“There can’t be abut. I’m not the guy for you, Darcy,“ he cautioned, visibly shutting down further even as what he was saying gave me more insight into the man himself. I was gaining clarity at the same rate my confusion and curiosity was increasing.
“I didn’t say you were, but that’s a little dramatic don’t you think?” I probed, hoping that subtly could suddenly become my specialty.
He shook his head, and glanced out the window. “It sounds dramatic, but I promise you it’s not. My past isn’t a good one, and you and the baby need to stay as far away from everything in it as possible.”
What the hell was that supposed to mean? I wanted to know what he was talking about, but I recognized a forbidden topic when I saw one, and I wasn’t about to pry for more. Whatever this past of his was, he was clearly scared of it bleeding into his future.
SIXTEEN
ARCHER
I should’ve kept my mouth shut and let her continue believing I hated her. It would’ve been easier, but after spending the last six hours trapped in a car with a woman who was so clearly exhausted, uncomfortable, and in pain, the least I could do was offer her that reassurance. Well, that and force her to stop and stretch every two hours like the internet said she was supposed to do to prevent clotting. And keep her fed, since it became abundantly clear she wasn’t going to do any of that herself. Between the internet, and the fact that she was a personal trainer, I figured she’d want healthier snacks, but from the brief flash of disgust that crossed her face when she saw the array of options I’d picked, it was safe to say I’d missed the mark.
It shouldn’t have mattered to me if she thought I hated her, and what I said to her wasn’t a lie; she should hate me. Ihadn’t treated her the best. When she told me she was pregnant, I responded like a dick, and it clearly hurt her more than I originally thought, which was the last thing I wanted to do. In my defense, I’d just had one of the worst nightmares I’d experienced in a while, and when I got to the bar, I was still having phantom pains despite the fact that it was hours later. It was terrible timing, but that wasn’t her fault, and I took it out on her. Darcy had every right to hate me, or at least be upset with me, and yet . . . I didn’t want her to. And that thought scared me because if I didn’t want her to hate me, then I wanted her to . . . what? Like me?
Back in high school, our paths never really crossed. She was a freshman when I was a senior, and for the most part, she’d never been on my radar, but occasionally, I’d catch her hazel eyes staring at me from across the cafeteria. She always brought a lunch from home that I assumed her mom or dad made, and everything about her screamed “taken care of.” It made me wonder what that must be like—what having people who loved and cared for you felt like.
It’s why Darcy and this baby were better off if I wasn’t the father. The only experience I had with love and affection died with my mother. I had no idea who the other option was, but he had to be better than me.
My thoughts were cut short when we pulled into a dirt driveway with a mailbox that had what appeared to be hand-painted berries on it, and a sign hanging beneath it that read “Adler’s Berries.” I did my best not to tense as we approached the blue house that looked part house, and part fairy cottage, but judging from the way Darcy peeked over at me, I’d say I failed.
“Hey, Archer?” She put the car in park behind a red Chevy square-body truck.
I looked over at her, noting how she didn’t seem to radiate the relaxation and excitement I expected she would at coming home to her parents’. If anything, she seemed almost as tense as I was.
“Breathe. It’ll be fine.”
“That wasn’t very convincing,” I said, unable to move my eyes from hers.
The way she rolled her eyes as she exited the car had something like excitement brewing in my stomach. Verbally sparring with this woman was fun, and I found myself trying to find ways to initiate it.
I grabbed our bags, earning a curious look when I grabbed hers too, then followed her up the walkway to the front porch, gravel crunching loudly under my boots. When we got to the front door, she paused and peered up at me.
“Follow my lead,” she said, then she was opening the door and crossing the threshold.
***
The Adler family was everything Darcy said they would be. Her mother, Shelby, had wrapped me in a hug before I’d finished closing the door. Her dad had eyed me warily until he watched me help Darcy out of her coat—a move I wasn’t sure abided by the “no PDA” clause of her demands, but I figured it couldn’t hurt—and then he gave me a firm handshake and introduced himself. I couldn’t be sure because I’d never met anyone’s family, girlfriend or otherwise, but it felt like a stamp of approval, albeit a small one.
They led us to the kitchen where my eyes instantly locked onto Garrett. Up until I walked into his line of sight, he had been whispering and laughing with a tiny, dark-haired woman who must’ve been his wife, Cory, judging from the colorful tattoos covering her skin. When he saw me, he straightened, his smileslipping from unrestrained joy, to one of wary politeness. It was impossible to tell if the change in his demeanor was because he recognized me from school, or because I was the man with one of his little sisters. Regardless, it was evident he’d be a tough sell on the whole “Darcy and Archer” thing.
“Can I get you something to drink, Archer? Water? Beer? Soda?” Shelby asked, already on her way to the fridge, like a refusal wasn’t an option.
“I’ll take some water, thank you.” I smiled, remembering what Darcy had said about scowling.
“You sure, man? We’ve got plenty of beer.” Garrett spoke from behind me, and I didn’t know why the question felt like a test.
“Thanks, but it’s been a long day. I’ll save the beer for tomorrow.”
“Ahh, did our Darcy subject you to one of her car karaoke concerts?” Jack laughed presumably at whatever memories he had of his daughter doing exactly that.
Glancing down at Darcy whose cheeks were a touch pinker than they had been, I smirked. “No, unfortunately I wasn’t so lucky.” I bent my head down to her ear and whispered, “Car karaoke concerts?”
She turned her head, my gaze dropping to her mouth as she quietly bit out through a fake smile, “Mention it again, and I’ll make third-degree burns seem pleasant in comparison.”
“If anyone could do it, it’d be you.”
Darcy gave me the same look she’d given me back at the Wendy’s we stopped at. It was the one that said she was “trying to figure me out” as she put it, but then her mom interrupted, snagging her attention away.
