by Heather Long
Archie leaned over me and snagged the seatbelt, then dragged it across and clicked it in. I gave him an amused look and grinned before repeating the process with himself. Then with one thigh pressed against mine, he interlocked our fingers, and only then did he glance across to where our parents sat.
They weren’t touching. If anything, there was a clearly defined space between them. Trouble in paradise, Maddy?
“I’m still very—”
“Wait,” Mr. Standish said, interrupting Maddy before she could say another word. “We agreed to keep this civil.”
Oh, that glare she sent him had me sliding a look at Archie. He wore the faintest of smirks, but while his fingers were tight on mine, he glanced out the window. The stroke of his thumb along the side of my hand helped soothe my nerves. To be honest, I was curious about the details of what Archie got his father to agree to and the destination. Still, I didn’t ask.
We were a united front, so I’d trust whatever Archie had arranged. The fact the guys were following us or would meet us there and be close so when we decided to walk out, we could? Even better.
The drive took almost thirty minutes, and I managed to not bob my knee as the tension inside the car dragged taut. Every time I glanced at the pair opposite us, Maddy glared and Eddie looked troubled.
Our destination surprised me.
Standish.
I hadn’t been back here since Valentine’s Day, despite the fact I still technically had an internship.
Bryan had texted a couple of times. I couldn’t even begin to explain the twisted path this had all taken. I’d ended up just telling him there’d been a change in plans and left it at that. Mollie had reached out too, but she seemed to be pretty busy, so our texts had been hit or miss.
The limo slowed as it pulled into the circular plaza of the building. The parking garage was on the other side, and I rarely came in this way. Made sense that the Standishes would. When the driver came around to open the door, I had to resist the urge to bolt. Archie didn’t let go of my hand as he slid over and out, taking me with him.
As soon as we were outside in the icy air, I sucked in a deep breath. I didn’t realize how much the interior smelled like Maddy’s perfume until I was free of it. At Archie’s searching look, I summoned a smile. “I’m okay,” I told him.
He nodded, flicking a look behind me. “C’mon, they know where we’re going.” We moved inside together and across the marble floored lobby. Archie didn’t even glance at the security as they nodded to him, and we bypassed the elevators I’d normally used and went straight to the executive. By the time I turned around inside it, the doors were already sliding shut, leaving bad meatloaf on the far side of the lobby to catch up with us.
Blowing out a breath, Archie rolled his head from side to side.
“Are you okay?”
He lifted our joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of mine. “I’m fine, babe. Just needed to get my temper leashed. I really fucking hate how she looks at you.”
“She’s trying to intimidate me. She doesn’t want me to argue with her.” The technique had worked for years, but no matter how pissed she looked right now, I didn’t care. The elevator opened to a familiar floor, and I glanced at Archie. “Here?”
“Trust me?”
“Always.”
He guided me out onto the level that housed his father’s office as well as his grandfather’s, and I thought Archie mentioned he had his own. Did this mean Grandpa Ted would be here? Oh, that would be an explosion. There were no secretaries, not even the really sweet lady Archie had directed me toward.
Once inside the conference room, he pulled out a chair for me. Belatedly, I realized he had my backpack, which he also sat down next to the chair out of sight. I hadn’t even realized he had it when I walked over to join them. I’d been too focused on making sure he wasn’t alone in facing them.
“Really,” Maddy snapped as the door opened. I thought she was talking to us, but nope, she had her head turned. “Eddie, this is patently stupid, and you can’t expect me to keep putting up with this crap.”
“You’re part of this crap, as you put it,” Mr. Standish answered. “Stop being such a bitch about it.”
I swore I forgot how to breathe. In any other world, I was pretty sure Maddy would have torn the face off of someone who called her a bitch. But in Eddie’s case, she just made the most indignant snarling sound before she turned and our gazes locked.
Oh. Yeah.
“Speaking of little bitches.”
Archie tensed as Eddie glanced at the ceiling.
“I’m not the one he called a bitch, Maddy. Maybe you should check yourself before you hurl any more stones.” My voice didn’t waver for a second. Go me. Her eyes went positively glacial, but I refused to flinch. Archie hadn’t taken a seat. Instead, he stood next to me.
“You might want to control your girlfriend, Edward,” Archie warned. “There’s already one judge that wants to throw the book at her for child neglect. I don’t doubt assault charges could be arranged.”
“Maddy,” Mr. Standish said in a tone damn near as harsh as hers. “This isn’t helping anything.”
“Of course it isn’t,” Maddy argued, swinging around to face him. “You already sided with her against me when you sent that letter to the court. Not that it scored you many points with our daughter, did it?”
Sliding his hands into his pockets, Mr. Standish gave her a look I recognized. Archie wore that look when he was about to argue his points, but he didn’t want you to know just how prepared he was.
“I did what I felt was necessary,” he said patiently. “Much like you have been.” Easy. Even. Not an ounce of harshness. Then his mouth compressed. “Or so you claimed.”
“Don’t you dare accuse me of being the problem here, I wasn’t the one who went and knocked some slut up—” She practically vibrated, she was so angry. Wow. Here I thought I was the only one who infuriated her that much. “Then went and married her. I didn’t leave you. I didn’t abandon you.”
