by Laura Gray
“Yes.”
“Do you...love him?”
“No.”
“Ellie…are you sure you’re not in love with him?”
“Maybe?”
“Stop the recording,” Archer snapped at Bennet. “You made your point.”
“I have more recordings, father,” Bennet said eagerly. “Recordings of Archer and Elizabeth talking in their cabin. They have been pretending to date each other to bypass your reasons for insufficiency! Archer has been lying and cheating us the whole time!”
The first person Ellie looked at was Katharina. Her face crumpled at the news, her eyes darting back and forth on the ground in confusion. Beside Katharina, the twins stared at Ellie in shock, their jaws hanging open.
“There's no way this is true,” Regina cried, looking at Archer. “Archie, come on, tell him that’s not true!”
Archer took a deep breath before looking up at his sister. “It’s true.”
Regina gasped, pulling away from her brother. Katharina let out a sob, covering her mouth with her hand.
Guilt of the kind Ellie had never experienced shattered through her heart. It wasn’t just that the plan hadn’t worked—there was always a chance of that—but it was the fact that Katharina and the twins had opened their arms to her, and accepted her. They’d trusted her to be someone they would love for years to come, and not just for a few days on vacation.
And now, they’d found out she lied.
Mr. Bradford leaned forward in his chair, his grey eyes meeting Archer’s. “You’re not with this woman, then?”
“No, sir,” Archer replied. “Ellie and I are not together.”
“Why did you lie, Archer?” Morgana asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Bennet cried. “He wants to get his hands on the inheritance! He would do anything for that!”
“That is our father’s money, you piece of shit,” Regina snapped back at him. “It already belongs to us.”
“Not if there aren’t any suitable candidates,” Bennet retorted, his face reddening.
“Wow, you are a special kind of trash,” Morgana said to him.
“Yeah, and you’re a spoiled little brat,” Bennet spat, his platinum blonde hair glowing against his increasingly reddening skin. “Maybe you should stay out of this conversation!”
“Silence!” Mr. Bradford cried. The hollows in is face seemed to deepen as he turned towards
Archer.
“You’re not engaged to this woman, then?” Mr. Bradford asked. “The proposal yesterday was just for show?”
“Yes,” Archer said.
“Well, thank god!”
Ellie looked up in shock to see Lous Bradford leaning back in his chair with delight on his face. “I thought I was going to have to have to talk you out of it myself.”
“What?” Archer asked with shock.
“Archer, we have a responsibility towards our wealth to multiply it and make it grow,” Mr. Bradford explained. “That means when one of us enters into a union like marriage, we do it with the right family. A family with class, money and standards.”
“Your fiancee, I’m afraid, fails on all those counts.”
Ellie stared at Mr. Bradford with a flush slowly rising up her neck. His words hit her hard, illuminating a difference she’d always known between who she was and who Archer was. She shifted on feet, her eyes lifting to see Archer’s face.
His expression was, as usual, unfathomable.
“So, here’s what I’m offering to you, Archer,” Mr. Bradford started. “The entirety of your father’s estate.”
Archer raised a surprised brow.
“Only,” Mr. Bradford raised a finger, “if you agree to marry someone within our class. That is the way it must be. Now, I’m not saying she has to be white, but people that are as wealthy as us probably are.”
Anger, so acute and terrifying, flooded through Ellie, making her flex her fingers. She wanted to reach across the table and punch Louis Bradford in his old, worn out face.
“Money’s greatest use is to make more money. If you want your father’s inheritance, you have to promise to make good use of it,” Mr. Bradford finished.
“Father!” Bennet interrupted. “I have worked hard for you and the company—I deserve this nomination!”
“You deserve your position in the company for the service you have given and no more. The heir of the Bradford fortune needs to be favorable amongst our circles and your slight...malevolence has turned people wary of you, Bennet,” Mr. Bradford replied. “Archer is the one that people look to as Gordon’s successor and he’s the one the estate will go to—that is, if he agrees to behave with the honor and grace that the Bradford family name demands.”
Archer’s green eyes flitted towards Ellie once more. She waited with bated breath for his answer, peering deep into the icy green pools she might not see again.
Archer turned back to Louis. “I agree, Uncle.”
“Excellent!” Mr. Bradford cried. “We are in agreement, then! A few days from now we can tell people you broke off your engagement. No one ought to be surprised, you do deserve a better match—perhaps one of the Wanchowski sisters.”
Ellie felt a hand wrap around her waist. She turned to see Connie by her side with a sympathetic look on her face.
“Let’s get out of here, El,” she said, pulling her away. “We don't need these people.”
Ellie nodded and followed her, her eyes aching to turn and take one last look at Archer.
He agreed with his Uncle. He actually agreed with him. The thought gave Ellie an intense pain in her chest. She pressed her hand against her chest as she strode out of the Bradfords' posh living room, determined not to look back and betray her weakness.
Chapter 11
Reconciliation
Ellie sat in her living room, on the couch, munching on a pack of mini-pretzels. Pacific Rim was coming on TV— again—and Ellie watched the movie unfold with boredom in her eyes.
