There were new letters on my wrist. One for each of them—including an I for Ian rather than a B for Bubba. Fuck, I really was going to cry. The brush of Archie’s fingers against my cheek pulled my head up. “Happy tears, right?”
I blinked hurriedly and then nodded, before I sniffed again. “I just… This is a lot.”
“But good?” The concern in his eyes was real.
“Car’s here,” Coop called from the back door. “You guys good?”
“Yeah,” Archie said. “Give us a minute, and we’ll be right down.”
“Okay.” The door closed, leaving us alone.
“It’s okay,” I promised him, even as he enfolded me into another hug and I burrowed in close. The weight of the charm bracelet on my wrist was like a whole second kind of gift in and of itself. I’d missed it. Missed the meaning behind it, even if I’d had Archie the whole time and zero doubt where he was concerned. “I love you,” I whispered. “I love this and the fact that you guys did all this.”
I loved that he was sharing the credit, too. His arms tightened around me, and he pressed a kiss to my neck, half-lifting me, and I just leaned into the hug. Coop’s words about them being the right kind of people floated across my mind.
He wasn’t wrong.
Archie didn’t let me go until I wasn’t sniffling. Then, and only then, did he set me on my feet. With a wink, he gave my ass a squeeze, and I chuckled. “Let’s go, babe. We have a limo ride waiting for us and a plane to catch.”
Holy shit.
I was getting on a plane.
“You know I’ve never been on a plane, right?” A thousand different thoughts collided as I grabbed my jacket, and Archie took it from my hands and held it up so I could slide one arm in and then the next.
“Yep, and you haven’t had real snow before either,” he teased before giving me a little nudge. “Or a vacation with your boyfriends. Or a Christmas like we’re about to have.” The indulgence in his smile just made me laugh again. “Trust me, babe, we’re going for a lot of firsts and real experiences here.”
The lick of dark promise in there sent a shiver up my spine, and from the look on his face, the sensuous place my brain went was exactly what he intended. I gave the apartment one last glance. The tree lights were off, and Tiddles sat on the sofa watching me, like he knew exactly what I was doing.
Glad one of us did. I blew him a kiss, and then headed out and locked the door after Archie passed through with the last two suitcases. As promised, there was a freaking limo waiting for us, and even with the butterflies and the nervousness, I was half-giggling as I skipped down the last two stone steps.
Archie threw me a look over his shoulder, and his grin widened. Yeah, I wasn’t fooling anyone. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around this. My phone buzzed, and I dug it out of my jacket pocket. I had no idea which one of them made sure my phone was in there and my wallet in the inner pocket, but I would have to kiss them all later.
Rachel: Have a fantastic holiday, you lucky bitch. I want to hear all about it.
I laughed at the message.
Me: IDK, you were in cahoots with them. Maybe you should get your deets from them.
The driver had taken the bags from Archie, and Coop beckoned to me from the open door. I slid inside and let him and Jake sandwich me between them on the front-facing seats. That left the rear facing for Archie, where Ian was already leaning back, an amused smile on his face.
“Having fun, Angel?”
“Yes,” I said, wiggling back into the seat. The bracelet was hidden under the jacket sleeve, but I could feel it. That was enough.
Rachel: Ha! Because I know you love me. Tell the boys they better enjoy the ski pants, I made sure they looked fantastic on your ass.
I rolled my eyes, but Coop snagged my phone and typed out a quick message and hit send before I could get it back.
Me: Her ass looks fantastic in everything. Talk to you next year, Rach. - Coop
Then Archie slid inside, and the door closed. “Let’s get this holiday started!”
Rachel’s only response was a heart emoji followed by a middle finger followed by another heart. Fuck off with love.