“I don’t mind loading the dishwasher,” I tell her. “I just spoke to Angie. She said that River’s already sleeping so I’ll just pick her up in the morning.”
Reese gives me a look over her shoulder. “How’s Angie doing? Is she over the morning sickness phase yet?”
“Oh, yeah. She’s all good now. She’s just trying to babysit River every chance she can get. She says it’s practice for when her baby comes.” I chuckle.
My sister is due to give birth in a few months. For now, River is her crash test baby. And my little girl doesn’t mind one bit because her auntie spoils her beyond her wildest imagination.
“Aww,” Reese coos. “You’re so lucky she can help you out.”
I nod as I slide a handful of silverware into the utensil compartment of the dishwasher. “I am. Especially with the whole situation with my parents.”
“Things aren’t getting better with them?” My friend’s brow pleats with concern.
I lift a shoulder. “We have good days and bad. I guess there’ll always be some tension in our relationship but, y’know, they love River and I hope that soon they’ll finally get to the point where they realize there’s no point in being pissed about the past.” I’m downplaying the situation. My parents’ approval means a lot to me, especially my mother’s, and over the past two years, I haven’t exactly been in their good graces.
Gianni and Agata Gallo were not happy when my wedding got canceled and they were even more disgruntled when they found out that I was pregnant.
To my mom, the blemish on her social status was not welcome. Plus, it put a big strain on her relationship with Josh’s mom who happens to be the head-bitch-in-charge of their social circle. Mom was more concerned with the smear to her reputation than the actual tangible, real life implications of single parenthood on me. I can’t pretend that didn’t hurt.
But it’s water under the bridge now. We’re trying to move on and forge some kind of relationship again.
My friend gives me an encouraging look. “Things will work out. You just have to give it time.”
The backdoor slides open and Leo steps in with a sleeping Maizy slung over his shoulder. “Charlie and Nova just left,” he tells us as he slips a foil tray of leftover veggies onto the counter. “Madalyn was fussing so they couldn’t come say good night. Viv and Clint are just packing up their car to leave.”
“Alright. Time to go put these babies to bed,” Reese tells her husband, motioning to the three sleepy children.
“Go on,” I tell them. “I’ve got the dishes.” I shoo them away with my hand as I open the dishwasher door.
“You’re a lifesaver, Soph,” Leo tells me as he shepherds his family up the stairs.
“No problem.” As I watch them go, my chest tightens with jealousy again.
I just wish I could give that to my daughter. A family.
My mind wanders back to Archie. A part of me just wants to step up to him and tell him, point blank, that we have a child together and that she’s the most incredible thing on the face of this earth. And I want him to fall in love with her the way I have. But the other part of me is flashing red warning lights. Reminding me that if Archie enters River’s life only to walk away when he gets bored of our small town setup, that would destroy my little girl. It’s not worth it to me to risk her heart unless I know what Archie is going to do with it.
And he probably doesn’t like kids. Guys like him—with the bulging muscles and the charming personalities usually don’t want snot-faced kids hanging around. Plus, he probably hates the idea of settling down in the suburbs even more than he hates kids. Both valid reasons for keeping River a secret. I’m trying to protect her. I don’t want him to hurt her.
But why is there that niggling voice at the back of my mind saying that I’m the one hurting her by keeping her from her father? And should I really be standing in the way of this man knowing his child?
It’s just that, I know what it’s like to be left behind. I don’t want to see my little girl get her heart ripped out when Archie jumps into his car and rides off into the sunset without us.
As I’m bent over loading the dishwasher and trying to work through my mental turmoil, I feel a presence behind me. My body knows it’s him without even looking.
I twist my head around and Archie is standing there, dilated pupils smoldering on the curve of my ass. I bolt upright and spin to face him.
His lips curl slowly at the corners and his dimples have apparently made it their mission to melt my panties tonight. “Hey,” he says.
“Um, hi.”
