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As soon as I had that realization, the strangest thing happened. I looked down at the floor in my bedroom and could hardly believe my eyes. I got chills.
“Daddy, what’s wrong?” Clancy asked.
Lying on the floor was one of those plastic Easter eggs like the ones Noelle and I’d toyed around with during our summer together. But it wasn’t even close to Easter.
I bent and lifted the egg. “What is this, Clancy?”
“My Easter egg! You found it! I was looking everywhere for it.” She held out her hand.
“You were?” I squinted. “Where did you get it?”
“I found it on the ground outside. I was gonna put pennies in it.”
My heart sped up as I stared down at the purple egg. Everything seemed clearer.
Am I crazy?
This is crazy, right?
But is it truly crazy if it feels right?
I’d just gotten the sign I’d asked for.
CHAPTER 21
NOELLE
I STOOD IN the airport waiting for him, unsure why I was so nervous. I’d readied myself to see Archie many times in the past, but it had never felt like this.
When he finally came into sight, my heart beat faster. His gorgeous face curved into a smile the moment he spotted me. I lifted my hand in a wave and hopped excitedly.
“Wow,” he said as he dropped his duffel bag. He opened his arms wide and hugged me, my body melting into his as I became instantly drunk on his scent.
“It’s so good to be here,” he said. When he let go of me, he smiled. “Look at you. God, I’ve missed you.”
My heart wanted to burst out of my chest. I’d somehow known it would feel like no time had passed, that I’d still have the same reaction to Archie I always did. I was right. And I was fucked. “I am so freaking happy you’re here,” I said. “What do you want to do first?”
He lifted his bag and threw it over his shoulder. “Show me everything—where you live, where you like to eat. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what we do. I just want to spend time with you and let loose.” He sighed, running a hand through that beautiful mane of golden-streaked hair. “I needed this break.”
“You got it.” I smiled. “Did you check another bag?”
“No. I didn’t want to waste any time. Packed everything into my carry-on.”
I laughed. “Impressive.” I pointed him toward the exit.
“So…am I gonna get to meet Jason while I’m here?” he asked as we walked.
Thankfully, no. That would’ve been uncomfortable. But timing was on my side. “He, uh, had to go out of town this weekend. He promised his daughter a trip to look at grad schools out west, so ironically, he’s headed to where you came from as we speak.”
“Ah. Alright. I assumed I was gonna meet him. No biggie.”
“Next time.”
“Well, I won’t complain about getting you all to myself.” He winked.
We stopped at Archie’s hotel first so he could check in and drop his bag. I then gave him the quintessential New York experience. We walked through Central Park and got pizza in Little Italy. I’d suggested a Broadway show, but he said he’d prefer to spend time talking to me than watching a performance. So, after strolling around the city, we had a late dinner in Chinatown and pretty much closed out the restaurant as we reminisced about our summer together and reflected over the past decade. The way he beamed when he talked about Clancy made my ovaries want to explode. I never dreamed Archie Remington would be a father, let alone a damn good one. He hadn’t had the best example in his own father, but it seemed he’d learned from his dad’s mistakes. He encouraged his daughter to be whatever she wanted to be.
We skirted the issue of my insemination plans most of the evening until Archie brought the subject up, just as we were about to say goodnight.
“We need to talk more about you tomorrow,” he noted as we stood outside my building.
“What exactly?” I asked, knowing damn well what he was referring to.
“Operation turkey baster.”
I laughed. “It’s a little more high-tech than that.”
“I wanted to keep things light tonight, but seriously, let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
“Okay…” I forced a smile.
Having spent time with Archie again, I looked forward to going through the donor options together. With Archie’s help, I might actually be able to come to a decision and move forward on this.
Archie’s hotel was only a couple of blocks from my apartment, so he’d said he’d walk there. “I don’t feel like leaving you right now,” he confessed as he lingered. “This weekend is going to fly by too fast.”
A piece of his hair fell over his forehead in the way that always made my heart flutter. I almost asked him to come upstairs and hang out more, but then thought better of it—especially now that I realized every shred of my attraction to him was still here. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure I could trust myself. I’d fallen into old feelings tonight and needed to be careful not to let nostalgia mar my judgment.
