The box falls from her hands with a thud. And she just stands there.
My heart trips all over itself as I rise to my feet and take a step closer. “Hi.” I peel my fingers from the front pocket of my jeans to give her a two-finger salute.
She’s still frozen in place.
Nova nudges her forward with her shoulder. “Go on. Check it out,” her friend prods.
Summoning my courage, I step into the hallway of the daycare center and take Sophia’s trembling hand. Now, that I’m standing closer to her, I can clearly see the shock on her face. “Wanna take a closer look?” I ask with a wide grin as I throw a glance at the handmade playground filling up the backyard.
Finally, she moves from where she’s standing, allowing me to lead her outside. “What is this?” she asks, her eyes wide with awe as she scans the huge sand pit where the wooden swing set and playhouse sit. There’s also a slide and a rock climbing wall. Everything those kids could possibly want.
“I built you a playground,” I say proudly. Over my shoulder I see Nova quietly close the door to give us some privacy. Then she slowly creeps away with a massive grin on her face. I’ll have to thank my partners-in-crime later.
She is in absolute shock and I’m in love with the look on her face right now. “You did this?”
I nod. “Charlie and Leo stood back with their arms folded and watched me do it. They didn’t lift a finger.” I tease.
“Oh my god.” She steps down into the sandbox and runs her fingers over the frame of the slide set. My heart thumps as I watch her sit in the swing and give it a go.
Our eyes meet and she giggles as she soars through the air.
“Wow. Oh my god, Archie.” The swing slows down and her feet graze the sand. “Thank you. But why did you do this?”
I shrug. “So you don’t have to get a mud bath on the side of the road every time you try to take them to the park.”
She shakes her head again, brushing away the shock. “Wow. Thank you.”
When the swing stops completely, we stay there, eyes locked together. There’s so much emotion in the air, so many words unsaid.
I can’t hold back a second longer. “Sophia, I am so, so, so sorry that I let you and River down. I’ve been kicking myself about it since the moment I walked out. I shouldn’t have done that. I was scared but I should have stayed and fought my way through it instead of leaving.”
“Why did you do that, Archie? I was willing to fight side by side with you but you just left me hanging.” She stares me straight in the eye. I can tell she’s doing her best to be strong. Not to cry.
“It was my pride,” I admit as I sink to my knees in front of her swing. I dig into the depths of my soul for the truth. “See, here’s the thing. I wanna carry you, Sophia. You and River. I want to toss you both over my shoulder and carry you across the battlefield. Even though you're kicking and screaming that you can stand on your own two feet. I want to be your hero.” I blow out a breath. “But I've had to admit some painful shit to myself over the past few days. I do want to carry you. I want to take care of you. But I'm not strong enough. I'm broken and I can't do it all on my own the way I want to…” I take her hands in mine. “But maybe we can do it together. Maybe we can be a team.”
That gets her attention. She looks up at me. “The Dream Team?” she laughs softly.
The sound makes my heart soar with hope. Maybe she won’t turn me down. Maybe she’ll give me a chance. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll do anything for you...But tell me you'll take care of me, too. I need you. I need you to be there for me, too. I'm not as strong as I'd like to be but with your strength, with your love, I'm unconquerable.”
With shaking hands, she touches my face. Her eyes connect with mine. “I’m in, Archie. Forever. I’m in. No matter what. Just don’t you ever doubt that again. Don’t you ever leave me.”
I lock my arms around her with no intentions of ever, ever letting go. I slide my lips over hers and groan at the sweet taste of forever. “I’m not leaving, Daisy. Never again. You’re my magic. You’re my redemption. You’re the girl of my fucking dreams.”
40
Sophia
I think the M is crooked.”
Archie takes a few steps back and squints at the alphabet posters we just finished taping to the wall. “The M is not crooked.” He jabs a finger into my ribs and tickles me.
“The M is totally crooked,” I insist, squirming away. I throw a glance over my shoulder. “Reese, do you think the M is crooked?”
