Page 13 of Beautiful Thing

Silence fills the house after they’re gone. I set my mug on the coffee table and turn to Archer, feeling uneasy about what I think I just agreed to.

He stands there, in the heavy silence, staring at me. I stare back.

What a beautiful man. Shoulders a mile wide and sturdy like a fortress. Hair, dark and shiny like obsidian. A stormy, penetrating stare that would probably be intimidating if I had a lick of common sense.

“Are you sure you want me here?” I ask quietly. “Because I can totally find somewhere else to stay.”

He just holds my gaze. “I want you here.”

“But last night at the bar, you made it clear that you don’t like having strangers in your space.”

Now is definitely not the best time to reminisce about slow dancing with Archer at his birthday party—but this man is a lonely, broody soul—I don’t want to intrude on his life.

Archer just gives me a confused look. “You and Sky are not strangers.”

“You know what I mean.” I sigh. “Plus, Sky’s in that phase where he’s curious about the entire freaking world. He touches everything, and he manages to break anything he can get his hands on.”

Archer has poured a lot of time and energy into renovating his home over the past few years. Leather armchairs and an overstuffed velour sofa. Pendant lanterns hanging from vaulted ceilings. Polished walnut floorboards that creak under your feet. Large picture windows that broadcast the snow-covered pine trees hugging the perimeter of the property.

Plus, on the table in the corner, he has this huge jigsaw puzzle that he seems to have been working on for a while. I’m horrified that Sky’s going to accidentally knock it off the table and destroy all the progress Archer’s made.

But more than anything, this house feels peaceful, rustic and cozy. I don’t want to bulldoze my way into his life and turn everything upside down.

Archer just shrugs. “I’ll baby-proof.”

“It could take me a while to figure out my next move,” I admit with a frown.

“Take as long as you need. I’m not going anywhere. And neither is my spare room.”

“I’m serious, Archer. It could take mea while…”

He pushes out a heavy exhale. “How long?”

Needing to avoid those intense brown eyes, I let my gaze drop to the dark denim hugging his long, powerful thighs. I’m so overwhelmed, I just want to crawl into his lap and bury my face in his neck and hide away from the world right now.

Focus, Layla. Focus.

“I don’t know. I was completely caught off guard with all this, so I don’t have much savings. And no offense, but I’m not exactly earning a fortune at the hardware store.” I cringe.

“Okay, I’ll give you a raise,” he says simply.

My gaze rebounds to his. “Archer!” I’m not trying to abuse his kindness here.

“What? I’m being serious.” He gives his head a firm nod.

I remain skeptical. It must be written on my face.

With a growl, he gets up and marches to the kitchen. A moment later, he returns with a flowery wall calendar gripped in his hand. I watch silently as Archer counts the days and circles a date in the first week of April.

“I’ll give you a raise and ninety days—three months—to live here rent-free, while you save up and figure out what you want to do,” he bargains.

I bite down on my lip, hesitating. This seems like a bad idea. But it’s so,sotempting.

“Come on, Layla. Accept my offer,” Archer begs, hefting out a tired sigh. “I just don’t want to see that loser thinking he can wield some kind of power over you. I fucking hate bullies.”

God—what Archer’s offering is just too good to be true. I don’t want to ruin our friendship by taking advantage of him. But I have to think of Sky. Doing what’s best for my son might mean swallowing my pride at this point in time.

“Fine. I will stay here.”

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