Things had changed quite a bit since their return from Europe. Connie and Arjun, who were now dating, spent lots of time locked up in Connie’s room, the sound of them giggling and playing drifting out from under the door. They both knew that Ellie was hurting over Archer and made it a point to spend time with her too, but things were just different now.
It had been a week since they’d come back from Amsterdam. Ellie had only drifted between her room and the living room couch in that time. She didn’t want to admit it to Connie or anyone else, but what really bothered her wasn’t that Archer chose money over her. That’s a normal choice to make, especially when you aren’t in love with the other person.
And I knew he wanted that estate. He was super focused about it. That was the whole plan.
What bothered her was how much she missed him. Each time something funny or strange happened, she felt the need to text Archer about it. She missed his smile and his sarcastic jokes. She missed the way he looked at her, as though he were trying to understand a riddle hidden away within her eyes.
It had been a week since they’d spoken. He’d called Ellie several times but she couldn’t bring herself to pick up the phone, not even to ask him if he would still pay her for their arrangement. She agonized over it constantly, wanting to speak to him but unable to pick the phone.
This is why I swore off relationships, Ellie thought to herself dryly.
Connie and Arjun stepped out of their room, looking dressed and ready for their date tonight. Arjun wore a black t-shirt and jeans while Connie wore a ravishing dark red dress that matched her lengthy hair.
“You guys look great,” Ellie said to them through a mouthful of pretzels.
Connie sighed as she appraised her friend. “El, are you sure you don't want to come with us?”
“I’m sure,” Ellie repeated for the tenth time. “I just want to watch Lost reruns right now. I’m really into the whole door mystery.”
“Gotcha,” Connie said, as Arjun pressed a hand on her lower back.
; “You want us to bring you anything back, El?” Arjun asked her.
“Yeah, I could go for some of whatever dessert you guys have,” Ellie said.
“Alrighty, we’ll get it packed,” Arjun said as they left through the door. “See ya, El.”
“Bye, guys,” Ellie said as she rested her head back on her pillow. She flipped through the channels to find the one playing Lost and settled back in her comfy space.
The bell rang at that moment, eliciting a groan from Ellie. She stood up and walked over to the door in her old, worn pajamas and knee length socks.
“What did you forget, Connie?” Ellie asked as she opened the door.
The sight of the person standing before her made her freeze. His eyes were as green as ever, and as full of mysteries.
Archer!
“What are you doing here?” Ellie asked him, trying to keep her face neutral. On the inside, she wanted to jump for joy.
Archer’s here!
“Why haven’t you returned any of my calls?” Archer asked her with a scowl, striding into her house.
“Uh, did I say you could come in?” Ellie asked.
“What?” Archer asked with confusion.
“I didn’t say you could come in,” Ellie said. “And when someone doesn’t answer your calls or return them, that probably means they don't want to speak to you!”
“Oh, I see,” Archer nodded sarcastically. “You left Amsterdam without even telling me—I had to hear about it from Niles after I’d searched for you across the whole estate—and now you’ve been sitting here being mad at me.”
“Archer, I’m not mad at you,” Ellie explained softly. “I was just...hurt. Yes, I was hurt by what happened and I didn’t want to be there anymore. Your uncle’s words were disgusting, and the fact that you listened to him and agreed with him hurt me greatly. But I’ve thought about it more and it makes sense—I mean, the whole point of all of this was to get you the estate.”
“Ellie,” Archer said, shaking his head. “I lied!”
“What?”
“I lied to him! I’m not going to do any of those things he asked me!” Archer cried. “Honor? Grace? That’s bullshit—and you’ll have to pay me a lot more than $50 billion for me to take the Wanchowski sisters’ vapid discussions on a daily basis.”
Ellie’s jaw dropped. “$50 billion?”
Archer sighed. “Yes.”
“That’s more than several countries’ GDP.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Archer, that is an atrocious amount of money,” Ellie whispered.
“Which is exactly why I lied to him! How could you not see that?” Archer looked genuinely stung. “How could you just leave without even giving me a chance to explain what happened?”
“I don't know, Archer!” Ellie threw her hands in the air. “We’d decided that we’d keep it professional and you said that thing about how we’d just gotten carried away on the boat—”
“How was I supposed to—I didn’t know what to say to you in the morning,” Archer said. “I thought that’s what you wanted to hear. Then you said that thing about it being a mistake, which didn’t feel good—”
“I—ugh,” Ellie grunted at herself. “I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t saying how I really felt there. I thought...I thought I could shield myself from the pain that comes from caring about someone by pretending I didn’t. That’s not a strategy that works.”
“We’ve both been saying things that we didn’t mean,” Archer said. “And it’s because of our business deal. We both had to pretend and that was clearly confusing for us, so let me end this right now.”
Archer took out his phone and began typing into it.
“What are you doing?” Ellie asked him.
“Give me your bank details,” he said. “I’m sending you one hundred thousand dollars.”
“What?”
“Why are you yelling?” Archer asked in a mild tone.
“You’re—” Ellie stuttered as she stared at his nonchalant expression. “You’re sending me one hundred thousand dollars right now?”
“Yeah,” Archer said, as though it was obvious. “Once it’s sent we can move past this deal and start saying what we actually mean.”
