Page 54 of Restart & New Revenge
My emotions were running high, butIneeded to focus.Thismission depended on me being madly in love withArcher, not pissed off and ready to murder him in his sleep.
WhenIcame out,Archerwas sitting on his bed.Heimmediately got up and started toward me.I’ddone a lot of thinking in the shower, soIwas prepared.Ashe neared,Icut him off before he was able to say anything.
“Archer, this is why we got divorced.Youalways feel the need to make decisions for both of us.”
“No.Wegot divorced becauseIwas a young idiot who thoughtIwas protecting you by letting you go,” he responded matter-of-factly.
“Story of my life,”Imumbled.
My birth parents did it, and so didArcher.
“Don't do that,”Archerchided me. “Don'tassume that's all anyone will ever do to you.Imade my mistake, realized it, and tried to rectify it.Iwrote your attorney three letters trying to explain that to you.Youshut that down,Ace.Notme.”
He was right.Myattorney had called to let me know he had tried to reach out.Iasked her to throw the letters away.UnlessIwas legally obligated to read them—whichIwasn’t—Ididn’t want to hear whatever sorry excuse or sympathy he was going to give me.
“I've regretted that moment more times in my life thanIcare to think.I'venever stopped loving you,” he continued.
He never stopped loving me?
“Yeah, you heard me.I’mstill madly in love with you, and being around you these last two weeks has only solidified that even more.”
“Archer, how do you know we were even in love the first time, let alone now?Weliterally spent only a few days together before we got married.That’sit.Days.”
“Because sometimes you just know,” he responded.
I started to interrupt him, but he cut me off and held up his hand. “Ace,I’veseen good relationships like my uncleFrankand auntSusan’s, along with my friends who are all now married.I’vealso seen terrible marriages like my parents’.I’dlike to thinkIcan tell the difference.Ialso know it’s you instead of anyone else becauseIhaven’t stopped thinking about you for five years.Youwant the truth?”
I wasn’t sureIdid, butInodded anyway.
“I’ve stalked you your whole career.Ifollowed you everywhere you went—virtually, at least.Iknow every award you won at aTVstation.Iknow when you adopted your dog and what shelter you got him from.Iknew the exact moment you moved toAtlanta.I’vekept tabs on you from the moment we got divorced.Sure, it started as a way to make sure you were protected, but then after we assumed the threat was all gone,Ikept doing it just becauseIneeded to know you were happy and healthy.”
Holy crap.Wow.Ishould be freaked out by that, butIwasn’t.
“Normal people don’t do that with people they don’t care about,” he explained.
I took in everything he’d said and just stood there.
“You want more proof?” he asked but didn’t really give me a chance to answer before he ripped his shirt off.
At first,Inoticed the impeccable set of abs he had, and then, glancing up,Isaw a beautifully defined pair of pecs…which was whenIsaw it.
He pointed at his left pec at the same timeInoticed it.Atattoo of a card—an ace of hearts, to be exact.
“I put you where you will always belong—right on my heart,” he said, as though it was as simple as that.
I stared at the tattoo for several moments, taking it in.Mynickname on his chest, the meaning behind it.
“When did you get that?”Iasked, not entirely sureIwanted to know the answer.
“Two months after we divorced,” he said quietly but with a strong voice. “AfterIrealized you weren’t going to respond to the lettersIsent to your attorney.IfiguredI’dlost all hope of getting you back, soIput you on my chest.”
My eyes closed at his honesty.Iguess it was my time to be honest.
“You want some honesty back,Archer?”
“Yes.”
Here went nothing. “Iwanted you back, too.God,Iwanted you back so badly it hurt.ButifIgave in and you had changed your mind again,IknewIwouldn't survive.Ibarely survived the first time.”Myvoice had started strong, but it was barely a whisper for the last few words.
