The thing was, she did that for him because she sensed heneeded time with whatever it was.To face it himself without pressure.Shecouldn’t see how it would help to push him to focus on something he clearlywasn’t ready to tackle.
But now, she was wondering if that was the right call.
Though, she didn’t have to wonder who to ask if it was.
And who that was wasn’t Jagger.
“Hold the phone!”her dad, Andy Harmon shouted whenhe opened the door to Archie.“A double dose of my daughter in a week?Startingon a Monday?What did I do to earn this awesomeness?”
He didn’t let her answer.
He yanked her into a bear hug.
Archie’s father was a big guy.Not as tall as Jagger, buttall, and brawny.He’d never let himself go, even now after he’d cranked intohis 50s.
But he had a bit of a gut.
This was due to Haley, the stepmom, who loved to cook, andwas a proud curvy girl, from the moment she met Archie’s dad to that day.Shewas this to the point the woman was deep into the double digits size-wise andwore a bikini.
And looked cute in it.
That was something Archie had always respected her for, andnot just the cute part.
Archie hugged him back, mumbling, “Stop being a dork, Dad.”
“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, thank God we’re havingspaghetti,” Archie heard her stepmom cry.“I can make more pasta and throw acouple more pieces of Texas toast on the cookie sheet.”
Archie broke from her dad, came in the house more fully asher father shut the door, and assured Haley, “I’m not staying for dinner.Sorry.I’m meeting Jag for a movie.I just…uh, wanted to talk to Dad a second.”
Andy and Haley exchanged glances about what Archie wouldwant to talk to her father about that she couldn’t call or text about, andArchie knew they were coming to the same conclusion, just the wrong one.
“It’s about Jag,” she said.
Not Elijah, she did not say.At least not now,maybe later, she went on not to say.
Haley looked relieved.
Her dad’s gaze grew sharp on her.
“Is everything okay with him?”Andy asked.
“It’s fantastic.He’s the greatest.I can’t wait for you tomeet him.Totes looking forward to tomorrow night.”
Andy and Haley exchanged another glance.
Then Haley did what Haley was prone to do.
Waded in when her dad was being clueless.
“Andy, honey, she’s meeting her guy for a movie.She can’tstand around forever.Get her a drink and have your chat.I’m gonna go stir thesauce.”
She shot Archie her sweet, somewhat goofy, sadlystill-nervous-after-all-these-years smile and she headed to the kitchen (andElijah was responsible for those nerves—being such a dick, it eked into howHaley thought Archie felt about her).
“You want a drink, honey?”Andy offered.
“No, Dad, just…”
How did she even start this?
