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“It’s a big deal,” Margo argues. “It’s about time for you to put more of your design knowledge to use. Although, I did love having you all to myself there for a bit for help with the Hamptons house.”
“I’ll help you anytime you want,” I respond, pulling the pantsuit I’d picked out for the day from a clothing rack. Setting the phone on the counter in the middle of the closet, I hold the outfit up to my body and back up a few feet so they can see the entire thing.
“Okay, that’s hot!” Emma cheers, giving the outfit a dramatic clap.
“You have to wear it,” Pippa comments.
“Perfection,” Margo says, giving her stamp of approval.
“It’s not too…much?” I ask, looking at myself on the screen. I’m far more used to wearing blazers and skirts,but I wanted to do something different for my first day in the office. Although I still can’t wrap my head around the fact I’ll be in charge of design for countless hotels, it’s now in my job description. I want to show up and make an impression this morning.
“No, it isn’t at—oh, hi, Archer!”
I turn to see what Emma’s talking about, finding Archer standing behind me, already dressed for the day. He smirks at me, leaning over my shoulder to talk to everyone on the group call. “Good morning, everyone. If you don’t mind, I’m going to steal my wife from you now.”
I exchange goodbyes with my friends and hang up, excitedly turning to Archer and wrapping my arms around his middle. “I was wondering where you were this morning. I didn’t expect to wake up alone.”
Archer’s strong fingers wrap around my chin and tilt my head up. “I wanted to let you sleep a little longer. Plus, I knew if you were awake that you’d come downstairs and ruin my surprise.”
“Surprise?”
He smiles, leaning down until our mouths are inches apart. “I wanted to celebrate your first day with you before going into the office. Get dressed and come downstairs.”
My eyebrows pull in. “It’s just the first day. You didn’t have to do anything.”
“What have I told you about mehavingto do anything?” he questions, his thumb running over my cheek. “I didn’t have to. I wanted to.”
I don’t bother to hide my blush as I press my lips to his. We’ve kissed countless times, and it’s still something I could never grow tired of. I love how strong his lips are against mine. He always possessively holds on to me one way or another. Maybe it’s by holding my face or gripping the narrow of my waist to keep me pinned to him. It always seems like he can’t get enough of me, and I love it because it’s how I feel about him.
“I love you,” I say, finally breaking the kiss. We’re supposedto be at the office in a little over an hour, and I want to make sure we leave early just in case we hit more traffic than normal.
“I love you, too, baby. Meet me downstairs whenever you’re ready.” He presses one last kiss to my forehead before leaving me in the closet alone.
I’m so excited about whatever surprise he has for me downstairs that I rush a little through getting ready. I probably would have applied my makeup with a little more caution, but I couldn’t wait to get downstairs. Instead of curling my hair like I’d planned, I’d slicked it back in a sleek bun.
Taking a deep breath, I do a circle in front of the bathroom mirror, deciding that everything looks perfect for my first day. I’m suddenly nervous, which is kind of funny because I’ve already been working closely with everyone, even if today is my first official day. The merger was announced right before Christmas, so we had some off time because of the holidays, but I still wanted to make sure I introduced myself to everyone I’d be in charge of. I’d stop by the office while Archer was working or pop into meetings, but now today is my first day with the title.
I’m excited—and nervous—and all the different feelings. I run my hands along the front of my pants, smoothing out wrinkles that aren’t even there to give myself something to do.
Deciding it’s time I find out what Archer’s surprise for me is, I head downstairs. The moment I hit the hallway, I hear Taylor Swift coming from the speakers in the kitchen. I smile, loving that my husband is such a Swiftie. The moment I step off the stairs, I come to a stop.
My jaw drops as my eyes scan our kitchen. He’s got it completely decorated with balloons and streamers. A homemade banner is hung up by large pieces of tape along the kitchen windows. It reads “Happy First Day!” in big bold letters.
I let out a small sob, tears forming in my eyes as I focus my attention on Archer. He’s got a silly party hat on, his arms full of a large heart-shaped cake. “Happy first day, baby!” he muses, the most perfectsmile on his lips.
“Archer,” I breathe, unable to do anything but shake my head in disbelief. I truly hadn’t meant to make today that big of a deal, even if it’s the most excited I’ve been in a long time. I hadn’t realized how bored I was with my life—with the parties and events—until Archer encouraged me to pursue my love for design.
“It’s a little cheesy, isn’t it?” he asks, giving me a small shrug as if he doesn’t care how cheesy it is.
“It’s very cheesy.” I laugh, walking deeper into the kitchen to get a better look at his decorations. “But it’s incredibly thoughtful. Probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” I wipe at my cheek, trying to stop the happy tears that fall from my eyes.
Archer sets the cake down, closing the distance between us and pulling me into his chest. “Don’t cry, baby. I just wanted you to feel special this morning.”
I tuck my head into his chest, even though I’m scared I might be getting makeup on his expensive suit. It doesn’t matter—I’m just so happy that I can’t help but let the tears fall. “It’s because I feel so special that I’m crying,” I answer, my voice muffled against his chest.
I sniffle, letting him tip my chin up so he can meet my eyes. “So you like the surprise? Camden and Beck gave me so much shit for it being cheesy, but I told them to fuck off. I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you this morning.”
“I love you,” I whisper, my throat clogged with emotion.
