“Can I think about it?”
I bit my lip and put my hands on each side of his waist so I could rest my cheek against the center of his back while he fiddled with the lock in the front door.
“You can, but I already had Shaw tell them we would be there.”
He went stiff in front of me but didn’t say anything back. Once he got the door open, he turned around and pinned me to the wood with my hands above my head. I looked up at him and refused to blink.
“You can be a major pain in the ass. You know that, right?”
I smiled up at him and lifted up so I could wrap a leg around his hip.
“I know. But I make up for it in other ways.”
He chuckled and dropped his head so that he could kiss me. It was so easy to just get lost in him. The more I did it, the less I wanted to be found.
“Prove it.” Now, that was a challenge I was totally up to. Good thing I had the rest of the day to do it.
“Why are you riding with us again?”
Rule and Rome were in the front of the cab of the big truck, and I was in the back texting back and forth with Shaw. I really thought this was a brilliant idea but now I had visions of it blowing up in my face and being flat-out catastrophic. It was already going to be a tense reunion and adding my little surprise to the mix might just push the entire family over the edge. I just wanted to help, but if Rome didn’t appreciate the effort and I screwed things up beyond repair, I wasn’t sure I could survive it. I had a feeling him abandoning me would literally kill me, unlike Jimmy’s betrayal, which had merely wounded me deeply.
“Because Shaw told me that if I wanted to have sex again in the next century, I would get my happy ass to Brookside even though she had a migraine and wasn’t going. She told me I needed to be there for you since you were going.”
I laughed. “Atta girl.”
That had both of them turning around to glare at me. Apparently it wasn’t funny to mess around with a guy’s supply of ready and willing sex.
Rule’s hair wasn’t green anymore, instead it was bleached out to a startling white, and it was as pale as his girlfriend’s. The spiky mess was a contrast to his dark brows and the brightly colored tattoos swirling along his neck. It was actually pretty sedate for him, not that I thought his folks would appreciate the fact.
“She said if she felt better she would rally and meet us there a little later.”
Oh, she was going to be there all right, but I didn’t think either of them needed to be privy to that information just yet. It took a while to get to Brookside, because it was up in the mountains and summertime in Colorado meant that everyone headed to the mountains on the weekends for fun in the sun and the million outdoor activities this state offered. The house was really nice, and when we all clambered out of the truck, I felt breakfast start to roll in my stomach. It was probably a mixture of nerves and the baby, but I just forced a smile and let Rome guide me to the front door with a hand on the center of my back.
The boys both seemed equal parts apprehensive and resigned to spending the day stuck with awkward family interaction, and I really just hoped my surprise wasn’t going to backfire epically. The door was opened after a knock by an older man who was the spitting image of Rome. He had the same bright blue eyes, the same strong build, but he was several inches shorter. His eyes snapped from son to son and then he enfolded both of them in a hug that had tears working their way into my eyes.
“Boys.” He had to clear his throat before he could go on. “I’m so glad you’re both here.”
Rome was rigid but he didn’t push his dad away; instead he dragged me forward.
“Dad, this is Cora.”
I stuck out my hand thinking I was going to get a handshake; instead I was enfolded in a hug that was tight enough to make me squeak.
“I don’t know how you got him here, but thank you for whatever you did.” He said the words so low that only I could hear them.
He might want to hold off on that praise, but I wasn’t going to say anything just yet.
“Let’s go inside. Your mother is dying to see you.”
We all trekked inside, the boys purposely dragging behind us as Dale chattered on happily. I found myself distracted by all the pictures of the boys on the walls. Rome looked so different, so young and carefree. There wasn’t a single picture of Rule that didn’t have Remy in it as well, and it was really interesting to see Rule’s transformation from typical teen heartthrob to sexy black sheep. I couldn’t rip my eyes away from them. I felt like I was getting an entirely new insight into the Archer boys.
“Oh, Rome.” A woman’s voice drifted across the expanse of the living room and a lovely woman with dark hair moved toward my guy. I saw him brace as she enfolded him in a shaky embrace. “I missed you so much.” Her tone was achingly sad and it was all I could do not to kick him in the shin for making these people who obviously loved him suffer so needlessly.
“Hey, Mom.” He sounded strained, but when she let go of him and moved to embrace Rule as well I saw the grim line of his mouth loosen just a little bit.
“Rule, thank you for coming.”
I knew this family had a history of pain and struggle, but when people loved each other and were willing to try, it was evident any wound could heal. My kid was going to be part of the Archer fold and that was just how it was going to be.
“Sure thing, Mom.”
Margot pulled away and looked up at him. I held my breath thinking she was going to say something nasty about his hair, but she just gave him a wan grin and stated, “Shaw bribed you, didn’t she?”
He just shrugged and her attention turned to me.
“You must be Cora. Rule and Shaw have talked about you so much I feel like I know you already. Thank you for coming.”
She shook my hand and I returned the gesture with my heart in my throat. Shaw had just texted that she was only about ten minutes out, so it was almost showtime.
