Page 66 of Archer
Epilogue
Archer
“Archer, come on. At least give me a hint as to what we’re doing,” Rose begged as we walked out of my brick apartment building and toward my motorcycle. “It’s my first Valentine’s Day in a relationship, don’t you think I should get a say?”
“That’ll ruin the surprise, though,” I said and grabbed her hand. “You’ll see soon enough.”
“Are we going to that Italian restaurant I like?” she asked, and I chuckled.
“In fifteen minutes, all your questions will be answered,” I assured her, smacking her when we turned the corner to the parking lot. “Have I told you how fucking hot you look in that jacket?”
“Couple times.” She winked and bumped her hip against mine as I took a second to admire the tight-fitted leather jacket with the same green and yellow emblem as mine. She got it for Christmas, just like Samantha, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that’d be a tradition in the upcoming years. Maybe we were all going soft, falling for these women, bringing them into our club.
I had to be honest, though, I liked it. Despite the dark times we’d endured, there was a warmth that seemed to join us whenever the girls came to visit.
“Oh, are we going to see the stars like we did on New Year’s?”
Dangling on my handlebars was her helmet, a small red rose painted on the back, courtesy of Evelyn. I passed her the helmet, ignoring her question. “We’re almost there.”
Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the helmet and put it on her head grudgingly before straddling the bike. Fuck, it never failed to amaze me how sexy she looked on the bike. I shouldn’t have been surprised, knowing Rose’s wild side, that there was no hesitation from her when I suggested she join me on a ride for the first time. Sure enough, she raced me to the bike the first chance she had.
Sitting in front of her, I put the keys in the ignition and let the motor roar underneath us. When I felt her arms slide around my waist, I patted her hip and called, “You ready?”
“Yes, let’s go!” she called over the motor and I laughed at how impatient she was. Speeding away from our apartment, we rode along the highway weaving through traffic. Without Rose badgering me for information, I was able to let the nerves and excitement swell inside me.
No turning back now, Archer.
We’d been practically living together since the showdown at the bakery took place. I wasn’t sure when it became official, or if it even was now. Aside from a few weeks when her dad returned from the hospital, I never wanted her to leave. During those weeks without her, my bed felt so cold and my kitchen so empty. I was so happy to see that she’d never once shown any indication of wanting to leave.
When I pulled into the parking lot of our destination, I was sweating. Not because of the heat. The February air was quite nice and cool, actually, but for something else. Rose hopped off the bike and pulled off the helmet. With her neck tilted and hands in her pockets, she looked up at the empty white sign above the abandoned building.
“Wow, Archer, this is really something.” She pulled her lips to the side, bobbing her head. “An old, worn-down building. Great.”
“Hold on, the rest of the surprise will be here soon.”
“What do you mean, the—?” She trailed off when a familiar vehicle pulled into the parking lot. “Hey, is that my dad?”
I waved my hand in the air, signaling he was in the right place.
“You brought my dad to an abandoned building for Valentine’s Day…” she said, sounding unimpressed. “How… surprising.”
Her dad opened the car and stepped out. Wearing an equally perplexed expression as Rose, he looked through the dusty windows that looked like they hadn’t been washed in years.
“Ron!” I said with glee in my voice. “Thanks for coming!”
“Um, I sure hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he said. “It is Valentine’s Day after all.”
“Don’t worry, Dad,” Rose said. “You’re part of the surprise. Isn’t that romantic?”
“All right, all right, sarcasm queen,” I said and stood behind her with my hands on her shoulders. The surprise is inside. Come on, Ron.”
I opened the door with a pair of keys I picked up earlier that week and let them walk inside first. It looked like it was once an old café, with chalkboard menus hanging on the walls, a dishwasher near the cash register, and empty display cases for pastries. Rose and Ron each scanned the empty sitting area, with five white round tables for customers to sit. After observing the area with me holding my breath, finally, Rose spoke.
“Archer, what is all this?”
“This,” I said, “is your new bakery.”
Each of them gawked at me with their jaws dropped to the floor. I couldn’t help but smile with pride even before their response.
