Page 138 of Maple Mountain
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.”
“You can’t tell me to?—”
“Shut up,” he said again, a slow smile appearing on his lips.“You gotta stop thinking with your head.That’s your issue.”
“No.That’s what’s been wrong.I’ve always thought with my heart, and it got me into trouble.I pick the wrong men.”
“I’m not the wrong man.”
I blew out a breath and grabbed the jar of pickles.I attempted to open it, but it was sealed tight.
Archer took it from me and with one effortless twist, the seal broke with a pop.
“I loosened it for you,” I stated.
“Sure, you did.”He set the jar down.“I’m not the wrong man.I’myourman.”
His words turned my heart into marshmallow fluff.“I’m gonna keep freaking out.”
“Okay.”He gently tapped my hip, urging me to rise.
“I’m going to pick stupid fights to try to push you away.”
“How self-aware of you,” he remarked, standing.
“I’m going to cry randomly because I believe this is too good to be true.”
“Crying doesn’t freak me out.”
“You freaked out because Lenni cried,” I reminded him.
“I freaked out because she wouldn’t talk to me.So I had no idea how to fix it.”
“You can’t always fix things, Archer,” I murmured, turning away.
He grasped my arms and forced me to face him.“Like hell I can’t.”
“This isn’t yours to fix.It’s mine to fix.”
“So, fix it here,” he said.“With me.With Lenni.With your friends.Just be here.Everything else will sort itself out.”
“And that’s another thing!”I stated, wrenching away from him.“What am I supposed to do now?”
“Existentially, or like?—”
“Financially.I can’t still be Lenni’s nanny.That would be weird.You paying me to take care of her while we’re also sleeping together?That feels very ...ya know.”
“I think I’m getting a migraine.”
I glared at him.“That’s not funny.”
“I know.”He rubbed his temple.“It fucking hurts.”
“You’re an ass,” I snapped.
“Twenty minutes ago, I was a god.My how the mighty have fallen.”He sighed.