My friend looks up from where she’s arranging the stuffed animals on top of the toy chest. “Nope. Not crooked.”
“Told ya so!” Archie gloats.
I tilt my head slightly. “Really looks crooked to me. God, do I need glasses?”
He leans into my ear and whispers so no one else can hear him. “Maybe your eyes are still crossed from that orgasm I just gave you in the back office.”
Leo somehow manages to hear that as he passes by with a pile of colorful foam mats in hand. “Don’t you two ever get tired? It’s kind of sick!” he teases.
Archie beams with pride as he slides his arms around my waist. “Hey, they don’t call me Sergeant Good Times for nothing.” He winks at me and I feel my cheeks grow hot.
“You need to stop,” I laugh. “There are children around.” I tip my chin over to the area where River, Lennox and Maizy are fenced-in by a bright orange kiddie gate.
Little Giggles Childcare Center will finally (finally!) open its doors this morning. After an eternity of hard work, planning and preparation, my dream is coming to life.
My friends are here to support, all helping out with last minute preparations. My chest is about to burst with gratitude as I take in all their faces. Reese and Leo, Charlie and Nova, Angie and Ben.
Even my parents are here, packing cartoon-themed dishes into the kitchen cupboards. Yup, Clara’s legal shenanigans were the wakeup call my mother needed to show her once and for all that family trumps fake-friendships any day. Now, my parents support my daycare and my relationship and that feels great. But even more importantly, I’m strong enough to be cool with myself with or without my parent’s approval.
Archie showed me that I’m a grown-ass woman and my happiness is more important than any third party’s opinion of me. I’m secure enough as a mother, as a woman and as a partner that I’ll be just fine without the approval of the peanut gallery.
That realization has been like magic. Now, that I don’t need to prove myself, I don’t have to force myself to do everything on my own. It’s much easier to accept help now that I’m not struggling to show that I’m strong enough to take on the world.
I used to think I had to do it all on my own. But then life showed me how wrong I was.
Some of the lessons I learned were hard. Heaven knows I did a lot of crying. But every tear, every challenge, every struggle paved the way to this moment. I had to learn to see past my fears. I had to learn to see the beauty in imperfection. I had to learn to take a chance even when the outcome wasn’t guaranteed.
And the rewards I got in return have been priceless.
Twenty minutes later, when Archie flashes me a grin and twists the lock on the front door, my friends are all there as a dozen pairs of tiny feet come running into the new Little Giggles Childcare Centre. That’s when I know for sure that I’m the luckiest girl who ever lived. Because I’ve been through a lot. I’ve had the rug pulled out from under me in so many ways but at the end of the day, I’m still standing and most importantly, I’m standing with the man of my dreams by my side.
My eyes drift around, scanning over the magnificent life I’m living. It’s everything I ever wanted. Everything that seemed so out of my reach and impossible to attain…I marvel at the fact that it’s all here now.
And the best part? When I look at that big-ass grin on Archie’s face, I know that this isn’t just my dream come true.
It’s ours.
That’s the magic part.
Epilogue
Sophia
Las Vegas
Two weeks later, 3:49 P.M.
“Somebody get this girl some smelling salts. And pass the brown paper bags over here.” Nova’s concerned eyes stay on me as she barks the orders across the room.
I slip my hands under my butt to stop the trembling and I grin at my friend in the mirror. “I’m fine. I promise.” Even as I say the words, my heart is beating double-time, my whole body is shaking.
I am nervous. But in a good way. It’s more excitement than anything else.
I’m getting married today.
The white tasseled flapper dress fans out around my legs. The cubic zirconia chandelier earrings bounce against my cheeks. The clothes are cheap and the look is unconventional but for me, it’s just right.
Who cares about the rules? The rules don’t apply to true love.
The only thing that matters is the man I’m marrying today. Archie is my soulmate. There’s no question in my mind about that. And it doesn’t matter where we get married or what either one of us is wearing. All I care about is walking down that aisle and seeing him standing at the altar.
