End Game

by Emily Goodwin

  I laugh. “I had a whole speech planned out and everything. I love you, Quinn. I’ve been in love with you for years.” I extend the ring to her and she takes it, slowly examining the workmanship.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “The two diamonds on either side of the center stone were your grandma’s. She gave them to me at the gender reveal party.”

  Tears fall from Quinn’s eyes.

  “You can put it on, you know,” I say with a smile.

  Quinn sniffles and looks up, meeting my eyes. “No,” she says softly and puts the ring back in my hand.

  30

  Quinn

  “No?” Archer echoes, face paling.

  “I want to hear the speech.” I close Archer’s fingers around the ring. “Ask me like you had it planned.”

  Archer looks down at the ring. “Are you…are you going to say yes?”

  “Yes!” I say, and tears fall from my eyes. “I love you so much, Archer.”

  “I love you too,” he says, wrapping his arms around me. He pulls me onto his lap, and when we kiss, everything fades away. Breathless, I break away, cupping Archer’s face with my hands.

  “How tired are you?”

  “Pretty damn tired.”

  I gently kiss him. “Do you want to get a good night’s sleep and make sure this is what you want?” I ask with a smile.

  “It’s what I’ve always wanted.” He shifts his weight, holding me close. “I brought the ring to Hawaii with me.”

  “You’ve had this since then?”

  “Not that particular one. Your grandma’s ring. I bought this one yesterday.”

  “That was fast,” I say, taking the ring from his hand. It’s gorgeous, with a large oval center stone in between the two diamonds from my grandma’s ring. The entire thing is encrusted in tiny diamonds that glitter and sparkle in the light.

  “The setting was already made. They just had to put in the big stones.”

  “Big stones,” I repeat with a smile. “Ask me now. I want to wear it.”

  Archer raises his eyebrows, laughing. “No. I want to do this right when you’re not expecting it.”

  “I’m literally holding the ring.”

  Archer takes it from me and puts it back in his pocket. “I’ll ask you later.”

  “Did you just take back your proposal?”

  “You said no.”

  Shaking my head, I lean in to kiss him again. “You’re lucky I love you.”

  He hugs me tight, then looks out at the yard. “I think one of the dogs got into something.”

  “Really? This is why I like cats.” I get up and hurry to the door. I see Rufus and Chrissy roughhousing in the grass, Boots sitting on a lounge chair, and Carlos digging something in the corner. “I don’t—”

  I cut off when I turn around, seeing Archer down on one knee. “You weren’t expecting that, were you?”

  “No, not at all.” I can’t help the smile that takes over my face.

  “What started as a teenage crush has turned into something more,” he says, looking into my eyes. “You went from the hottest girl in the world to the most amazing woman in the world. I like waking up with you, even though you sleep with a million blankets and I wake up all sweaty.”

  I laugh and bring my hand into my chest, feeling so much for him right now.

  “And if I start every day hot and sweaty but next to you, I’ll be the luckiest man in the world.”

  I knew this was coming yet I’m still getting emotional. Archer opens the ring box.

  “Will you marry me?”

  “Yes!”

  Archer stands and wraps me in his arms. “Good. I was a little worried there you changed your mind.”

  Laughing, I bring my hands to his chest, looking into his eyes. “I would have if the speech was a letdown. I had high expectations, you know. You nailed it. Not too long with just the right amount of sap. Can I try on the ring now?”

  He takes it back out of the box and slides it on my finger. It’s a little big, but not so much I can’t wear it. We kiss again, and the garage door opens. Wiping my eyes, I turn to see who it is.

  “Did you do it already?” Dean asks.

  “Yeah,” Archer replies, still holding me tight in his arms. “I couldn’t wait any longer.”

  “Wait,” I start, looking from Dean to Archer and Dean again. “You knew?”

  “I did,” Dean tells me. Kara steps in behind him, smiling. “I was going to record the thing. We know how you like pictures and videos and stuff.” Dean kicks off his shoes and comes into the living room. “So I’m guessing you said yes.”

