Page 55 of Turning Tides
Nodding weakly, I leaned against the cold door of the walk-in and let out a sigh. Shane was worth every last shred of angst and tension between Cyrus and me. It was a shame that it was necessary at all. Cyrus could have taken the news better, and maybe he would have if we’d have told him about us from the beginning instead of sneaking around. No matter which way I looked at it, Cyrus was pissed at me and I hated it. But not enough to let go of Shane.
For as long as I could remember, I’d been jealous of Cyrus. He was the kid our parents wanted. He found Marshall when they were both young. Barely out of high school, they’d been together ever since. He had a job he loved, and he owned his own house.
And I was a nobody tattoo artist who was starting all over again. I still only had a few bucks to my name. But now I had Shane. I had someone who looked at me the way Marshall looked at Cyrus. Someone who wanted me. Someone who loved me.
If Cyrus wasn’t going to be happy for me, I decided that I had nothing to say to him. My heart fractured at that thought, and I sucked down a shaky breath. All I wanted now was to get the fuck away from here with Shane and curl up in his arms. I wanted him tolook at me with his soft, soupy eyes and tell me everything would be okay. And I wanted to believe him.
Chapter 27
Shane
Archer needed a fewminutes to gather an overnight bag. Normally, I’d have given him the choice of where he wanted to spend the night, but my house was quieter and far more private. And it had the massive bathtub he seemed to enjoy. I planned to make use of it again.
Cyrus’s reaction to everything had caught me completely off-guard. I’d expected a little bit of grumbling, but nothing could have prepared me for how angry he’d been. He could be grumpy, everyone who knew him was aware of that. But this was next level… and it was bullshit.
Archer came downstairs with a backpack slung over a shoulder. The circles under his eyes were so dark they looked like bruises. For the past few years, if I saw a problem, I fixed it. A friend needed something, I stepped in and gave it to them. Mom’s house needed a new roof? No problem. I could fix that.
But this wasn’t something I could throw money at and make it go away. There was no amount of money in the world that would patch the rift between Archer and Cyrus. They had to do that on their own. Knowing this left me feeling restless. Helpless. It wasn’t a feeling I was used to anymore.
“Are we ready to go?” Archer asked, sliding in next to me and wrapping an arm around my waist. I draped one over his shoulder and held him tight.
“Yeah. Vivian’s got everything in hand.”
He glanced around the kitchen. “Cyrus is going to shit if he sees the kitchen like this.”
I had to agree. It wasn’t messy, but it wasn’t how Cyrus would have left it. Trev had done his best after Ethan finished up the last of the orders.
“Well, if he wanted it done his way, he should have stayed. I can come in tomorrow and get it straightened out.”
“You don’t need to fix it for him,” Archer told me as he tugged me toward the back door. “He’s not going to quit or anything.”
“I wish I was sure about that.”
We left the bar hand in hand, his slender fingers looped loosely through mine. We drove home that way too, our hands linked in the space between us. Archer rolled his window down and the breeze rushing in made me think of the road trips I’d been on as a kid before Dad died. Trips through mountain passes and dusty gravel roads. Getting lost. Getting found. Dad’s unflappable nature.
“We should go on a road trip some time,” I told Archer.
“I’ve never been on a road trip.”
“Then we definitely need to. We can take short ones to start with. A weekend here or there.”
I stole a glance at him. He stared out the window, trouble still lingering in his expression.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay.”
Archer heaved out a sigh. “I wish I had your faith in that. I’m not used to things going my way.”
The rest of the drive was quiet. Archer didn’t seem to be into entertaining the idea of a road trip so I’d have to find some other way to get his mind off of the fight he’d had with his brother. I never realized that Cyrus had been such an important figure in Archer’s upbringing.It was clear to me now that his emotions weren’t that of a protective older brother, but more like a worried father.
Coming home with Archer next to me gave me a light, tingly sensation in my stomach. I could imagine a future here with him. Now that I hired Vivian to step in as manager, I’d have more free time. I wanted to help Mom out with the house more often. I also wanted to fix up the attic space for Archer. Hiring someone would be easier, but I kind of wanted to do it myself.
Archer followed me inside and kicked off his shoes. Wrapping my arms around him, I pulled him close and slanted our mouths together.
Unlike other kisses we’d shared, there was no urgency in this kiss. It was slow and lacked the heat to lead anywhere. It was comfort and reassurance and I was glad I could be that for him. I knew this wasn’t a problem I could solve, but I hoped it was solvable. The thought that I could’ve come between the brothers was a knife in my gut.
Archer pulled away and curled into me, resting his forehead against my chest. He took a deep breath.
“Did you want to call him?” I asked.
