Page 17 of Archer (The Daddies of Windsor Place #1)

Chapter 17

Archer

I rolled over and allowed myself a few minutes to enjoy the fact that Crispin was lying here beside me. I couldn’t believe this sweet boy had been working himself to death for no reason. But then again, I understood why. He was such a genuinely kind person who’d been taught that his value was in the work he produced, not the joy he brought to the world. Of course he’d thought the only way was to work twice as hard as anyone else. Thankfully, that phone call last night relieved him of that burden, and now he could focus on being the very best Crispin he could be. I doubted he believed that was enough, but I was happy to tell him that he was every single day until he did.

“ Mm ,” he hummed, tossing his hand up over his eyes to block out the morning sun. “Are you being super creepy and staring at me?”

“Sure am,” I said with a chuckle.

“Good, I like it.”

I laughed and threw back the covers. “We need to get up if you’re going to eat before your first class.”

“I could sleep for a bit longer and eat an apple.”

“Or you could get up and have an omelet and an apple.”

“Why are you so mean to me, Daddy?” he whined.

I did my best to look sympathetic. “I know it’s horrible, isn’t it? How on earth did you ever end up with such a cruel, sadistic Daddy who makes you eat breakfast every day?”

“I know, right? It’s horrible. It should be against the law.”

I rolled my eyes and pulled the covers off his gorgeous body. Seeing him lying there like that was almost enough for me to change my mind and agree that he could have a piece of fruit for breakfast, but not so he could get extra sleep. Almost . He had a busy day ahead, and he needed to take care of himself.

“I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

He let out a sigh. “Fine.”

I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and left him there. If he hadn’t joined me in a few minutes, I’d come back. But my boy was a good boy, so I thought he’d listen.

Sure enough, I’d just got the tea kettle I’d purchased for him started and was about to begin chopping vegetables for a farmer’s omelet when he wandered in. He sat down at the bar, waiting for the water to boil. You’d never know it if you attended one of his early classes, but my boy was not a morning person. It took him a cup of tea and a good half-hour before he was even human most days.

When the pot beeped, I filled the mug with the tea bag I’d set out and handed it to him. “Thank you,” he said, inhaling the aroma and letting out a sigh. While he sipped at it, I got to work on our breakfast. A short time later, I put two full plates on the bar and sat down beside him.

“It looks delicious, Daddy.”

“So maybe I’m not completely evil then.”

“No, you’re maybe this much evil.” He held up his fingers to indicate a tiny bit. “But on a serious note, I want to tell you again how much I appreciate you telling me to call Aziza last night. That had been like a weight I was carrying around that I was scared to put down because I thought the load that would replace it might be even heavier.”

“I’m glad it turned out the way it did. She really is a good person, isn’t she?”

“The best. I can’t say often enough how wonderful she is. She changed my life, Daddy.”

“I’m glad you found her then.”

“Me, too. And speaking of finding people. Have you heard anything from Cort?”

“I talked to him yesterday. He got the name of the woman who’s in charge of the soup kitchen. Her name is Monica Danvers. He was able to meet with her and show her a picture of Jordy.”

“Really? What did she say?”

“She recognized him. She told him that he comes to the soup kitchen a couple times a month with a group of teenagers. The group is always together, although sometimes the kids change. She thinks they’re probably squatting somewhere together, but she doesn’t know for sure.”

“Squatting. That’s like staying in an abandoned house or something, right?”

“Right. The church’s policy is no preaching, no questions. They’re happy to listen if someone wants to share, but their mission is simply to feed hungry people.”

“I love that.” My sweet boy looked up at me with glistening eyes. “I can’t imagine being hungry like that. Or not having a safe place to live.”

“It’s sad, that’s for sure. She did say the teens were there last week, so she didn’t know if they’d show this week or not. Cort said she grilled him really hard to make sure he had good intentions. She was very clear with him that if she thought he meant the kids any harm, she’d warn them the second they showed up.”

“I think I like this woman, and I haven’t even met her,” he said with a grin.

“I think Cort felt the same way. He said he’s planning on staking it out this weekend, but who knows if they’ll be there.”