He takes slow steps toward me and for the first time, I notice the slight limp in his gait. How did I not notice that before? I silently wonder what might have caused it.
He holds a pile of dirty serving dishes in his arms. “This is the last of the stuff from outside.” He observes the backup of pots and pans in the sink. “You look like you could use some help.”
I straighten my shoulders and speak politely. “No thanks…I’m all good.”
We stand there and stare into each other’s faces for a hot, hot minute. Then, his hungry gaze takes a leisurely slide down my body, lingering on my breasts then on my hips before ending on my calves.
He steps past me, right up to the sink and starts rinsing out a pot.
“You don’t have to do that,” I tell him. “I’ve got it.”
He glances at the dishwasher and stretches the pot to me. “Load ‘er up.”
When I hesitate to take it, he insists with a tip of his chin and a wiggle of the pot.
He’s not going to back down. I concede with a sigh. His dimples make another appearance to celebrate the victory.
He’s so annoying.
Biting back the smile fighting for control of my lips, I wordlessly slide the pot onto a rack in the dishwasher and when I’m done, Archie passes me a handful of spoons.
"So, you opened a daycare, huh?"
My chest flutters a little when he says that and I silently wonder how he knows that about me. Did Charlie or Leo mention that? What else have they told him?
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Yes. Well, sort of. I run it out of my house right now. At least until I finish up the renovations on the center I just rented. It should be ready in a few weeks.”
“So, you’re in the middle of that process right now?”
"Yup." The word pops out with emphasis on the 'p'. “But it’s moving slowly. Trying to run the home daycare and set up the center at the same time is a bit crazy.”
“That must be hectic. Having a bunch of kids in your house all day.”
See that right there? He doesn’t like kids. He doesn’t like kids. I knew it!
“Believe me, it is. My home décor pretty much consists of alphabet posters on the walls, plastic bins full of toys and miniature furniture everywhere.” I giggle. “That’s why I decided to move the business outside of my house. But gosh, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.”
“Right.” He nods once. “It might be tough right now but you’ll get there. I know you will.”
A little knot takes root in my belly when I think of River. “I will. I’m determined to.” Getting this business to work is all for her. For her future.
“That’s really great, Daisy. So many people have dreams they never chase down. You actually followed through.”
“What?”
He glances over at me from the casserole dish he’s rinsing. “You did say you always wanted to work with kids...The night we met, you said you were studying to be an English teacher. But you'd dropped out of school to plan your wedding..."
My movements halt. I look over at him. “You remembered I said that?”
"Of course, I remember you said that. I remember everything about that night." His tone is so sincere when he says the words. I think I’m too stunned to respond. Dropping the soapy sponge into the sink, he rinses his hands and turns to me. "You don't believe me? You think I'm bullshitting you?"
&nb
sp; I sort of shrug and give him my back, wiping a wet rag along the countertop.
In an instant, Archie is standing right behind me. My heart rate picks up but I don’t dare turn around.
"Look at me, Sophia."
"We don't have to talk about this. Really." I scrub at a spot of stuck-on cheese on the counter.
"No, look at me."
"Archie, it all happened a long time ago. I'm okay now."
His heat reaches into my personal space. Energy crackles all around.
He won't let me off the hook, though.
He gathers my hair in his big, wet hands and I gasp lightly as my body begins to thrum all over. He gently places my hair over one shoulder.
My toes curl into the leather soles of my sandals. The back of my exposed neck tingles.
His hands settle on my hips and my eyes flutter. His fingers flex, his touch so sure and possessive.
When his breath flitters across the sensitive skin of my neck, my fingers curl on the lip of the counter. I’m so busy trying to not swoon right there against his chest. "Look at me, Sophia," he commands again.
And this time, I do as I'm told. Slowly, I spin around so that we're face to face although I have to tilt my head back to meet his eyes.
