Chapter 22
twenty-two
. . .
Winnie
I’d just come out to the kitchen to make breakfast and pack up Melody’s lunch when she came around the corner, crying frantically.
It was early. She wasn’t usually up just yet.
“Winnie! Daddy’s hurt and he’s calling for you. He needs help, I thinks. He needs help!” Melody had tears running down her cheeks, and I dropped the pan I’d been holding in my hand on the counter and started running after her.
“Where is he?”
“He fell in his bathroom,” she croaked.
We both turned into his bedroom. I raced for the door and pushed it open, with Melody right beside me.
There stood a naked Archer Chadwick in all his glory as he stepped out of the shower.
Dripping wet as he wrapped a towel around his waist.
I clapped a hand over Melody’s eyes as I stared at him.
We’d made out more times than I could count now. But we’d never taken things further. I’d never seen the man naked. Sure, I’d ground up against him enough times to know that he was large and thick, but I’d never seen it in all its glory.
And oh my… this was the kind of body that could inspire an entire romance book.
He was the book boyfriend dreams were made of.
Chiseled and hard and built.
A little trail of dark hair led down to his well-endowed package, which appeared to be more than happy to see me.
“Holy shit,” he said at the sight of us. He tied off his towel at his waist before crossing his arms over his chest. “What the hell is going on?”
“Two dollars, Daddy,” Melody said as I took my hand from her eyes now that he was covered.
“Um, I’m, er, I’m so sorry. Melody said you were hurt, and that you’d called for me.” I shook my head as I backed up to leave the bathroom.
“Hurt? What are you talking about, angel face?” He held on to the towel at his waist and bent down to meet her eyes as he took in her tear-streaked cheeks. He used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away the wetness. “I’m fine, baby girl. I was taking a shower.”
“I woke up early and came in your room and I heard you crying in the shower, Daddy.”
“What?” he asked with confusion as he stroked her hair to comfort her. “I wasn’t crying, honey.”
“You were making crying noises, like, ‘Uhhh, uhhh, uhh, ohhhh,’” she said, mimicking the noise, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head as the realization of what she was saying hit me. Archer closed his eyes for a few beats as if he’d just put it together, too, and then he stood.
“I think I was reacting to the water being a little too hot this morning.” He cleared his throat. “I promise you, I’m fine.”
“And then you made this crying sound for Winnie. You called out for her. I thought you needed Winnie to help you?”
Oh. My. Gosh.
He turned to look at me as he scrubbed a hand down his face. “I might have been calling out for Winnie to turn the hot water down in the garage. I’m sorry about that, sweetheart.”
My gaze locked with his, and he had this goofy grin on his face that basically said: Busted.
“It’s okay, Daddy. Sorry we saw you a little bit naked.”
“That’s okay. It happens.” He blew out a breath, and I glanced in the mirror to see my cheeks were bright pink. “How about you go brush your teeth, and I’ll be in to help you get dressed in a few minutes.”
“Okay!” And just like that, Melody skipped out of the bathroom. Kids were so resilient, and it always surprised me how quickly she bounced back from things.
“I’m so sorry for barging in here,” I said, trying my best not to burst out in hysterical laughter.
“Are you, though?” he asked with a smirk. “I guess you caught me. Thinking about things that I shouldn’t be thinking about.”
“You’re not the only one, Archie,” I chuckled. I walked out of the bathroom while still facing him. “Thanks for that morning show. You gave me plenty of inspiration to write today.”
“Yeah? You like what you see, Winnie?”
“I really do,” I said, just as he shocked the shit out of me by tugging his towel free and letting it fall to the ground.
I couldn’t breathe. I was stunned speechless.
“Daddy! Which shirt do you like better?” Melody called out from behind me as she came running back in the room, and Archer jolted for his towel, hitting his head on the counter in the process.
“Fuck.”
“Another dollar for the jar, Daddy.” Melody came to a stop beside me as he tucked the towel back in place and rubbed his hand over the big red spot on his forehead.
“I’ll get Melody dressed and start breakfast. You just—take care of business, Archie.”
Melody jogged back to her room, and I followed as Archer grumped under his breath, “I already took care of business.”
Melody hopped up on her bed as I opened her closet door and pulled out her jeans with little flowers embroidered on them, a white tee, and her pink hoodie. “How about this with your pink cowboy boots?”
“Yes!” She pumped her fist. “Can you do the two buns on my head with the bows today?”
“Of course. I love that style on you because you’re so cute,” I said as she raised her arms over her head and I pulled off her jammies and got her dressed. Baths were nightly occurrences, so getting her ready for school in the morning was super easy.
We moved to her en suite bathroom so she could brush her teeth before I sat her up on the counter and did her hair.
“Pink, white, or red bows?” I asked, holding up the options in my hand.
“Can we do one pink and one red?”
