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“It’s different, trust me,” I say.
Gemma speaks up. “So is Archer there?”
“No, but his stuff is, though.”
“How’d you even know where he was staying?” Tyler asks.
“I called Maddie.”
He rolls his eyes. “Of course you did. She’ll be gettin’ a nice little chat from me later.”
“You realize I’m thirty-four years old, right? Not a child. A fully grown woman.”
“After all the shit I’ve seen and been through over the years, I don’t care if you’re eighty-fucking-five. If I tell you not to get involved in trouble, you should listen.”
“Whoops.” I shrug.
Gemma smirks, clearly trying not to take sides. “When’re you flying home?”
“I didn’t plan that far in advance. Only booked a one-way ticket.”
“Keep me updated,” Tyler says just as his phone goes off. “Wait, he just texted me.”
“What’d he say?” I shout.
“I’m safe. I’ll be home tomorrow,” Tyler reads, and there’s a collective sigh.
“Thank God,” Gemma says.
“So where is he?” I ask.
“Probably with Liam,” Tyler responds. “I’ll text him and find out.”
“Alright, lemme know.”
We say our goodbyes, and I pace the bathroom as my mind reels. It’s actually spacious, and the lighting is great.
As soon as the door creaks open, I race out and leap into his arms.
“Holy fuck!” Archer yelps as he catches me. I hang onto him as tight as I can as if he might disappear. “Everleigh?”
“I’m so goddamn pissed at you,” I murmur with tears falling. I’m so damn relieved to see him.
“Baby, what’re you doing here?” He walks in farther, then sits down on the bed with me on his lap. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
I meet his concerned eyes. “I was a mess. How could you just leave a note? Do you have any idea how scared I was?”
“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.” He slides the pads of his thumbs over my cheeks. “I had to make sure you’d be safe. If I had told you my plan, you would’ve never let me face Krystal.”
“Damn right,” I scold. “I had to track down Maddie just to find out where you were. No one knew anything.”
“It all happened so fast. I called Liam before I left, and he agreed to meet me here. He had a whole team of cops ready to back us up. He’s seriously badass.”
“So I’ve heard,” I say. Tyler shared a ton of stories, and Maddie mentioned the trouble he’d gotten into over the years.
Archer cups my face and presses his lips to mine. “I’m not happy you traveled alone, but I’m selfishly glad to see you.”
“You should know I’ll never accept you walking away from me, got it? Your protectiveness has nothing over how possessive I am of you.”