  “He had to do some begging, but I finally took pity and said yes.”

  “I did have to bribe her with diamonds,” Archer says.

  “Congrats, guys!” Kara says, holding up a camera. “We missed the action, but do you still want a photo?”

  “Yeah,” Archer says, turning his body into mine. “What was that one pose you suggested to them?”

  “Put your hand on my waist,” I tell him, and hold up my left hand. This time, it’s anything but awkward.

  I pull the blankets up around us and lean back on the pillows, looking at my hand. We’re still at my parents’ house, and after going out for a celebratory dinner with my family, Archer and I went to bed.

  “Do you like it?” Archer asks, hooking his arm around me. He’s exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, and needs to go to sleep.

  “I love it. It’s beautiful. And having my Nana’s diamonds in it makes it even more special.”

  “It also made it possible for me to get you a bigger center stone,” he jokes.

  “It’s massive.”

  “Yep. I know,” Archer says, nodding. “Oh, you were talking about the ring?”

  “Hah, and yes to the ring, but that other thing is massive too.”

  “I wanted to get you something fitting for a doctor’s wife,” he jokes.

  “Right. I can quit working and become your trophy wife now. You’ll be my sugar daddy.”

  “You still have more money than me,” he laughs. “Give me a few years.”

  I nestle my head against him, and everything feels perfect. And it is, in a sense, but there’s still so much up in the air. Remembering Weston’s words about the need for important communication, I lift my head off his chest and look into his eyes.

  “What are you going to do about work now that you turned down the fellowship?”

  “I’m going to give Dr. Crawford a call and apply to Northwestern as well as every other hospital within driving distance from your apartment.” He takes in a slow, deep breath and runs his hands through my hair. “You need to know that even though I’m not taking the fellowship, I’ll still be busy with work, especially within the first year or two. I’ll be on call a lot, and will work weekends and holidays and there’s nothing I can do about that.”

  “I know. I’ll miss you, but we’ll make do. Emma and I can come visit you at work or something if that happens.”

  “I’ve thought about this a lot,” he says. “Pretty much the whole way I was in the car driving from the airport. Which was a long time since traffic was terrible.”

  “Thinking about what a lot?”

  “How there’s a good chance I’ll be working over Thanksgiving or Christmas next year.”

  “Oh, right.”

  “And if we were in Chicago and it was one of my on-call nights, I couldn’t leave to come back here to spend the holiday with your family.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll stay in Chicago with you. You’ll be my husband by then.”

  “I know,” he says softly. “But then I think of you sitting alone in the apartment on Christmas while I’m stuck at the hospital and it upsets me.”

  “You’re a surgeon, Arch. I knew that from the start. It comes with the territory and I’m fine with that.”

  “What if there was a solution?”

  Not seeing where he’s going with this, I sit up and give him a q
uizzical look. “That’d be great. What is it?”

  “We move here.”

  “Here? As in, Eastwood here?”

  “Yeah. That way you’ll be close to your family so when I’m doing an overnight shift at the hospital or attending to patients on Christmas morning, you and Emma won’t be alone.”

  I blink, heart rapidly beating in my chest. I hadn’t thought of that because I know Archer won’t like it at a small county hospital.

  “You’ll hate it at the Eastwood hospital.”

  “I will for like a year or two.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “What’ll change after a year?”

  “The new hospital.” He smiles, entire face lighting up. “Dean told me about the plans to tear down the current hospital and build a new one, replacing the smaller hospitals in the surrounding towns. It’ll serve the entire county. The outpatient offices will be in the same area, and there’s a chance of partnering with one of the nearby colleges for teaching opportunities.”

  “How does Dean know about it?”

  “Your dad’s company is doing some of the construction. The plans went through not long after I turned down the job, but I’m not above going back and begging for another interview.”

