Page 81 of Inked Temptation
“We’re okay here. Was there a reason that you called?” he asked, and I could hear the tension in his voice.
I remembered when Danielle had been pregnant, how worried I was about every single little thing. How the unknown was the most terrifying thing about it.
And how I could do nothing. In the end, I couldn’t do anything anyway, but I had tried.
I kept trying.
I should continue to do so. Or at least do better about it.
“I just wanted to call because I hadn’t. And I will come down and visit. Soon. We’ll make plans.” I cleared my throat. “Probably after the Montgomery family reunion because I want to bring Archer.”
There was clapping and cheers, and I heard my brother-in-law chuckle. “Well, you made my wife happy. So I guess I’m in your debt.”
“No. I’m forever in yours. Both of you. Thank you for being good to me. After all this time when I was pulling away. Thanks for not giving up.”
“I’m really going to need to meet this Archer,” Ann cried.
“Me too,” my brother-in-law grumbled.
“Let’s make plans. I’ll talk to Archer, and the four of us can figure it out.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Ann hiccupped, and I smiled into the phone.
“I love you. All of you. And I’ll see you soon.”
We said our goodbyes and they hung up. I turned to see Archer standing at my open door staring at me, tears freely flowing down his face.
“So, I’m going to Texas?” he asked as he shook his head. “Do I get to wear chaps? I feel like I need to wear chaps.”
I rolled my eyes, leaned out the open door, and kissed him hard on the mouth. “You’re more likely to wear chaps and cowboy hats out here, this close to Wyoming.”
“And there are more cowboys in Texas in my head. At least, that’s what romance novels told me.”
“I need to read these novels,” I whispered.
“Maybe.”
“If you two are done being adorably adorable over there, I brought the fixings for dinner, but I want you to make it.”
“What am I making?” I called out, laughing at Penny’s antics.
“Asparagus and chicken lemon stir-fry, with sticky rice, and buns.”
“I’m doing all that, am I?” I asked, my eyes wide.
“I can help. It’s super easy. Just sort of mix everything together on high heat.”
“Okay. I guess we’re having stir-fry tonight.”
Cora barked, and I shook my head. “Not for you. Remember the last time you had asparagus, Cora?”
Somehow my dog looked a little contrite before she bounced around Penny.
I looked at the family I was making and figured, fuck, I’m doing this right.
“So, you went up to Wyoming?” Archer asked later as we were getting ready for bed. Dinner had been filling, tasty, and we’d only almost caught the kitchen on fire once.
I counted that as a win, and as Cora padded around the bedroom trying to find a place to get comfortable since she liked to sleep in different places each night, I just smiled.
