Archer had been munching on his cookie while they talked. “I was ready hours ago.”
“Then go wash your face and hands.” She tapped his cheek. “There is chocolate there. Not sure how you always manage that.”
“Because it’s good and good food should be messy.”
“If you say so.” She turned and went down the stairs, found her sandals to slip on with her shorts, then caught Archer racing into the mudroom to get his sneakers on.
Ten minutes later they were on their way.
“How come I couldn’t bring my swimsuit?” Archer asked halfway there. “Jayce said they have a pool.”
“Because it’s only going to be in the low seventies. That’s not warm enough.”
“Sure, it is.”
“It’s not warm enough for me,” she said, laughing. “You’re not getting in without an adult and I’m not asking anyone else to do it if I won’t. Jayce said another time.”
“So we can come back?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Because you’re his girlfriend?”
She grinned. “I am. You’re still okay with that?”
“Yep. I like Jayce. Is it horrible to say I like him more than Dad?”
Her son’s voice dipped low when he asked that. She knew there was guilt in the question as much as in her response.
“No. You like who you like. It doesn’t mean you love your father any more or less, right?”
“I love him because he’s my dad,” Archer said. “But he never wants to do things with me like Jayce. He doesn’t even like to talk about the same things with me.”
What was she supposed to say to this? Nothing her son said was false.
Tucker was going to have to learn that the hard way. Maybe remember that everything Archer was confessing to her was similar to the relationship Tucker complained about with his father. But there her ex was, doing the same damn thing to his son.
“Sometimes that happens. But things change when we get older.”
Thankfully, they pulled into the McCarthy’s driveway. She parked behind Jayce’s car. They were the last ones here, she was guessing, with another truck and Mercedes. She’d bet the car was Jocelyn’s and the truck Gabe’s.
Archer was out of the car and ready to run to the house before she could even grab the cookies.
“There you are,” Jayce said, opening the front door. “I’ve been waiting.”
“Mom was baking. She made me get out of her way and it was boring!”
Jayce laughed and came down the stairs toward her, gave her a quick kiss on the lips and took the plates out of her hand. “These look great. How many got stolen before you wrapped them up?”
“I didn’t steal any,” Archer said, giggling. “Mom gave me one. Unless she stole one.”
“I have to taste everything before I bring it to know it’s good.”
“No fair!” Archer shouted.
“When you do the cooking and baking, then you can steal the food too.”
“I cooked with Jayce. Can we do it again?”
