Trials and Tiaras (Untouchable #7) - Heather Long Page 0,137
Second, this was a date Archie had asked me for months and months ago. The guys were all in on it too. I love that they weren’t wrestling over the fact Archie asked or that they were going too, but it was Archie’s date.
A knock on the door pulled my attention, and I glanced over to find Archie leaning on the door frame in his suit. Damn, he looked so good. He looked me over, and I did a little spin. I loved the flare of the skirt. The lady at the salon had left my hair down, but worked it into the wild curls the guys loved.
I had on my charm bracelet on one wrist, but the single charm of the gear on the other wrist. The class ring and then the emerald drop necklace. Archie grinned slowly as he raked his gaze over me.
“Damn, you really do look like a princess.”
I laughed. “Warrior princess.”
“Works for me. Though if you do that yayaya thing that Xena did, make sure I have my phone out so I can record it.” The perfect aplomb and cool delivery sent a ripple of laughter through me, and I cracked up.
“I promise,” I said as I walked toward him. He held out his hand, and I slid my fingers across his, and when he lifted our arms and twirled me again, I chuckled. Only when he stopped, he held out a little jewelry box. “Archie.”
“Yeah, I know,” he told me, all deep brown eyes and playful smirk. “I really can’t help myself.”
“Did you even try?”
“Nope.”
I giggled, but he popped the box open, and there was a pair of emerald earrings to match the pendant, right down to the double infinity knots.
“They are perfect for us,” he said. “All of us. It’s not just from me, you know.”
The corner of my mouth kicked up. “That excuse is only going to fly for so long.”
“As long as it flies, babe, we’re golden.”
With a roll of my eyes, I took the box and gave him a kiss before I headed over to the mirror on the dresser so I could get the earrings in. “You do know that I may start to retaliate for these gifts.”
“You can retaliate on me anytime you want.”
The earrings fit neatly and you couldn’t really see them with my hair, but I knew they were there. Just like I knew the tattoos were on the guys and on me. Like I knew that I had on a pair of red solid lace panties and no bra, because it would have left lines where it gathered over my chest. Just like I knew there was a hickey on the inside of my thigh, a matching set from the man standing right behind me with his hands in his pockets and a delighted smile on his face.
“Last big high school hurrah,” I said.
“Nope.”
I turned to face him. “No?”
“Last one is when we walk across that stage and get our faux diplomas and switch our tassels from one side to the other.”
I chuckled. “That’s more perfunctory.”
“Life is full of rituals, babe. Rituals are important. Sure, there’s no real diploma in the leather folder they give you. That’s not the point of it. The point is to walk across that stage because for twelve years, we’ve followed the rules, dotted all the i’s, crossed all the t’s, and fulfilled our obligation to be educated. Our obligation ends right there. It’s that last stab at our childhood and getting the acknowledgement that we made it.”
He narrowed the distance.
“But it’s just like everything else you wanted to experience…you wanted a boyfriend, dates, you wanted parties, and games, and you wanted love…”
My heart sped up a little.
“You deserved love.”
“I had love,” I told him. “I had all of you. I just didn’t see it, not the right way, and now I do. Now I have you and…”
“That’s it, babe,” he whispered, cupping my chin and smiling. “You do have us. You’re stuck with us. Us with burritos. Us without. Us on a tear with a new video game. Us working on projects.”
“Us dealing with our families and going to college.”
“Fuck the families, the only family we need is right here. Fine. We can keep the guys’ families.”
“And Grandpa,” I reminded him.
“And Jeremy,” he agreed. “I’ll make a special allowance for your grandparents, but that’s totally probationary and I reserve the right to get rid of them.”
I laughed.
“See, we have our family and we have our own rituals.”