“Archer, hang on—” Ellie started.
“Oh you already sent me the details, it’s on our contract,” Archer said, pressing buttons quickly. Ten seconds later, he clicked his phone shut. Ellie heard her phone ping twice in the distance.
“Did you just send me one hundred thousand dollars?” Ellie’s eyes were wide as saucers.
“Yeah.” Archer slipped his phone back into his pocket. He straightened up, gazing deep into Ellie’s eyes. “Our deal is over now. We’re no longer...business partners.”
“Okay…”
“And now we can ask for what we actually want.” His eyes blazed with passion. “The day we met often plays out in mind. What if I hadn’t gone to the club to get drunk before the funeral? What if I hadn’t gone to the roof to try and take a call? There was no cell signal there—two more minutes and I would have left and you would have gotten stuck there alone. What if it wasn’t you who stormed in but some other random person?
“Then I began to think, why is it so important to me that it was you that day? Why does my mind keep replaying that moment? Why could I ask you what I couldn’t ask of the other women I met?”
Ellie stared at him breathlessly, waiting for the answer.
“I want you in my life. I’m certain of it. More than I’m certain about anything else. So, I have a question that I need to ask you.”
Ellie swallowed.
“Will you have dinner with me?” Archer asked her with his classic, wicked grin.
Ellie chuckled at his question. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Yes, I am,” he said rather proudly. “What do you say, El?”
Ellie couldn’t help it, she jumped forward to throw her arms around Archer. He laughed as she climbed on top of him, supporting her weight easily in his arms. Ellie pulled back from him a bit, their cheeks sliding past one another, leaving only the tips of their noses touching. Archer leaned in and closed the distance between them, letting the skin of their heated lips touch.
It was more than fireworks, this sensation, this molding of Ellie’s body into his. It was greater and deeper than the rush that hit her on the yacht because this wasn't a fabrication or a trick. It was real. This was theirs and no one else’s.
Ellie kissed Archer back with fervor, inhaling the scent of him with glee. When he finally pulled away from her, they were both out of breath. They placed their foreheads together, their eyes on each other.
“Is that a yes?” Archer asked her breathlessly.
Ellie smiled.
“Yes.”
Chapter 12
Epilogue
“Oh!” Ellie cried out loud with each jab of pleasure that raced through her body. Archer had his hands wrapped under her butt as he lifted her against the cupboards, drilling into her over and over again. Everywhere his skin touched hers, it tingled.
Archer pulled out of her and pressed his dick against her clit, making Ellie whimper. He twisted and tugged her nipples between his fingers as he rubbed her clit, causing a pool of wetness to form within her slit.
Impatient and hungry, Ellie reached for his dick and began to guide it into her pussy, inch by inch. Even after ten years of being together she thirsted after Archer like a wolf lost in the desert pining for water. His touch sent electric sensations flooding through her skin, making her nipples stand up at attention. Archer grabbed them as he drove in and out of her, slick wetness spreading out of her cave as her arousal heightened.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside, followed by a crash. Both Archer and Ellie stiffened.
“Kids?” Ellie called once, warily.
“Mom! Kelly broke my helicopter!” she heard her son cry out.
“It wasn’t my fault, mommy!” Ellie’s daughter cried loudly. “Gordo
n won’t let me play with his truck!”
“Kelly put a booger in my noodles!”
“Just ignore them,” Ellie whispered to Archer, placing her hands around his ears as she pressed her hips into his. He growled into her ear as he began to rock her again, thrusting into her faster and faster. They had very little time and they knew it. They could go on for only two more minutes before the sound of the doorbell interrupted them.
“Damn it!” Archer snapped, slowly pulling out of Ellie. “That’s got to be my mom.”
“Mom! Dad!” Gordon screamed from the living room. “Someone's at the door!”
“Coming, kids!” Archer called, pulling on his jeans hastily. “Geez, do you think we’ll ever get a minute to ourselves around here?”
“Maybe once they all graduate?” Ellie asked with a sigh, giving her husband a hug. Seven years into their marriage and they still jumped at every chance they got to get on each other’s body. It was just as well—ever since Gordon and Kelly joined their little family, their life had transformed. Chaos, stress, and randomness increased in Ellie’s life but she experienced love in her life the likes of which she could never have imagined. She and Archer readily agreed on one fact—if they had to kill the other to save the children’s lives, they would do it a heartbeat.
Archer held Ellie by the cheek and pressed his lips against her forehead. Ellie closed her eyes, sinking into the feeling.
One moment of peace before we step into the chaos.
“Mom!” the kids screamed in unison.
“Why don't the kids scream ‘Dad’ more often?” Ellie asked Archer with a pout.
“Because I’m not dumb enough to answer them every time,” Archer replied with a grin as he pulled her towards the door.
“You are so bad, Archer Bradley,” Ellie teased him lovingly. “I should divorce you and find a new husband.”
“Yeah you should totally do that,” Archer murmured against her lips. “Although, I’ll have to kill your new husband.”
Ellie chuckled, looking up at Archer with love blossoming in her chest. “Are you ready?”
“Ready.”