Standing there under the muted lightbulbs of my friend’s kitchen, I’m captive to this man’s hold. I study his face. The shape of his eyes. The swell of his lips. The little dimple in his chin.
I see my daughter in this stranger's face. And it terrifies me.
What terrifies me even more is that, instead of running away from him, my body is begging to get closer.
"Daisy..." he breathes out.
"That's not my name…" I whisper.
He strokes a finger down my neck and just like that, I'm melting from the inside. His voice is like gravel when he speaks again, rough and raspy. "I meant what I said to you. I didn't forget you. I didn't forget anything about that night. Thinking about you is what got me through those endless nights when I was out there in the jungle, terrified for my life. You were my hope. I didn't know your name. But I remembered your laugh. Your kiss.” A lightning bolt strikes the hollow of my belly when he says that.
He kept me going, too. The thought of him kept me comfort in my darkest hours. Replaying the words he said to me is what helped me start putting the pieces of my life back together after Josh left me in shambles.
Like a coward, I squeeze my eyes shut. Because I don't want him to read everything I'm not brave enough to say. Tears leak across my lashline and down my cheeks.
A shiver skitters along my nerve endings. Shaky words travel on my breath. "You didn't even know me..."
His jaw clenches. His throat strains as he swallows. "From the first moment I saw you, I knew you. My soul recognized you, Sophia. I don't know how to explain it. From the first moment I saw you, you were mine. I don't care who's ring was on your finger or who you showed up in that white dress to meet. You were always mine."
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I’m not equipped to fight this rush of emotions.
“It was a one-night stand, Archie. In Las Vegas, of all places. On the night I was supposed to marry someone else. And you were about to deploy. We were both in a weird space that night. You don’t have to pretend it was more than that.”
“It was more than that.”
God, he’s so stubborn. “Don't get me wrong, Archie. I like you. I more than like you. Actually, I think you're...you're fucking phenomenal. And that's part of the problem.” I swallow. “I think you're phenomenal. I don't know you. Even though I really, really feel like I do. And that's just my heart playing tricks on me again...I can't keep making bad decisions. I can't just do what feels good in the moment.”
His lips touch my cheekbone, stomping on my teardrop in its tracks. I shudder against him. His fingertips are rough. They brush across my mouth, tracing the outline.
My hands fist in the back of his T-shirt, tugging at the material. His breath fans across my mouth as he leans closer. "Fuck—I've dreamed about tasting these lips...And your other lips, too."
Fire scorches my stomach, up my chest, all the way through my constricted throat. This is what my lust feels like.
What is it I was just saying about making bad decisions? Who knows?
I want to taste him so bad.
Eyes still closed, my lips part and I hear myself say, "Kiss me."
A growl escapes his chest. His big, rough hands brace my cheeks and his mouth comes down on mine. I sigh at the contact and my fingers release the fabric of his T-shirt to scale the wall of tight abs beneath.
Now, he has both hands on my ass, squeezing and caressing. Touching me the way I’ve needed for so long. Our tongues tangle and our hearts smash against each other as the air around us blazes with lust.
This isn't a kiss. It's a heist. He's stealing my thoughts. My breath. My basic sense of right and wrong. And for one hot minute, I don't think I mind. To be honest, I'm ready to give him my panties, too.
The feeling terrifies me because this man is a stranger. And his mere presence threatens the fragile world I’ve worked so hard to build for myself and my daughter. If he finds out the truth…I don’t want to imagine what it would mean if he found out that River is his child. Yet I don’t want to pull away.
God—I’m being selfish right now.
But I’ve put everything ahead of my desires over the past two years. I’ve put myself last. And for this little slice of time, I want something for me. Just this one kiss. Just let me have this one kiss.
I hear voices approaching. “I think we should switch back to the organic brand because these explosive diapers are—”
Jerking back, I quickly break the kiss and snap my head toward the entrance. Reese and Leo are standing there, stunned.
“Well, that escalated quickly.” Leo is grinning so hard his face has turned red.
