“Gee, how chivalrous of you.” I roll my eyes and grin.
We spend a good amount of time like that beneath the blanket watching the sunset, Archer eventually pulls out his phone and turns on some music, and I decide to go ahead and order the s’more supplies.
“Will you spend the night?” Archer asks.
I smile; glad I wasn’t presuming anything when I packed my overnight bag. “I left my bag in the car, I didn’t want to assume, in case you wanted to be left alone.”
“If you give me your keys I will go get your bag.” Archer says, standing up.
“They’re in my purse on your end table next to the couch.” He nods and fetches my bag from the car. On the way up he must have met the delivery guy because he walks in bearing not only my bag, but my s’more supplies as well. We make several until our stomachs hurt from the sweet treats. We decide we need to sleep off the sugar.
Archer gives me a formal tour of the apartment after that. I was pretty spot on with myinitial assumptions of the layout. Archer takes me to the master bedroom where we get ready for bed together.
He tucks me into what is the most comfortable bed I have ever laid in, and I decided that I am going to find a way to switch our mattresses. I don’t care that he’s a professional football player, I want this mattress.
He scoots in behind me, wraps his arms around me and kisses me before sleep overcomes us both.
I end up sleeping through the whole night for the first time in a long time.
Chapter 16
Archer
Friday rolls around after a week of brutal practices, the heat hasn’t eased up and I had to shed my suit jacket at a rest stop on my way upstate. I’m sweaty, irritable from traffic and anxious to see Cassie and her family and just sad at the circumstance. Part of me selfishly wanted to ask Ellie to come with me but I knew that would be inappropriate so I had to make do with calling her at her prep this morning. I’ll miss her lunch break because of the funeral service.
I pull into the crowded lot, don my suit jacket and take a deep breath as I walk into the funeral home. Looking around I see a lot of familiar faces. Cassie’s cousins, aunts and uncles, and her one great aunt who always grabbed my ass every Christmas. I make my way to the front where Cassie and her immediate family are standing next to the open casket. Her poor brother-in-law is trying his best to wrangle his kids before they knock over floral arrangements when he sees me and greets me with a hug. “Thanks for coming man.”
I return the gesture. “Of course, Frank was an incredible man.” I make my way down the receiving line, hugging each member and offering my condolences when I get to Cassie’s mother Danielle. I hug her and she seemssmaller, frailer than she did. Tears well in my eyes and clog my throat as she holds onto me.
“Thank you so much for being here.” She cries into my jacket. “He was always proud of you.” The damn breaks and it takes all my strength not to heave a sob.
“If you need anything, Danielle, I mean it, anything, you call me okay.” I kiss her temple and move to Cassie who hugs me tightly.
“Thank you.” Is all she says as she hugs me. I decide at this moment that I forgive her.
“I’m so sorry Cass. I loved your dad, he was an amazing person.” I continue, “Same thing I told your mom, if you guys need anything you know how to get a hold of me.” She nods, words failing her. I rub her arm and turn to walk away when I’m met with Mystery Man. He at least has the decency to look ashamed when he meets my eyes. “Hey, I’m Archer. I’m sorry for your loss.” I offer my hand to shake.
Mystery Man takes it and shakes it, having to look up at me as he does “I’m Doug, and I’m sorry for your loss as well. He was your biggest fan.”
Cassie takes a deep breath, “Doug was my high school sweetheart.” she explains. I’m not going to lie, that makes me feel the tiniest bit better about the whole situation. Call me a romantic, but high school sweethearts are a hell of a lot better than some dude I met at a bar. Do I wish they had reconnected before I proposed? Yes — It would have saved a lot of time and heartache, but I’m not angry about it anymore. Life is too short as evidenced here today.
I take Cassie’s hand and squeeze it three times, a mento of our past relationship, before releasing it as I turn to casket. Cassie and Doug take a step back, giving me some space as I look down at the man who was a second father to me for a long time.
The tears come as I strangle out my final words to an amazing and inspiring man who helped shape me. I thank him for everything he’s done for me. Including me in all the family trips, for driving me to the hospital my senior year when I got appendicitis, for taking me fishing when I told him how much I missed being able to do that with my dad. I thank him finally for loving me as his own. I squeeze his cold shoulder one last time and walk away.
I spend the rest of the afternoon talking to members of Cassie’s family and surprisingly Doug. Doug, I come to learn, is a chef at a Michelin star restaurant and tells me that if I ever want a table to give him a call and he’ll ensure I have the best seats in the house.
“There’s one other thing.” Doug pulls me aside away from everyone. “I want to apologize for well… Everything. What we did, what I did was awful. There isn’t another way to say it. I ruined your relationship with Cass out of my own selfish desire.” He squares up, expecting me to hit him; I suppose. If he had said this to me just a few months ago, I definitely would have taken a swing. But I’ve worked through a lot of that resentment with Dr. Mondary.
I roll my lips together debating what to say to him. Nodding my head to myself, “I’ve realized that fate has a way of making sure we get where we need to be when we need to be there. It’s just notalways gentle. I was angry for a very long time, and it took time for me to get here, but I accept your apology.”
I see the fight leave his body as he sags with relief. “Thank you.”
The rest of the day is a blur as we go from the ceremony to the gravesite. I wasn’t going to follow them to the burial but Danielle and Cassie both insisted that I join them. I feel wrung out and raw by the time I get to my truck. I shed my suit jacket once more and make the long drive home.
While on that drive home I call my parents and talk to them for the majority of the ride back. I end the call by telling them how much I love them.
I pull into my parking garage, but I can’t seem to get myself out of my truck. The silence is deafening after talking to my parents for so long, when my phone starts to buzz. I pick it up to see Ellie’s smiling face.
