Wild Wind: A Chaos Novella (Chaos #6.6)(75)

“How about you girls stand down and I’ll chat with Eli,” Lafayette suggested.

Everyone was moving to the door but only Jagger got out of the way after receiving the look Archie was sending.

The pounding came back right before she opened it.

And when she opened it, Jagger didn’t have time to blink before Elijah was in.

For him to be this, Archie went flying, because he barged in, shoving open the door and making her do so.

Annnnnnnnd…

Hell no.

Jag started to move and then everyone was moving.

Lafayette and Joany rushed toward Archie.

Keely got close to Jagger.

And Hound had Jag with an arm around the chest from behind and his voice in his ear.

“Cool it, son.”

“What’d I tell you about this, Arch?” Jag growled, his eyes locked to Elijah, his body locked so he didn’t move to punch that fuck in the throat.

Elijah was looking around and not missing fresh flowers, candles, Ray LaMontagne or the set dining room table.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“What’s going on?” Archie repeated.

And Jagger didn’t have to keep his body locked anymore at her tone.

It wasn’t incredulous.

It wasn’t wounded.

It wasn’t shocked.

It was a profound mix of all three.

Elijah didn’t miss that either and he went still.

“What’s going on?” She said it again.

“Baby,” Jagger called softly.

Hound let him go.

But Archie didn’t look at Jag.

She only had eyes for her brother.

“Do you care?” she asked.

“Ar—” Elijah started.

“I spent an hour at the grocery store. Hours and hours straining passionfruit and making meringues and mixing and layering cream and mascarpone. Chopping veggies. Cleaning my place. All this because my man’s parents were coming over. I met them all of five minutes ago, four of those five minutes spent talking about you. Now you have a bee in your bonnet, and you bust into my home and you ask me what’s going on?”

“I could hardly know this was happening when you don’t pick up my calls, Archie,” Elijah pointed out.

“And so you’ve decided now is the time to chat, you hammer on the door and push your way in?” Archie asked.

Elijah looked embarrassed by that and was not making eye contact with anyone but Archie.

“I’m sorry my timing is off, but that does not negate the fact we need to have a conversation and we can’t do that if you don’t accept my calls or return my texts,” Elijah shared.

“So write me a letter, send me an email, don’t barge into my home when the timing suits you,” Archie shot back.

Lafayette entered the discussion.

“I think now it might be good for a few of us to leave.”

He took Joany’s hand but looked pointedly at Elijah.

Elijah ignored Lafayette. “We need to set up a time to talk.”

“And I’ll get on that when I’m ready to talk,” Archie stated. “Not now, when I’m having a dinner party for Jagger’s parents.”

Elijah appeared to be getting angry. “You can’t just leave me hanging until you’re ready to speak to me.”

Archie shook her head. “I’m not doing this now. I have something happening. Go. I’ll get in touch.”

“When?” Elijah demanded.

“When I get in touch,” Archie replied.

“I spent all week worried about that scene you instigated at Dad’s—”

“Eli, really, you can’t miss I’ve got something happening right—”

“And now you want me to just take off and wait until you deign to—”

All right, Jag was done.

“Listen, friend,” he began, starting to move closer to Archie.

Archie looked to him and he didn’t stop moving until he was at her side, but he shut his mouth.

She turned back to her brother. “Go, Elijah.”

“We’ll have brunch on Sunday,” he decided.

“No, we won’t,” she refuted. “Sundays are my days with Jagger. I’ll be in touch.”

“Archie—” Elijah tried again.

But finally, she lost it.

“Oh, for God’s sake!” she rapped out loudly. “Tonight is not about you. That scene at Dad’s was not all about you. The entirety of everyone’s lives are not all about you.”

She drew in a big breath.

And then she let him have it.

“Mom dying was not all about…YOU!”

Jag put his hand on the small of her back, but other than that—other than letting her know he was close, and she could call on him—he was powerless to do anything.

And he didn’t want to, because he wanted his folks to spend time with his woman, he wanted to eat schnitzel and fruit, meringue and cream.

But she needed to do this.

Elijah looked like he’d been sucker punched. “I can’t believe you just said that to me.”

“I should have said it ten years ago,” Archie retorted.

“Word on that,” Joany muttered.

Archie shot her a look.