Page 96 of The Archer and his Rosebud

After pullingmy car into the garage next to Archer’s, I sling my backpack over one shoulder and head inside. Climbing the stairs to the main level, Clem’s giggles fill the air. As I walk into the living room, Nolan and Eli are on their hands and knees, trying to get Clem to crawl to them.

“C’mon,” Eli raises his voice an octave, encouragement in his gentle tone. “C’mon, Clemmy. You can do it.”

She’s gotten the rocking on her hands and knees down but has yet to move them forward, preferring the army crawl to get around.

Nolan pats the carpet with her favorite stuffed rabbit in one hand. “Come and get it, Clem.”

The way they’ve taken to her like older brothers does something to this mama heart of mine. They’ve always been kind and sweet with her, but there’s been a deeper shift since we moved in with Archer. That girl has those boys wrapped around her tiny finger.

“Hey, Nol. How’d that science test go?”

“I got a B+.”

I drop my backpack beside the couch and kneel beside them. “Good job, dude! I’m proud of you.”

“I ran all my laps at the Boosterthon today.” Eli sits up with a beaming grin and turns his back. “See, they checked each one on my shirt.”

I lift my hand for a high five. “That’s awesome, bud. Way to go.” I drop to my elbow and smile at Clementine. “And you, little miss, are you crawling yet?”

“I got her to move one of her knees, but then she flopped back down,” Nolan says.

“Hey, that’s progress.” I rock forward and kiss her irresistible, giggly face. “Your dad still working?”

“Yeah, he only came out of his office to see us after we got home from school.”

“Sounds like he needs an interruption.” I ruffle Eli’s hair and make my way to the flex space off the kitchen that he uses as his office.

I slip through the double barn doors, closing them behind me. Sitting behind his desk, his face creased in concentration as he stares at the computer screen, Archer doesn’t notice me. He must be deep in concentration if he’s tuning everything out. Those three in the living room know how to drum up some noise. He’s a pro at ignoring the noise without missing sounds of distress. It must be the baby whisperer magic he possesses. I creep up behind him and slip my arms around his neck, kissing his cheek.

His lack of a flinch tells me he knew I was here. “Hey, how were your classes?” He loops his arms around my waist, tugging me into his lap and sealing his lips to mine before I get a chance to reply.

I sink my hand into the loose curls on top of his head and answer, “fine,” against his lips.

Archer pulls back, the same content look in his eyes he’s had since the day I told him I loved him. “I like having you in this house, our house.”

“Yeah, me too.” Who cares that we had to pay a hefty cost to break my lease early. Brushing my fingertips down the trimmed sides of his hair, my nails graze his trimmed scruff. “This room looks more like Clem’s space than your office.” I grimace at the mess of toys scattered about.

“Don’t frown. The room is just the way I like it.”

My eyes smile. “Hey, we need to start looking into airline tickets to Michigan for Devin’s graduation. We’ve only got a few months.”

“Yeah,” he kisses the tip of my nose, “I was going to check after dinner.”

“It’s going to be so weird going back home. I was barely eight weeks along when I was last there, not even showing yet, not telling a single soul, aside from my mom and Devin knowing. Now I’ve got a whole family.” Archer nips my lips, drawing me closer. “I wish we could bring Nolan and Eli with us.”

“I love how much you love them.”

“What’s not to love? I love them the way you love Clem.”

Archer takes my lips, slipping his tongue inside my mouth as he cradles the back of my head, deepening the kiss. “We’ll have them all summer once they’re out of school, and you’ll be counting down the days for school to start again.” We chuckle. “We can bring them to Michigan if we go back for Christmas.”

“Deal.”

And then Archer kisses me breathless until we’re interrupted by the patter of little feet and the barn doors sliding open.

“When’s dinner going to be ready?” Eli asks, and Archer moves to stand.

I pat his chest. “You finish up work. You made dinner last night. I’ve got it.”

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