All of sudden, Maddy cut all that venom toward me.
“And as for you…”
“I wouldn’t,” Archie said, ice slicking each syllable. “Because as entertaining as you may find your melodrama, we don’t. We’re not only not interested, we’re sick of it. Not to mention the only slut present in this room would be you with your penchant for going after married men.”
“Let’s walk this back,” Mr. Standish tried. I’d give him that. He tried. He actually looked like he wanted to have this conversation, but Maddy just wanted a fight. “We came here to sort this out.” Suddenly, he focused on me. “As much as I know Archie didn’t have to come here, I’m aware you didn’t either. The fact you’re both willing to talk to us—to me—it means something.”
“It really shouldn’t,” I told him, and maybe I should have let him defuse things with Maddy, but honestly, I didn’t care if she was comfortable. “I only came here to close the last door on Maddy.”
“Frankie,” he began, paused, seemed to collect himself, and then continued, “I know we got off on the wrong foot, and you weren’t wrong about your accusations where Archie is concerned. But I really do want to get to know you. I should have been a part of your life.” He grimaced and then looked at Archie. “I should have been a part of yours, as well.”
“Too little too late, old man. As for Frankie, you don’t need to have anything to do with her life. You’re not her sperm donor.”
Maddy pivoted. “Don’t speak to your father that way.”
“Shut up, Maddy.” Those three words landed in the silence and yanked her furious attention back to me. “Every word that comes out of your mouth is a lie. Every story you’ve ever told me. Every piece of garbage you try to sell about the life you lead or the life we lead has been a lie. I’m tired of it.”
Grabbing my backpack, I pulled open the front pocket and pulled out the four DNA tests. I slapped them onto the table one at a time.
�
��Four tests. So I’m assuming four candidates. Must have been a hell of a party if you weren’t sure which it was.” Yeah yeah, I had four boyfriends. She could still fuck off. I was on birth control, and even if there was an oops, I wouldn’t wait eighteen years to try and figure it out.
That thought gave me pause for a moment, but I put it away. It was very much a discussion for another day. One that would take place nowhere near these two. Mr. Standish—you know what, fuck it. Edward moved to the table.
“Those aren’t important,” Maddy said. “I have the test that mattered.”
“Really?” Archie said slowly, then pulled a form from inside his jacket and unfolded it. “Because unless you want to try and sell that he and I aren’t related, what you gave him is a pile of crap.” He slid the results across, and Edward snagged it before Maddy could. “Frankie and I went to the lab there and they drew blood and did swabs. They did full panels on both of us. We’re not related. At all.”
Maddy sucked in a breath. I could almost see the thoughts racing through her mind as her aggravated expression smoothed and she put a hand on Edward’s arm. “She was supposed to be yours.”
And there it was.
“You fucking cunt,” Archie muttered, and I glanced up at him, even as I put my hand over his on my shoulder.
“Archie,” Edward said, but there was no reprimand in his voice, “I’ll handle this.”
“Will you now? Like you’ve been handling everything else so well. She played you. She has been playing you, and she used her daughter to manipulate you.”
The bite of Archie’s fingers tightened on my shoulder once, then he eased his grip and l slid my fingers between his before I glanced back to find Edward staring at Archie. Maddy glanced between them before she finally glared at me.
Yeah, I was waiting for that.
“You couldn’t leave it alone,” she said to me.
“This isn’t my fault,” I told her. “It’s never been my fault. You’ve reminded me continually that you could have had an abortion or you could have given me up for adoption. I don’t owe you anything.”
“I chose to keep you!”
“Do you want a medal?”
“You don’t get to talk to me that way—”
“I’ll talk to you however I please,” I said, but I wasn’t yelling. If anything, I was just tired. Tired of this. Tired of her. Tired of this farce between us. “You’re a shitty mom. You’ve been a shitty mom for a long, long time. I just didn’t know any better. I’ve spent years making excuses for you. Trying to understand, trying to be a better kid so that you would love me.”
“Of course I love you.” She even managed to say that with a straight face.
I laughed. “I don’t think you even know what that means.”
“And you would?” Maddy stared at me. “You, who was too scared of your own shadow to grab life and live it? You just focused on your books and your cats? You had all those boys for years, and you don’t express any interest until now?”
“I’ve got a response for that,” Archie said dryly. “Fuck off.”
Edward sighed, but he was still staring at the DNA test results that had mine and Archie’s names on it. We’d gotten them to give us more than just numbers.
“I only want one thing from you,” I said abruptly, because I was done. When I stood, Archie pulled the chair away and then moved until he had me tucked against his side.
“Oh, now you want something?” Maddy all but threw her purse on the table. “And that would be exactly what? Not that I plan to give you anything, since you not only humiliated me in that courtroom, you’re killing yourself to sabotage the one relationship that has ever meant anything to me.”
“I want the names of the other three men.”
Maddy snorted and folded her arms. “They aren’t important.”
“Bellville,” Edward said abruptly. “She had an affair with Roger Bellville.”
