Toe the Line(39)

Ashley flashed a knowing smile. “Everything good?”

“Everything’s great.”

Archie’s hair was all messed up. I couldn’t imagine what I looked like right now.

“I figured, considering how long you were gone.” She winked.

My face must’ve been a dead giveaway. “I’m sorry I left you. Do you hate me?”

As we stepped away from the rest of the crew, she lowered her voice. “Of course I don’t hate you. You’ve given me your undivided attention this entire time. I knew you were itching to hang out with him. I don’t mind at all, you know, if you leave me for a bit while I’m here.” She looked over toward James, who was talking with a couple of guys. “Anyway, I’m enjoying James’s company. He asked if I wanted to hang out tomorrow morning. Would you be okay if I did? I know you and he—”

“There was nothing between him and me, Ash. I told you—we only kissed. And while I enjoyed it, I kept thinking about Archie. So I am totally okay with you hanging out with James—or more. You need to have fun while you’re here.”

“Cool. Thank you.” She smiled.

I smiled back. Maybe bringing Ashley into the picture was my way of paying James back for the short time I’d strung him along while I was obsessed with Archie Remington.

But, oh! Ashley was going out with James tomorrow morning. That meant I’d be free to hang out with Archie, even if we likely wouldn’t have the house to ourselves.

After Ashley said goodnight to James, we prepared to head back to the house.

“Ash and I are going home,” I told Archie.

“I’ll walk with you guys.”

“You don’t have to…”

“No, I was waiting to walk you back. I’m ready to go.”

A shiver ran through me, but I warned myself not to get carried away by Archie’s sweet gestures. Ultimately, he was going to crush me.





CHAPTER 14


NOELLE


PRESENT



IT WAS OUR last evening at the beach house before Archie and I flew back to our respective cities tomorrow morning. Not only was it our final night here this weekend, it was most likely our final night here ever. The house would be sold before we could get back here. A cloud of sadness hung over me.

We’d taken our dinner out to the backyard, as it was the perfect evening to sit outside. The moment should have been relaxing, but tension remained in the air after Archie’s revelation earlier, and he still seemed mentally exhausted from his panic attack. I was definitely still in shock about the news he’d dropped—that he was going to be a father.

I’d had no idea that all this time Archie had believed he might not be able to have children. So in that respect, this was good news. I was trying to be happy for him, but I didn’t get the impression he was totally happy. Despite our complicated history, first and foremost, Archie was my friend. So as much as I needed comforting right now, I knew it was my job to comfort him.

“It’s all gonna be okay, Archie,” I told him.

“Promise me I’ll never lose you, Noelle.”

My heart nearly broke. It was a perfectly fair request from someone I was sure loved me as a friend and had no idea how devastated I was at the moment. I didn’t want to lose what we’d had these past several years, yet I knew things would never be the same.

Still, I acted as if his fear was unwarranted. “Why would you think that?”

“Because my life is about to shift in a major way. I don’t want you to feel like there won’t be a place for you in it.”

That was exactly how I felt—like everything was about to change, leaving me behind. Normally, I could run to Archie whenever I needed him. How was that going to work with a wife and baby in the picture? No way would Mariah be okay with me constantly emailing her husband or dropping in unannounced to visit.

I kept thinking about how close I’d come to telling Archie how I truly felt about him. I’d considered bringing it up tonight, our last night at the beach house—until his confession, of course. What if I’d blurted out my feelings for him before he’d had a chance to tell me he was having a kid? That would’ve fucked things up so badly. At least now it was just me fucked up, keeping my romantic feelings inside for eternity. He didn’t know what I’d almost done, and that was a blessing.

“A lot is about to change,” I finally said, feeling hollow inside. “We’ll no longer have this house in common. And you’re gonna be really busy and lacking sleep in the near future.” I chuckled. “But I’ll always be here if you need me, no matter what and no matter where I am.”

“Speaking of that… Do you see yourself doing this much traveling forever?” he asked.

I set my plate on the lawn and shrugged. “Until there’s a reason not to. If a family is in the cards for me someday, maybe I’ll take a different job in the industry. But until then, I don’t see a reason to settle down.”

Archie shook his head. “It’s weird how the roles have reversed, huh? Back in the day, I used to say I’d never settle down. Now look at us.”

“Yeah,” I muttered. Look at us.

I could’ve admitted how envious I was of Mariah and how badly I did want to find the right person and settle down. But life didn’t always bring you what you wanted. Just like it had granted Archie something he didn’t feel ready for.