Rome

CHAPTER 11

Cora

“Stop looking at me like that, Shaw. I think it’s a great idea; no, I know it’s a goddamn brilliant idea.”

If she didn’t stop gawking at me with those big green eyes, I was going to knock her upside her pretty blond head. We were at lunch. I met her downtown so that she could hop over to the Goal Line for her shift when we were done. It was Sunday afternoon and neither of the Archer boys was in the mood to go see their parents, so instead they had decided to spend the day together doing guy stuff, whatever that meant. Shaw insisted it meant they were going to go to the gym and try to beat the crap out of each other, either that or they were going to stay put in the living room playing video games. Rome wasn’t much of a gamer, so I thought the gym thing sounded more likely, but it made me nervous because neither one of those boys knew when to pull it in and one of them very well could end up hurt.

I had a brilliant idea to help my big, brooding soldier put at least one of his demons to rest, only Shaw seemed to think I had gone off the deep end when I explained it to her. She just kept shaking her head at me and biting her lower lip anxiously. She could look worried and think I was crazy all she wanted, but Rome needed closure, needed some kind of answers so he could move forward, and there was only one way I could see for that to happen. I just knew bridging this gap would not only offer him the peace of mind he needed, but also do wonders for his current need to keep his parents at arm’s length. He had already lost a brother; this self-imposed exile from those who loved him simply had to stop. Unfortunately I needed Shaw’s help in pulling it off.

“I was there, Cora. I‘m the one who saw the reaction, the one they ignored and abandoned when they found out about Remy. Trust me, the Archer boys do not like surprises.”

I sighed and blew my bangs off my forehead. “Look, Rule sleeps at night. Yeah, he had a hard time of it there for a while but mostly he has handled his grief and the role Remy played in it. Rome hasn’t. He is sinking in a mire of ‘what-if’ and ‘what-now’; if I can throw him a lifeline I’m going to, with or without your help.”

She tapped her fingernails on the table and we stared at each other steadily. “I’ve known those boys a lot longer than you, Cora. Trust me: it isn’t an idea that either of them will welcome, not to mention the tailspin it might send Margot into. It will just open old wounds and hurt. I have no interest in doing that to Rule or to Rome.”

I shook my head at her. “You knew the Rome that he was before he found out his little brother had a secret life and his other little brother didn’t need him anymore because he found the love of his life. This Rome, Shaw … you don’t even have a clue what’s going on with him. I’m sorry but it’s true. He’s a different man now. He needs this.”

I didn’t mean for it to sound so harsh but it was true. Granted, Rome had a knack for keeping people at bay and hiding all the things he was constantly struggling with behind a glower and a snide attitude, but I knew if anyone bothered to look closely, they could see how he was fractured in his heartbreaking, blue gaze. I would move every mountain in the Front Range to give him this. Besides, this kid was going to have every kind of family I never did, even if it meant I had to rattle the Archer family foundation to do it.

“I love him, Cora. He’s my family and I don’t want to hurt him.”

“He needs closure, he told me he doesn’t know how to let it go, Shaw, and none of us can provide it or help him with it. I think Rule would benefit from having some answers that make sense as well, but he’s yours to worry about; big brother is all mine.”

He was mine. Every towering, unpredictable, floundering inch of him was mine, and I was going to do whatever it took in order to make things better for him. I took care of my friends because I wanted them to live the best life possible. I was going to take care of Rome because it did something to me on a fundamental level to see him struggle, to see him hurting. I felt like if I could put him at the slightest of ease, it would be the most rewarding gift I had ever given anyone. Plus he deserved it. He was a good man. He had earned someone working to make his world a better place for once instead of the other way around.

She opened her mouth to continue her side of the argument but was interrupted by my phone going off. I had set Rome’s ring tone to Creedence because he was such a classic kind of guy and it always made me smile to see his grim mug looking up at me from the screen. He would laugh if he knew CCR played “Fortunate Son” every time he called me, especially since I preferred girl rock bands as a rule.

“What’s up?” He had seemed pretty committed to spending the day with Rule and hashing out some of their issues, so I was surprised to be hearing from him.

