Page 143 of Maple Mountain
Hadley let out a loud yawn and cracked her eyes open.“What did I miss?”
ChapterThirty-One
The House
I snuck out of my bedroom and listened at Lenni’s door.I heard nothing, so I continued on my trajectory.I crept down the stairs, ensuring that the wood didn’t squeak.
Archer’s bedroom door wasn’t fully closed and I slipped through the crack and then shut it behind me.
“Couldn’t stay away, could you?”he asked, pulling back the covers.
“I want to hear about the bachelor party.”
“Really?”
“No.”I snorted, snuggling down next to him.
“Nothing happened.We played poker for a few hours.We drank some beer—except for Brooks of course.And then we all parted ways.What about you guys?How wild and crazy was Poet’s bachelorette party?”
“We painted our toenails.Poet asked Lenni to be her flower girl and then we sang along toTheSound of Music.”
“Poet asked Lenni to be her flower girl?”
“Yeah.”I smiled against his chest.“It was really sweet.Lenni’s worried about having a dress that’s too frilly.”
He chuckled.“You’re taking care of that, right?”
“Me and Poet, yes,” I said.“You’re off the hook, Dad.”
“Thank God.I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“You say that, but you’d figure it out.”
“Now I don’t have to.I have you.”
A sour pit formed in my stomach, and I rolled away from him.
“What?”he asked.“What did I say?”
“You don’t get a free pass at being a dad just because we’re dating.”
“I know that.I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
He reached for me, but I eluded his grasp.
“This was my worry,” I said in exasperation.“That you only want me because you’ve got a built-in mom for Lenni.That you don’t really wantme.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he muttered.“Not this again.”
“Not again.Still,” I snapped.“I told you there would be crap that would take me time to get over.”
“This isn’t crap you’re trying to get over.This is crap you’re putting between us as a roadblock.”
He finally managed to get hold of me and wrestled me down to the bed, pinning me beneath him.
“For the love of God, Wyn,” he barked.“I love you.I love everything about you.Even when you’re determined to push me away.”
I swallowed.“You’ve never said that to me before.”
