Trials and Tiaras (Untouchable #7) - Heather Long Page 0,26

of this particular cut, and he made sure to slice the medium rare section. “Thank you,” I murmured as he offered the next cuts to Archie before moving on. “You know the boys are going to be annoyed with us.”

“They won’t,” he said, then pressed a kiss to my bare shoulder. I’d shed my jacket when we’d been seated, and the sleeveless black top I’d worn was perfect for this place. No one would see anything I dropped on my shirt. “They’ll be annoyed with me.”

I rolled my eyes, but in spite of it all, I hadn’t stopped smiling except to chew since we arrived at the Brazilian steakhouse. I think we’d come here the first time after Archie got his license. “That celebratory dinner for your license…that was a date, wasn’t it?”

He chuckled. “Close, more just me stealing you away. Bubba got his license first, but he had to borrow his mom’s car, and Coop farted around about getting his—”

“Because he went with me when I took my driver’s test.”

“Yeah, but I knew Jake wouldn’t be so cavalier, so since I had a license and a car, I took full advantage of being able to steal you.” The smugness in his tone just made me laugh. “And you loved this place.”

“They feed you nonstop,” I pointed out as the next waiter came by with bacon-wrapped chicken. There was a salad bar and plenty of vegetable sides, but I was here for the meat.

“The perfect Frankie dining experience.” The playful look on his face softened the lines of tension that had tightened his expression at the lab. I reached over and traced a finger down his cheek. He caught my hand and kissed it. “Mine now.”

“I thought it was yours before.”

“Well, then too.” He winked.

We kept the banter light as we ate. He graciously allowed me to borrow my hand back to cut my meat. It wasn’t until I finally flipped my card from green to red to signal no more to the waiters that I let out a sigh. “Archie…”

“Babe, it’s going to be fine. I don’t give a flying fuck what those tests say. Seriously, I don’t. If you do, then I’m really hoping you’ll let me persuade you otherwise.”

My heart skipped a little beat.

“I mean it,” he said, holding my gaze captive. “I’m not giving up on us ever. If it takes me a week, a month, a year, or ten, I’m never giving up on us.”

It was my turn to take his hand, and I threaded our fingers together. “Archie, I’m not giving up on us either. I promise. I know I’m dense and blind when it comes to that whole flirting and being asked out thing, but I know you want me and love me, and I’m not going anywhere. They aren’t us. Whatever this crap is, is between bad meatloaf. They aren’t us.”

And he was right. I didn’t care.

The relief that flickered across his face burned me a little. “Fuck I’m the worst girlfriend.”

“Don’t—”

But I shook my head. “You’ve been so charge ahead, and all I’ve wanted to do was make it all right for you too and I had no idea how to do it, especially since I was the one who had to tell you.”

“Babe, stop. Seriously. You’ve got balls that clank, especially considering I found out about their stupid affair and didn’t tell you, and you barely even slowed down to tell me something horrible.”

I laughed “Oh my god, this is like some horrible Greek tragedy.”

“No.” He shook his head. “Not a tragedy. Tragedies end badly, we’re calling this a comedy. Bleak and dark as it might be, but a comedy, because someone told me that’s where the happy endings come from.”

“Yeah…”

“And you have been there for me,” he insisted. “I just get sick to death of them dragging you into their crap.”

“And I hate how you are…left behind.”

Stroking his thumb over my hand, he blew out a breath. “Honestly, the best thing they could do for both of us is to just forget us. I don’t give a damn about what Edward wants or doesn’t.”

The knuckles of his hand were bruised. Had been since he got home from New York. I hadn’t asked about them other than to kiss them gently, and he’d just pulled me in for a hug.

“I’m done with all of them,” he continued. “All three of them. I just want you out from under them or having to deal with them. Wittaker’s got that court date