“If you change your mind about the fellowship, you should consider applying at Northwestern,” Dr. Crawford tells Archer. “I’d love to have a surgeon like you on my team.”
“I will consider that. Thank you,” Archer tells him. They shake hands, and Mrs. Crawford thanks me again. Archer keeps a neutral face until we exit the store and make it a good few yards away.
“I have a good feeling about this fellowship now,” he says with a smile.
“Me too. I know it’ll be crappy hours again, but if you’re here, it’ll be okay.”
He tips his head down to mine, pressing a kiss on my forehead. “Yeah. It will be.”
“Now this is fucking awesome.” Archer goes to the edge of the rooftop, making my anxiety shoot up, and looks out over the city. There is a patio on the roof of my building, and while it’s usually occupied, we’re some of the only people up here right now.
“It is. But, uh, can you come away from the edge?”
Archer places his hands on the thick cement railing. It comes up past his waist but still makes me nervous. “Does this freak you out?” he asks and leans forward just a bit. I squeeze my eyes closed. He laughs and comes back. “Babe, I’m fine. But I won’t scare you. Raising your blood pressure isn’t good for Emma.”
“So when I’m not pregnant you plan to freak me out?”
“Oh, totally. I might pull a Michael Jackson and dangle Emma off a balcony or something.”
I swat his arm, pursing my lips. “I would kill you.”
He laughs again. “How’d you do it?”
“It’d probably be a messy heat-of-the-moment type of kill.”
“One of the benefits of being a doctor is knowing how to kill people and have it be untraceable.”
“That’s the whole reason you went to med school, isn’t it?”
“Yep. That’s what’s in that storage locker, but the way.”
“Ah-ha,” I laugh. The first time I stayed with him in Indy, I joked about going through his personal possessions, but the majority of incriminating evidence was stored away. “I knew it.”
He pulls the blanket around us both and holds me close. We brought the cheesecake to the roof to eat and haven’t gone back inside yet. It’s breezy and cold up here tonight, making it perfect for snuggling.
“I miss the stars,” I say distantly, looking up. “I don’t see them too often here.”
Archer moves my hair back out of my face. “You miss Eastwood, don’t you?”
“Yes and no. I miss my family and that small-town feeling, as lame as that sounds. But I like it here.”
I like it here because I like my job…which takes me back to the whole being a stay-at-home mom or not. If I decide to stay home, then I’d like to move back to Eastwood. I have Marissa here and a few others from work that I hang out with occasionally, but that’s it. Would I be lonely? I can’t see myself joining a moms group or anything like that, and there’s only one other couple with a baby in the building. Everyone else who lives here is either single or much older.
“I like Eastwood,” Archer says. “And it’s not lame to like the small-town feeling. I like it too. Ever since I was eighteen, it’s had this sense of safety for me. For obvious reasons.” He exhales heavily. “Going back is always a reprieve.”
“Yeah,” I agree, mind whirling. If I lived in Eastwood, I’d have my whole family around to pitch in with Emma too. Mom took Jackson one night a week when he was a newborn to let Wes and Daisy catch up on sleep. Daisy was already on the verge of flaking out, but that one night where she and Wes got to sleep without interruptions probably kept her from going crazy sooner rather than later.
I’d have built-in babysitters when Archer and I went out on dates. Mom would be just minutes away and able to come over whenever I need her. Other than family, there are other reasons I loved Eastwood growing up, and the pro and con list is heavily skewed with pros.
But the hospital in Eastwood is half the size of the one Archer is at now. He wouldn’t be happy there.
“Getting tired?” he asks.
“Kind of. I’m feeling sickly full.”
“Me too. I shouldn’t have had that third piece.”
“I could hardly finish my one and only piece,” I say with a laugh.
Archer kisses my neck and goosebumps break out along my flesh. “Let’s go in.”
He gathers our stuff and I stand, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders. We go back into my apartment and strip down to our underwear and get into bed.
Archer is leaving in the morning, and we won’t see each other again for another week. He has to work next weekend, but I’m coming down to see him anyway. I want to have sex since it’s going to be a good while until he’s naked and on top of me, but dammit, I’m tired.
Yawning, I nestle against my pillow. Archer takes me in his arms, pulling me against his chest. I resituate and listen to his heart beating, slow and steady.
“Babe, if you’re tired you should get ready for bed.”
“I’m not tired,” I grumble.
“Convincing, Quinn.” He tightens his hold on me and kisses me again. “Come on. You’re going to have an even harder time getting up if you wait.”
“I know. I don’t want to stop snuggling.” I let out a breath, knowing he’s right. He gets up first and helps me to my feet. I’m feeling a little sick again and get ready for bed as quickly as possible. I cuddle up under the covers, waiting for Archer to get in bed.
He’s sitting on the side of the bed, checking something on his phone.
“Want to know something pathetic?”
“Sure,” I answer, opening my eyes.
“I have a week of vacation in late October. I forgot about it.”
“How do you forget about vacation?”
“I scheduled it at the beginning of the year. We should do something.”
That perks me up. “Like what?”
“Go somewhere. Just the two of us. Are you able to get off work?”
“It’s a month away, so it shouldn’t be a problem. I don’t take vacations often either. We could go on a babymoon.”
“Babymoon?”
“It’s a word that basically means a couple goes on vacation before the baby is born. A last hurrah, if you will.”
“I like that. What about Hawaii?”
“Heck yes! Have you been? I haven’t.”
He shakes his head. “I’ve always wanted to go. Or we could do Disney. Oh wait, you can’t do rides. I’ll still go if you want to though.”
“I’d be sad not to go on Tower of Terror and Space Mountain if I’m in Disney. But I do think we should take Emma there for her first vacation.”
“Sure. You can pick where to go. As long as I’m with you, I’m happy. Also, I don’t have a passport.”
I laugh. “Get one. Aruba is gorgeous and not in a hurricane zone. Fall is hurricane season for a lot of tropical places.”
“Good point.” He turns off the bedside lamp and spoons his body around mine. “Pick a place and give me the info. I’ll book everything.”
“Hawaii sounds so nice. Laying on the beach in a bikini is my kind of a vacation.”
“Mine too,” he says, snuggling in closer. “Night, babe. I love you.”
I put my hands on top of Archer’s, heart so full it could burst. “Love you too.”
20
Quinn
I cried when Archer left this morning. I didn’t mean to, and I tried really hard not to, but I’m full of so many damn hormones I can’t help it. Our goodbye lasted longer than it should, and he had to speed to make sure he’s home in time for his call-shift.
He got up early, and after lying in bed worrying about him falling asleep while driving, I called him, and we talked for half an hour. After that, I ended up falling back asleep, and now that I’m up again, I’m keeping my phone by my side. Archer should be arriving at his place in the next half hour or so, and he promised to call as soon as he got in so I know he’s okay.
/> Not wanting to risk sitting around my apartment feeling sorry for myself the rest of the weekend, I get dressed and go get out of the house, going to the pet store for cat food and litter. I usually order everything off Amazon because what’s the point of advancing technology if I’m not going to use it, right?
I’ve been ordering groceries for the last year and I don’t think I can ever go back. It’s just a pain lugging everything from my car to the elevator. A couple on the floor below me have a collapsible wagon, and I used to think it was silly. Now I think it’s genius.
Mom calls as I’m lugging the heavy cat litter down the hall, and I wait to call her back until I’m inside and the litter is in the foyer, where it’ll probably stay for the rest of the day at least.