Toe the Line(64)

“We met when we were much younger. The Remingtons were friends of my parents.”

“So you met poor Nora back before things got bad, then.”

I nodded. “Archie told me you were a very good friend to her and helped him out a lot.”

“Well, he’s obviously paying me back, letting me stay here and all. Never thought I’d have a roommate, though.” She winked.

The fact that she was so pleasant brought me some relief. The last thing I needed in my hormonal state was to be living with someone difficult. Something told me Roz and I would get along just fine.

“I would love to stay and talk, but I have to freshen up,” I said. “Archie’s coming back with Clancy to get me. We’re having dinner over at his place.”

“Have you met that little sweetie pie yet?”

“Only briefly when she was a baby.”

Roz grinned. “She’s a delight. And he’s such a good father. If your ovaries aren’t already exploding, they will be once you see him with that little girl.” She sighed. “Shame things didn’t work out between him and her mom, but until lately, I hadn’t seen a smile on his face in a very long time. He sure was happy when he came here to tell me you would be moving in.”

Hearing that gave me goose bumps, and I had to stop myself from overreacting. I’d been doing that all day. I didn’t know if it was the hormone medication swirling around in me or what, but from the moment Archie picked me up this morning, all I’d wanted to do was jump him. I found myself wishing we were doing this the old-fashioned way, which was completely crazy and inappropriate, given that I had a boyfriend. I shouldn’t have had these feelings for Archie. But this was nothing new; I’d always struggled with my attraction to him. That would likely never change.

More than anything, knowing that a part of him was inside me right now made it so much worse. The moment they’d placed that catheter in me today, I’d felt an attachment to Archie like I never had before. This whole thing was dangerous.

I needed to work on compartmentalizing my feelings. Archie had offered to be my sperm donor. That was the end of the story. Once the insemination was successful, I would go back to New York and move on with my life.

Shortly after I changed clothes and washed my face, Archie texted to say he was outside. A rush of adrenaline shot through me. Meeting Clancy was a big deal.

As I approached the car, I could see she was sitting in the backseat. I’d barely opened the passenger-side door when she flashed her cute little teeth.

“Hi, Noelle.”

The sound of her sweet voice squeezed my heart. “Hi, Clancy! It’s so great to meet you. The last time I saw you, you were just a baby.”

“I know. Daddy told me. I don’t remember you.”

“Well, I remember you, and you were the cutest back then. But you’ve grown into such a big, beautiful girl now.”

“Thank you.”

I took in her adorable face for a moment. She had many of Archie’s features. Seeing his beautiful eyes duplicated and staring back at me made me so emotional. I hoped our baby had his eyes, too.

I hoped our baby looked exactly like him.

Here I go again.

Clancy also had the same light brown hair with golden highlights as her father. It even curled the same way as it fell over her eyes.

Archie smiled at me but said nothing, seeming to give me free rein to start a conversation with his kid. I was a fish out of water when it came to children. I wanted so badly to come up with something to say to her, but my mind drew a blank. What does one talk about with a four-year-old?

Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait too long before she started talking our ears off.

“Daddy…”

“Yes, baby.”

“My butt talked in school today.”

“Huh?”

“I tooted.”

Archie laughed. “Well, that happens.”

“My friend asked me if I did, and I said no. Is that lying?”

“Well, it’s lying, but it’s not the worst kind of lie.” He glanced over at me. “Some things aren’t anyone’s business. That’s one of them.”

“Do you toot, Noelle?”

Before I could say anything, Archie answered for me. “Yes, she does.”

My mouth fell open. “And what would you know about that?”

“You used to run the water for like a half hour so I wouldn’t hear you going to the bathroom at our house on Whaite’s Island.” He hesitated. “But one time, it didn’t do the trick.”

I covered my face and laughed. “Anyway, everyone toots, Clancy,” I offered.

She giggled. It almost seemed silly now that I’d been nervous to meet this little ham.

“Clancy, tell Noelle who you’re going to be playing at school.”

“Elsa!” she shouted proudly.

“From Frozen?” I asked.

“Yup!”

“They’re doing a play, and there are going to be two Elsas,” Archie explained. “Clancy is one of them.”

I turned to face her. “That’s amazing, Clancy.”

“Unlike me, Clancy has no problem with public speaking and performance.” He winked. “I’ve taught her never to be afraid of such things.”