  “Wow,” I say, taking it all in. I’m overcome with emotion again from Archer being so willing to do whatever it takes for our family. “What do you want to do? Don’t think about me this time.”

  He laughs. “You’re the deciding factor in everything, babe. You and Emma. Before, I wanted to keep going with schooling until they kicked me out, but that was because I didn’t have anything else. Being busy kept me distracted from how much I wanted you, because I have for years. And now that I have you…I want us to be a family. I like Eastwood. It feels like home to me now too.”

  “You haven’t answered the question.” I rake my fingers through his hair and his eyelids become heavy. “What will make you the happiest? Don’t overthink it. Just answer.”

  “I want to get married, build a house, and raise Emma in Eastwood. I’ll probably knock you up again not long after you have our first kid, so being by family is a priority.” He tips his head down to mine. “My parents even want to move here. They think it’ll be good for Bobby to get a fresh start away from his junkie friends.”

  “Oh. I hope it is. Though there are a fair share of meth labs scattered in barns in the more rural parts of the county.” I turn off the bedside light and lay down, rubbing Archer’s back with my right hand. My left wrist has been aching again, and I’m trying not to move it so it’ll rest and get better. The brace will clash with my new ring.

  I kiss Archer’s lips and smile. “Then I guess we better move here too.”

  31

  Archer

  “Everything was perfect at the latest scan,” I say, taking the ultrasound photos from Quinn. We’re at her parents’ house again, two weeks after getting engaged. It’s Thursday afternoon and a bit early for dinner, but Quinn has to drive back to the city tonight for work in the morning. I was able to get back in for an interview at the local hospital, and after talking with the head surgeon again, I think things went as well as they can after you turn down a job because you didn’t think it’d be challenging enough.

  “The OB thinks she’s going to be big,” Quinn says, cutting into her chicken.

  “You are looking like a beached whale already,” Owen tells her with a wink.

  “I think you look radiant,” Logan counters. “Simply beautiful.”

  “Flattery isn’t going to make you be the godfather, dumbass,” Owen spits, rolling his eyes at his twin.

  “We already know it’s going to be me,” Dean counters, twisting the cap off a hard lemonade. Owen and Logan have been giving him shit all evening for drinking those over beer. “Archer is my best friend.”

  “How was the interview?” Mr. Dawson asks, talking over the guys bickering.

  “I think it went well,” I tell him. “I’m hoping for a letter of recommendation from a doctor at Northwestern.”

  “I’ll blackmail him into it,” Quinn says with a smile. “I’ll refuse to let his son shadow me at work if he doesn’t write you one.”

  Logan raises an eyebrow. “That’s not blackmail.”

  “It’s along the same line,” Mrs. Dawson muses. “But I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Mr. Dawson nods. “We got the plans for the offices approved today. I’ll have to show you.”

  “I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” I reply, though I am curious to see the plans. Mr. Dawson’s already pulling out his phone and opening the email with the sketches. I imagine my name on the sign in front of the building.

  “I have a good feeling about it.” Quinn rests her hand on my thigh. “And I’m always right.”

  “Usually right,” I say with a smile.

  “So, have you two thought about when you want to get married?” Kara asks, trying to sound casual. Quinn and I both know she’s worried we’re going to get married before Emma is born, which means having our wedding before hers and Dean’s.

  I had wanted to at first, but Quinn wants to wait and not be pregnant at our wedding. And with everything else we have going on, planning a wedding is the last thing we want to do right now.

  “I’ve always wanted a June wedding,” Quinn answers and Kara visibly relaxes before tensing again.

  “This June?”

  “Next,” I tell her, looking at Quinn. “Emma will be a year old and can maybe walk down the aisle as the flower girl.”

  “And I’ll have time to lose the baby weight,” Quinn adds with a laugh.

  Mrs. Dawson gets excited. “Do you have any idea what type of wedding you’d like? Outdoor weddings are beautiful in June around here.”

