by Heather Long
Not missing a beat, Bubba flipped me off.
“That said…” I continued with a grin this time as I glanced over to find Frankie watching me. The warmth in her green eyes eased some of the tension right out of my shoulders. “Sometimes, we have to just confront each other and not let the other one get away with burying or dismissing what they’re feeling or thinking. It’s easy to say what is happening to them is more important than what is happening to me.”
“Even when we’re not always thrilled with the confrontation,” Frankie pointed out. Then she blew out a breath. “At the beginning of the school year after I’d avoided them all summer, they found different ways of calling me on it. Jake tends to be more direct, while Coop prefers sneak attacks.” She glanced at Archie and then Bubba. “Archie and Ian are a lot more subtle.”
I snorted. “Archie is not subtle.”
“Bite me,” Archie retorted with a smirk. “I can be subtle.”
“‘Can’ and ‘are’ are two very different things,” I countered. “You tend to bulldoze your way into or around a situation until you can take control. You also prefer ambushes.”
Archie’s eyes narrowed, but it was Bubba who cut a look at me. “Sometimes, we prefer patience and letting everyone else figure out what they are doing before we decide to take the matter out of their hands.”
“Until someone decides to confess something that doesn’t just involve them but throws everyone else under the bus.” Coop’s tone was idle, but the faint whiteness around his knuckles wasn’t.
“Point,” Archie said. “We don’t get to make arbitrary decisions for each other.”
“Oh, we don’t?” Bubba’s tone was mild, but there was a crackle of tension in the air.
“And this is where I whistle because they are going to start arguing,” Frankie said almost patiently, and I flicked a look to her. “Or I let it go, because for the most part, they can settle the disputes on their own.”
“How do their disputes make you feel?”
It was like someone snapped a switch, and all of us focused on her.
“Sometimes they frustrate me,” she admitted, picking at some invisible piece of lint on her shorts. She also shot Archie an apologetic smile, but he just kissed her hand and I had to bite back my own rolled eyes response. I could hate the guy, but he just did it. He charmed her. He always had. It wasn’t even something he had to fucking try at.
Asshole.
“Other times, I think they’re ridiculous,” Frankie said with a wry smile. “Sometimes, I just want to leave them to sort it out, and sometimes, I want to throw things at them so they’ll knock it off. But I always know they care about each other and that if they are fighting, it’s because they have their own points of view. I just never want them to fight over me.”
“That’s gonna happen, Baby Girl,” I said before the others could jump in, and it was my turn to lean forward and study her. “We love you. All of us. We all want what is best for you. Now, we don’t always agree on what is best, but I’d like to think we’ve figured out a few things along the way.”
“Agreed,” Bubba said slowly, and Coop nodded. That just left Archie, and as I stared at him, he gave me a slow smirk.
Really?
“Yeah,” he admitted with a faint chuckle. “Fine, I’ve learned that I can’t fix everything, even when I want to. But I also know it’s easier to fix things when I have backup, and there’s no one else I’d rather have at my back than you idiots.”
“Oh man, dial down the love,” Coop said with a gasp. “You’re going to make me blush.”
Frankie laughed, and for a split second, I forgot we were in the middle of this group session. It was just us, hanging out, figuring things out.
That was how we would make this work.
Even when we struggled, we’d find a way to talk and to laugh.
When all else failed, yelling worked too.
Ian
The session went on that way for a while. Erin would poke us with a question and get us talking. It took a little time, but everyone—especially Frankie—relaxed. I supposed that was the best time for the psychologist to ask her next question.
“What do you think will be your biggest challenge over the next few months?” Erin looked at Frankie, and so did I. Honestly, I thought our biggest struggles would be keeping Frankie from vanishing into college academia. She loved a good challenge, and it had been a while since she really faced one. College was going to provide her with so many opportunities.
I was both hungry for her to discover them all and worried about how fast she’d burn out trying to balance all of us, the singing, the classes, business with Archie, and that was just off the top of my head.
