institution of marriage just like we’ve done with everything else.”
“Sure,” she says. “Right when you’re basking in the glow of your newfound fame and fangirl adoration, you want to get married. Save Storm Hunters, just like you saved the dog.”
Archer pushes slowly to his feet, his hand still wrapped around the leash.
“I’ll take that as a no,” he remarks.
“Archer, I’m not marrying you for ratings.”
“I don’t want to marry you for ratings,” he replies. “I want to marry you for us. You were the one who told that girl Claire you got the best one, right? So come on, storm girl. Get me.”
Kelsey looks at him, heat rising to her cheeks, unable to hide the amusement and adoration in her eyes.
An unexpected twinge of envy goes through me as I think about how different things would be if Dean and I were only engaged in a flirty challenge about our relationship instead of facing…this.
Archer hauls himself out of the chair, turning to snap his fingers at the dog. “Come on, Patch.”
“Oh my god, you did not name him,” Kelsey says.
“Just temporarily,” he assures her. “Until I find him a new home.”
He grins at me and salutes, then heads out the door with Patch following at his heels.
Kelsey slumps on the sofa, resting her head against my shoulder.
“I suck at being a chick,” she mutters.
“No, you don’t.” I pat her hair in sympathy. “You just still put on your scientist armor when you need to protect yourself.”
“I can’t believe he’s starting up with the marry me stuff again.”
“I can. He’s waited for five years. You didn’t think he was going to let it drop completely, did you? And frankly, I’m with Allie. Why wouldn’t you want to marry him?”
“Because he and I are so good together,” she says. “And he thinks marriage will make things even better. But what if it doesn’t? So many things, so many people, have disappointed him in his life. It would kill me if marriage disappointed him too.”
“Kelsey, committing to you with vows would be Archer’s greatest achievement, not a disappointment. Is marriage scary? Yes. Is it worth it? Totally. Even with our troubles, I’ve never once not wanted to be married to Dean.”
“Has Dean ever said anything to you about me marrying Archer?”
“Lord, no. He learned a long time ago to keep his nose out of your relationship.”
“But he and Archer still haven’t fully reconciled, and I can’t help wondering if I’m the reason why.”
“Their family history is the reason why.”
“Yeah, but they’re grown men who should learn to deal with shit. I thought they were in a good place when they were working on the railroad together, but then you guys went off to Paris and things seemed to sort of…stall.”
“Has Archer talked to you about it?” I ask.
“No. But I can tell he’s not entirely at ease around Dean. And sometimes he still makes excuses when Dean asks him to do something with his grad students. I think Archer feels like he’d be out of place among all the academics or whatever.” She frowns at the broken pieces of the fortune cookie she’s still holding. “I hate that he still feels that way.”
“Dean and Archer are good friends, Kelsey. And that’s more than either one of them thought they would be again.” I squeeze her around the shoulders. “And even though I know brilliant and bad-ass Kelsey March doesn’t need a piece of paper to prove how much she loves her man, there’s no question Archer wants to tell the world you belong together. As for Dean? He would be happy to see you married to his brother.”
She doesn’t look entirely convinced. I understand her unease, even as I also know that the West family does not make grand gestures of reconciliation.
And the fact is that Dean and Archer will always have a wall between them, one built on Archer’s long-standing sense of inferiority and Dean’s self-reproach that for years, he couldn’t do anything to help his brother. He still blames himself for not being able to fix things for Archer and their family.
So the Wests broke apart, Dean and Archer somehow came back together, and for all their differences and conflict, the whole family is better off now than they ever were. Maybe the walls between them are helping hold things together.
Except for things to stay that way, two people can’t be on opposite sides of the wall. They have to be in the castle together.