My father supports our cheapie wedding fully. Particularly because we didn’t ask him to whip out his credit card to pay for it.
Adulting, for the win.
Some may say it’s kind of twisted for Archie and me to return to Vegas to get married. After all, it’s the scene of my almost-wedding over two years ago. But Vegas is where Archie and I started. So it feels so right that we’d come back here to make it official.
My flat-ironed hair flows down my back. Reese brushes it into place and sticks it with bobby pins. She stands back from the mirror and watches me. “Perfect! You look stunning, Soph.”
My mother approaches from across the room with River on her hip. She lays her hand on my shoulder, so much pride in her smile. “Yes, honey. You make a beautiful bride.”
“Thank you.” I accept the compliment. I feel it all the way to my soul. But still, I don’t feel the need to cling to it like my life depends on it. I appreciate my family’s support but now, I’m strong enough to stand tall even without it.
Because Archie’s got my back and I’ve got his. We’re an unshakeable team.
There’s a knock at the door and Angie waddles off to answer it. I hear her high-pitched whisper carry across the room. “You can’t be here. It’s bad luck,” she warns.
“I just want to make sure she’s okay,” I hear Archie’s voice say, his tone heavy with concern.
My sister hisses anxiously. “She’s fine. Now, shoo!”
By now I’m on my feet, inching toward the door. “Babe, what’s going on?” I ask him, my heart smiling at the sound of him. I’m careful not to let his see me as I stand behind the door.
“There you are!” I hear the relief in his voice.
“Of course I’m here, babe.”
“Cool.”
“Cool.”
My heart flutters, imagining him in his perfect tux right outside.
“I wish I could see you,” he whispers, his voice so low and close to the door.
“I’m sure you look very handsome,” I say, leaning my cheek to the wood.
He chuckles. “I do look handsome. Very handsome. Panty-meltingly handsome. You’re just gonna have to take my word for it, though. Until we get to the altar.”
A giggle escapes me. “I’m gonna be here, slowly dying until then,” I tell him.
We stand there in silence for a while longer and I bask in the comfort of having him so close right now. It’s like he somehow knew how much I needed his reassurance in this moment. He always seems to know exactly what I need, when I need it.
His fingers appear in the crack of the door, wiggling in my direction. I laugh as I reach out and take them, lacing our hands together. His voice drops low so only I can hear. “Daisy, I just want you to know that I’ll be there waiting for you, at the other end of the aisle. You don’t have to worry. You know you can count on me. Right?”
My heart swells too big for my chest when he says that. I never told him about the irrational fear that’s been plaguing me, the niggling doubt whether he’d be there when I was ready to walk toward the altar. But because he knows me so well, he figured it out on his own and here he is giving me the reassurance I need.
Only in Las Vegas does a girl get so lucky…
It might seem crazy that we’re getting married in Vegas after the trauma I experienced the last time I tried to do this.
But this time, I’m with the right man. And I know it to the depths of my soul.
“Thank you, babe,” I whisper. I refuse to cry because Reese worked hard to pull my bride-on-a-budget look together. I don’t wanna mess it up.
With a kiss to my knuckles, Archie slips from the door. My doting friends put the finishing touches on my outfit. And then we’re on the elevator, then we’re getting in the car and driving down the Strip toward the chapel where yet another Elvis is waiting for us.
When I step out of the taxi and walk through the archway, I see Archie standing at the altar, just like he said he’d be. His expression is full of excitement. His love beams my way. My hands clasp over my heart and I give myself a moment to absorb it.
The handsome stranger at the bar is about to become my husband. He’s the father of my child. He’s the holder of my heart. He’s my future.
Archie and I have come full circle. I’m living my dream come true.
Upcoming series by Cassie-Ann L. Miller
Get an early preview of Love Me Fierce here before it releases in early 2019.
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