“Finding a new place to live,” Frankie said slowly. “We’ve talked about living together for college forever, even before we were dating.” The corners of her mouth tipped up a little higher. “And before we wander back down the garden path of Frankie is dense, I know part of that was because you guys wanted to keep me safe as much as anything, but now it’s like we’re moving our whole household.”
“We are,” Archie pointed out. “We’ve all been living in the apartment, more or less, for months.”
“Except,” I pointed out, “here we can go back to our parents’ places for a night or two. We can create privacy for Frankie or for Frankie and someone else.” Like they had for us last night.
“That’s gonna be harder in New York,” Frankie mused. “Places are so expensive there. I mean, the apartment here is a tight fit for five of us, how hard does it get when all five of us are jammed into a smaller place?”
Coop chuckled. “Archie is not gonna let us get stuck in some cramped apartment, Frankie. Seriously, have you met him? He’s going to find us a really swanky place, then convince you it was a fantastic idea, and you’ll argue, we’ll harass him, and in the end, we’ll move into it because we need the space and he can afford it. Even if the rest of us are going to have to find a way to add to our portion.”
“Actually,” Archie said, tracing a finger against the back of Frankie’s hand, “I’m not the only one who can afford it. Besides…this isn’t about money.”
“Yes,” I agreed with him. “It isn’t specifically about the money. But at the same time, we have our pride, Arch. We want to be participants. It’s not just Archie takes care of Frankie and we bum along for the ride.”
“I know that.” Archie scowled. “I have the money to make things more comfortable. You guys bring as much to the table.”
“Yeah, but when it comes down to providing—” Jake began, but it was Frankie who cut us all off.
“We’re not doing this part,” she said and then looked at Erin. “There are sore points. Money is one, and it has been between Archie and me before. He is one of the most generous people I know, but supporting myself is important.”
“But you just came into a great deal of wealth,” Erin offered.
“And I have no idea what to do with that,” Frankie said, and she glanced to us. “That’s something I still have to figure out. The point is, we’re a team. Maybe someone has a little more money and someone else knows how to cook.”
“Not Archie,” Coop sneezed with a grin, and Archie flipped him off. The rest of us laughed. But well, Coop wasn’t wrong.
“I think we all push each other in different ways. But I don’t ever want to get tied up over the money.”
“You just want to be tied up over other things,” Jake teased, but I stared at him until he spread his hands. Right. Teasing her was one thing, but Frankie barely noticed it.
I did.
“I think what we’re all saying here is that each of us takes point on something. Sometimes we’re content to go with the flow, sometimes we want to drive. Archie fixes things, we all know it. In this case, finding a place for us to live together, and if it costs a little more, he’s going to fix it. But I’m keeping a tab going. I want to be a partner in this, and if that means I pay more in later to cove
r today, I’m okay with that.”
Archie locked gazes with me for a long moment, then he nodded. He didn’t like it. He didn’t have to like it. The point was to make sure we were all partners. That meant sometimes one got a little more and that was okay. It all evened out in the end.
“What I want to know,” Coop said almost too idly, “is if I’m tackling more than my fair share of the cooking since some of us don’t, does that help even it out too?”
“Absolutely,” Archie said. “And you can do all the cooking you want. I’m down for the laundry and the cat litter boxes too if you want those. I think that’s equitable.”
Frankie groaned, but the comments had perforated the tension, and if my read on Erin was right, she was pleased with what she saw amongst us. We weren’t perfect.
Far from it.
But we were good for each other.
Frankie was good for us.
Best of all…we made her happy.
That goal alone made working through everything else worth it.
Chapter Eleven
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Frankie
The group session went way better than I’d expected. Even with the guys being wildly competitive and making little digs at each other, Erin seemed to like them. Well, like might not be the word. We had a brief talk at the end without the guys, and she applauded me on the communication and openness we demonstrated.
“Even with all the one-upping they’re doing?” Don’t get me wrong, I adored them, and that behavior had always been a part of their charm. It was normal for them, but it had been absent for a while.
