I think it’s one of the most honest things anyone has ever said to me. The old Juniper Harrington wanted true love and to be swept off her feet. She wanted roses and dancing in the rain every single day. She wanted a fairytale that doesn’t exist.
I still want some of those things, but I’m learning to appreciate tough conversations, as long as they’re honest and real, more.
“Making amends is important,” I tell him softly.
“It is,” he responds as quietly, hope and need reflected in his gaze. “Is it enough to earn a second chance?”
“I have to go to work now.” Still thinking, I walk toward the hotel, but feet from the entrance, I stop and turn.
Archer hasn’t moved. He stands with his hands in his pockets, and his expression reveals everything. Hope and fear and something softer. Something I think I feel too.
“Bad Chinese food and a shitty movie,” I tell him.
He blinks. “I’m confused.”
I clear my throat, fingers tightening around the strap of my tote as I desperately hope I’m doing the right thing. I’m letting my heart lead the way, and my soul, the thing I thought had ledme down the wrong path before, is also telling me that my future is with Callum, Torin, and Archer.
“It’s a new memory I want to have with you, Callum, and Torin. Tonight.”
Confusion gives way to hope. “Yeah?”
I nod. “At your apartment, since you have a bigger couch. I’ll think about the movie at work. Maybe you could as well. And maybe we could talk about other things after the movie.”
“Like the future?”
I nod with a smile. “Like the future.”
He grins at me, so bright and wide and happy that my heart hurts. “Okay. I’ll see you later, Juniper.”
“June,” I quietly correct him. “It’s June.”
We smile at each other, probably like complete idiots, and when a car blares its horn, I remember the time and sprint for the entrance. “I have to go. I’m late.”
“I’ll meet you here,” he calls after me.
“Okay.”
Inside, I quickly put away my bag in the staff room and hurry to clock in.
Cleaning the rooms is usually so mindless that my mind wanders to so many things, mostly what I’ll eat for dinner later that night.
But today, I think about the movie we’ll watch, the Chinese food we’ll eat, and whether Torin will be there for it. He apologized before, but didn’t believe I would ever forgive him.
Weeks ago, I’d have said that I had no forgiveness left in my heart for my scent matches. But things are different.Theyare different. And in ways I never expected.
I thought they would invade my life and not give me the space or time to think about whether I could ever see a future with them. They’re there when I need them to be, but they are not invasive.
The door beeps while I'm cleaning the bathtub.
“I’m just finishing up,” I call out, hurrying. “I won’t be long until?—”
Thud.
I cry out as pain explodes at the back of my head. My world spins, and my world goes black.
Chapter 37
Archer
