Page 121 of The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

‘We should probably be honest, right?’

‘We should probably google it,’ he said and Iris burst out laughing.

‘We are so bad at this,’ she said between giggles.

‘We’ll get better,’ he said. ‘Together.’

‘Yeah,’ she said, and her voice was gentle and sweet. He stepped between her legs again and she wrapped her arms around his neck. ‘I’m really glad you took me back,’ she said.

‘There was never any question about that, sweetheart. You belong here, with us.’ He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. And it had only been a few weeks since he’d kissed her, but God, how he’d missed it.

She kissed him back, her hands in his hair. ‘I missed you both so much,’ she said, her lips leaving his to murmur the confession.

He smiled. ‘We missed you, too.’ He kissed her again and again, his lips and his tongue and his teeth retracing all their old steps. He would have done more, he wanted to do more, but it would only be a few minutes before Olive would be back with her questions.

He pulled back and grinned at the sight of Iris’s flushed cheeks and swollen lips. ‘Later,’ he said. ‘I want you in my bed.’

Iris grinned. ‘Well, technically, it’sourbed now.’

Archer laughed and his heart could barely stand it all. Our bed. Our baby. Our family. Christ, it was too much. It was everything.

‘You’re lucky you missed the barfing part of this whole thing,’ Iris added.

‘Oh, God. I’m such an asshole. How are you feeling? Should I be doing things like rubbing your feet or feeding you weird pregnancy food?’

Iris was looking at him like she couldn’t love him more, and he would do anything to keep that look on her face.

‘I don’t think I need anything like that right now,’ she said. ‘My feet feel fine and the only weird thing I’ve been eating is copious amounts of frosted flakes.’

‘If you’re craving sweets, I can bake.’

She grinned. ‘I know you can.’

‘And we should get you one of those pregnancy pillow things.’

Still smiling she ran her fingers through his hair again. ‘Okay, sure.’

‘Anything, Iris. Just name it.’

Her fingers felt so good he let his head tip back and his eyes close. She leaned forward and kissed a trail from his jaw down to his neck, and he groaned.

‘Okay, Archer. But we’re a team. I’m here for you and Olive, too.’ She licked over his pulse point, and he shivered.

‘Later, sweetheart,’ he murmured, and Iris’s breathy laughter blew over his wet skin.

‘Later,’ she agreed, and he lifted his head to meet her gaze again. ‘But I’m serious. You don’t have to convince me to stay. I’m here for real. I promise.’

He pressed his forehead to hers again, needing the closeness. ‘Okay, I know. But you are carrying our baby, and it is my job to make that as comfortable for you as possible. So you have to let me.’ He planted one more kiss on her smiling lips right as Olive stormed back into the room.

‘Kissing already?’ she asked, climbing onto the stool next to Iris.

‘Yep. Super gross, right?’ Iris said, pulling Olive closer and planting a kiss on her forehead. Olive grinned.

‘Super gross.’

‘Okay, ladies. I have chicken nuggets to prepare,’ Archer said, retreating to his side of the counter.

‘Nugget night? I picked the right time to come back,’ Iris said, and Olive nodded in agreement. They sat side by side, watching him move around the kitchen and Olive filled Iris in on everything she’d missed in the weeks she’d been gone. Iris commented and laughed or sighed or groaned at all the right places. She clapped when Olive sang her latest song and demanded retribution when Olive told the story about her favorite rainbow crayon being stolen at school.