Page 45 of Mine for a Moment

I watch him stare at his phone in confusion for a moment, before he smiles. From where I’m sitting, I can just about see his screen, and my eyes widen when he goes into his contact list and replaces the name Sarah with two emojis: a tulip and a heart. Something about it makes my stomach flutter, and I smile as he texts me back.

Archer

okay, darling

Archer

miss you next to me. Missed you in my bed last night too.

Serenity

I miss you too. It’s hard sitting here and not being able to reach for you.

He sighs, and Ezra turns his head, clearly trying to glance at Archer’s screen. Thankfully, Archer locks his phone and puts it away before distracting Ezra with random chatter about the next football game they said they’d watch together.

The journey passes uneventfully, but there’s a certain tension in the air that wasn’t there before. I can’t help but feel like Ezra knows there’s something going on between us, and I’m not sure where that leaves us.

This thing between Archer and me is supposed to end in a couple of weeks, and it wasn’t meant to affect anyone. If Ezra found out, their friendship would never be the same again, and I can’t be the cause of that.

“You okay?” Archer asks as he opens the car door for me, and I look up, surprised. I’ve been lost in thought for most of the journey, never even realizing we’d made it back home.

“Yeah,” I murmur, but he doesn’t look convinced. Archer glances me over as he grabs my weekend bag and throws it over his shoulder.

“I’ll take that,” Ezra says, taking it from him. “Appreciate the help, though.”

Archer looks as startled as I feel, something decidedly territorial crossing his face. I shake my head subtly, and he looks down for a moment, fixing his expression before we follow Ezra into the elevator.

We both know my brother well enough to realize he’s on edge, but if he knew about us, he’d just have said something. It’s likely that he’s suspicious but not sure, and we’re going to have to tread carefully.

“What the fuck?” Ezra murmurs as we approach his door to find water in front of it. His expression is murderous as he unlocks it, only to find his entire place flooded.

“What happened here?” Archer asks, pulling me out of the way. I place my hand on his back and peek past his arm as Ezra walks in, his shoes squeaking.

Archer turns to look at me, his gaze roaming over my face. “Stay here for a moment, darling,” he murmurs, his voice barely above a whisper. “Let me just see what’s going on.”

I nod, and he follows my brother in, only for the both of them to return mere minutes later, their expressions grim.

“Burst pipe,” Ezra says, reaching for his phone. “How the fuck did no one notice?”

Archer grimaces. “If I recall correctly, the unit below you is up for sale. It’s probably empty.” He glances at me, and then back at Ezra. “Just stay at mine until it’s fixed. It’ll be okay.”

Ezra looks reluctant, but he nods. His expression is grim as he begins to make several calls, and Archer leads me to his home, keying in his code—another variation of Tyra’s birthday.

“Take my bedroom,” he tells me. “It has its own bathroom. I’ll take the guest room, and Ezra can take the sofa. If need be, we can put a bed in my home office for Ezra tomorrow.”

“I can’t just take your bedroom, Archer. It’s fine. I’ll—”

“Don’t fight me on this,” he says, glancing over to the corner of his living room, where Ezra is calling his insurance company. “I want you in my bed, Serenity. You won’t sleep anywhere else.”

Thirty-Seven

Archer

I look up from my position on the sofa when my front door unlocks, my heart beginning to beat just a little faster when Serenity walks in. She has no idea how much I’ve been enjoying having her live with me. In just a handful of days, I’ve been treated to countless sights of her all rushed and gorgeous in the morning, only for her to somehow become even more beautiful by the time she walks into the house in the evening. Her hair somehow becomes more unruly, everything about her coming undone in the most captivating way.

She doesn’t know it, but I’ve been taking my work home with me every day lately, so I can make sure I get home before she does and steal a few moments with her. Having Ezra around has been tougher than I expected. He just seems to be everywhere—I haven’t even been able to sneak into bed with Serenity at night, because each time I walk out of my guest room, he wakes up.

“Hi, darling,” I murmur, drinking her in.

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