Crispin took the last bite of his omelet and took his plate to the sink. He rinsed it off, put it in the dishwasher, and then turned to look at me. “That was really good, but if I’m going to make my class, I need to hustle.”

“Before you go, I want to go take some pictures of the moon tonight. It should be full, and I love to take pictures when it is. Do you want to go? You know, since you don’t have to work a second job now, and you can have a life.”

“I would love that, but I won’t be able to have lunch with you if we do that because I’ll need to go get a change of clothes. Well, mostly a change of shoes. I don’t think my soft-sided yoga shoes would be appropriate for an outing like that.”

“Probably not. Why don’t you go ahead and do that. While you’re there, pick up some extra changes of clothes. I’ll make room in my closet for you so it’ll be easier for you to sleep over.”

“You’d do that?” He looked at me wide-eyed, and I had no idea why it would surprise him that I wanted him here.

“Sweet boy, if I had my way, you’d never leave. So to answer your question, yes, I’d happily clean out some space for you in my closet.”

He practically skipped around the bar to get to me and threw his arms around me for a hug.

“You’re the very best Daddy. I take back all the mean things I said when I was slangry.”

“Slangry? I’ve heard hangry, but never slangry.”

“I think I just made it up.” He grinned at me and then popped a quick kiss on my lips. “Gotta go get ready.”

Crispin

“Are you sure about this, Crispin?” my brother asked as he shoved the last box into my car.

I nodded. “It’s going to be great.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t even met the guy,” he said, nervously.

My poor brother. I couldn’t blame him for being worried. Hell, I was the one who’d basically intruded on his life, moving in and putting him in a position where he felt like he had to watch out for me. I thought about Archer saying he wanted to meet my family and sighed. Time to suck it up.

“I know you haven’t, but Archer suggested we all get together for dinner. Let me find out what he has going on in the next week, and I’ll call you and set something up. Is that good?”

Ben eyed me. “Including Mom and Dad?”

“Unfortunately. Archer says he wants to meet all three of you.” I must’ve sounded whiney because I saw Elton snickering as he climbed into the passenger seat of my car.

For the first time since I got home to grab my stuff, Ben smiled. “Okay, yeah. I think I like this guy.”

Groaning, I flopped my arms at my side. “I want you two to meet, but I’m worried about the things Dad says. What if he makes Archer reconsider his decision to be with me.”

Elton half-stood out of the car, breaking into the conversation. “Archer adores you. There’s nothing anyone can say that will change that.”

Ben nodded. “And if he’s so easily influenced that Dad can get in his head, I’ll come help you bring all of your stuff back here. But I will say, I like that he wants to meet your family. It shows what a standup guy he is. I know Dad’s been obnoxious, but family is important, Crispin.”

He was right. Archer was, too. I jumped at my brother, and he caught me with open arms. “You’re going to love him, then. I just know it.” I squeezed him tighter. “And thank you for letting me move in with you and having my back. I couldn’t have asked for a better brother than you.”

Ben hugged me back tightly. “It was my pleasure. I’m going to miss having you around. Don’t forget, if you ever need to come back, you always have a home with me.”

I blinked back tears. “I know. Thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

Stepping back, he ruffled my hair. “Anytime, little brother.”

I got in the car, and Ben stood in the driveway, waving at us as we pulled away. We’d pulled out of the neighborhood, headed back to the hotel when Elton said, “You’re so lucky, Crispin. You have a kickass brother who loves you and an amazing Daddy. Where do I find a hunky Daddy to help me get my shit together?”

I bit back a laugh. “There’s plenty of them running around the Windsor. We’ll have to find you one.”

Elton made an unintelligible sound, which I was pretty sure meant he didn’t believe we’d stumble across someone for him. But we would. We were two boys on a mission to find Jordy, but I’d handle seeking a Daddy for my new friend by myself. After the way I’d been manifesting every good thing I’d ever wanted—plus some—I had enough faith to find him a Daddy for both of us.

“Thanks for coming with me to grab my stuff,” I said, changing the subject.

