Page 455 of Not Over You

BENJI

“My brother,” Archer says before pulling me into a hug.

I stand there for a second in shock before I get it together and wrap an arm around his shoulder, patting him on the back.

“What you doin’ here, man?” I release him, and notice his eyes are on something beyond me.

“I’m here for her,” he says, his voice softer, his face morphing into an apologetic smile. Then he’s moving past me, into my house, toward Charlie.

“You were right.” Archer stops in front of her while I stand there with the fucking door still open.

Her eyes dart to me before they refocus on him. “Archer…”

“I can’t keep doing this to you. If I make you a promise, I need to follow through. I haven’t been fair to you, so even though I know you want your space right now, I want to be here. Because you deserve that, Charlotte. You deserve the guy who’s there.”

She’s blinking rapidly, tears gathering in her eyes when she lets out a quick breath and turns, running up the stairs. I shut the door then, the slam sending Archer around to face me.

He gives me a shrug, genuine hurt shining in his eyes. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”

I don’t answer him. It’s taking everything inside me to stay where I am and not chase after her. Especially when he takes the stairs two at a time after her.

I stand at the bottom of the stairway, my heart in my throat, for minutes, unmoving. If I move, I’m going after her. I’m barging in, claiming her in front of him. Ask for forgiveness and all that jazz. But before I can make a decision, the door behind me swings open again.

A dark head of hair flies inside, heading straight for the living room with a much taller version of the little girl coming in right behind her.

“Sorry,” Callie says, swooping down for the coat her sister shed on her way in.

“Used to it,” I respond.

Jordan’s next in the door with Callie’s younger brother, Connor, on his heels. Jordan gives me a tilt of his chin in greeting.

“Early Spring Break,” he explains.

Shit. I knew they were coming, I just spaced it with everything else going on.

I force a smile and step forward, giving Connor a handshake that turns into a pat on the back. “You couldn’t convince her to let you go somewhere fun?”

He snorts out a laugh. “Figured you’d just sneak me into a club while I’m here.”

I raise an eyebrow at him, my eyes shifting behind him where an annoyed Callie is standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Seriously, Connor?”

He chuckles this time and points to the mirror in the hall. “No, I just wanted to piss you off.”

“It’s working,” she snaps back.

Her brother elbows her on his way past and joins their younger sister and Jordan in the other room.

I take in a deep breath, my gaze traveling up the stairs, to the closed door of the guest room.

“So, we miss much?” Callie asks.

When I look at her, she’s got her head tilted, a knew it smile pointed in my direction.

“Yep.”

It’s all I say to her before I start up the stairs. I’ve only made it halfway when the door to the guest room opens and Charlie steps out—with her bag. She shuts the door behind her, and I catch her arm before she passes me.

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