“Can you meet me at the Bar as soon as you can?”

He sounded stressed out and was talking really fast. I frowned and motioned for Shaw to get the bill so I could go.

“Yeah. What’s going on?”

“The place got robbed.”

I felt my eyes go big and I understood the underlying panic in his tone. He was really close to Brite, the owner of the bar, and if something had happened to the older guy, it wasn’t going to be pretty for Rome. He needed me to keep him grounded; I knew it even if he didn’t say it. He was asking for help and my heart turned over in my chest.

“I’ll be there in ten.”

I felt him release a breath and he sounded less anxious when he spoke again.

“Asa called me, the cops are already there. I don’t know anything else.”

I frowned and stood as Shaw signed for the bill.

“Who would rob a dive bar on a Sunday in broad daylight?”

“I don’t know. But I sure as fuck don’t like it.”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks, Half-Pint.”

“Anytime, Captain No-Fun.”

Shaw followed me as I hurried out of the restaurant. I was practically running to the Cooper when she stopped me with a hand on my elbow. Her eyes were still big and unsure, but now there was a different kind of understanding shining out of them.

“Are you in love with him, Cora?”

I didn’t know how to answer that, so I just stared at her for a minute. It was a question I was actively avoiding asking myself every day. The answer scared me because if I was in love with him and he bailed on me again, there was no way I would be able to forgive him for that and now our futures were inexorably linked through the child I was carrying, so that wasn’t a viable option. If I kept my feelings in check, denied how important he was, if he broke apart on me again, I could still move past it and not fall apart like I had before. My kid deserved a parent who was always going to be present in every way possible.

“I’m having his kid, Shaw.”

“But do you love him?” Damn, she could be persistent when she wanted to.

“I don’t know. Last time I loved someone he nearly destroyed me and that didn’t feel half as intense or as important as this thing with Rome does. I think loving him could be the end of me if it doesn’t work out.”

“What if it does work out, though? What if he’s your imperfect Mr. Perfect?”

I pulled away because if I was in love with him or not, it was irrelevant to me right in this moment. He needed me, and I wasn’t ever going to leave him hanging if I could avoid it.

“Then he’ll be the first to know. Call Ayden and tell her Asa just got robbed. She might want to check in on him.” I didn’t bother to say good-bye; I was in too much of a hurry to get to my guy.

When I got to the bar, everyone was standing outside. Rome was with Brite talking to a couple of police officers, a few of the regulars were huddled together looking lost and nervous in the bright light of day, but what really had my attention was the fact that Ayden and Jet were also there. Only instead of worrying over her brother, she seemed furious. She was pointing a finger in his chest and Jet was doing his best to hold her back.

I walked up to Rome and put an arm around his waist. He had on black track pants and a black T-shirt. Clearly, he had been at the gym. He looked like he should be on the cover of a men’s fitness magazine.

“What’s that all about?”

“I don’t know. She laid into him as soon as she got out of the car.”

He gave me a squeeze as I pulled away.

“I’m going to see what’s going on. You okay?”

He nodded and Brite just grunted.

“I’m getting too old for this shit. Bar brawls with bikers, armed robbery on a Sunday, this is getting to be too much.”

I saw Rome wince a little but the older guy just clapped him on the shoulder and shook his head.

“I’ll finish up with the cops; you go check on the Southern Casanova.”

I took his hand in mine and led him across the parking lot. He nodded at a couple of the regulars and looked down at me.

“Thanks for dropping everything and racing over here. I couldn’t get ahold of Brite. I was worried something happened to him. Asa only said he was robbed and then hung up. Every worst-case scenario I could think of started running through my head.”

I bumped his shoulder with my own and grinned up at him. “But instead of going off the deep end, you called me and asked for help. That’s all you can do, big guy.”

He looked like he was going to say something back but ended up grunting in surprise when Ayden shoved Asa in the chest with both hands so hard that he actually stumbled back a few steps into us. Jet swore and wrapped his obviously angry bride up in a tight grip.

