Page 44 of The Archer Brothers

Ryley rolls her eyes. She doesn’t believe me and that’s okay. It’s hard for people to take such a meaningful compliment.

“Hey, I thought we’d go to the zoo, get some ice cream and take Deefur to the beach?” I make it sound like it’s not my plan. Like I don’tneedto do this today.

“Did you just ‘hey’ me?”

I look at her questioningly and her eyebrow rises. “Um, yeah I guess.” I shrug, not realizing or even remembering what I said to her. I’m too lost in thoughts of holding her hand while we walk barefoot down the beach with our son and dog a few steps ahead of us.

“Are you okay?” she asks because she can read me like a book. I nod, although it’s not very reassuring.

“Momma, I’m starving.”

EJ speaks, but doesn’t open his eyes. This is the second time I’ve seen him do this. I make a mental note to ask Ryley about it later.

“Aunt Livvie is downstairs,” she whispers in his ear. He bolts right up and rubs his eyes before maneuvering himself off the bed. I completely forgot about Livvie showing up in the early morning hours. Then I fell asleep up here, leaving her downstairs.

“Shit, Ry. I forgot Livvie was here.” I cover my face and groan. I love my sister and I’ve missed her, but I’m not sure her moving in here with Ryley is an option. She and I are trying to rebuild what we had, and I’m trying to forge a relationship with my son. The last thing I want is for Ryley to feel crowded or EJ to ignore me in favor of my sister. As much as this is my house, I can’t assume it’s going to be okay for Livvie to stay here. Not to mention, Nate technically lives here too.

“I’m going to go take a shower. I’ll meet you downstairs.” Everything about her telling me she’s going to take a shower seems so real. I watch as she rolls off the bed and into the bathroom. Once the door closes, I stare up at the ceiling and think how natural being here is, yet not forgetting that once Nate returns, shit’s going to escalate quickly. He’s been in love with Ryley since high school. He’s not going to let her go easily. I like to think I have the advantage.

As much as I want to lie in bed all day I need to be proactive. I have to try and establish a bond with my son before Nate comes home. I never thought I’d have to fight for my family, but I do and I will.

I shower quickly in the guest bathroom, which is technically mine and EJ’s and head downstairs. Ryley and Livvie are sitting at the kitchen island drinking coffee. It warms me thinking they’re trying to fix things between them.

“What’s on your arms?”

EJ is sitting on the couch, his little legs bouncing up and down. He’s ready to go and have fun today. I look down at my arms, moving them around so he can see what I have.

“They’re called tattoos.”

“Can I get one?”

I laugh remembering how angry my mom was when I came home from basic training with one on my arm. I think this is one of those parental moments that I have to craft my answer carefully. If I tell him no, he’ll remember and do it anyway. Chances are he’ll get it done in some seedy shop by some half-assed artist. I tell him yes, and he wants to go get one now and somehow I don’t think Ryley would be in favor of that.

Sitting down, I take a chance and pull him onto my lap. He doesn’t fight me, and there’s a little pang of hope coursing through my body reminding me that I need to create and steal as many of these moments with him that I can.

“I bet you that we can find the special kind of little kid tattoos that your mom will allow you to have. When I got my first one, your grandma was so mad at me.”

“She was?” he looks shocked when I bring up my mom.

I nod, unable to keep the big ass grin from taking over my face. “She was so angry she threw a pillow at me.”

His little mouth drops open. “Did it hurt?”

“Nah. Don’t tell grandma this, but she throws like a baby.”

EJ starts to giggle and it’s the most amazing sound I’ve ever heard. I quickly follow suit and wish I had a camera to capture this moment.

“Do you want to frow the ball wif me?”

I stop laughing and stare at my son. He’ll never know the magnitude of his question. “I’d love to, EJ. What kind are we throwing?”

He shrugs. “I hab football, baseball and baketball.”

I fight the urge to rejoice and pull him into my arms. I don’t want to scare him so I just nod and feel the immediate loss of him when he climbs off my lap.

“Come on, Eban.”

Boy, doesn’t he know I’d follow him anywhere for these little bits of time? I stand and quickly follow him outside. When I pass Ryley she’s smiling, and I can’t resist the urge to kiss her. So I do.

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