Liar (Madison Kate #2)(40)
16
We stayed at the D'Ath estate for the rest of the weekend, but as my exams were set to start bright and early Monday morning, we needed to drive back on Sunday. By the time we loaded our bags into Archer's truck, I felt like I was leaving my own extended family.
Ana hugged us all, as did Constance, but I hung back when the boys all climbed into the truck.
"Thank you for hosting us these last few days," I told the impeccably dressed D'Ath matriarch. "I wish I'd known in advance that I'd be meeting you so I could have brought a gift or something."
Constance—or Connie, as she'd encouraged me to call her like the boys did—laughed and waved my comment aside. "Nonsense, Madison Kate. Just meeting you and getting to know the woman in my boys’ lives has been the best gift an old woman can get."
"Well then, I hope you'll forgive a moment of bluntness before we go?" I asked it tentatively, knowing I was overstepping. If Archer heard me... yeah. I'd make it quick. "Connie, your grandson loves you more than I actually believed he had the emotional capability to love. And he wants you to be happy and comfortable to be yourself with whoever you want to spend your life with." I shifted my gaze to Ana in a deliberate way. "You don't need to pretend. Archer loves you both."
Connie's face flushed red and her hand fluttered over her pearls, but Ana just started laughing and made her way back into the house while waving goodbye.
I pressed a quick kiss to Constance's cheek, then turned to get into the truck. But, the back seat was already full.
"They were fighting over who sat beside you," Archer told me with a grunt when I peered through the open passenger-side window. "And I'm not in the fucking mood for bickering. Sit in the damn seat, Princess. You've got exams tomorrow, and I'll put money on it that you haven't prepared."
I scowled but climbed into the seat anyway, buckling my seat belt. It could always have been worse. At least I wasn't sitting in Archer's lap.
"Don't you guys have exams this week too?" I asked, shifting in my seat so I could look back at Kody and Steele. "Surely I'm not the only one who legitimately attends SGU. I'm starting to think you three are faking it."
Steele laughed, giving me that wide, secretive grin, and Kody acted offended.
"Babe, the fact that you think we'd lie about our status as students offends me." He blinked those clear green eyes at me in total innocence and I gave him a flat stare back. "And for the record," he continued, "I do have exams this week. I'm just confident enough in my subjects that I'm not stressing over them."
Typical Kodiak fucking Jones. Confidence should have been his middle name.
"What about you?" I asked Steele.
He gave me a vague shrug back. "I'm doing an arts degree and only because I didn't know what else to do. I'll actually graduate after these exams, if I don't pick up any other classes for the sake of it."
It sort of fit with his whole vibe of not knowing where his future was going. But his casual attitude made me curious about his family again. How had they shifted from trying to make him some kind of piano prodigy to no longer being involved in their son's life? Had that happened before Rachel's death, or after?
I let it go, though, knowing he'd tell me his story when he was ready. Instead, I shifted my attention to the silent, brooding asshole in the driver's seat. "Archer?" I prompted.
"What?" he snapped back, barely even sparing me a quick glance.
"Any exams this week?"
His brow twitched. "Why do you care? Trying to figure out our movements so you can hatch some diabolical revenge plot while we're out of the house?"
My mood soured. "Or maybe I was just making conversation," I muttered back, folding my arms and sinking back into my seat.
"Well, don't," he growled, then turned the stereo on. Loud. "Shut Up" from New Years Day pounded from the car speakers, and I glowered. It was probably a coincidence, but still... this was Archer we were talking about. He could have had that cued up in preparation.
It made me think I really did need to plan something, seeing as he was constantly accusing me of plotting. Besides, he still fucking deserved some payback after that bullshit he pulled in the weapons room behind Phillip's office.
The next couple of hours mostly consisted of music blasting through the truck, interspersed with the guys fighting over what track should be played next. I didn't bother trying to engage them in conversation again because my pride hadn't appreciated Archer's shut down.
About an hour outside of Shadow Grove, Kody started loudly complaining about being hungry and was soon joined by Steele. I expected Archer to ignore them—seeing as we'd had a huge spread for breakfast again—but he surprised me by pulling off the highway and into a roadside diner’s parking lot.
"What?" he demanded when I gave him a quizzical stare. "I need the calories."
Rolling my eyes, I gave myself a mental reminder that I now lived with three fully grown dudes who spent a hell of a lot of time in the gym. So yeah, they really did need to eat like the apocalypse was coming.
I followed the three of them into the diner and slid into the bench seat beside Steele. He snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer until our thighs touched, then left his hand on my hip as he browsed the menu, pretending not to notice Archer's pointed glare.