Page 52 of The Archer and his Rosebud

Nothing denotesmorethan walking up to his ex-wife’s house hand-in-hand with Archer pushing Clem’s stroller as we pick up Nolan and Eli for trick-or-treating Monday night.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Archer asks, and I adjust my black cat ears and glance up at him, confused. “I can hear every shallow breath you take, Will.” He pumps my hand, and I release a long exhale.

I stare at the jack-o-lanterns lighting the front porch steps twenty feet away. “It’s a bit late to change my mind.”

Archer stops abruptly at the edge of the sidewalk to Leah’s front door. “It’s not too late. You can stay here with Clem. You can walk down the street even. You don’t have to meet Leah. Dammit, I shouldn’t have asked. I didn’t mean to push—”

“Archer.” I cup my hand over his rambling mouth. “Your age is showing, old man. I was the one who asked if we could come with you, remember?”

His teeth nip my palm and my hand drops as heat races straight to my core.

“Old. Man?” His stare darkens.

As if on cue, Clem squeals with delight, her chunky legs kicking about as she chews on the chunk of ‘cheese’ she’s holding, and we fall prey to her as we always do, chuckling at my little mouse.

“Stop worrying about me. Yes, I’m nervous, but I’m fine.” I hip check him. “Let me push Clem, though. I don’t want Leah thinking anything.”

Archer shoves me back, retaking the stroller and my hand as we resume up the sidewalk. “Like what? That I care about you and your daughter? It’s too late for that, sweetheart.”

My black boots stumble. “Too late?”

“Have you forgotten how much of an oversharer Eli is? Leah learned about you two a long time ago.”

It doesn’t matter that she knows of me. That maybe I have a thing with her ex. The woman is remarried. She was the idiot who gave Archer up. Who trampled his heart like it was nothing. What does she care who I am? Her boys like me, that’s what matters. As long as she isn’t worried about them when they’re around me… but he told me she wanted him back. She only married Kurt after Archer refused to give her a second chance. Maybe I shouldn’t meet her. The young tramp dressed as a black cat her ex is screwing around with. Not that I’m a tramp, or screwing her ex, but… Oh gosh, I bet she thinks we are. Maybe she’ll hate me on sight for that alone. I could understand the jealousy.

“Breathe, Rosebud.” Archer’s exhale stirs at my temple as he steers me into his side, his arm wrapping behind my back without releasing my hand. “Wherever your head is, come back to me.”

I don’t know where in the hell this fear came from. Our relationship is casual. To Leah we’re friends and neighbors, but here’s Archer, handling my daughter like his own, pressing his lips to my temple, holding me at his side.

I turn my head toward him, our cheeks touching, his breath warming my chilled skin as our eyes meet. “I don’t want the mother of your children to hate me.”

A puff of smoky air blows from his lips as he huffs roughly. “That’s funny. I would love for Ty to meet and hate me. I’d love for him to know how I’ve had the privilege of watching that little angel grow. That I get to love her the way he never will.”

I’m a puddle of goo at this man’s feet.

Lifting to my toes, my lips brush his. It’s fleeting, not even a kiss, just an I-can’t-keep-resisting-you-peck. “Thank you for loving her. I…” I snap my mouth shut for fear of becoming a blubbery mess of emotions.

Archer eyes the house before looking at me once more. “No matter what happens with us, I won’t stop caring for Clementine. You know that, right? If you let me stay in her life, I’m there. I’m invested now.”

Crap, crap, crap.I blink the moisture away. “You do still pay for her formula, so obviously, you mean that literally.”

“Willa.” His tone is flat.

“Sorry. I know that has nothing to do with it. Bad joke.” A shadow passes by the window, and I step out of Archer’s embrace in time for the front door to open.

And then my confidence plummets to the pavement.

Leah Thomas, err, whatever her new last name is now, is stunning. Look up the phrase buxom blonde and she’d be pictured. Especially in an amazingly accurate Wonder Woman costume. After two kids, those boobs can’t be real. Damn, forget her jealousy. I’m jealous.

Archer mutters a curse. “She’s always gone overboard for Halloween. It’s ridiculous.” He swipes my hand from where it dangles frozen by my side. “C’mon.”

Calling for the boys, Leah moves to the top of the front-porch steps. “Really, Archer? No costume?” She plops her hands on her hips and shakes her blonde waves with a photogenic pout.

I think I hate her, but I shouldn’t hate her. Women supporting women and all that, but seriously? She just stepped out of a movie poster.

“What do you mean? I’m a web developer, obviously.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Leah smirks as she descends the stairs. “All I see is a sexy dad.”

---