“Real smooth, Romeo.” She snorted and shook her head.
“Yeah, thanks Ally. I can always count on you to keep me grounded.” Another truth disguised as a joke and Archer was starting to get on his own damn nerves.
“Anytime.”
They stopped for food at the large area set up for Angelo’s Pizzeria, where all of his beautiful young cousins acted waitresses. Archer placed an order for pizza, wings and beer, plus juice for Glory. “I could eat a horse,” he said and patted his flat stomach.
“Me too,” Glory said, leaning back in her high chair and mimicking his actions. He smiled as affection bloomed in his chest for the sweet little girl. She talked a lot. About all the different gingerbread houses and what she liked and disliked about each one, how much fun she had making gingerbread and dancing around the kitchen with her mama and even dinosaurs. Yep, dinosaurs. She turned blue eyes on to him. “How do you know my granny, Mr. Archer?”
He swallowed, glancing first to Ally who offered no help and then to his own ma, who only grinned. “Well I grew up in this town. I’ve known both of these ladies all my life.” It was the truth, hopefully he could tell her the full truth soon.
“Where have you been?” She shot off questions like a little rocket. Chin resting in one chubby little hand, she was a rapt audience.
“Mostly here and there. In the military I went all over.”
Blue eyes went round with wonder. “You have a gun?”
“I do and no you can’t shoot it.” She pouted and he laughed.
“Were you and my mom friends when you were kids?”
Damn but she really was an inquisitive little thing. “Yes. For a long time we were best friends.” His gaze slid to hers and he found her staring at him, anger and hurt and love, all burning her eyes until they were practically black.
“And then?”
Ally sighed. “And then he left to go to war and I haven’t seen him since.”
Archer sent her a grateful smile, sliding a piece of cheese pizza on her plate when the waitress returned and giving her the boneless wings while she got Glory settled with food. Watching her was fascinating, how quick she moved, performed every task with ease. “That about sums it up. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to stuff my face.” He bit into his slice with a growl, making her laugh. It was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.
“I want Mr. Archer to help me.” Glory tried to reach for him but Ally stood and switched places, while Archer focused on not reacting to the press of her curves against him.
“What would you like me to do, eat your food?”
“No! You have to cut it, silly.” She giggled and he let the sound wash over him as he used a plastic knife to cut her slice of pizza. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now are you going to cut up mine?”
She giggled again. “Mama will, she does it the best.”
Ally’s mouth curved into a ghost of a smile, but she remained quiet like she did throughout most of dinner. Archer didn’t know if she was giving him a chance to get to know their daughter or if she was angry. They would talk soon and he would have his answers. “You want me to cut up your food, Mr. Archer?”
“Would you?” There was a challenge shining in his eyes and she wouldn’t back down. She couldn’t.
Pulling his plate in front of her, Ally cut his steak into tiny bite size pieces and pushed it back to him. “There you go. Napkin?”
His gaze seared her and Archer refused to look away until her skin was stained pink. “I’m good, thanks.”
She bit back a laugh and he groaned, making Glory giggle. Archer let himself enjoy the moment, just being with these two females. He didn’t know how long it would last but right now, surrounded by holiday cheer, he leaned into it.
“Oh my god, Archer and Ally. Blissful’s favorite couple.” Crissy Montrose cooed but to Archer, it sounded fake. “I thought you guys were…oh my god, look at her! She looks just like you.”
Archer froze but not before noticing that Ally had too, luckily she recovered first. “Hi Crissy. Are you visiting for the holidays?”
She grinned. “I am. This is my husband Bobby, he’s an accountant. Mom has our three boys so we can have some couple time.” She sucked in another breath and Archer flashed a smile at Ally while Crissy prattled on and on about her fabulous life.
“Wow, sounds like you guys are very happy. Congratulations.” Finally he managed to join the conversation just in time for Crissy to give him a strange look and pull her husband away. “Did you hear what she said?” He couldn’t believe that it wasn’t just his family who saw the resemblance.
Ally didn’t seem as happy. “Shhh,” she put two fingers to his lips and glanced over his shoulder where Glory happily ate her food as she hummed.
“She’s going to find out soon,” he warned, his voice dark and angry. She rolled her eyes like she was the upset one and he fought to push down his anger.
“I said that I would tell her. I’m her mother and this is part of the job.” He opened his mouth to argue but she stopped him with a hand. “How would you feel if you’d found out from anyone but Cindy?”
Well hell, when she put it like that he couldn’t be mad. And that just brought up his same old fears that maybe he wasn’t ready for the responsibility of parenthood. Could he put Glory first? Keep her safe and get her ready to go out in the world? He didn’t know, and worse, he didn’t know if he would ever be ready. “I’m screwing this up, aren’t I?”
Her shoulders relaxed and her expression softened. “No one knows it all on the first day, Archer. But I have been doing this for a while, so learn to trust me where my daughter is concerned.”
He nodded his agreement. “Our daughter,” he corrected with a dark look.
Chapter 6
“It’s sticky, Mama!” Glory held up two little hands, sticky with glue.
Ally couldn’t help but laugh. “Did you dry your hands like I told you to? Even between the fingers?”