“Ayd, cool it. There are cops everywhere and I don’t need to spend one of my few days home getting your fine ass out of jail.”

She was breathing hard and her light eyes were glowing in a way only pure fury could provide.

I grabbed Asa’s elbow and turned him around to look at me. His mouth was pulled down tight in a frown, and he was meeting his little sister glare for glare.

“Hey now. What’s all this noise about?”

He pulled away from me and shoved his hands through his tousled blond hair.

“Ask her. It’s not bad enough I just had a gun shoved in my face and had to hand over the entire till to some asshole in a ski mask, but Miss Perfect Timing has to show up and accuse me of being in on it.”

Jet swore, Rome frowned, and Ayden stood stubborn, with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I know you better than anyone, Asa. I know it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.”

“Ayd.” Jet’s tone was warning, but he was running soothing hands up and down her arms. “Maybe not the time or the place, yeah?”

She shook her dark head and continued to glare at her brother.

Rome looked at Asa out of the corner of his eye.

“What exactly happened?”

Asa sighed and started to pace back and forth in front of us. I knew he had a shady history, a spotty reputation at best, but this seemed pretty terrible. I didn’t want to imagine he could have anything to do with it, but Ayden’s stony expression made me have my doubts.

“I was setting up the Bloody Mary bar just like I do every Sunday. There were only a few regulars sitting at the bar and Brite told me he had to run a couple errands, so I was on my own. I went in the back to get a case of vodka, and when I came back to the front a guy in a black mask, wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, was behind the bar messing with the register. I was confused, so I asked him what he was doing there, and when he turned he had a freaking Glock pointed at my face.”

As he told his sister the rundown he refused to look at anyone but her. It was like he was trying to force her to believe him, even though it was doubtful she would.

“He told me to get on the other side of the bar. He emptied out the register and took off out the front door. It happened in like a minute.”

“He didn’t say anything else?” Rome’s voice was gruff and I could tell he was struggling with the robbery happening while he wasn’t there. He cared a lot about this place, cared a lot about Brite. This was a surefire way to get all that guilt he struggled with on a daily basis churning up inside of him.

Asa shifted those glittering gold eyes in our direction. “He said, ‘Payback’s a bitch.’”

I looked up at Rome, who was now scowling.

“You know what that means?”

He grunted. “Did you tell Brite that?”

Asa nodded. “Yeah, and he told me not to mention it to the cops.”

“What? Why?” Rome wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and dropped a kiss on the top of my head.

“I think he knows who was behind it.” Rome switched his attention to Ayden. “Lay off on your brother, girly. People change, sometimes not always for the better, but they do change. You’re never going to be able to move forward if you’re always thinking the worst of each other.”

He flicked his gaze down to me.

“Give me a couple minutes to talk to Brite and we can head out. Rule dropped me off.”

I chuckled a little. “You’re going to ride in the Cooper?”

He groaned and walked away without another word. I’m not going to lie: I watched his ass the entire way until Ayden’s voice broke through my reverie.

“Asa.” Her tone was half conciliatory and half resigned.

Asa held up a hand and shook his head. I thought he looked sad, or maybe reconciled to the fact that Ayden was only ever going to see him one way.

“Just don’t. I appreciate all you have done for me, that you could have just left me in that hospital, that I will never, ever be able to repay you, Ayd. But I’m not always going to be the bad guy. I like it here. I like this bar, and believe it or not, I respect the hell out of Rome. He is a good guy. I wouldn’t want to do anything to screw him over. I know you think I’m only capable of looking out for myself, but almost dying gave me a slightly new outlook on life. Having your little sister save your ass endlessly gets old.”

Ayden seemed stunned into silence, so Jet tried. “Asa, man, come on. You guys can work this out later.”

The blond head shook in the negative.

“No. Obviously there is nothing left to work out.”

He turned those liquid-gold eyes on me and I could practically feel the sincerity shining out of them.

“I’ll be out by the end of next week.”

I sighed. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I do. Besides, you’re going to need room for that baby at some point.”

