Trials and Tiaras (Untouchable #7) - Heather Long Page 0,116
you.”
“Wow, can you say too little too late, Edward?” Archie told him.
“Archie, you can be pissed at me. You have every right.”
“Thanks for your permission. Didn’t need it before. Don’t need it now.” Archie flexed his fingers around mine. The tension cording through him had me squeezing his hand and keeping a firm grip. I didn’t want him lunging forward and punching Eddie. Even if I kind of wanted to do that myself.
“Fine, I got your message with the takeover.”
Was he kidding with that shit right now?
“Maybe this will go a ways toward proving I would like to try and open a dialogue with you.” He pulled an envelope out of his jacket and held it out to me. It even had my name on it. I would sooner stick my hand in a beehive.
“Is that a bribe?” Archie asked.
“No, it’s a gift. It’s the same one you got on your eighteenth.”
“I’m not your daughter,” I interrupted. “Why are you doing this? I get that you wanted it to be true for whatever reason, but it’s not. And you’re doing this to Archie? Why?”
“Babe, it’s okay…”
“No, it really fucking isn’t.” I glared at Edward. “You’re not my father. You’re his father. You don’t act like it. You want to be his father, then start listening to him and don’t treat him like some goddamn afterthought. If you can’t do more than that, then get the fuck out of here and go away.”
Archie didn’t deserve this shit from anyone.
Edward glanced down at the envelope in his hands and then back to Archie. “I can see why she means so much to you.” With that, he set the envelope down on the stone wall nearest my apartment. “That’s for you. For your birthday. Give it to Archie if you want. He’ll know what to do with it.” He paused another beat, then said, “It won’t mean anything, to either of you, but Maddy lied and I have to accept that. I wanted to believe the lie because I made a lot of bad decisions, but you weren’t a bad decision Archie. I know my behavior doesn’t support that assertion, but you never were. Maybe in time, we can talk on neutral ground and you can let me try to get to know you.”
“Or maybe you can keep going,” Jake suggested when Archie said nothing.
“Yeah, ’cause you’re utterly fucking with the vibe,” Rachel added from behind us. “This is party time for the eighteen-year-olds. Everyone over thirty needs to jump off, and all douche canoe parents need to drown.”
A faint snort escaped Archie at Rachel’s proclamation, and I glanced at him to find him shaking his head, but smiling.
I bumped his hip, and he looked at me. The tension around his eyes softened, and his smile grew.
I mouthed ‘I love you,’ and he kissed me. Sweet, tender, and loving, and he didn’t let up until a car door slammed and Jake muttered, “And he’s out.”
Blowing out a breath, Archie rested his forehead against mine. “You’re a little vicious when provoked.”
“She’s a lot vicious,” Coop told him as he slapped his shoulder on the way past. “Just be glad she didn’t clock him.”
“Yeah,” Jake said. “’Cause she might have bruised her hand, and I would have had to kick his ass.”
Ian chuckled as the three of them flowed ahead toward the apartment and Rachel followed. “Is it bad that I would pay to see that?” They left Archie and me alone, but neither of us moved until his father’s car pulled away.
“You okay?” I asked him, and he ran his finger along the chain of the necklace he’d put on me that morning and tugged the pendant out. I’d hidden it under my shirt because as beautiful as it was, I didn’t want to risk something happening to it.
“I’m fine, I don’t want him spoiling your birthday.”
“He can’t spoil anything. We’re together. We won.”
He grinned wider and tugged me in for a hug. “Yeah, we won. I still want to punch him.”
“Me too,” I agreed, and he laughed. Side by side, we walked over to the letter on the wall, and I picked it up. “Trash it or open it?”
He studied me a moment. “You’d just throw it away without knowing what it is?”
“I don’t want anything from him. The most valuable thing he ever did is standing right in front of me, and I already have you.”
“Charmer,” he teased, but I didn’t miss the pleased smile he wore. “You realize that’s my job.”