She pulled her lips into her mouth and looked down at the counter. “They were still wet,” she admitted sheepishly.
“Okay little girl, let’s try this again.” She picked her up and carried her to the sink. “Wash good until all the cookie goo is gone. And then we’ll dry you all the way off.” They were in the kitchen making cookies, sugar and butter cookies because everyone knew they were the best for decorating.
“Look!” She held up both hands, fingers spready wide for her mom’s inspection. “Good?”
“Really good. Great job.” She let Glory climb back up to the counter on her own and get back to the cookies. “If your fingers start to get sticky, wet them again and dry them, okay?”
She nodded and turned back to the cookie dough, leaving Ally to her own confusing thoughts.
No, not confusing. Wary. Today was the day she had to tell Glory the truth about her father, and she didn’t want to. But I have to. “Hey kiddo, do you still wonder about your father?”
“Yeah,” she answered warily and Ally knew that was her fault. She’d never been as open as she could have been when it came to talking about Archer. She’d been defensive and quickly shut the conversation down so much that now Glory was wary of talking about him. “All the time.”
That made sense since she was more aware of family dynamics now that she was older, and most of her friends had fathers. A few even had parents in the military and they still saw them, on occasion. “I’m sorry Glory. I should have done better by you about this. Tell me what you think about?”
She paused and looked up, big blue eyes filled with curiosity. “Is he ever gonna come see me? Do does think about me? Do you think he misses me, Mama?”
Now he does. “I’m sure he does, how could he not?”
“Then why won’t he come see me?” She stomped her foot. “Daren Solinsky’s dad is in the Army and he just got home a few days ago!” Her words were accusatory and Ally felt them like a knife.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to
you about today. Your father is in town and he would like to meet you.”
Every emotion imaginable crossed her sweet face. Joy, apprehension, wonder and excitement. “Really?”
“Yes, really. Does that make you happy, honey?”
A huge grin spread from one rosy cheek to the other as she nodded in a big exaggerated move. “Real happy, Mama.”
Ally felt her shoulders relax but she was under no illusion that this was the easy part. The hard part would come later. Now though, she could focus on taking another batch of cookies from the oven, moving the assembly line along so they could decorate the newly cooled stars and ornaments. Unfortunately, that didn’t take as long as she needed to gear up for the next part. “Do you remember Mr. Archer?”
“Yeah,” she laughed. “He’s funny. I like him.”
Good. That was a good place to start. “He is Grandma Cindy’s son.” They’d talked about it before and Ally waited before continuing. She’d talked about Cindy’s children and her only son.
“Mr. Archer is grandma’s son? And my dad?”
Ally nodded, wishing she could take away any shock or hurt her little girl felt in that moment. This was her fault and she had to fix it. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t he say anything.” She spoke with a pout and her face twisted into a scowl that made her look just like the man in question.
“I told him I would talk to you first. I had to make sure you still wanted to meet him.”
“I do!” She was eager and excited now, the man who’d always been a mystery would now become real flesh and blood man.
“Okay. Then I’ll set something up, okay?” That went better than she’d expected and she mentally crossed it off her list. But now there was a bigger problem to deal with. Spending more time with Archer. She had to, at least until he and Glory were comfortable together without her. Or until he blows out of town again, she thought bitterly. But for Glory, she would do just about anything. Is that the only reason? If it wasn’t, she had no plans to examine those motivations. They wouldn’t help, and she had to do this.
For Glory.
For a long while Glory had a laser-like focus on her cookie decorating, little pink tongue stuck out as she tried for precision. When she was satisfied, she looked up and grinned. “Mr. Archer can come tree hunting with us! Oh please, Mama, please!” Hands clasped together in a red and green and gold glittered mess, she begged with every ounce of adorableness she could muster.
Ally laughed. “You are lucky I love you little girl.”
She giggled. “Love you too, Mama. Call Dad.” She gasped and smacked both hands over her rosebud mouth, eyes wide with horror. “Can I call him Dad?” She looked uncertain, worried. “I can call him Mr. Archer,” she shrugged in defeat. Her heart went out to her little girl, so nervous about the man she’d been curious about her whole life.
“Just ask him, or better yet, pick one. I’m sure he would love to hear you call him dad.” At least the version of him she used to know would have gotten a kick out of it. The guy who up and joined the military out of the blue and never looked back, he might hate the title. She had no clue who he was anymore, and that scared her more than anything. It made her worry that she might forget things she shouldn’t. Or that he would treat her baby as callously as he’d treated her.
“I have a dad,” she said with a satisfied sigh, more to herself than to Ally. “Cool.”
Whatever happens, telling her was the right thing to do.
“Dad!” Glory’s little legs carried her to where Archer stood by his truck, until she plowed right into him. He lifted her into his arms and grinned. “Can I call you Dad? I’m going to call you dad.” She paused and took a deep breath and said it again. “Dad.” Tiny little icicles held his face, studied him closely. He took advantage of the situation to look his fill. Aside from the wild wispy black curls, she was a mirror image of him. “We look alike.”
Archer grinned at her blunt words. “We do.”