Well, crap. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Rome and I hadn’t talked about that part of our future. It still seemed so far off; besides bigger boobs, mood swings, and the barest little rounding in my belly, I didn’t look or feel that different, so I guess it was easy to forget I had a baby I needed to be preparing for. We switched back and forth between his place and mine, but neither was really an ideal environment for a newborn. I mean my house was great and had the room, if it wasn’t currently all occupied.

“I’m sorry.” Ayden’s voice was strained and sounded tiny. Jet just held her closer and muttered soft words into her dark hair.

Asa gave her a sad smile. “I’m sure you are and I am, too, but I can’t be around you if you always think I’m going to be up to something.”

She gave a broken little laugh. “You always are.”

“I always was.”

With that, he turned around and walked over to where some of the grizzled regulars were still gathered. I watched as they all shook his hand and clapped him on the back. Clearly, just like they had done for Rome, they had welcomed Asa’s lost soul into their fold.

“You okay?” Jet’s voice was light as he kissed Ayden lightly on the mouth. She put her arms around his waist and rested her forehead on the center of his chest. They just looked like the perfect matched set.

“I don’t know.”

“He’ll get over it.”

“But he’s right. I do always think he’s up to something. I thought he robbed your studio, I could totally see him being behind the robbery of this place. There isn’t much I don’t think he’s capable of doing if he thinks it benefits him. I love him but I just don’t trust him.”

“You’ll work it out.” I looked down at my phone as it beeped an incoming text message.

It was from Shaw and all it said was:

I’m in.

I breathed a sigh of relief and put the phone away.

“We are all family, Ayd. Good, bad, and ugly, we figure it out.”

“With our history, I don’t think it’s that easy, Cora.”

I was reminded of Rome and how everyone had such an easy time caring for him before he came back lost within himself. Everyone still loved him, they just had to find a new way to do it to get around the what-was. Asa was the same way.

“You can love him, Ayden. You just need to find a way to love the new him that’s different from the love you had for the old him.”

She didn’t answer me, but Rome came up behind me and asked if I was ready to go. I nodded and Jet bundled Ayden into his Challenger and peeled out of the parking lot.

“What was that all about?”

“She’s having a hard time aligning Denver Asa with Kentucky Asa, which is silly since she had to do the exact same thing with herself not too long ago.”

He didn’t say anything but made a face when we got to the Cooper. It made me grin.

“Hey.” He looked at me over the top of the car and lifted that dark eyebrow that arched under the scar on his forehead. It made him look sexy and slightly sinister at the same time.

“We need to talk about what we’re going to do when this kid is here.”

He frowned and folded his massive frame into the tiny front seat. I had to admit he looked ridiculous. So I snapped a picture on my cell in case I needed it in the future. He swore at me and scooted around until he found a comfortable position in the limited space.

“What do you mean? We have it, we raise it, we send it to school, keep it from getting eaten by wolves or becoming a stripper, and we’re good.”

“Don’t call it an it.”

“What should I call it?”

“I don’t know, but not it, and I meant where are we planning on raising him or her? My place? Your place? Together under the same roof or are we going to bounce back and forth? I feel like we didn’t really think this through.”

“Well, shit.”

I cast him a look out of the corner of my eye. “Exactly.”

We hadn’t really been together long enough to take such a big step as moving in together, but considering having a baby together was the ultimate game changer, I wasn’t sure we could play by the normal relationship rules. He was pretty quiet, so I glanced over at him. He looked like he was thinking pretty hard, but he didn’t seem too freaked out or panicked by the questions. I let him muse over it in silence while I headed to the Victorian. When I pulled up out front, he turned to look at me with seriousness shining out of those cobalt eyes.

“What do you want to do, Cora?”

I wasn’t expecting that.

“I don’t know. I don’t want you to do anything just because of the baby. I don’t want you to feel forced into anything.”

“I’m one hundred percent here by choice, Half-Pint.” When he said stuff like that, it made my heart throb.

“I guess we don’t have to figure it out right this very second, but it’s probably something we need to have a plan for eventually.”

“My plan is to do whatever you need me to do.”

