Page 96 of Zone Protection

“I need to go eat with the girls, but I’ll send you the details for the appointment.”

“Okay, sounds good. I love you. Tell Archie we said hello.”

“Will do, Mom. Love you too. Bye.” I set my phone on my nightstand.

When I get to the kitchen, there are two pizzas sitting on the counter. I grab a few slices of plain cheese and sit down at the table with the girls. I won’t have these moments with them much longer, so as much as I miss Archie, I do think I should spend time with the girls tonight.

“So, should we watch something tonight, or do you all have plans?” I ask.

“Oh, let’s watch the new season ofLove Island!” Mia suggests.

“Yes, I’m in,” Peyton answers.

Livi looks at me with a raised brow. “Em?”

“Sounds good to me. Let’s do it.”

We eat and laugh and talk about the baby some more. And talk about their love lives. Then, when we finish eating, we all crash on the couches and watch TV together.

I must have fallen asleep because I feel Livi gently trying to wake me. “Emma, you should probably go into your room so you’re more comfortable.”

Lifting my head, I look around the room and see Mia is also passed out. “What time is it?”

“It’s ten. Why don’t you go get some sleep?” She stands and holds out her hands to help me up.

When I get to my feet, I pull her in for a hug. “Thanks, Liv. I love you.”

“Love you too, babe. Go to bed, but call that man of yours first. He’s probably worried about you by now.”

I nod and start down the hall, stopping at the bathroom to get ready for bed before heading to my room. As I walk in, I strip off my clothes and change into one of the shirts Archie left here. I can even faintly smell him on it.

Pulling back the covers, I look over on what’s become Archie’s side, and it makes me miss him. I climb into bed and grab my phone off my nightstand.

Archie has called a few times, and I see a few texts too. Instead of texting back, I call him, and he answers right away.

“Hey, darlin’. You okay? I was just about to come over there to check on you.”

I can hear the worry in his voice.

“Hey, yeah. I’m good. I took a nap earlier, and then we had dinner and watched TV. I must have crashed at some point, and Livi just woke me up. Sorry to worry you.”

He lets out a breath. “It’s all good. I hope you had a nice time with them. Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah, I am. I just think everything is coming all at once, and I have very little control of it all, but I feel better. I miss you though.”

“I miss you too. So much.”

“Did you have fun tonight with your friends?” I ask.

“Mmhmm, yeah. It was a good time. It’s weird doing family dinners without Pitz, but it was good to spend time with them. I can’t wait for you to get to know everyone.”

“We should do that soon, for sure. Maybe this weekend?”

He clears his throat. “Well, I got a call after dinner, and thetrainer I had planned to work with here canceled on me, which really sucks because I wanted to be here with you while you finished classes before the draft. But, baby … I think I’m going to have to go to Texas. I’m not having any luck finding someone who can work with me here.”

“Oh, okay. So, when would you have to go?”

“I’m not sure, but soon. I can do some things on my own, for sure, but I really need to work with someone. I don’t want to put more stress on you, so let me try to work on it some more and see what I can do.”

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