Page 22 of My Demon Manny

"That was..." I shook my head, unable to find the right words to describe the experience.

"Crazy. Unfathomable. Life-changing," Lux offered, and I chuckled roughly.

"I'll say. I guess it would make for a great 'first job' story for you someday down the line," I said, trying to find some speck of humor in the whole thing so I wouldn't go back to freaking out.

Lux gazed at me for a long moment, then shook his head, taking another sip of his tea. "I don't really want to think about the day this job will be over."

I watched Lux, wondering what exactly he meant by that. Did he just mean that he'd grown attached to Gunner and would miss him? Or was there more to it?

Or maybe, I felt like there was more to it simply because I wanted there to be.

Ten

Lux

We had a lowkeyday on Sunday, which included a lot of floor time with Gunner, and then the next week, Archer worked from home. It wasn't feasible in the long run because he had to meet clients a lot and have team meetings that worked better in person, but he said that if he could make it work long term, he wouldn't hesitate to do it.

I could tell he truly treasured his work, and was struggling between his love for his company and his love for Gunner, and I'd assured him the best I could that him wanting to do his best at work didn't mean he wasn't a good dad.

He'd never brought work home or stayed at work late, and that in my books was the sign of a very good dad. He gave Gunner all the time he needed, spent every evening and most of the weekends bonding with him, kept up with all his doctor visits, and did everything he should.

After the incident, I was even more determined to tell Archer the truth, so he'd know that I would never allow anything to happen to Gunner. I just needed to figure out the best way to do it so he wouldn't thinkIwas a threat to Gunner.

"Coffee," I said, placing the mug on his desk. He'd set up his work space in a corner of the living room with the crib in his line of sight, and he kept sneaking glances at the sleeping Gunner every few minutes. It was Friday today, so after he was done, he'd be free for the next two days. He'd probably go back to the office on Monday.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, I leaned closer, keeping my voice low under the pretense of not wanting to wake Gunner. "Do you need anything else?"

Archer's dark eyes flicked to mine, and I watched the way his Adam's apple bobbed with a swallow. Clearing his throat, he shook his head, returning his gaze to the screen as he spoke. "No, I'm fine. Thanks, Lux."

I didn't miss the slight blush at the tops of his cheeks as I straightened up, and I patted his shoulder a few times before settling on the couch with my cup of tea. I wasn't a huge fan of coffee, but tea I loved. Tea was soothing.

Since I had a bit of free time, I plugged my earbuds in and started watching one of the shows I liked on my phone. It was a family drama, and highly entertaining in its unrealistic over-the-topness. I'd missed the last few episodes, but nothing seemed to have happened in that time because the characters were still involved in the same argument.

I kept the sound low so I could keep an ear out for Gunner, and the sound of Archer's typing played in the background, acting like white noise. I liked this, I realized. The three of us in the same room, all doing our own thing and still spending time together. It felt like we were a family. Oh, what I wouldn't give to make it reality.

Much of the morning passed like that, and while I got up a few times to change Gunner and feed him, Archer mostly stayed focused on his work. He'd taken only one short break all morning, and he'd used almost every minute of it holding Gunner.

I'd sneakily taken a picture of him as he'd cradled Gunner against his chest, his lips pressed against the baby's curls. His love for his son was clearly visible on his face, and I knew I was going to treasure that picture for all of eternity.

Once it was lunchtime, I made us some sandwiches—I'd discovered those were the easiest things to make since they didn't need cooking, and I could make a whole bunch of combinations—and took them to the living room, tapping Archer on the shoulder.

"It's lunchtime."

"Just a minute," Archer said, though I could tell from his voice that he was distracted and would probably forget what I'd said.

"Come on, Archer. You need to eat. Work can wait."

Archer stopped typing to glance up at me, and I raised a brow in challenge. After a minute-long staring contest, he sighed and clicked out of the file he'd been writing into.

"Fine, fine. You know you're supposed to be Gunner's nanny, right?"

"Yeah, but he needs his dad to be healthy too. How will you take care of him if you're overworked and underfed? Now go wash your hands."

"Yes, dad," Arched teased, and I rolled my eyes at him as he laughed and ducked out of the room.

I was glad he was back to his usual self more or less. I was sure he'd be back at work in a day or two, and things would go back to normal.

Placing the plates stacked with sandwiches on the coffee table, I checked in on a sleeping Gunner before settling on my usual side of the couch.

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