Every girl in her lifetime should be so lucky to have a guy like him say those words to her. I knew he meant it, so I figured now was as good a time as any to push my luck. I put a hand on his knee and turned pleading eyes on him.

“Good, then what I need you to do is agree to come see your parents with me next weekend.”

I saw him go stiff and a moment of panic flare in his gaze.

“Why?”

“Because at some point they are going to need to know that they are going to be grandparents and I figure we should break the ice first. Come on, it won’t be that hard and I’ll be there to protect you.” I wasn’t going to mention it was long past time for him to put his fears at rest about how they would or wouldn’t see him.

He swore under his breath and shoved the door of the car open. I tried not to giggle when he struggled to get out, but it was just too funny. I followed suit and he stared hard at me over the roof.

“I haven’t been in the same room with them for over a year.”

“Well, then it’s been long enough. I’m not asking you swallow all that resentment you have about the fact they didn’t tell you about Remy or about how your mom treated Rule. I’m asking for you to deal with it and get a handle on it so it can be one less thing that keeps you up at night.”

We stared at each other for a long moment of silence. Finally he pushed off the car and inclined his head toward the apartment.

“Can I think about it?”

I bit my lip and put my hands on each side of his waist so I could rest my cheek against the center of his back while he fiddled with the lock in the front door.

“You can, but I already had Shaw tell them we would be there.”

He went stiff in front of me but didn’t say anything back. Once he got the door open, he turned around and pinned me to the wood with my hands above my head. I looked up at him and refused to blink.

“You can be a major pain in the ass. You know that, right?”

I smiled up at him and lifted up so I could wrap a leg around his hip.

“I know. But I make up for it in other ways.”

He chuckled and dropped his head so that he could kiss me. It was so easy to just get lost in him. The more I did it, the less I wanted to be found.

“Prove it.” Now, that was a challenge I was totally up to. Good thing I had the rest of the day to do it.

“Why are you riding with us again?”

Rule and Rome were in the front of the cab of the big truck, and I was in the back texting back and forth with Shaw. I really thought this was a brilliant idea but now I had visions of it blowing up in my face and being flat-out catastrophic. It was already going to be a tense reunion and adding my little surprise to the mix might just push the entire family over the edge. I just wanted to help, but if Rome didn’t appreciate the effort and I screwed things up beyond repair, I wasn’t sure I could survive it. I had a feeling him abandoning me would literally kill me, unlike Jimmy’s betrayal, which had merely wounded me deeply.

“Because Shaw told me that if I wanted to have sex again in the next century, I would get my happy ass to Brookside even though she had a migraine and wasn’t going. She told me I needed to be there for you since you were going.”

I laughed. “Atta girl.”

That had both of them turning around to glare at me. Apparently it wasn’t funny to mess around with a guy’s supply of ready and willing sex.

Rule’s hair wasn’t green anymore, instead it was bleached out to a startling white, and it was as pale as his girlfriend’s. The spiky mess was a contrast to his dark brows and the brightly colored tattoos swirling along his neck. It was actually pretty sedate for him, not that I thought his folks would appreciate the fact.

“She said if she felt better she would rally and meet us there a little later.”

Oh, she was going to be there all right, but I didn’t think either of them needed to be privy to that information just yet. It took a while to get to Brookside, because it was up in the mountains and summertime in Colorado meant that everyone headed to the mountains on the weekends for fun in the sun and the million outdoor activities this state offered. The house was really nice, and when we all clambered out of the truck, I felt breakfast start to roll in my stomach. It was probably a mixture of nerves and the baby, but I just forced a smile and let Rome guide me to the front door with a hand on the center of my back.

The boys both seemed equal parts apprehensive and resigned to spending the day stuck with awkward family interaction, and I really just hoped my surprise wasn’t going to backfire epically. The door was opened after a knock by an older man who was the spitting image of Rome. He had the same bright blue eyes, the same strong build, but he was several inches shorter. His eyes snapped from son to son and then he enfolded both of them in a hug that had tears working their way into my eyes.

“Boys.” He had to clear his throat before he could go on. “I’m so glad you’re both here.”

Rome was rigid but he didn’t push his dad away; instead he dragged me forward.

