Page 64 of My Darling Mayhem

My throat felt thick, remembering the one and only kindness my father ever showed me.

“That was the only gift he’d ever given me.”

Archer glanced at me, then the image on the postcard. “Cabo San Lucas?”

It seemed silly when he said it out loud. My dad probably just found me an easy tourist gift and made up some elaborate story while he was vacationing in some resort, likely cheating on my mother. But, to the little girl inside me, it was the fact that he’d thought of me, and the picture he’d painted for me was a beautiful life. One I had hoped to one day have, no matter how outrageous it seemed.

“Have you been then?” Archer walked closer after tucking the image back into the frame. He buttoned his jeans and pulled his hair back into another little bun at the nape of his neck.

I shook my head. “I can’t even get to Montana. I definitely haven’t gone to Cabo.”

His lips twitched while his knee pressed into my mattress. His hand slid along my jaw and into my hair.

“You’d look good in Cabo, beautiful. I think I need to see that at some point in my life, you, on that beach, wearing a bikini, looking back at me while you walked along the sand, knowing that moment had been etched into your chest.”

My heart skipped a thousand beats as his blue eyes locked on me and his lips brushed against mine. Heat and skin slid against each other as I lost myself in his steady eyes and allowed the rhythm of my heart to mirror his, wishing I could somehow tuck it away in his chest and ask if he’d carry it for the duration of mylife. I’d never had anyone tell me they wanted my heart or were in love with me. Matthew and I had been together as a couple, but it had only been a few months before he went to prison.

A lonely, painful reminder seemed to balloon in my chest that I had gone through my life without being told that I was loved. My mother had said it to me growing up…Leo had even said it a few times after they married. Juan had said it; surely, he had. Why couldn’t I remember if my brother said he’d loved me?

Archer’s mouth moved to my ear as his hands traveled down to my hip, which broke me out of my thoughts. He was here, he was real and he’d continued to show up…he brought me flowers. He asked to come in last night, and he wasn’t just here for sex. This meant something to him. I meant something to him.

As if he could hear my racing thoughts, he whispered, “Come with me this weekend.”

“What?” My hands went to his wrists, trying to hold him in place so he wouldn’t leave me. The boys laughed in the living room, but I could hear a cartoon playing, too.

Archer’s gaze searched mine as he swallowed.

“There’s a family barbeque for club members. We’re riding out to a big state park. There’s stuff for the kids and a great view…” His forehead pinned mine as he seemed to struggle for words. “It’s a good way for you to meet my club.”

Didn’t that seem like we were serious then? Maybe we were. I felt serious about him and how he treated me; it felt like this was real for him. Something told me his no-sex thing came from a very serious place, and I just needed to trust him and let him show me.

“I thought you had to take Kane back.”

His fingers found mine, intertwining ours together. “I’ll ask if I can have him longer.”

I liked the idea of riding with him into the city, taking the boys, and seeing this piece of his life, but then I remembered one of them running through my fence.

Turning him down was on the tip of my tongue, but instead I asked him. “Will they behave like they did at your house?”

I felt him smile, even if I couldn’t see his features due to our position. “No. They’re never like that when families are around. Old Ladies, kids, even Moms and extended family come out. No bunk bunnies or Sweetbutts.”

He pulled back so I could see his face and how his lips tugged up.

“Those are the ones who aren’t patched to members, right, with property something?” I tried to remember what he’d said about that.

His smile was sweet and perfect. “Exactly.”

That meant he was making a statement by taking me. And he was making it to his club, not just a few friends.

Still, I couldn’t find enough reason to turn him down. The weather was nice, the kids would love it, and I wanted to be seen on his arm. I wanted women like Lydia and her sister to see me and know that Archer wasn’t available.

My gut sank. Fuck that meant I’d already placed him in my head as my boyfriend. Someone who would be loyal to me and monogamous.

“You’re overthinking it, beautiful.” Archer kissed my lips as the boys got louder, coming down the hallway. He glanced at the door, then rose above me, about to leave.

I inhaled a cleansing breath. “Yes. We’ll go.”

Archer moved to the door and smirked at me from over his shoulder. “I know.”

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