Page 103 of Beautiful Thing

After quickly greeting the rest of the Brighton men and giving Archer a quick peck on the cheek for good luck, I carry Sky up the path toward Ronan’s guesthouse.

Nicky, Karli, Daphne, Inez, Ziggy and Mrs. Brighton are all keeping warm inside. They welcome us with warm tea, hot chocolate and a ridiculous amount of snacks.

We eat, drink, gossip and watch our men from the large floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the outdoor rink. Karli kicks us all out of the kitchen area, whipping up a delicious lunch for us all. Mrs. Brighton gets down on the floor to play with Sky. She keeps calling him her grandson, and it’s so dang sweet.

“Cookie, Gramma?” Sky begs, his big brown eyes batting up at her.

She starts to tear up when my child calls her that, and that earns him a bunch of snuggles and yet another treat.

He quickly realizes that showering the woman with sweet smiles and affection are the ticket to getting more and more cookies. Mrs. Brighton just can’t resist his innocent smiles and the way he bats his eyes at her. The poor lady is completely wrapped around my son’s chocolate-smeared finger.

Gosh—this is the kind of relationship I wish my son had with my mother. But as always, Mom is too busy chasing her anxious-avoidant husband around. Nothing else ever seems to matter in her world. Not even her grandchild.

Shaking my head, I intervene, scooping him out of Mrs. Brighton’s arms. “No more cookies for you, Sky. And stop trying to sweet talk your new grandma to get your way.”

My little trickster flashes me a knowing grin as I wipe up his face with a damp paper towel in the kitchen.

“I think we’re gonna need a tougher ref out there to keep the boys in check. Those jerks are really giving Dad a hard time.” Karli chuckles, her chin motioning to the hockey game going on in the yard.

Nicky shakes her head. “The twins are so competitive and over the top.”

With my son on my hip, I stroll over to watch Ronan and Nolan’s showdown out the picture window.

The twins are arguing about some foul or other and their father is playing referee. As far as I can tell, Nolan’s team seems to be winning against Ronan’s. Mr. Professional Hockey Captain isn’t happy about it at all. But Inez and Stella are jumping up and down next to me, cheering Nolan on as he plays at his best out there.

They’re all so freaking serious about this. It’s almost funny.

Daphne flinches when Felix and Darius collide on the ice. “For a friendly game in the backyard, it sure does look aggressive.” A worried crinkle slashes across her forehead.

But despite the occasional angry exchange over a foul, the guys look like they’re having a good time. Everything is going well out there on the ice. Until it isn’t.

I get a bad feeling as I watch Archer race across the ice, controlling the puck as he goes. Then his ankle twists in a funny way. In a way that looks painful.

My stomach drops.

He flies through the air and goes down hard, his facial expression contorting with so much pain it makes my heart stop.

Sliding Sky into Inez’s arms, I race blindly out of the house, without even grabbing my coat. The only thing on my mind is getting to Archer. Making sure he’s okay.

A million worst-case scenarios flood my head as the snow crunches under my boots.

When I make it to the rink, I’m slipping and sliding and pushing his brothers out of the way so that I can get to Archer.

He’s sprawled out on the ice, eyes closed, groaning in pain. I can’t tell if he’s injured his leg or his arm or something else. But there is no visible blood or bones poking out, so I find a small amount of comfort in that.

I gingerly crawl on top of him, careful to avoid putting any weight on his body as I cup his bearded face. “Archer. Archer. Talk to me, baby,” I say softly over and over.

His scrunched up eyes flutter open. When he sees me hovering over him, the brightest smile explodes across his face.

Tears flood my eyes instantaneously. I’m being dramatic but I don’t care. “You scared me, you big lug.” I shove softly at his chest.

His thick arm comes around me. “I’m right here, Belle. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Good…” The whisper gets lost in my clogged throat.

He pulls me into a deep kiss while his brothers whistle and hoot around us.I don’t care. I just care that my man is okay.

Myfakeman, I mean. Or after last night, maybe myrealman. Or, whatever.

---