“Thank you for having me.”
“How long have the two of you been seeing each other?”
I opened my mouth to tell her it had only been a couple of months but Rome interrupted with a sharp “Long enough.”
I narrowed my eyes at him in warning and he grunted back at me. We all lapsed into an awkward silence until Rule let out a dry laugh that broke the tension.
“So this is what it feels like to be on the other side of all the family drama. I always wondered.”
Rome swore, Dale said his name sharply, and Margot just sighed. I was going to interject something but just then the doorbell rang. Everyone turned to look at it in surprise, so I steeled up the reserves and gave Rome’s arm a quick squeeze.
“That’s Shaw. Give me a minute.”
“What?” Rome and Rule barked the question in the same tone.
“I asked her to do me a favor; that’s why she sent you on with us.” I looked at Margot and Dale and offered a shrug. “I care about both your sons so much. Rule is one of my very best friends and Rome … well, Rome changed my entire life. This family loves each other, I think that’s obvious, but the secrets, the loss of Remy, are poison that you all are still afflicted with. I’m about to bleed the venom out, so bear with me.”
Rome growled at me, “What did you do, Cora?”
I just shook my head. “You all need closure, and this was the only way I could think to do it. You told me you had to figure it out on your own, and that’s just not true, Rome.”
I pulled away from him and went to the door to let Shaw and her guest in.
He was a blindingly attractive young man. He was tall and elegant-looking in a fitted gray suit. His shaggy auburn hair hung messily in kind brown eyes and he looked almost as nervous as I felt. Shaw was grinning from ear to ear, and when she hugged me I finally felt like maybe I could get through this without throwing up all over the place.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, thank him.”
I blew out a breath and stuck out a hand. “Hi, I’m Cora. Thank you so much for doing this.”
He smiled, and it was just as sad as when Rule or Rome did it. “Nice to meet you. I’m Orlando, but my friends call me Lando. When Shaw tracked me down I was surprised, but I’m happy to help. Remy loved his family; he would hate to know he was the reason they were divided or struggling.”
“They don’t know you’re coming or who you are; it might not be pretty.”
He nodded as they moved into the entryway, I saw both Rule and Rome hanging over the rail of the stairs watching our little party.
“I can handle it. I am well versed in how to manage an angry Archer.”
“Who’s the suit?” Rule’s voice was sharp and had us all looking up. I felt Lando tense next to me as he released a long breath.
“They look so much alike.” His voice was barely a hint of sound, and Shaw put a reassuring hand on his arm.
“Yeah, but it becomes apparent really fast that they are only similar on the outside.”
“Cora?” Rome’s tone brooked no argument, so I hurried up the stairs to where everyone was gathered. I clasped my hands together in front of me nervously and waited until Shaw and Lando were at the top of the stairs.
“I know all of you have questions about why Remy did what he did, why he hid behind Shaw and didn’t tell you what he was doing in his life. I know Rome in particular has questions that keep him up at night. The only person that I thought might be able to answer them was the guy he was in love with. Orlando Fredrick, the Archers. Archers, meet Remy’s boyfriend, Lando. I asked Shaw to track him down for me. She didn’t want to do it at first, but I convinced her it was what you all need in order to move forward. I would apologize for overstepping my bounds but I really feel this had to be done.”
You could have heard a pin drop. It was so tense, so silent, I was waiting for the volcano to erupt. Shaw stood next to me while everyone else just gaped at each other. Lando couldn’t take his eyes off of Rule, and the brothers couldn’t look away from their late sibling’s attractive lover. I thought I was going to have to do something, anything to move things forward, but my guy surprised me by clearing his throat and extending a hand. His voice was gruff, but he took the first step forward and clasped the hand Lando stuck out.
“It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for coming.” If I hadn’t thought my idea of what was perfect for me was wrong before, I knew now, without a doubt, how wrong I had been. I knew it couldn’t be easy for Rome, but he was making the effort, that is what a perfect guy did. And the idea of loving this remarkable man was as easy as it was terrifying; I was going to have to figure out what kind of risk I was going to take.
Rule followed suit and Lando had to visibly gather himself.
“Those eyes are pretty hard to forget.”
Rule gave a wry grin and walked over to pull Shaw to his chest. “Tell me about it. I see him every time I look in a mirror.”
Margot and Dale were a little slower to react, but when they did I was happy to see they were welcoming if reserved.
“Well, come in. Shaw, why don’t you go set another place since we weren’t expecting an extra guest and we can all sit down and get better acquainted.” Margot’s suggestion gave everyone a chance to process the shock for a little bit before trying to pull apart the past. Frankly I was surprised she was being so calm about it all.
We all sat at the table and I looked at Rome under my lashes when he put his big hand on the top of my thigh and squeezed it under the table.
“Always trying to make everything perfect, aren’t ya, Half-Pint?”
I winked at him and put my much smaller hand over the top of his.
“No, I like things imperfect, I’ve found out, but if I have the ability to make things easier for you, I’m going to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”