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“It’s not a handout,” I growl in her ear. Doesn’t she know that everything I have is now hers? It’s hers in spirit now and it’s only a matter of time before it’s hers legally as well.
“—but,” she continues, giving me a sharp look that causes me to shut my mouth, “this is for your own good. We could never afford to get you to a rehab facility, so if Archer is so generously going to help us, then we’re going to accept. I don’t want you to die. And I’ll be paying him back for whatever he spends.”
The fuck she will.
I squeeze her hips again, this time letting her know I’m protesting her statement without words.
“Mom, if you don’t go, if you don’t get clean, I’ll never let you see Paige again. And I won’t want to see you either.” There’s a hitch in her voice and without seeing her face, I recognize that she’s holding back tears.
I decide now is the time for me to jump in before Hollie has a full on meltdown. “I’ll leave both you and Bridges with all of my contact information, so if you need anything, you’ll be able to get in touch with me. We want to support you in this. Your daughters deserve to have their mother in their lives. You need to make yourself worthy of them.”
Regina looks defeated. I don’t know if she’s really on board with what we’ve proposed or if she just doesn’t want to have this conversation anymore. “Fine. I’ll go. But it’s only for you and Paige. I don’t need to be there. If this is what you need to understand that I’m fine, then I’ll go.”
Hollie’s entire body relaxes in my lap like she’d been holding herself together long enough to say what she needed to say to her mom. She looks like she could use some sleep. We both could.
“Thank you, Mom. I can’t even tell you what this means to me.”
About thirty minutes later, an orderly comes in and takes Regina out for some tests, giving me a few moments alone with my girl. I settle onto the couch in the room and gather Hollie against my side. I pull her head to my chest and stroke her back, hoping to soothe her to sleep. She hasn’t gotten much over the past few days.
“Thank you.”
Her words are so soft and low I almost miss them. I give her a squeeze and ask, “For what?”
She pulls out of my arms and I’m about to snatch her back to me when she climbs into my lap, straddling me so that we’re face to face, noses almost touching.
“For everything, Archer. For everything. I promise I’ll pay you back as soon as I find a job—”
“You have a job,” I interrupt. “And you’re not paying me back.”
“I appreciate that,” she says slowly. “I’m going to need to find something in Milford, though. I don’t think there’s much demand for a CEO’s assistant or even a marketing—”
“What are you talking about?” My body has stiffened to where it feels like my muscles might pop. Does she still think she’s moving here and leaving me? She’s out of her goddamn mind.
“Archer, I’m going to need to stay and take care of my sister. Then, once my mom is out of rehab, she’s going to need help. I can’t abandon them.”
“We won’t abandon them, angel. Your sister will come to Seattle. She can move in with us. She’ll have access to the best schools there. We’ll cross the bridge of your mom when we get to it. If she has to move in with us too, then that’s fine. We have plenty of room.”
“Move in withus? You want me to move in with you?” She’s looking at me with trepidation and maybe a bit of hope.
“Yes, move in withus. Do you really think I’m going to let you move here now that I’ve got you? If that’s too fast for you—”
“No, it’s not too fast,” she quickly adds. She places her hand on my chest, and I know she can feel my speeding heart. “I want you to be sure. I would hate it if you regretted moving me and my sister in. Regretted… me.”
I place my lips on her forehead, giving her a gentle kiss. “I could never regret you, Hollie. You’re my perfect match. Without you, I’d be a lonely, grumpy bastard.”
A giggle escapes her lips. “You’re not so bad once you let someone get to know the real you.” She scoots closer to me, resting her head on my chest while wrapping her arms and legs around me. A feeling of contentment settles over my entire being. This girl is all I’ll ever need. For a moment I picture her standing in our kitchen, her stomach swollen with our child, the proof of our love and my never ending desire for her.
In the quiet of the room, I hold her, our breaths slowly syncing up with one another. However, my brain is working at light speed. My entire life is re-shuffling itself, making her and our future family my number one priority.
“I love you, angel,” I whisper against her head, sure she’s finally fallen asleep.
“I love you more.”
Impossible.
Epilogue
three months later
