Jake didn’t move. He didn’t ask who and I guessed it wasn’t really a secret based on Archie’s reaction. His jaw was set like stone. His arms crossed. He didn’t say anything, but the tension radiating off him was almost painful. Almost.
I typed a reply with shaking fingers.
Me:
Yeah… we can talk. Later?
Mathieu:
Okay. I’ll wait.
Me:
Thanks. Lots going on but I’ll call you as soon as I can.
It was as much as I could promise right now.
Archie pocketed his phone. “You ready?”
I nodded again, letting him guide me out. Jake followed in silence, but the air between the two of them was still charged, taut with unspoken things. I could feel it, vibrating under my skin, pulling me in all directions at once.
After opening the passenger side door of his Ferrari, Archie snagged my backpack. I almost dragged it back because it was my lifeline at the moment. “It’s okay,” Archie said in a far gentler voice. “Just putting it on the floor for you.”
“Thanks.” That came out almost pathetic and I sucked in a deep breath of air. Once I was in the seat, Archie set thebackpack down as promised. Then he brushed his knuckles against my cheek.
“Buckle up, babe. It’s going to be alright, I promise.” He spoke with such quiet authority that I believed him. He closed the door as I dragged the seatbelt over me. It took me a moment to realize that he was tossing Jake my keys.
When did he..
Oh when he took the backpack, probably, I just hadn’t noticed. The two were talking, but they were both still vibrating with tension and I rubbed a hand over my face. I didn’t want them to fight.
My phone buzzed again—another message from Mathieu—but I left it unread. For now, the world could wait. I needed a moment to just breathe. When Archie opened the driver’s side door and dropped into the seat, I jumped.
“You want food or coffee or anything on the way there?” The offer was so automatic. “We can get ice cream. Chocolate too. You like those.”
A half-smile kicked up one side of my mouth. “You always do that,” I said, my voice a lot huskier with all the tears I was fighting. “Always try to feed me or fix it.”
“Sometimes feeding you does fix it,” he commented, the tease hovering in his words an invitation. “I guarantee you Jeremy is probably fixing your favorites for you right now.”
“Then maybe we wait to get there, I don’t want to disappoint him.” I closed my eyes, and leaned my head back against the seat. Tired swarming me in drowning waves. When Archie settled his hand over mine, I curled my fingers into his. He was this contained storm next to me, protective, angry, and so very close to boiling over.
The drive blurred past in a stretch of streetlights and quiet streets, the kind of silence that pressed in rather than soothed. Archie drove with one hand on the wheel, the other looselythreaded through my fingers, steady and warm. I focused on that—on the fact that he was here, that I wasn’t alone—even as my thoughts kept slipping sideways.
When we turned onto his street, I knew where we were before I fully processed it. The gates slid open smoothly, automatically, and the long curve of the drive unfolded ahead of us.
Archie didn’t stop at the circular drive.
Instead, he angled toward the garage.
A big one.
No—big didn’t even cover it. The garage doors rolled up as we approached, revealing a cavernous space lit clean and bright. Cars lined one side in immaculate order, polished metal and sharp angles—sports cars, a sleek SUV, something vintage tucked farther back like it was being preserved rather than used.
I swallowed.
Behind us, Jake pulled into the circular drive, following like my car belonged here too. He parked, shut off the engine, and climbed out without hesitation.
Archie guided his car fully inside, easing into an open space near the middle. “We’ll make room for yours,” he said calmly, like this wasn’t even a question. “We’ll take care of it.”
