Toe the Line(24)

Archer chose to ignore me, instead reaching for his wife’s hand. “Come on, Nora. We’re about to start the card game.”

When the three of them left the yard, Archie shook his head. “You didn’t have to respond to him.”

“Did I embarrass you?”

“No. It just falls on deaf ears—a waste of your energy.”

“I meant what I said. And he doesn’t even know you’re spending extra time with me to combat your public-speaking fear.”

“Let’s keep it that way.” He took a deep breath in and exhaled. “Anyway… We should watch the movie.”

“Okay,” I said, feeling emotional.

I hated that Archie’s dad had dampened the mood. I chose not to bring that up, nor mention the fact that Nora hadn’t known who I was. I didn’t want to upset Archie further when we were supposed to be having a fun night.

We agreed on a suspense film on Netflix, and I settled on the blanket next to him, conscious of his proximity with every second that passed. One or two inches closer, and my leg would touch his. I longed to know what that would feel like. Let’s face it, I longed to know a lot more than that—what his mouth would feel like on mine, for starters. It didn’t help that his amazing smell kept taunting me. I might have appeared to be watching the movie, but my brain was focused on other things.

In a sick twist of fate, the movie included a graphic sex scene with the two main characters naked on top of each other. I somehow felt outed, as if the movie gods had read my mind and decided to play out my thoughts on screen.

Archie remained stoic and unfazed—either he really was, or he was a great actor. Just when I was about to squirm from the awkwardness, a little voice came from behind us.

“Boobies!”

Archie and I turned around in unison. What the hell? We had company. There were two little kids standing there. They couldn’t have been more than ten years old.

“What the fuck?” Archie grumbled, scrambling to shut off the movie.

“Don’t say fuck!” one of them shouted.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“We live next door,” the girl said. “We’re twins.”

“You shouldn’t be out here.”

“Why not?” the boy asked.

“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “Our mom said we could play outside as long as we stay in the yard.”

Our yards were back to back, but technically these kids weren’t on their property.

“What are your names?” I cleared my throat, still rattled.

“Henry, and that’s my sister, Holly,” the boy said.

“Can we watch a movie with you?” Holly asked.

I turned to Archie for guidance. He simply shrugged.

“Uh…sure,” I said. “We’d better put on something else, Archie.”

Archie pulled up the children’s selections. They gathered around the computer to provide their input and chose a Disney movie.

Just like that, my evening had gone from rated X in my head to rated G in reality.





CHAPTER 9


ARCHIE


PRESENT



I CLUTCHED MY chest as the pavement seemed to sway. “I think I’m having a panic attack.”

Noelle placed her hand on my shoulder. “I know, Archie. It’s okay.”

She did know, didn’t she. In fact, this was like déjà vu. I made my way over to the large rock. “I need to sit for a minute.”

“Yes, of course.”

So much for a peaceful weekend away. But I’d always known today was gonna be hard. I just hadn’t expected to lose it this fast. Until a month ago, I hadn’t had a panic attack in years. But they were back in full force lately. The difference was, in the past, it hadn’t always been easy to pinpoint the cause. But now I knew exactly what was causing my anxiety and stress. The news I was withholding from Noelle had been weighing on me since I arrived on the island. It was now or never.

The sun caught her eyes as she stared at me with great concern. Noelle had never looked more beautiful. Her brown hair was longer than I remembered. I yearned to run my hand through it. Not to mention, the fucking tank top she’d put on left nothing to the imagination. Is she trying to kill me? I’d hoped not to feel so attracted to her during this trip. That would’ve made everything easier. Instead, I was more attracted to her than ever. That was bittersweet—and definitely inappropriate—given what I was about to unleash.

She took my hand, and a warm feeling came over me. No one else in this world made me feel as safe as Noelle. I could always be myself without judgment. It seemed like everything was going to be okay, no matter what was actually happening in my life. We’d only been together in the same place a limited number of times through the years, but I instantly felt that comfort again whenever I was around her. While she always made me feel like I could tell her anything…this? This was a tough one.

I took a deep breath. “Mariah’s pregnant.”

She moved away suddenly. “What?”

I wasn’t sure how else to say it. “I’m having a baby.”

Noelle just kept blinking. I waited for her to say something.