She had. But I’d been too busy getting banged until my eyes crossed, so I hadn’t seen them until we ventured back into the kitchenin search of food. I’d offered to whip up a couple omelets, but Archer started making out with me against the kitchen counter, and it proved too great of a distraction when I started thinking about hot stovetops and wandering hands, so we settled on leftover pizza from the night before, simply from a safety standpoint.
“I saw them a little bit ago. Pretty epic.”
Gavin batted my hand away when I tried to fix his hair, his eyes darting over to Archer. “H-hey, Archer.”
Even though he’d just seen him the day before, there was still a shy quality to his greeting, like he wasn’t exactly sure how this was supposed to go.
“Hey, bud. Did Analise survive her first blanket fort?”
He grinned. “Yeah, she said it was awesome. We ate popcorn and M&M’s and watched a movie in our sleeping bags.”
Archer’s smile was small, but so genuine that it made my chest ache. “That’s good. I’m glad you invited her.”
Gavin sucked in a sharp breath. “Can I open that present from you now?”
Archer glanced in my direction, and I smiled encouragingly. He turned his gaze back toward Gavin, his hand holding mine even more tightly. “You didn’t open it yet?”
Gavin shook his head. He ran off to his room, returning with the box in his hands and his cheeks flushed with excitement. “I told Mom I wanted to wait until you were here again.”
That hit him hard. I’d expected it would. Archer blinked a few times, then attempted a swallow. “You were pretty sure that would happen, huh?”
Gavin shrugged. “Yeah. I knew you liked her. And she wouldn’t have been so sad if she didn’t like you too. You guys just took a really long time to get back together.” His eyes widened. “Like,reallylong.”
“It was four days,” I answered dryly.
“I know,” he sighed. “Do you know how long four days is at my age? An eternity. I thought I’d have to help you out if it took much longer.”
Archer laughed. “Yeah? Give me your best advice. I might need it, because you know her a lot better than I do.”
Gavin plopped onto the couch, and Archer joined him, spreading his legs out wide as he settled into the middle cushion.
Pops watched the two of them from over the edge of his book.
“First, you have to know she cries a lot. Even when she’s happy.”
Archer nodded. “Noted. What else?”
“She said it’s okay for boys to cry too. But I don’t really understand half the stuff that makes her weepy. And I’ve never had happy tears, so I think that’s just a mom thing.” Archer managed to keep a straight face as he listened intently. “She loves chocolate. And she reads every night before bed, but she drops her Kindle on her face all the time.”
“Twice. I’ve done it twice,” I said.
Archer swiped a hand over his mouth to cover his smile. Based on the crinkles next to Pops’s eyes, he was doing the same behind his book.
Gavin pursed his lips and tried to think of other things he could share.
“She says she doesn’t take naps, but she falls asleep putting away laundry if she does it in the afternoon.” His expression turned serious. “And if she offers to make you eggs, just say no.”
I clapped my hands. “Okay, this has been fun.”
Gavin and Archer shared a look. “You can tell me more later,” Archer whispered loudly.
“Oh Lord.” I rolled my eyes. “Just what he needs, a coconspirator.”
The grin on Archer’s face was devastating, dimpling his cheek in a way that made my heart flip, even more because he was aiming that grin at my son. He motioned me closer with a crook of his fingers. I curled up on the cushion next to him, sighing contentedly when his arm draped over my legs where they were bent next to his thigh.
Present clutched in his hand, Gavin watched us, the wheels turning behind his eyes.
He’d never seen me with a boyfriend. There was a slight catch in my throat, a blossoming worry that I’d sprung this on him too fast.Yesterday at Archer’s house had been different, busy enough with dozens of other people there to distract him. But here, in our home, it was a very different story.