Reese slaps him on the shoulder. “Stop it,” she hisses as she edges by me. She tiptoes through the soapy water pooling on the floor and turns off the pipe.
Meanwhile, I’m struggling to untangle my limbs from Archie’s without my weak knees giving out. “I’m sorry.” My face is on fire when I stare down at the flooded linoleum tiles.
Reese looks at me with a grin of her own. “Oh, please. Don’t apologize. In fact, how about you two just pick up right where you left off?” She grabs Leo by the arm and drags him back toward the stairs. “The mop is in the closet at the end of the hall…And there’s an empty guest bedroom around the corner, if you need it.” She tosses us a wink before disappearing up the stairs.
Mortified, I rush off to the closet and grab the mop. When I get back to the kitchen, Archie is leaning against the dry part of the counter, his bulging arms folded across his chest. He grins. “So…how about that spare bedroom?”
I toss him the mop. “Pig!”
He smirks when he catches it.
Tearing my eyes away from his smug face, I grab my dirty Crock-Pot from the counter and storm out the door.
I’ve got six minutes to catch the 58.
Chapter Nine
Archie
Las Vegas
Two years ago, 9:07 P.M.
These sheets are soft as fuck.
When I roll over, they tangle around my legs and the plush mattress dips to accommodate my shifting weight. Eyes still closed, my arm swings across my torso and lands in the vacant space beside me. It’s still warm and I can smell her wildflower scent rising off the comforter but my search for her taut, feminine body comes up empty.
I groan low, that gratifying, after-sex euphoria still lingering in my bones as I slowly blink my eyes open. My gaze falls on the slender, unmoving silhouette seated on the edge of the bed, facing the window.
“Hey…” Dragging myself across the twin-sized mattress, I lay a hand at the small of her back.
Her spine goes stiff at my touch. “Hey.”
“You okay?”
On a deep inhale, her ribcage expands. She grips the sheets over h
er naked breasts and peeks at me from over her shoulder. “Not really.”
Now, I sit up completely and grate my fingers across my scalp. I don’t like the fact that she’s not happy. I don’t like it one bit. In fact, it’s borderline weird how much this stranger’s unhappiness bothers me.
I’ve had one-night stands before. More than enough of them. I know how they work and this is the part where she’s supposed to be getting dressed and I’m supposed to be lying in bed, eating Flaming Hot Cheetos and watching Netflix and waving goodbye to her as she slinks out the door.
But instead, I’m trying to talk to her. “Tell me what’s wrong, Daisy.”
A faint trace of a grin moves across her face. “First off, you snore.”
“Fucking liar…” I lazily grate my fingers up and down her ribs and she snorts a laugh through her nose. She’s ticklish. I catalogue that thought in case it might come in handy later.
Later. I don’t know that there is a ‘later’ for us but heaven knows I want one with this girl.
“You totally snore,” she says and wiggles out of my reach to avoid further tickling.
I drop my head against the pillow and grin up at her. “Only after an excellent fuck, I guess. I get super relaxed and I sleep like a baby.” I read her facial features again. “But apparently I didn’t do so great for you because you’re wearing a facial expression no man wants to see after sex.”
Still holding the sheet to her chest, she turns to face me. “The sex was…was…I’ve never felt anything like that…It was amazing…”
I fill in the blanks. “But there’s too much other stuff going on in your life.”
She purses her lips and shivers. “It’s just finally starting to sink in. All of it.” Her delicate shoulder raises in a shrug. “True. The sex was mind-blowing. But I’m going to have to go home. I’m going to have to face my family and my friends and the whole freaking town who’s definitely already gossiping about me because I’m the idiot who was so deep into my wedding-themed YouTube channel that I didn’t even realize I was engaged to a man who gave less than zero shits about me.”
The Blue Collar Bachelors Box Set: The Complete Blue Collar Bachelors Series Page 111