My own family was such a mess there was no way I would be half the person I was today without all the Archers had done for me. Remy had taken me under his wing when I was a friendless and lonely pre-teen, Rome had threatened to beat up the first boy that made me cry because he didn’t like me back, Margot had taken me shopping for homecoming and prom dresses when my own mother was too busy with her new husband to care, Dale had taken me to Denver University and CU Boulder and helped whittle down the choices logically and rationally when it came to picking a college and Rule, well Rule was a constant reminder that money didn’t get you everything you wanted and that no matter how perfect I tried to be, how hard I worked at being everything to everyone that it still wasn’t enough.
I blew out a breath that I felt like I had been holding for over an hour and took a piece of Kleenex to wipe away the black smudges that had run under my eyes from the water. If I didn’t get down the dining room fast Margot was bound to come looking for me and I didn’t have a reasonable excuse as to why I was currently hyperventilating in the bathroom. I fished a hair tie out of my pocket and pulled my hair into a low ponytail. I slicked on a sheer coat of gloss and gave myself a silent pep talk, reminding myself that I had done this a million other Sundays and that this one was no different. Just as I was stepping into the hall my phone rang and I had to struggle to keep back a groan when I saw that it was Gabe calling again. I sent the call to voicemail and wondered for the hundredth time in the last month why I had ever wasted a second of my time on his pompous ass. He was over entitled, overly grabby, overly superficial and overly interested in my last name and the fact that my parents were loaded than in me. I wasn’t even interested in dating him, wasn’t interested in dating anyone but my parents had forced my hand and as usual under their pressure I folded and ended up spending more time than I wanted with him. I managed to tolerate him for a lot longer than I thought I would be able to, after all Gabe was way more interested in himself than in me, it wasn’t until he had started pushing for sex, started making me uncomfortable by grabbing and touching things I didn’t want his hands anywhere near that I cut the cord. Unfortunately neither he nor my parents seemed to want to get the message and I had been inundated with calls, texts and emails for the last two weeks. Gabe was easy enough to dodge, my mother not so much.
I was shoving the phone back into my back pocket when a quiet voice stopped me. “What’s going on with you little girl? I’ve been gone for over eighteen months and all I get is a hug and a peck on the cheek before you disappear? Where are the tears, where’s the hysterics that I’m home safe and sound? What’s working in that complicated brain of yours because I can tell something is on your mind?”
I hiccupped a little laugh and let my forehead fall onto the strong chest in front of me. Even battered and bruised Rome was the kind of guy that stood between the people he loved and anything that might possibly hurt them. He patted the top of my head and laid a heavy hand on the back of my neck. “I missed that pretty face Shaw; you don’t know how good it is to be home.”
I shuttered a little and wrapped a carful arm around his waist so that I could give him a squeeze and not hurt him. “I missed you too, Rome. I’m just stressed out. School is crazy right now, I’m working three or four nights a week and my parents won’t get off my back about this guy I just broke up with. You know I love it when we’re all together. I thought your mom was going to have a heart attack when she called to tell me what happened to you. I’m so glad you’re okay, I don’t this family would be able to handle another Archer son going down.”
“No probably not. I can’t believe she still has you playing chuffer to my idiot brother.”
I hooked my arm through his and we started to make our way to the dining room. “It’s the only way he’ll come. If I have to miss it because of school or because something comes up he just blows them off. Half the time when I get to the apartment he doesn’t even know what day it is and has to scramble to get out the door, today would be a prime example of that. If I show up he feels obligated to ride with me no matter what or who he’s in the middle of doing.”
Rome swore under his breath. “It wouldn’t kill that kid to play nice with mom and dad once a week. He shouldn’t need you to be his babysitter.”
I shrugged a shoulder because we both knew that all the Archer brothers had a role. Remy had been the good son, the straight A student, the future Ivy leaguer , he was also the one saddled with the role of keeping Rule out of jail and running interference when his twin got into trouble that he couldn’t talk his way out of. Rule was the wild card, the one that lived life to the fullest and made no apologies for those he might offend or hurt along the way. Rome was the boss, the twins adored him and followed his lead through good and bad because lord knew with the way the three of them looked there was lots and lots of bad thrown their way. With Remy gone it wasn’t a surprise to anyone that Rome had become even more protective of his remaining brother and that I had fallen seamlessly into the role of trying to keep Rule on some kind of path of straight and narrow.
“It’s the least I can do for Margot and Dale. They’ve always done so much for me and asked for so little in return suffering Rule’s wrath once a week is a pretty easy sacrifice to make.”
Something flashed in those eyes that were so much like his brother’s that it sometimes hurt to look into them. Rome wasn’t anyone’s fool and it wouldn’t surprise me if he knew more about all the things I kept locked down than he let on.
“I just don’t want you being the target of Rule being Rule. Mom needs to get over her shit and so does he. Everyone is grown now and life is too short for you to be constantly playing the peacemaker between those two.”
I sighed and lowered my voice as we got to the entrance to room. The table was already set and everyone was already in their regular seats. Dale was at the head of the table, Margot on his right with an open spot for me. His left side was left open for Rome and Rule had taken the seat at the opposite end of the table as far away from both of his parents as he could get. “They need to move past the fact that he’s never going to be Remy, and he has to stop intentionally cramming that fact down their throats. Until one side gives and learns how to forgive it’s always going to be this way.”
He pressed a super light kiss to my temple and gave me a little squeeze back. “I don’t think any of them realize how lucky they are to have you little girl.”