“I didn’t know they would be here. Should I have worn a bulletproof vest? Or brought an offering of some sort?”
A booming laugh comes from the open doorway. “Get your butt over here, Web. And stop being ridiculous. We stopped being upset with you when Phoebe told us why you stood her up.” Warren is standing inside the open door, wiping his hands on a towel. “Bring your fella, too. We can’t wait to meet him.” He turns and walks back inside. “Sheila. They’re here.”
“Well, tell them to get in here. I’ve got my hands in a turkey’s asshole, so I can’t very well go out to see them on the porch.” Mom insisted on taking care of the turkey today, and no matter how many times I tell her how much better it is when cooked in a dish, she insists on cooking the stuffing inside the turkey.
“I did. He looks scared.”
“Pssh. There’s nothing to be afraid of. He’s family.”
Webster’s eyes widen at the overheard conversation and the tears that were merely threatening moments ago finally spill over. “I’m family?”
I shake my head and give him a sad smile. “That’s what I told you, didn’t I?”
He takes my hands in his. “Thank you.” Frederick looks on with a small smile. “Thank you.”
I squeeze his hands and steer him to the door. “Don’t thank me. Go in there and hug my parents. They’ve been waiting impatiently all morning.”
He snorts a laugh and nods before reaching back for Frederick’s hand.
“I’ll be right behind you.”
Eric leaves too, saying he has to get ready for dinner, leaving me alone on the porch with Archer.
Crap.
It would be best if I could avoid being alone with him. It’s what needs to happen if I ever want to get over this little crush I seem to have, anyway. Being alone with him leaves too many opportunities for him to show me his sweet side. It’s bad news for my heart.
Yet here we are. Alone again.
“Are you coming to the kitchen for a toast before you change?” He’s standing next to me, so close the heat of his body seeps through my clothes, and I can’t seem to concentrate on anything but his scent. The smell of the pine boughs he’s been handling all morning makes the scent of him that much more delicious. He smells like a sexy lumberjack.
He steps even closer, his hand reaching out for my hip as his eyes dip to my mouth. My heartbeat pounds in my ears and heat floods my chest. What is happening here? Is he kissing me?
No. That can’t be right. This is like last time. I’ll close my eyes and pucker up, only to find him reaching for something behind me. Again.
Not this time, buddy. Fool me once and all that.
“Okay. I’ll see you in there,” I blurt before spinning out of his grasp and marching into the house. I don’t even look back to see what he was actually looking for when I crazily thought he was trying to kiss me.
I don’t stop until I’m in the kitchen, surrounded by other people. There. That’s better. It’s hard to misinterpret his intentions when I’m this far away from him. It’s hard enough to guard my heart when I watch him come alive when he’s with Lincoln. I don’t need him being sweet to me and giving me the wrong impression, too.
“And when he sat up, there was an hourglass shaped void where his body had been. It was hilarious.” Gavin barks a loud laugh. “Poor guy looked like he’d rolled in shit.”
I spin around at the sound of a groan. Archer has an embarrassed grimace on his face, his cheeks reddened. “Did you have to tell everyone?” he asks. “I was hoping we could keep that between you and me.”
Gavin laughs again. “When I get a frantic, gag-filled call to go help with a shit emergency, I tell. That’s how it works. Besides, telling this story to everyone I know is my payment for cleaning your couch before I left.”
“That’swhy you were in the shower when I got back to your place? I thought you said Lincoln made a mess. You didn’t say he made a mess all overyou.” My face screws up in confusion, then I snap my fingers. “And that’s why we sat on your patio for coffee? Because your couch was wet?”
Archer scrubs a hand down his face. “I didn’t want to tell you I had to call Gavin for help. It was bad enough that I was gagging at being covered in baby crap without having to tell you all about it. I’m trying to prove to you I can handle things. Telling you I needed your little brother’s help didn’t seem like it would instill confidence, you know what I mean?” He blurts it all in a rush, then stares at me anxiously while waiting for an answer. Why is his nervousness so cute?
I snort. “Do you think I knew what to do the first time Lincoln had a blowout diaper? No. I called my mom for help. I don’t think less of you because you needed help. Babies are hard.” I touch his arm, ignoring the tingles in my fingers. “Especially when they crap all over you.”
He chokes out a laugh, then shakes his head. “Thanks,” he says before walking over to Gavin. “And thanks again for helping me. I’m pretty sure I was one baby shart away from puking all over myself.”
“You were not,” Gavin says with a chuckle. “You would have been fine if you’d taken a minute to think about the problem. I get it, though. It’s hard to think when he’s stinking up the place. For a kid who only drinks milk, he sure has a nasty rear end.”
Webster catches my eye and jerks his head for me to come over. Archer and Gavin are chatting, and my mom, Charlie, and Eric are arguing about the turkey, and everyone else is otherwise occupied.