He turned at an angle and glanced into my backseat, which we’d stuffed to the brim. “Did Archer mean for you to bring everything you own? Like, are you officially moving in with him?”

Doubt clouded my mind. “I really only had my clothes at my brothers. Most of my stuff is in storage. Do you think Archer’s going to get mad I brought so much?” Shit . What was I thinking? He told me he’d clear out some space for me, but that didn’t mean he intended for me to invite myself to move in. I gripped the steering wheel, low-key panicking.

Elton huffed. “No, I don’t think he’s going to care at all. That man stares at you like you’re his favorite snack, and he can’t wait to take a nibble.”

I giggled. “I’m okay with that.”

“I bet you are,” he said dryly.

I side-eyed him, and we both burst out laughing. Elton had the cutest little nerdy laugh. It was going to be so easy to find him a Daddy. I was going to rock as a matchmaker.

“Okay, in all seriousness,” he said. “I’m so happy for you. It really sounds like everything’s coming together. I can’t believe Aziza’s selling you her brand for so cheap.”

My heart warmed thinking of my friend. We’d chatted earlier, and she’d apologized profusely again. I didn’t blame her since I shouldn’t have jumped to my own conclusions. She blamed herself because she knew how over-the-top and hard on myself I could be. In the end, it didn’t really matter. We’d figured it out now. Although, I still thought she should at least draw up a contract for the seven percent I’d planned instead of her five percent since I wasn’t giving her anything else.

“I know. I can’t believe it. She’s going to come to town next month so we can make it official. Although, honestly, I think she only cares about meeting Archer in person.”

Elton sighed. “You’re really so lucky, Crispin. You’re surrounded by so many people who care about you.”

When he made comments like that, I wondered how alone Elton was. Not anymore. He had me now. “I am. But now I have you, too.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tiny grin form on his face before he turned his head to stare out the window. We reached the Windsor, and I headed for my normal parking spot when I stepped on the brakes.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Doesn’t Archer get a second spot with his condo?”

“Oh yeah.” Elton nodded. “You should park there. Aww. This is too cute.”

“Hush,” I said, feeling my cheeks heat a little and fighting to keep my face neutral so he wouldn’t see how excited I really was. Whoever would’ve thought that I’d go from never seeing inside one of the units to staying with my very own Daddy, who owned one? Was this real life?

Since Elton lived here, he knew the unit system for out here, and he directed me to the right space. “I better let Archer know I’m here.”

“Good idea.” Elton jumped out of the car, and I followed after shooting Archer a text. “Pop the trunk, Crispin.”

We opened all the doors and my trunk and stared at everything that had to go inside. My car wasn’t the biggest, but we’d jammed everything in, and Ben had helped us back at his house. This was a lot to get inside. “Maybe Archer will come down when he sees my text,” I said.

“Hopefully,” Elton mumbled as he picked up a duffle bag and put the strap over his shoulder, then picked up an opened box stuffed with yoga stuff.

I was pulling a suitcase that I’d loaded with clothes out of the backseat when I noticed someone familiar striding toward the car. His face tickled at my memory, and I hauled the suitcase out the rest of the way while trying to peer at the guy nonchalantly as he passed by. Elton followed my gaze, and he squinted.

At the same time, I realized who it was, Elton turned to me, wide-eyed. “Is that—”

“Jordy!” I yelled, cutting him off.

The young man hesitated but then kept walking, picking up the pace a little.

“He must’ve thought he heard wrong,” Elton said in a rush.

“Jordy, wait up!” I yelled again.

Elton echoed with a, “Jordy!” of his own.

The guy, who I was absolutely convinced now was Jordy, glanced at us over his shoulder, then sped up even more. “What the heck?”

“Jordy, wait! We need to talk to you!”

He started running.

I abandoned the suitcase and started after him. “Come on, Elton. We’ve gotta catch him.”

Elton must’ve dropped the stuff he was carrying, too, because he was immediately by my side, running to catch up with probably-Jordy. We both continued calling his name as he went around the corner of the building.

“Let’s get him,” Elton said, and we picked up our speed and went after him.