“Eddie…” Maddy stared at him. But he ignored her and focused on me and Archie.
“That was before I met your mother,” he said to Archie. “She’d been seeing him for months, and it went on for a few months after. They were seen frequently at parties. As far as I know, he’s an attorney these days. Still in New York.”
New York.
“This is hardly necessary,” Maddy tried again, but he shook off her grip.
“There was a teacher too—humanities professor at Harvard. Well, he wouldn’t have been a full professor then. He was an assistant or in training. Might have been working on his master’s degree.” He rubbed his jaw. “Jackson? Jackson Something or maybe Something Jackson.”
“I didn’t have an affair with him.” Maddy folded her arms. “I can’t believe you paid attention to those rumors.”
“You made sure I saw you with him, Maddy,” Edward said without looking at her. “You always enjoyed rubbing my face in it. As I recall, you also came straight to my bed after leaving his.”
I flinched, and my stomach rolled. There were some things I really didn’t want to know.
“With that disgusting thought in mind…” Archie stated. “That’s two names. Do you have a third?”
Edward shook his head. “There were a few in those days, and then I made a point of not rising to the bait and stopped paying attention.”
I swore Maddy almost looked hurt. Or maybe she was just embarrassed.
“But you might try talking to Amber Van Dien. She and Maddy were the best of friends before Maddy slept with her boyfriend.”
“Eddie.” Now Maddy rounded on him. “What are you talking about?”
He barely spared her a look. “If I think of any others, I’ll call you…” He hesitated a split second, then glanced at Archie. “If that’s all right with you.”
“Email will be fine. By the way, you can keep that copy. We have our own.” He picked up my backpack. “And keep a leash on your girlfriend. I’ll get an injunction if I have to, but I don’t want her anywhere near mine.”
“Archie,” Edward said as we rounded the table. While my hand was in Archie’s, he still moved to block Edward from getting anywhere near me. “We should talk.”
“We had eighteen years to do that. My calendar is pretty booked with my family.” He squeezed my hand, and then we were out the door.
“Don’t you dare, Maddy. Sit your ass down. I want an explanation, and I want it now.”
We didn’t even make it a full step beyond the door before Edward’s voice reached us, and it was so icy, I flinched. As much as she deserved the man’s ire, there was a small part of me that felt for her. I had no idea why. In the elevator, Archie pulled me right against him and wrapped his arms around me.
“It’s okay, babe,” he whispered against my hair as I gripped him. “They’re supposed to be the fucking adults. Let them deal with the fallout. It’s not our mess to clean up.”
Edward’s voice rose over Maddy’s more strident tones, and both cut off as the elevator doors snapped shut.
“Your father is an asshole.”
“Your mother is a bitch.”
I don’t know which of us started laughing first, but he pulled back and cupped my face.
“You okay?”
“I’m emancipated. And I just told Maddy to basically go fuck herself.”
“You did great,” he said, grinning wider. But still, there was a shadow in his eyes.
“Your father really is an asshole…and I’m pretty sure he’s beginning to regret a lot of things.” Maybe they could patch it up. I had no idea how, but Archie deserved a win.
“I don’t care, babe. I don’t care what he regrets. I don’t need him. I have no regrets. I have you, Jeremy, the guys, and Grandpa. I’m set.”
I laughed. Maybe there were some tears too, but the internal shaking was gone and I almost felt giddy. “I care about you. I love you,” I said. “But we did it.”
“Yes, we did.” Then he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and turned as the elevator opened. Out in the lob
by, sitting next to the fountain, were three beloved faces, all belonging to men I adore, and who all rose as we headed straight for them.
They’d been waiting for us, and I squeezed Archie’s hand before he let me go and half-skipped over to them. Coop caught me first, and I got a big hug.
“You good?” he whispered against my hair, and I nodded. “Arch?”
I hesitated a second and glanced over to where Archie shook hands with Jake. There was a lightness there, despite the shadows. No matter what happened next, we were really done with them. Let our parents kill each other.
“I think so,” I murmured. Coop squeezed me and then gave me a gentle nudge toward Ian, who enfolded me into a tight hug, and I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath. A real one. The tightness in my chest was gone. While I wanted to change, the clammy feeling of cold sweat was gone too. Ian didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. When he let me go, I turned straight into Jake, who picked me up with his hug, and I laughed because my stomach gurgled.
“The monster is hungry, guys,” Jake said. “We need to feed Baby Girl before she gets hangry.”
“Hey,” I protested and swatted him as he set me on my feet. “I do not get hangry.”
“Oh yes you do,” all four of them said together, and I glared, then sniffed before flipping them off and heading for the exit. I didn’t make it three steps before I was tucked right up against Archie, with Jake on my other side.
Right where I wanted to be.
Chapter Sixteen
Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
“The red or the green?” Archie asked as I tilted my hair back in the shower. His excitement was infectious. After hitting a Japanese steak house for an amazing lunch, we’d adjourned back to the apartment where I’d been all but chased into the shower. Though no one joined me. Brats. Well, Archie was standing in the open doorway, and I shifted to look out to see him holding up two dresses.