  “Mom,” Quinn says slowly. She doesn’t want to upstage Kara and Dean or take the attention away from their wedding any more than she already is, even though it’s through no fault of her own. But that’s Quinn for you, always thinking of others.

  Fuck, I’m so lucky.

  “We’re not in a rush or anything, okay?” Quinn smiles, trying to tell her mom to chill the fuck out as nicely as she can. “Right now, we’re focused on work and having a baby.”

  “Right.” Mrs. Dawson unfolds her napkin and puts it on her lap. We say grace and then start eating. We make it maybe thirty seconds before Mrs. Dawson starts talking about future plans again.

  “Assuming you do get the job here, what’s the next step?”

  “Look for somewhere temporary to live until Quinn can join me.”

  Mr. Dawson turns to Quinn. “You won’t be out here by the end of the year?”

  Quinn flicks her eyes to me. “We’re not sure,” I answer.

  “Not sure?” Mrs. Dawson echoes.

  “Assuming we get the green light on starting this company,” Quinn explains. “It’ll be a while before I can operate from a remote location. And I’ll still work through a full two-week notice before leaving my current job. I’ll be here before Emma, that’s for sure.”

  We’re in love, getting married, and starting our family. But proposing didn’t make all our other issues go away, and we still have shit to sort through until we’ll finally be together. She’s going back to Chicago and I’m going back to Indy for the time being, which fucking sucks.

  But we’ll get through it together.

  “I was hoping,” Quinn starts, putting her hand on her stomach. She does that whenever Emma moves, and I don’t think she realizes it. It’s become a habit and it’s adorable. “When I’m here for Thanksgiving, Dad, you could show me some lots for sale.” She looks at me, green eyes sparkling. “We want to build.”

  Mr. Dawson beams. “I can certainly do that.”

  “Are you coming for Thanksgiving?” Dean asks me.

  “No. I work that weekend. But my residency contract is up before Christmas. It’ll be the first time since med school I haven’t worked on Christmas.”

  “We’ll make sure to have the best Chri
stmas ever then.” Quinn smiles at me, then picks up her water to take a drink. She was a little disappointed to hear about Thanksgiving and was more than willing to come down to Indy and eat a to-go Thanksgiving feast in the hospital cafeteria with me. Just offering was enough for me, and it took a lot of convincing to get her to go to her parents’ instead—and save me a plate or two of leftovers.

  “We can break ground once the frost-laws are lifted in the spring,” Mr. Dawson says. “But it’ll still take several months until the house is built.”

  “I know,” Quinn tells him. “We’ll probably rent something downtown until then.

  “Live here!” Mrs. Dawson exclaims.

  Logan lets out a snort of laughter. “They finally move in together and live here,” he says sarcastically.

  “What’s wrong with here?” Mrs. Dawson shakes her head. “I’ll be around to help with the baby.”

  The dogs start barking and scuttle to the garage door. Jackson runs in ahead of Wes, lunging into my arms. I pick him up, setting him on my lap, and he picks food off my plate to eat.

  “Sorry we’re late,” Weston says, stepping over the dogs. He came from work and is still wearing his police uniform. “I was talking to Sheriff Reynolds.”

  “Everything okay with him?” Mr. Dawson asks as Wes pulls up a chair.

  “Yeah. He thinks I should run for Sheriff once his term is up though.” Wes shakes his head like the idea is crazy.

  “You should!” everyone agrees at the same time.

  Wes shakes his head. “I’ll think about it.” He picks up his fork and knife, cutting into the chicken on his plate. “How’d the interview go today, Archer?”

  “Good,” I say, and set Jackson in his spot next to me. Looking around the table, I know we made the right choice. Things still aren’t ideal, with Quinn having to stay in Chicago for another few months, but perfect doesn’t have to be ideal.

  32

  Quinn

  “You’re such a bitch for leaving,” Marissa says, standing next to my desk. “I’m going to miss you.”