Page 69 of The Archer and his Rosebud

“Don’t apologize, Will.”

She nods and skims her knuckle over the bridge of Clem’s nose.

Straightening to my full height—taller than his, I might add—I deliberately look him in the eyes as I say, “I’m right next door if you need me.”

He scoffs beneath his breath, “Next door neighbor, of course,” but I disregard him and swipe Clem’s unfinished bottle from the table. It’s not until I’m standing at the front door that he speaks again.

“You’re not taking her.”

“Excuse me?”

“Ty—”

He steps toward me. “I don’t know you, man. You’re not taking her any—”

“Hername is Clementine. I assume Willa told you that by now. Use it.” Glancing at Willa, I take on the torment in her eyes. “And as for who I am, I am the man who has been here sinceClementinewas born. The man who knows she’s thirty minutes past her afternoon nap time, and that whine you hear is about to become a full-fledged war cry if she doesn’t finish her bottle and go down. I’m the man who lovesher,and that is all you need to know.”

Ty’s mouth opens, and this time Willa cuts him off, “Don’t act like you’re invested, Ty. He’s taking her.Hehas every right to take her. I trust him with her life.” Willa touches my lower back and nods for me to go.

Fuming, I slam the door behind me.

Clem fallsasleep in my arms within five minutes, and I lay her down on the floor in the boys’ room, a good thing because I need the fifteen minutes it takes before Willa arrives to calm down.

I knew Ty wanted to meet Clem. I knew this day was coming, but I didn’t know how seeing him would affect me. It makes no sense. Am I jealous? Nervous? Or just damn overprotective.

Willa doesn’t bother knocking before entering my apartment and pausing at the edge of my kitchen island. She chews on her lips, watching me.

Inching to the couch’s edge, I settle my elbows on my knees and shove my hands through my hair with a sigh. “I snapped at you.” My head lifts and finds her stare. “I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t you. It was him. I shouldn’t have—”

“Don’t…” With a furrowed brow, she rushes across the room and into my arms as I stand and grab her by the waist. “I’m sorry I scared you. He showed up uninvited. I should have sent him away.”

Her explanation mixes with mine. “I should have kept my cool. I’m just crazy protective of you and Clem.”

As if my words provoke her, Willa grabs my face. “I have no desire to rekindle things with Ty. You know that, right?”

“Is that what he wants?” Does he realize how much he lost, now that he’s met Clem? I swallow my fear.

“No, not at all.” Her palms caress my jaw. “I just…when I first saw you with him in my apartment I worried that you’d think the worst of me. With Leah…”

“Hey, nooo.” Taking her hands, I bring her fingertips to my lips. “The thought never crossed my mind, Willa. I don’t judge your actions by hers.”

Pulling her down, I sit on the couch and draw her legs over my lap. “I came home to your door open and a stranger standing in your living room. I jumped to conclusions, and your ex”—I refuse to refer to him as Clem’s dad—“didn’t help the situation by refusing to tell me who he was.”

“I’m sorry. I needed a book for one of my classes, and as I was leaving my apartment, I ran into Ty in the hallway. He was just there.” Her head falls to rest against the couch. “I should have expected him to show up. I ignored his calls all weekend.”

I pause in massaging her knee. “He’s been calling? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t… I guess I hoped he’d give up if I ignored him. Stupid, I know.” Willa shakes her head, her frustration with herself clear. I resume rubbing my hand over her legs. “So, I let him come in. I let him talk about school, his plans for his future, and how he regretted the way he treated me after I got pregnant.”

My teeth grind.

“I just kept letting him talk, thinking maybe he was here for absolution. Then Clem got cranky and hungry, and it was her nap time. I figured I’d lay her down, so Ty and I could talk more, but the crib was at your place. And, well, you know the rest.”

“I don’t know what happened after I left.”

A huff falls from her lips. “He accused me of sleeping with my neighbor and being a bad mother.”

Willa grabs my arm before I topple her to the floor in anger. “What the— He’s a year too late to have an opinion on your life or how you mother. That bastard doesn’t know the first thing about being a good father.”

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