“Dad, this is Cora.”

I stuck out my hand thinking I was going to get a handshake; instead I was enfolded in a hug that was tight enough to make me squeak.

“I don’t know how you got him here, but thank you for whatever you did.” He said the words so low that only I could hear them.

He might want to hold off on that praise, but I wasn’t going to say anything just yet.

“Let’s go inside. Your mother is dying to see you.”

We all trekked inside, the boys purposely dragging behind us as Dale chattered on happily. I found myself distracted by all the pictures of the boys on the walls. Rome looked so different, so young and carefree. There wasn’t a single picture of Rule that didn’t have Remy in it as well, and it was really interesting to see Rule’s transformation from typical teen heartthrob to sexy black sheep. I couldn’t rip my eyes away from them. I felt like I was getting an entirely new insight into the Archer boys.

“Oh, Rome.” A woman’s voice drifted across the expanse of the living room and a lovely woman with dark hair moved toward my guy. I saw him brace as she enfolded him in a shaky embrace. “I missed you so much.” Her tone was achingly sad and it was all I could do not to kick him in the shin for making these people who obviously loved him suffer so needlessly.

“Hey, Mom.” He sounded strained, but when she let go of him and moved to embrace Rule as well I saw the grim line of his mouth loosen just a little bit.

“Rule, thank you for coming.”

I knew this family had a history of pain and struggle, but when people loved each other and were willing to try, it was evident any wound could heal. My kid was going to be part of the Archer fold and that was just how it was going to be.

“Sure thing, Mom.”

Margot pulled away and looked up at him. I held my breath thinking she was going to say something nasty about his hair, but she just gave him a wan grin and stated, “Shaw bribed you, didn’t she?”

He just shrugged and her attention turned to me.

“You must be Cora. Rule and Shaw have talked about you so much I feel like I know you already. Thank you for coming.”

She shook my hand and I returned the gesture with my heart in my throat. Shaw had just texted that she was only about ten minutes out, so it was almost showtime.

“Thank you for having me.”

“How long have the two of you been seeing each other?”

I opened my mouth to tell her it had only been a couple of months but Rome interrupted with a sharp “Long enough.”

I narrowed my eyes at him in warning and he grunted back at me. We all lapsed into an awkward silence until Rule let out a dry laugh that broke the tension.

“So this is what it feels like to be on the other side of all the family drama. I always wondered.”

Rome swore, Dale said his name sharply, and Margot just sighed. I was going to interject something but just then the doorbell rang. Everyone turned to look at it in surprise, so I steeled up the reserves and gave Rome’s arm a quick squeeze.

“That’s Shaw. Give me a minute.”

“What?” Rome and Rule barked the question in the same tone.

“I asked her to do me a favor; that’s why she sent you on with us.” I looked at Margot and Dale and offered a shrug. “I care about both your sons so much. Rule is one of my very best friends and Rome … well, Rome changed my entire life. This family loves each other, I think that’s obvious, but the secrets, the loss of Remy, are poison that you all are still afflicted with. I’m about to bleed the venom out, so bear with me.”

Rome growled at me, “What did you do, Cora?”

I just shook my head. “You all need closure, and this was the only way I could think to do it. You told me you had to figure it out on your own, and that’s just not true, Rome.”

I pulled away from him and went to the door to let Shaw and her guest in.

He was a blindingly attractive young man. He was tall and elegant-looking in a fitted gray suit. His shaggy auburn hair hung messily in kind brown eyes and he looked almost as nervous as I felt. Shaw was grinning from ear to ear, and when she hugged me I finally felt like maybe I could get through this without throwing up all over the place.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, thank him.”

I blew out a breath and stuck out a hand. “Hi, I’m Cora. Thank you so much for doing this.”

He smiled, and it was just as sad as when Rule or Rome did it. “Nice to meet you. I’m Orlando, but my friends call me Lando. When Shaw tracked me down I was surprised, but I’m happy to help. Remy loved his family; he would hate to know he was the reason they were divided or struggling.”

“They don’t know you’re coming or who you are; it might not be pretty.”