“Absolutely, I love that idea.”
“Who used to do your hair when you were a little girl?” she asked, and I glanced up to meet her gaze in the mirror.
“Well, my dad tried, but he wasn’t real good at that. He’s great with cars, but not so much with hair.” I chuckled at the memory.
“Yeppers. Daddy is good with his works but not so much with hair, either.” She smiled, and it reached her chocolate brown eyes.
“I taught myself pretty early on how to do it. But honestly, I would just wear a ponytail most days and tie a ribbon around it. I learned the fancy stuff later.” I picked up the hairspray and sprayed it over her head to keep things in place.
Archer didn’t know much about hair products, so I’d taken him shopping one day. We’d picked up some good detangler and conditioner for her hair, some light hair spray, and more bows.
A girl could never have too many bows.
“I’m glad I have you to do this with me. Mrs. Dowden didn’t know how to do hair, and I like that you and me both wear pretty bows together.”
“I like it, too.” I kissed her cheek. She smelled like her peach-strawberry lotion, and I just breathed in all that sweetness.
“Should we go make breakfast?” I asked her as I helped her off the counter.
“Yes. Can we make heart pancakes and bacon?”
“Sure, that sounds perfect.” I took her hand and led her down the hallway toward the kitchen.
Melody loved to set the table, so I whipped up the batter as she did that. But all I could think of was a naked Archer Chadwick.
The man was chiseled perfection.
I wanted to take things further with him, but I was afraid to at the same time.
I’d only been with one man in my life.
And it hadn’t been great, to say the least.
I wanted to keep things casual, and a part of me wondered if sex would complicate things.
Making out was one thing. Sex was another.
We’d talked about it. Hell, we talked about everything.
Archer Chadwick was my boss, but he’d also become my friend.
A really good friend.
He listened and encouraged me with my writing.
He was the best kisser I’d ever met as well, so I had no doubt he’d be a great lover.
The kind of lover I wrote about in the pages of my books.
“That smells good,” he said, startling me from my thoughts as he brushed up against me where I stood at the stove. His breath tickled my ear as he leaned in close to me.
I glanced over my shoulder to see Melody coloring at the table. Archer moved to pour himself a cup of coffee as I plated the food.
“Pancakes and bacon. The breakfast of champions,” I said as I set our plates down at the table.
Archer set three glasses down with a pitcher of fresh orange juice.
There was a drawing on the table and a card with my name on it.
“What’s this?” I asked as we all took our seats.
“You’re finishing your book today, right?”
“Yes. Hopefully I can wrap it up today.”
“You’ve got this. You’ve got five thousand words left, and you get to write your two favorite words after that.” He winked.
My chest squeezed at his words. This man listened to me.
He really listened.
He cheered me on and encouraged me, which meant more than I could ever put into words.
“What are your two favorite words?” Melody asked as she cinched her brows together and looked at me.
“‘The end.’” I chuckled. “They are the best words, because it means you finished another book.”
“I want to write books like Winnie someday,” Melody said.
“I think she’s a good person to look up to. And if you work hard, you can do it, too. Because we see how hard Winnie works, right?”
This man had a way of stealing my breath.
He validated my career, took note of the work that went into it, and celebrated my milestones.
“Winnie’s the hardest worker,” she said over a mouthful of pancakes, and I chuckled. “Do you want to have babies, Winnie?”
My eyes widened.
I’d quickly learned that kids just said whatever came to mind. They didn’t overthink. If they had a question, they asked it.
But this one had come out of left field.
“Hmmmm… I don’t actually know.” I shrugged, because it was the truth at the moment. “I’ve always wanted a big family. But things haven’t worked out for me so far, so I’m not sure it will happen. But yes, I would like to be a mother.”
Jaden and I had plans to have a baby after I graduated from college, but then he couldn’t find a job, or at least not a job that he felt was up to his standards.
His words, not mine.
We were dependent on my income, so we postponed those plans.
And I was grateful that it hadn’t worked out, because being tied to that man for the rest of my life would have been horrible. Not to mention the fact that he was far too selfish to be a parent.
“I wish I could be a baby again and you could be my mama,” Melody said, and I noted the way Archer’s hand froze with the strip of bacon between his fingers.
My chest tightened at her words.
“I’m glad I met you now,” I said, clearing my throat. The lump forming there was so thick it made it difficult to speak. “It wouldn’t be possible to love you more than I do right now.”
“I love you, my Winnie.” She smiled, and I reached for her hand and squeezed it.
I loved this girl big, and I’d only known her for three months.
Archer’s eyes met mine, and he didn’t say anything.
But I saw the panic there.
We were all getting too close, which I knew terrified him.
I forced a smile, and he gave me the slightest nod.
Things were getting complicated.
And I knew Archer Chadwick didn’t like complicated.