody or yourself being hurt?” She held her hands up when I started to argue.
“I’m just saying, you stepped up to the plate for Melody.
And I’ve seen your guard come up over the last five years, and I get it.
But not everyone is going to leave, Archer. Look at you. You chose to stay.”
“Winnie’s young, Mom. She deserves a family of her own. But we’re friends, and I’m happy I hired her. She’s been great to Melody, and she’s become a good friend to me. So how about you don’t make it weird for anyone, huh?” I held my arms out, and she stepped into my embrace.
“I just love you, and I want you to be happy.”
“I’m happy, Mama. You don’t need to worry about me.”
I glanced out the back window and saw Melody and Winnie on the tire swing in the snowy yard, my father pushing both of them. Their heads fell back in laughter, which made my chest squeeze.
My mother was right about one thing.
Winnie was good for both of us.