“Oh and this…” he says, then quickly sets our food and coffee on the table. He rushes to his room, then returns with a box in cupid wrapping paper.
“Now I feel like a jerk,” I say because I didn’t get him anything.
“Sweetheart, you’ve been busy resting. Having you sit on my cock when you’re better will be the best Valentine's Day gift you could ever give me.”
I chuckle. “Consider it an IOUP then.”
He gives me a pointed look. “I don’t know what that means.”
“I Owe You Pussy.” I shrug, and he snorts. I rip open the paper and pull out black lace lingerie that’s more for decoration than support. “This is gorgeous.”
He smirks as I hold it up to my body. “And I can’t wait to peel it off with my teeth.”
“Mmm. It’s a date. As soon as the doctor releases me for strenuous activities—which better be sooner rather than later.” Because I’m ready to sit on his lap right now.
“Don’t worry, time will fly,” he tells me.
I kiss him and thank him for the gift, flowers, and breakfast. He really is too sweet.
We sit at the table and dig into our food. It tastes amazing, and I nearly inhale it down. Once we’re done, Archer cleans up.
“What are your plans today?” he asks while rinsing the dishes.
“Oh ya know, sitting on the couch, scrolling through Netflix, and throwing snacks at Sassy,” I say with flat amusement. He turns to give me a look, and I chuckle. “Fine. Besides that, I have some orders to place and want to research the spring trends, so I’ll scroll through Instagram and other sites. You could help me pick out some guy’s clothing that you like if you wanna help?”
He chuckles. “Sure, sounds like fun.”
Since I can’t be at the boutique, I do what I can from home. I’m trying to be proactive and am staying positive. One good thing that’s come out of this is having time to plan out my launches for the next six months. Though I still get fatigued quickly, I can be on my laptop for a few hours before I have to take a break.
Most of my day is spent on the couch staring at my computer screen, and I have to force myself to get up and walk around. Being in one place for too long isn’t helpful and makes me sore. Archer brings me my meds when the pain becomes unbearable and takes Sassy out when she goes to the back door.
Once the sun sets, Archer goes to the kitchen.
“Whatcha makin’?” I peek my head up and meet his eyes.
“It’s a surprise,” he tells me. “Need anything right now?”
“I’d love to down a bottle of wine, but you know…” I point at my stomach. Since I’m on pain meds, that means no alcohol.
He chuckles. “Not too much longer.”
“I hope you’re right,” I say, then busy myself on my laptop again.
An hour passes and the house smells amazing. Archer has been working hard on whatever he’s preparing, and I can’t wait to taste it. When I hear him setting the table, I take it as my cue to stand but can’t pop up as easily as I’m used to.
Once I’m in the kitchen, my eyes widen at the view. Two plates are filled with spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread.
“Archer,” I gasp. “You’ve completely outdone yourself.”
He pulls out my chair and lowers the overhead lights. “I promised to make it for you one day. Today seemed like the perfect time.”
I swallow hard, remembering when he mentioned it all those months ago. We’ve come so damn far since then. “This is so sweet, thank you.”
“Anything for you, baby,” he says, sitting across from me.
As soon as I taste the meatballs and garlic tomato sauce, I moan.
Archer lifts his brow. “That’s music to my ears.”
“This”—I point down at the plate—“is orgasmic.”
He grins. “I’m glad. I was scared it wouldn’t taste the same, but it does. Brings back a lot of good memories.” His gaze meets mine. “And making it for you gives me new ones.”
I smile and bite the corner of my lip. “Makes me feel really special.”
“You are, babe. You are.”
Chapter Four
ARCHER
After taking care of Everleigh for a week, she demanded that I go back to work. I didn’t want to leave her side, but she made some valid points that I could no longer argue. She hated being a burden even though I told her several times she wasn’t. Since she’s not driving or leaving the house yet and five security cameras keep watch outside, I agreed to go back for a few hours a day. Then I made her promise she wouldn’t answer the door and to call me if anything happened or if she needed me.
The first morning I go back to work, we eat breakfast together, then I kiss her goodbye.
As soon as I walk to the gym, I go straight to the boxing area. Though I haven’t been gone that long, I already feel rusty.
“Good morning!” Tyler sing-songs as he walks up to the ring.
“Morning,” I say, checking to make sure everything is ready for my first client.
“How’s Everleigh doin’?”
“She’s doing great. The doctor said she was happy to see her healing and to keep resting for now. She’s just going a little stir-crazy.”
He chuckles. “A little? I can’t remember the last time she’s taken a proper break. I gotta say her work ethic has always been amazing.”
“Must run in the family.”
He smirks. “She gets it from me.”
I chuckle. “But really, she’s doing well. I’m taking care of her. Making sure she’s eating and not pushing herself too hard.”
“Thanks, man. If you ever need someone to keep watch or really help with anything, I have a few close friends on the West Coast who will drop it all to be here.”
“I’ll remember that. I’ve kept a close watch on the house, and it seems things have been quiet since the accident. Really quiet.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.” He lets out a ragged breath. “After the shit that happened to me, then Noah, and now Everleigh, I don’t think we can be too careful. It’s all kinda fucked me up a bit because I feel like as soon as things start lookin’ up, something happens to someone I care about.”
“Well, either way, I’ll do my best to watch over her when I can.”
“Let me put this number in your phone. If you think you need help with anything, and I mean anything, call it. I’ve already let them know.”
I hand over my cell, and he adds it in.
“Thanks, Tyler. I’ll remember that.”
Tyler grins just as Andrew enters with his gloves tossed over his shoulder.
“Damn, I’m glad to see you,” he says, patting me on the back.
“Wow, thanks,” Tyler deadpans.
I chuckle as Andrew shrugs. Tyler waves goodbye and walks out.
“Ready to get to work?” I ask.
“Hell yeah.” Andrew slips on his gloves and steps into the ring. We go over stance and different blocking techniques.
The rest of the hour flies by. Between my lessons, I text Everleigh and check on her.