“That’s probably not a good idea.”
Archer and Simon both looked to the doorway to see Rex Sharpe standing there.
“Hey,” Simon greeted Rafe’s brother, the man responsible for remodeling this old farmhouse and turning it into a bed and breakfast.
“They have issues?”Archer asked, figuring it was best to get the bad news out of the way.
“It ain’t pretty, I’ll tell you that much.”
“They dated,” Simon said.
“Reese and Madison?Yeah.A while back.Before Reese met Brantley,” Rex answered.“And a year ago, almost to the day, Reese met up with Madison to talk.Some guys came into the restaurant lookin’ to kidnap Madison.Reese got in between them and ended up takin’ a bullet for his troubles.Almost died.”
Oh, shit.
“Turns out, Madison’s brother had his henchman come to her rescue, but they both left Reese there to die.Brantley didn’t take too kindly to it.Since then, the Adorites have been off limits.”
“How do you know so much about it?”
“Small town.”
“So it’s all hearsay?”
“Steeped in fact, yeah.”
Archer got the feeling there was more truth to that story than fiction.He knew it wouldn’t stop Simon from using Brantley or Reese to get an in with Max.When it came to a story, there weren’t too many roadblocks that Simon would heed.
“I’ll be sure to mention it to Brantley and Reese before I do anything,” Simon told Rex.
Rex held up his hands.“Hey.You do you.I’m just tellin’ you what I know.”
Yeah, but it sure did sound like a warning.
Archer got the feeling it wouldn’t be the first they’d encounter before this mystery was unraveled.
“Usually, the father’s the one pacing.”
Brantley didn’t bother slowing down, nor did he look at Reese.It had been over an hour since they were kicked out of JJ’s room shortly after arriving to find that, yes, she was in labor, and the babies were well on their way to making their debut into the world.Only it could be an hour or perhaps ten before that happened.So they were stuck in wait mode.
“Do you wish you were in there?”Slade asked.
“No, I’m good out here,” he said honestly.
While he was nervous for his best friend, the last place he wanted to be was in the delivery room.He had gladly told his mother she was welcome to stay as his proxy.For the few minutes he’d been in there, he could tell Iris and Jules were the ones who managed to calm her.That and the idea of an epidural that the doctor had promised her.
When he told JJ he would be hanging with the team in the waiting room, she told him that was the best option.After all, she didn’t want to risk dealing with him passing out.
Not that he would.
Probably.
“Anyone know if they settled on names?”Holly asked.
“Last I heard, they narrowed it down to two lists,” Charlie said, smiling from her spot beside her girlfriend, Autumn.
Reese’s phone buzzed, drawing Brantley’s attention.
“It’s just my mother checkin’ in,” Reese said, reading the screen.“They’re an hour out.”