He nodded as they moved into the entryway, I saw both Rule and Rome hanging over the rail of the stairs watching our little party.

“I can handle it. I am well versed in how to manage an angry Archer.”

“Who’s the suit?” Rule’s voice was sharp and had us all looking up. I felt Lando tense next to me as he released a long breath.

“They look so much alike.” His voice was barely a hint of sound, and Shaw put a reassuring hand on his arm.

“Yeah, but it becomes apparent really fast that they are only similar on the outside.”

“Cora?” Rome’s tone brooked no argument, so I hurried up the stairs to where everyone was gathered. I clasped my hands together in front of me nervously and waited until Shaw and Lando were at the top of the stairs.

“I know all of you have questions about why Remy did what he did, why he hid behind Shaw and didn’t tell you what he was doing in his life. I know Rome in particular has questions that keep him up at night. The only person that I thought might be able to answer them was the guy he was in love with. Orlando Fredrick, the Archers. Archers, meet Remy’s boyfriend, Lando. I asked Shaw to track him down for me. She didn’t want to do it at first, but I convinced her it was what you all need in order to move forward. I would apologize for overstepping my bounds but I really feel this had to be done.”

You could have heard a pin drop. It was so tense, so silent, I was waiting for the volcano to erupt. Shaw stood next to me while everyone else just gaped at each other. Lando couldn’t take his eyes off of Rule, and the brothers couldn’t look away from their late sibling’s attractive lover. I thought I was going to have to do something, anything to move things forward, but my guy surprised me by clearing his throat and extending a hand. His voice was gruff, but he took the first step forward and clasped the hand Lando stuck out.

“It’s nice to meet you. Thank you for coming.” If I hadn’t thought my idea of what was perfect for me was wrong before, I knew now, without a doubt, how wrong I had been. I knew it couldn’t be easy for Rome, but he was making the effort, that is what a perfect guy did. And the idea of loving this remarkable man was as easy as it was terrifying; I was going to have to figure out what kind of risk I was going to take.

Rule followed suit and Lando had to visibly gather himself.

“Those eyes are pretty hard to forget.”

Rule gave a wry grin and walked over to pull Shaw to his chest. “Tell me about it. I see him every time I look in a mirror.”

Margot and Dale were a little slower to react, but when they did I was happy to see they were welcoming if reserved.

“Well, come in. Shaw, why don’t you go set another place since we weren’t expecting an extra guest and we can all sit down and get better acquainted.” Margot’s suggestion gave everyone a chance to process the shock for a little bit before trying to pull apart the past. Frankly I was surprised she was being so calm about it all.

We all sat at the table and I looked at Rome under my lashes when he put his big hand on the top of my thigh and squeezed it under the table.

“Always trying to make everything perfect, aren’t ya, Half-Pint?”

I winked at him and put my much smaller hand over the top of his.

“No, I like things imperfect, I’ve found out, but if I have the ability to make things easier for you, I’m going to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

Brunch was actually pleasant. Lando was interesting, charming, and it was so easy to see in every word, every look on his face when Remy came up, how much he had honestly and truly loved Rule’s twin. It was heartbreaking, but lovely to see nonetheless. It was also apparent that Rome’s parents had missed Rome greatly and had suffered at the hands of his stubbornness. They weren’t looking at him as anything other than a beloved member of the family, and I think as the brunch wore on he recognized it. I helped Shaw clear the table and we gave each other a sneaky high five in the kitchen, when I heard Rule finally ask:

“Why didn’t he want us to know? Mom and Dad had it figured out, but he still didn’t want Rome or me to know. Why?”

“Remy didn’t want who he chose to love to define him. Rome was the hero, you were the troublemaker, and it was his greatest fear to be simply ‘the gay brother.’ It kept him up at night.”

“He had to know we would never try and stereotype him, to pigeonhole him into any kind of role. We loved him.”

Lando shook his head. “He was convinced that if you found out it would change your relationships. He was scared you would force him to live out in the open and that Rome would be so worried about him while he was supposed to be focused on staying alive in the desert that something awful would happen. He had his reasons, flawed as they may be. He believed he was doing the right thing and it was all done out of love.”

