Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
The House
I snuck out of my bedroom and listened at Lenni’s door. I heard nothing, so I continued on my trajectory. I crept down the stairs, ensuring that the wood didn’t squeak.
Archer’s bedroom door wasn’t fully closed and I slipped through the crack and then shut it behind me.
“Couldn’t stay away, could you?” he asked, pulling back the covers.
“I want to hear about the bachelor party.”
“Really?”
“No.” I snorted, snuggling down next to him.
“Nothing happened. We played poker for a few hours. We drank some beer—except for Brooks of course. And then we all parted ways. What about you guys? How wild and crazy was Poet’s bachelorette party?”
“We painted our toenails. Poet asked Lenni to be her flower girl and then we sang along to The Sound of Music.”
“Poet asked Lenni to be her flower girl?”
“Yeah.” I smiled against his chest. “It was really sweet. Lenni’s worried about having a dress that’s too frilly.”
He chuckled. “You’re taking care of that, right?”
“Me and Poet, yes,” I said. “You’re off the hook, Dad.”
“Thank God. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“You say that, but you’d figure it out.”
“Now I don’t have to. I have you.”
A sour pit formed in my stomach, and I rolled away from him.
“What?” he asked. “What did I say?”
“You don’t get a free pass at being a dad just because we’re dating.”
“I know that. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
He reached for me, but I eluded his grasp.
“This was my worry,” I said in exasperation. “That you only want me because you’ve got a built-in mom for Lenni. That you don’t really want me.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he muttered. “Not this again.”
“Not again. Still,” I snapped. “I told you there would be crap that would take me time to get over.”
“This isn’t crap you’re trying to get over. This is crap you’re putting between us as a roadblock.”
He finally managed to get hold of me and wrestled me down to the bed, pinning me beneath him.
“For the love of God, Wyn,” he barked. “I love you. I love everything about you. Even when you’re determined to push me away.”
I swallowed. “You’ve never said that to me before.”
“Yeah, well, you think words are hollow. I was trying to prove it with my actions.”
“What actions?” I demanded.
“Showing up for you, Wyn. No matter what you want to throw at me, I’ll still be here.”
The heavy thud of my heart beat against my ribs. “I know what the present looks like. But what about later . . . when things are calmer and Lenni’s in a routine and . . .”
He placed his hand on my lower belly, holding it almost possessively. “We’re going to get married, Wyn. And when you’re ready for a baby, I’ll give you one.”
His thumb caressed my hip bone.
“How many babies do you want?” I asked, breathless.
“As many as you’ll give me,” he whispered.
“And every Sunday morning, I’ll make us waffles.
And every Sunday night, we’ll have a movie marathon.
We’ll pile in the living room and have popcorn fights.
And then we’ll put the kids to bed, and then you and I will sit on the couch and talk about how beautiful our life is and we’ll wonder how we ever got so lucky. ”
My breath wobbled. “This house is a little small for a band of children.”
“We won’t live here forever. I’ll build you a house with a sewing room and a sunroom off the master bedroom so you can sit and have your coffee in the morning light.
Whatever you want, Wyn, I’ll do it for you.
Because I just want to make you happy. You’ve made me so damn happy I didn’t think it was possible. ”
“You should have a guys’ night more often,” I murmured. “I like how honest it’s made you.”
“Still think I’m full of shit?” he asked.
“No.”
His hand slipped lower into my pajama pants and rested at the heat of me.
“I’ve had my insane years. My dangerous years.
I’m not even sure how I’m still alive. I’m only thirty years old, Wyn, but I’ve already really lived.
Are you sure you’re not gonna wake up one day and regret that you settled down so young? ”
“Who’s settling?” I shifted my body to give him silent permission to keep touching me. “I’ve done the New York thing. I’ve done the going out to bars and clubs thing.”
He made a noise of annoyance, which only caused me to smile.
“I’ve traveled. I’ve lived, too. But I want something else now.
I was envious . . . of my friends. They fell in love.
They’re having babies. They got the dream.
They got what I’ve always wanted and I .
. . I was scared it wasn’t in the cards for me.
Sounds silly, giving up on love at twenty-three. But God, I was so disillusioned.”
