Page 52 of Sunrise Arrows

Catty corner to us in the round booth, Eleanor lets out a happy little sigh. “It’s so nice seeing y’all together again. Makes me happy that you found your way back to one another after all these years.”

Opening my eyes, I gaze into Archer’s and smile. “Me too,” I reply, quietly adding, “I love you, Superman.”

He drops his head down to mine and lightly kisses me, returning, “I love you too, Shortcake,” stealing my breath with the words I thought I’d never hear him say to me again and now can’t get enough of.

“Istillcannot believe you never told me that Tinsley used to be your girlfriend!” Ellie scolds. “Uncle Archer, you're actually cool! I can’t even believe this. I mean you’reyou.”

“Thanks, Ellie,” he laughs, his large hand coming around me and covering her face as he shakes her head all about. He musses the braid I put in her hair before we left for town so we matched, making her wildly swat at him in an attempt to save her hairstyle, and conspiratorially whispers, “Truthfully, I’m with you, angel face. It still amazes me Tinsley even looked twice at me, let alone agreed to go on a date or come back here.”

The table grows quiet, all eyes turning to us.

The feel of their stare fades as I swim in Archer’s gaze. Like back then—and again when we ran into each other outside of Berry Station—the world quiets and falls away. Nothing exists but us.

My heart thumps erratically in my chest, my breath coming more quickly as fire ignites inside me. I slip a hand under the table and curl my fingers on the inside of his upper thigh and squeeze.

“I haven’t been able to look at anyone but you since that day,” I whisper. “You’ve been my forever from the very start.”

He’s about to kiss me, the hand cupping the back of my neck hinting that I’ll feel his lips like a cattle brand on my heart. But Ames—our lovable third wheel—breaks the moment by coming up to the booth with a tray balanced on his shoulder.

“Okay, break it up,” he says, lowering the tray to the table. “Otherwise I’m gonna have to turn the hose on y’all. Besides, I come bearing the fruits of our town, which we all know Tinsel here has always loved more than Arch,” he winks, getting shoved by the man who only slightly comes in second to my obsession with strawberries.

He reaches across Archer and begins to identify, “Strawberry milkshake; strawberry sherbet and ice cream; cream cake; jam and clotted cream with scones; truffles; and of course your namesake, shortcake, all from Dream Brulée. Well, minus the milkshake and ice cream. I made those.”

Eyes wide at everything in front of me, I protest, “I can’t eat all this. I’ll be doing cardio like a hamster on a wheel for three days straight. It’s bad enough I ate all those buffalo wings and the bacon ranch cheese fries that Ryder lied about helpin’ me eat.”

“Hey, I was going to, but I think Arch fractured my shin, he kicked me so damn hard.”

“Archer!” Eleanor and I both scold.

I’m completely off my game because before I can close my mouth, he’s popping a truffle in. The rich chocolate immediately begins to melt on my tongue, and any will I had evaporates as I bite to crack the shell and taste the sweet and tart filling.

“Oh my God,” I groan, trying and failing to glare at Archer. “This is amazing.”

“Jullian’s going to give birth to a litter of kittens if he finds out,” Briar warns.

I grab one and lean across the table pressing it to her lips. “It’s worth it,” I promise. “Try it.”

She takes a bite and a second later her eyes go wide. “People would sell their souls in L.A. for these.”

“I know!”

I take a sip of the milkshake then push the old fashioned glass to Ellie. “Help me out?”

“Duh!” she yells, grabbing the striped straw and sucking down on the shake until she’s grabbing her forehead.

“Thank you, Ames, but seriously, I can’t eat all this. I’m pretty sure I already put on five pounds just looking at everything.”

Archer brushes my hair off my shoulder and murmurs along the shell of my ear sending goosebumps down my back. “Have as much as you want, baby. I’ll make sure you work it off in bed tonight.”

My budding mini-me and the honorary fourth member to our L.A. girl squad, pipes up. “Uncle Archer, how would that work?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said, you’d make sure Tinsley works it off in bed tonight. How?”

I choke on the forkful of strawberry cream cake I just put in my mouth, hand slapping over my lips as I start to laugh. Across the table, Briar spits out her margarita, tequila spraying everywhere before she falls over into Ryder laughing.

“Really?” Ryder grumbles. “You’re supposed to be the responsible one, Arch.”

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