Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 136421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 682(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
“Whoops.” I shrug.
Gemma smirks, clearly trying not to take sides. “When’re you flying home?”
“I didn’t plan that far in advance. Only booked a one-way ticket.”
“Keep me updated,” Tyler says just as his phone goes off. “Wait, he just texted me.”
“What’d he say?” I shout.
“I’m safe. I’ll be home tomorrow,” Tyler reads, and there’s a collective sigh.
“Thank God,” Gemma says.
“So where is he?” I ask.
“Probably with Liam,” Tyler responds. “I’ll text him and find out.”
“Alright, lemme know.”
We say our goodbyes, and I pace the bathroom as my mind reels. It’s actually spacious, and the lighting is great.
As soon as the door creaks open, I race out and leap into his arms.
“Holy fuck!” Archer yelps as he catches me. I hang onto him as tight as I can as if he might disappear. “Everleigh?”
“I’m so goddamn pissed at you,” I murmur with tears falling. I’m so damn relieved to see him.
“Baby, what’re you doing here?” He walks in farther, then sits down on the bed with me on his lap. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
I meet his concerned eyes. “I was a mess. How could you just leave a note? Do you have any idea how scared I was?”
“Sweetheart, I’m so sorry.” He slides the pads of his thumbs over my cheeks. “I had to make sure you’d be safe. If I had told you my plan, you would’ve never let me face Krystal.”
“Damn right,” I scold. “I had to track down Maddie just to find out where you were. No one knew anything.”
“It all happened so fast. I called Liam before I left, and he agreed to meet me here. He had a whole team of cops ready to back us up. He’s seriously badass.”
“So I’ve heard,” I say. Tyler shared a ton of stories, and Maddie mentioned the trouble he’d gotten into over the years.
Archer cups my face and presses his lips to mine. “I’m not happy you traveled alone, but I’m selfishly glad to see you.”
“You should know I’ll never accept you walking away from me, got it? Your protectiveness has nothing over how possessive I am of you.”
He flashes a crooked amused grin. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you.”
“Yes, you will,” I confirm. “But first, you need to tell me everything.”
Archer and I end up in the tub as he starts from the beginning. Even I’m amazed by how effortlessly Liam’s plan worked out, though I shouldn’t be too shocked. He’s a pro and doesn’t take shit from anyone.
“That fuckin’ bitch, Dana. I knew I should’ve fired her,” I seethe when he mentions her involvement. “My gut feeling told me something was off with her. The secret roommate. Her being there when the fire happened. She took pictures and kept tabs on me for that psycho. I hope they give her a harsh sentence.”
“Yep, you were right,” he says calmly as he rubs a washcloth over my back. “The detective said Dana was cooperating and wanted to make a plea deal. With her confession and testimony, Krystal will hopefully get prison time.”
“And what’s gonna happen to Dana?” I ask.
“Not sure, but if they charge her as an accessory, she’ll go to jail for sure.”
I didn’t necessarily hate Dana. In fact, I tried to be the best boss I could and even her friend. While I wasn’t perfect at that, I only wanted the best for her. It’s going to take me some time to heal from her betrayal. What did Krystal offer her that would convince her to turn against me?
Hopefully, I’ll get to ask her those questions one day.
Once we’re out of the water and dried off, Archer holds me under the covers like he does every night. I can’t imagine not spending the rest of my life with this man.
“So, you really wanna make it up to me?” I taunt.
He arches one brow. “What’d you have in mind?”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
ARCHER
I wake up with Everleigh’s legs intertwined with mine. After she arrived the night before last, we decided to stay a couple more days to explore. We spent yesterday doing tourist things and shopping.
Then we celebrated all night long.
“Mornin’, hubby,” she murmurs with a sleepy grin.
I smile wide at the sound of that. “Good morning, my beautiful wife.”
Everleigh giggles. “Wow, that sounds so…”
“Weird?”
“I was gonna say amazing, but sure, let’s go with weird.”
I chuckle, bringing her mouth to mine. “Weird. Amazing. Unbelievable. Surreal.”
“All of the above.” She moans against my lips. “Everyone’s gonna freak out when they hear.”
“Do you think Tyler’s gonna kill me?” I ask.
She shrugs. “Should we FaceTime them and see?”
“Sure, might as well do it before we go home.”
It takes Everleigh ten minutes to find clothes and freshen up.
“Good to go?”
“Yep!” She grabs her phone and calls Gemma.
“Oh my God, finally!” Gemma’s face fills the screen.
“Hi!” Everleigh greets. “Where’s my brother?”