“Can you talk some sense into him?” Roxy growled impatiently the next morning as we visited Thorn in his hospital room. We’d brought coffee and donuts, which Riley was enthusiastically eating from her perch at the side of Thorn’s bed.
“I have plenty of sense,” Thorn grumbled irritably. “I’m fine and ready to get the hell out of here.”
“They’re getting your discharge papers now,” Layla announced as she walked into the room after checking with the nurses.
“Finally,” Thorn sighed.
Layla and I shared a look, and I spoke up. “We wanted to share some news. We’re going to get married in three days. We can do a bigger celebration later, but after what happened, we want things official. And we want you to be there.”
“I get to wear a pretty dress!” Riley put in excitedly.
Roxy stroked a hand over her hair. “You’ll look beautiful, darling girl.” She turned eyes to me. “And we would love to. Name the time and place and we’ll be there.”
Thorn smiled at Layla. “You’re gonna be a Walker then?”
“No, an Archer!” Riley exclaimed.
For a moment, a shocked silence fell over the room. I cleared my throat. “That’s actually more of what we wanted to tell you. You know I never had much in the way of family. The last name I had doesn’t mean much—if anything, it’s part of my life I’ve done everything to move past. Layla and I talked about it, and if it’s okay by you, we’d all like to take your name.”
Roxy clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes filling with tears as Thorn looked at me with eyes that matched my own. For a moment he appeared too shocked to speak.
“We’d be honored, son,” he said finally.
Roxy came to me and cupped my face in her hands. “You are such a gift,” she rasped before wrapping me in a hug that she pulled a teary-eyed Layla into. “Riley, come here, sweetie.”
Riley hopped down to the ground and wrapped her arms around our legs. “Why is everyone crying?” she demanded in confusion.
I stooped down, picking her up in my arms.
“We’re happy, baby,” Layla assured her.
She rolled her eyes. “Adults are so confusing.”
****
“Gun,” I greeted, walking into the club the next day. Riley and Layla were off shopping for the wedding, and I wanted to check in on him. He hadn’t answered my texts, and I’d had a feeling this was where I’d find him.
He looked up from the pool table, his hands braced on its edge, looking like he hadn’t slept in days.
“What’s up?” I asked, striding closer. “You look like shit.”
“Thanks.” He laughed without humor.
“Seriously, what’s going on?” I pressed.
He hung his head low, flicking his wrist, sending one of the balls flying across the table. “She left.”
“Who?” I asked, confused, and then it hit me. “Emmie?”
He nodded, ripping a hand over his hair. “Went to Colorado.”
“And she already left?” I asked, not only thinking of Gunner but of Layla. The two were tight. “Did anyone know she was leaving?”
He shook his head. “If they did, they didn’t tell me. I didn’t even get a chance to…. I was going to…. Fuck!” he exploded, tossing his cue across the room.
I got in his face, shoving at his chest. “Whatever you were going to say, whatever you were going to do, you still can. You two have let way too much time go by without sorting out whatever the hell is between you. I say get your ass on a plane and go get your girl.”
He looked at me, his expression tormented before he nodded.