Page 107

Archer
Days bleed into weeks as we embark on this new life together, swapping our old apartment in the Upper East Side for one in Tribeca, adding a third member to our family with the adoption of Petey, the dog with a walnut for a brain, and trying not to go crazy without work to occupy me every day.
Lucky for me, I have Serena’s shelter to focus on, including her fundraiser she’s been putting together. It’s more important than ever to receive new sources of funding now that she doesn’t have Montague Media or Bishop Industries to rely on, but with Gabriel’s connections, we should meet our goal and then some based on the guest list tonight. There’s even a TV network filming some kind of behind the scenes special that’ll increase awareness of the shelter.
“Do I look okay?” Serena asks me for the fourth time, smoothing down the front of her navy dress.
I tilt her chin up, laying a soft kiss on her lips before telling her, “You’re beautiful. Like always.”
She shakes her hands out, giving me a nervous smile. “Thanks.”
“I told you, I’m happy to make the speech tonight.”
“No, no. It should be me. I’m the founder. The chair of the board. I’m responsible for it all.”
“The offer still stands.”
Mackenzie comes around, a clipboard in her hand. “We’re just about ready for the welcome speech. Are you set?”
She nods, grabbing her index cards with her notes off the table. “I’ll be up there in a minute.”
Mackenzie circles away from us, pausing to grab an hor d’oeuvre off a passing server’s tray. The woman’s more than earned the right to a snack. She’s been a powerhouse putting this whole thing together in such a short time. And she and Gabriel offered to do it pro bono too.
I rub my hands down Serena’s arms, warming her up. “You’ll do great. You’ve memorized that speech backward and forward.”
“I know. I-” She pauses, glancing around the crowded room. “I just didn’t think this many would want to come to support the shelter.”
“Gabriel marketed it as the hottest benefit of the season.” And did a damn good job of it too surprisingly.
“It’s a nice problem to have, I know. But they’re going to see me up there and think-”
“And think that Archer Bishop is the luckiest man in this room.” I wrap my arms around her waist, bringing her in close to me. “There’s no doubt in my mind you’ll knock it out of the park.”
She finally loses that panicked edge, hugging me tight. “I love you.”
“Love you too.”
Her head whips up, blinking rapidly at me. “You… I…” She stops, the smile that spreads over her face contagious. “We’re talking about this later, okay?”
I nod, unable to help my own smile at her obvious happiness. Speaking with Dr. Brannock at our therapy sessions over the last few weeks has helped unpack a lot of baggage I had surrounding the issue. “Now get up there and kick butt.”
She bites her lip to contain her glee, relaxed now as she heads to the podium and addresses the crowd. I swear I didn’t say it to distract her, it just felt right. So much about being with her does.
I watch as she commands the room, so damn proud of her as she captures her audience’s attention, the things she was so worried about like stuttering or getting tongue-tied not even an issue. She made the decision to change the name of the shelter to New Beginnings, not only to cut ties with the Montague name but also as a symbol of this new direction life has taken us, and people have responded very positively to it.
When she’s nearly finished, she makes a gesture with her hand, knocking her index cards to the floor, and I see the panic overtake her face, the moment stretching out. Her eyes search in the crowd until they lock with mine, and I nod my head in encouragement, sending all my love up there to her.
She takes a deep breath, calming herself, and continues on without the note cards since she’s memorized it anyway. I clap loudly along with everyone else as she finishes, her director Wendy approaching her after, beaming from ear to ear.
“You, sir, are smitten.”
I turn, finding my brother grinning at me. I’ve met up with him several times over the last few weeks, each time feeling a little more natural, like we’re actually brothers who hang out. “Shut up.”
He smiles wider, scratching at his jaw. “I felt guilty there for a while you got stuck with her, but as it turns out, you should be thanking me.”
My lips twist. “Thank you, Gabriel.”
He bows in a mock courtly gesture. “All in a day’s work.”