“Are you happy to be my dad?”
He could tell his answer meant a lot to her so he took his time. “I am. You’re an amazing little girl and I can’t wait to get to know you.” His heart skipped at the smile she sent him. It was pure Ally. “You’re the prettiest little girl I know.”
She rolled her eyes, looking far older than her five years. “Dad, you have to say stuff like that.”
“I do? Does that mean I’m doing okay so far as your dad?”
She nodded. “Mama said showing up his half the battle.”
“Your mom is a smart cookie. Where is she?” Just over Glory’s shoulder, Ally had her back to them, locking the door.
She turned with a nervous smile. “Are we ready?”
“I’ll drive,” he told her and turned to his car.
“The car seat is-,”
“In the back, but you should look at it. That damn thing was impossible to install.” He looked at Glory’s wide eyed stare and shocked expression. “What?”
“You said a bad word.” She glanced over at Ally for confirmation and Archer waited for Ally to call the whole thing off.
“He did say a bad word. What does that mean?”
A slow grin spread across Glory’s face and she leaned in to whisper, “It means you have to put a dollar in the swear jar.”
“A dollar? That’s robbery!” He looked over at Ally, happy to see her smiling along.
“No,” she said and bumped him and Glory out of the way, giving him a long look at her heart shaped ass. It had more meat on it, and her hips were more visible. Hell, she was all feminine. All woman. “That’s the consequence of someone repeating a word she was told not to say, in school no less.”
Glory huffed. “You said it meant poop,” she accused.
“And I also said it’s not a word little girls should use, didn’t I?” Arms crossed she smiled when Glory nodded. “You’ve been such a good girl since,” she kissed Glory’s cheek and whispered in her ear. “Now make your dad put a buck in the swear jar.”
Archer would happily put a thousand bucks in the jar to have more moments like this one. Ally, smiling and unguarded. Glory’s little body in his arms, arms flailing and moving with complete trust that he would keep her safe. It was humbling. “First let’s get you in your seat. You want to do it?”
Ally stepped back and shook her head. “I’m here if you need help.”
He appreciated that more than he could say. She could have made him look like a fool, or threw a jab about why he didn’t know how to do such a simple thing for their daughter. Instead she stood behind him, a supportive presence. “Thanks.” With a little help from his daughter, he’d gotten it fairly quickly and they were on the road to the Christmas tree farm on the south end of town.
Finding a parking spot took more time than actually getting to the farm, but Archer didn’t mind. He loved listening to Glory’s nonstop chatter. “Where do you live?”
“Nowhere, really. I go where I’m needed. Madagascar, Tahiti, India, Somalia. Wherever.” But being a dad meant having roots, which meant he needed a place in town. Soon. “You’re here, so I guess I live here now.”
Big blue eyes met his in the rearview mirror and he grinned, stepping out and helping her from the car. “You’re gonna live with us? Mama, you hear that?”
She gave him a look and turned to Glory. “No, he’s going to live here in town honey. Not in our house.”
“Why not?”
Archer watched, wondering how she would get out of this without badmouthing him. “Because he’s not my boyfriend or my husband.”
“He could be.”
Ally grinned and tugged Glory’s hat down. “Come on matchmaker, let’s go hunt he perfect tree.” And just like that, she began to give her long detailed requirements for the perfect Christmas tree.
“And it has to be tall like you, Dad. And really, really green.” She kept her little hand in his as they walked through the aisles. Both females examined trees for so long he thought they might be pran
king him. “What about this one?”
It looked like a tree to him, but he stared closely before commenting. “It is tall, do you think it’s too tall?”
“It’s so green,” she argued.
“This one is nice,” Ally said, suddenly at his side. “What do you think kiddo?”
She looked at Archer and he turned back to Ally. “Will it fit?” The tree had to be at least eight feet tall.
“Oh it’ll fit,” she assured him.
“Then I think we have a tree. All that decision making has made me thirsty. Ladies?” Glory kept her hand in his and Ally fell in step beside him.
“I could use some hot chocolate.” She smiled up at him but he saw the wariness still swimming in her gaze.
“Thank you, Ally.” He hoped she understood his meaning because he had no idea what words to use to thank her for all that she’d done. For the sacrifices she made in order to raise their daughter. For the gift she’d given him.
She sent a small, shy smile in reply, studying his face for a long uncomfortable moment until Glory’s restlessness propelled them forward. “Slow down!”
“No Mama! We gotta get in line!” She pulled on Archer’s hand until they stopped in a long line. “Told you,” she pouted and lifted her arms up.
“What’s that mean?”
Ally’s lips twitched. “She wants you to pick her up.”
He felt his cheeks redden as he bent his knees and scooped her up. “Better?”
She bobbed her head up and down. “Thanks, Dad. What kind of cocoa are you getting?”
He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had hot cocoa. “I don’t know, what do you like?” He listened as the line moved forward, unable to imagine how Glory could possibly have so much to say about cocoa.
“But I like plain old chocolate. Mama likes yucky stuff.”
Ally stuck her tongue out and stepped around them when they finally got to the front of the line. “I’ll have white chocolate peppermint, please.”
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