“It made me feel like I didn’t even know my brother.” Rome’s voice was raw and I just wanted to hug him, but the family had to get through this on their own.

“Why? He was still funny, kind, smart, and more loving than anyone I have ever met in my life. None of that changes when you know who he chose to take to bed. You were his hero, Rule was his other half, and Shaw was his best friend. He felt that way about all of you and he would have still felt that way be he straight or gay.”

The boys lapsed into silence and Dale decided to interject.

“What about you? The two of you apparently had a pretty committed relationship for some time. How did you stand not being part of his day-to-day life? You weren’t even at the funeral.”

All the color fled from Lando’s handsome face and pain etched into his expression. This was a young man who felt the loss of Remy Archer just as acutely as the rest of his family.

“I was tired of it. I never had any issues with who I was or how I lived my life. My family was supersupportive, and while I understood his reasons for wanting to keep our relationship secret, it never sat well with me. The night of the accident I gave him an ultimatum. It was me or the secret. He chose the secret. We had a huge fight and he hung up on me. The last thing I said to him was ‘I hope your secret keeps you company for the rest of your life.’ I never got to apologize, never got to make it right. To this day I regret it. I know he loved me, that we were meant to be together, and I can never take it back.”

It sounded so familiar that I saw Rome flinch involuntarily.

“I did go to the funeral. I sat in the back. I wanted to approach the casket, but it was too hard. I left when Shaw was giving the eulogy.”

It was all so sad. Grief and loss just permeated the air. I couldn’t resist walking over to Rome and wrapping my arms around his neck from behind. I kissed him behind the ear, and he reached up to run his hand along my forearm.

Lando cleared his throat and pushed his chair back.

“You all need to know he loved you. He was proud to be an Archer, he was proud to be your son and your brother. He talked about all of you all the time and he honestly thought he was doing the right thing. As much as any of us might have regrets for the final ways we said our last words to him, I know deep down in my soul he would have regretted his secret tearing you apart the way it has. We all just have to forgive and forget and move forward. Remy’s memory deserves that much. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to the city. I actually have dinner plans with my own family in a few hours.”

Shaw got up and went over to give him a hug.

“Thank you for coming. Just let me get my keys.”

Rule got up, too. “Can I ride back with you guys?”

Lando’s Adam’s apple bounced up and down in a slow slide. “I think I would like that a lot.”

Dale cleared his throat and rose to shake the younger man’s hand.

“Son, you are welcome here anytime you would like.”

Margot nodded her head, though she had remained quiet throughout the entire exchange.

Hugs and good-byes were exchanged until it was just Rome and me and Rome’s parents at the table.

His mom was staring at me and Dale was watching Rome. It could have been awkward, but instead it felt like a giant door had been slammed closed, leaving a ton of baggage stuck behind it.

“That was a bold move, young lady.” Margot’s tone wasn’t exactly appreciative, but she didn’t sound mad either.

“I’m a bold kind of person, Mrs. Archer.”

Dale thumped his fist on the table and threw back his head and laughed. “I used to think nothing would top Rule’s antics at brunch, but that … that definitely did the trick.”

Rome stood, then scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder. He thumped me on the ass with the flat of his hand and started to haul me toward the front door. I hollered at him to put me down, that this was an undignified way to exit his parents’ house after our first meeting, but he just laughed at me and tossed me over his other shoulder. “I can top it even more. Cora’s pregnant. We’re having a baby. Thanks for brunch. I’ll see you next week.”

I heard his mom scream and his dad swear and they both ordered him to bring me back, but he was already headed out the door. He put me on my feet next to the truck and then leaned into me until I had the warm metal pressed all along my back.

“You’re trouble.”

I put my arms around his neck and tugged him down until I could fit my mouth over his. His hair was longer than usual, so I tickled the dark strands that brushed across my fingers.

“But I’m totally worth it.”

He kissed me again, and I tried not to groan out loud when his tongue brushed across my own.

“Yes you are, Half-Pint. Yes you are.”