He paused. “Does that mean—do you want a baby sooner rather than later?”
I chuckled. “No. I’m perfectly content for the time being. This is enough.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“But you’ll tell me, right? When you’re ready?”
“I’ll tell you,” I promised. “I’m not ready for a baby, Archer.”
“Okay.”
“But I am ready to practice making one.”
He chuckled against my skin as his fingers slowly started to move between my legs.
“I wonder how many gold stars I can get,” he whispered just before his lips covered mine.
The sound of a cabinet opening in the kitchen forced my eyes open. I was in Archer’s bed, and he was curled up behind me, his morning erection pressing against my back.
I wiggled against him and his arms tightened around me.
“Hmm,” he hummed against my ear.
“Archer,” I hissed. “Wake up.”
“I’m awake,” he said, clearly stifling a yawn. “I like waking up with you.”
“Yeah, that’s great,” I stated. “One itty-bitty problem.”
“What’s that?”
“Listen.”
We fell silent and then we heard low voices coming from the TV.
“Lenni’s out there,” I stage-whispered.
“Sounds like it.”
“I forgot to set an alarm so I could go back to my room.”
“Woman,” he said with a labored sigh. “Last night I promised you babies and a house. You think I was gonna let you go back and sleep in your old bed?”
“I didn’t want her to find out this way,” I said, sitting up, holding the sheet to my naked body. I looked around for my pajamas.
“You know when people make a big deal about something, it kind of sets the tone for a big reaction, right?”
“I guess?” I leaned over the bed. “Ah! Pants!”
“I’m just saying, if we make a big deal about you coming out of my room, then she’s going to have big feelings about it. So, let’s just play it cool.”
“You mean you want me to walk out of here like it’s nothing out of the ordinary?”
“Not nothing,” he said. “But maybe we don’t have a let’s sit down and discuss our feelings about it.”
I looked at him. “For a guy that was called Bandit, you know absolutely nothing about women.”
He scratched his bare chest. “No two women are alike. I know that much.”
“You go out first,” I commanded.
“Okay.”
“And then I’ll come out after you.”
“All right.” He paused. “You know she can probably hear that you’re in here, right?”
I groaned. “Archer!”
“I’m going, I’m going.” He grabbed his glasses from the nightstand and then climbed out of bed. He quickly covered his perfect, naked backside. “I’ll make coffee.”
“Good.”
With a shake of his head, he went to the door. He opened it and stepped out, closing it most of the way but not completely. “Morning.”
Lenni mumbled a reply.
I finished getting dressed and with a deep breath, went out to face Lenni. I popped out from the hallway and headed toward the kitchen.
Lenni’s expression didn’t change when she saw me and that worried me more than anything.
“What are you watching?” I asked.
“Mary Poppins,” she said.
“On a Julie Andrews kick, I see,” I said, shooting Archer a look. “Have you seen Mary Poppins?”
“Nope.” He took the coffee pot and filled it at the sink. “What’s it about?”
“A magic nanny who puts a family back together,” Lenni said. A small smile appeared on her lips. “Kind of like Wyn, actually.”
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
Archer pressed brEW on the coffee maker and a moment later it began to gurgle. “Yeah, so Wyn’s not going to be your nanny anymore.”
“Yeah, I know. Because she gave her two weeks’ notice.” Lenni’s lip wobbled. “She’s finally leaving, isn’t she?”
“The opposite, actually,” Archer said. “Wyn and I are together.”
She tucked her solemn lip away. “Together? Like boyfriend and girlfriend?”
“Yeah,” Archer said, his eyes darting from his daughter to me before landing back on her.
“Well, holy cow, you did it,” Lenni said to Archer. “I didn’t think you could, but you totally did.”
I frowned. “Did what?”
Lenni looked at me. “When he told me you gave your two weeks’ notice, he said that meant he had two weeks to convince you to be his girlfriend.”
I glanced at Archer. “You said that, huh?”
He shrugged. “I was a desperate optimist. What can I say?”
Lenni stood up from the couch so fast Mildred let out a little woof of surprise.
“Does this mean you’re staying forever?”
I looked at her father. “I hope so.”