“They hold genuine affection for each other, and they are all very much bonded in their desire to protect and take care of you,” Erin said with a smile. “I’d be more worried if they didn’t have that kind of a relationship. It shows just how relaxed they are with each other. That’s wonderful. But let me ask you that same question—how do you feel about the competitiveness?”
“For the most part, it’s them,” I admitted with a little sigh, then grinned. “Teasing and ragging each other has always been part of their charm. Usually, they reserve it for video games.” I rolled my eyes and then laughed. “But it happens other times too. It’s just been a while. So maybe you’re right—maybe they are relaxing too.”
“Remember, if you’re worried or have questions, ask them. Don’t assume.”
“Oh no, I won’t be assuming again.” I knew better now. The previous summer had been a very uncomfortable lesson on that subject.
“Good. I have a couple of questions for you. You don’t have to answer me now, but I want to give you time to think about it.”
“All right.”
“Question number one, do you feel like you want to continue therapy once you get to New York?”
I hesitated. I actually hadn’t thought about that.
“Question number two, if you feel like you should continue and would like some references, I actually have three or four recommendations for you.”
Erin was the best.
“Do you think I need more therapy?” Despite my initial leeriness about seeing a shrink or even admitting that I had any kind of problem, I’d found a strong ally in Erin.
“That’s a question only you can answer. That’s why I want you to think about it. Okay?”
I grinned at her. “Okay.”
The guys were quiet after therapy, but Jake and Coop were both planning to do some deliveries. I debated it, but Archie caught my eye and raised his brows in question. He wanted to talk to me, and I’d been somewhat avoiding the financial discussions for the last few days.
I wanted to groan, but that wasn’t fair to him. Ian glanced between us, then dropped a kiss on my lips before he left us alone.
“I promise,” Archie said as he tugged me toward the sofa, “it’s not as bad as you’re thinking.”
Making a face, I dropped onto the sofa next to him and sighed. “Archie, you’re going to ask me what I want to do with all of it, and my answer hasn’t changed. It didn’t change when we had breakfast with our grandparents… Also, how weird is that to say ‘our’ grandparents?”
An indulgent smile creased his face. “I know, babe, and it’s kind of cool to say it. Grandpa Ted adores you already. But you knew that.”
Eyes rolling, I couldn’t help but grin. “I like him too. Even if he makes me want to ask him dozens of questions.”
Archie chuckled. “Fair. Now…” He covered my hands with his. “You have no idea what to do with the trust fund or how to assess your current financial standing, particularly in light of the Standish stock.”
“First of all, the Standish stock should be yours.”
“Edward gave it to you.”
“Because he thought I was his daughter.” Another shudder of revulsion went through me. I never wanted to live through those days again. It had been such a hellish time.
“Hey,” Archie squeezed my hands. “When he gave you those stocks, he knew you weren’t his daughter.”
Head tilted back, I sighed. “That makes it worse somehow.”
“I don’t know, it makes me think he’s human, which has been in doubt for a long time.”
Cutting a look at him, I frowned. “I am still surprised he came to graduation.” We hadn’t discussed Maddy’s presence there, and frankly, I was quite content to continue ignoring it.
“Honestly, I was more surprised by Muriel.” Archie shrugged. “Then again, I made it clear I was done with her, and she’s taking it seriously. A part of her probably doesn’t want to be cut off from potential future funds, though I imagine the divorce will leave her with a tidy sum.”
Disgust curled through me. I hated his parents so much. “But Edward being there didn’t surprise you?”
“No, he’s already made a couple of moves to try and test the waters where a relationship with me is concerned.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Down, beautiful girl,” he soothed, going so far as to lift my hand to kiss it gently. “Edward has a lot to answer for, but I put my need for their approval to bed a long time ago. If he wants to make an effort now, I’m inclined to allow it. That doesn’t mean I trust it, nor am I going out of my way regarding it.”
“Still…”
“Still, you want to protect me, and I love you for it.” Another kiss to my palm. “This is not about that. This is about sorting out your finances so you’re comfortable with them. I don’t know if you’re aware of just how much money you came into.”
A sigh rippled through me, and I fell back against the sofa. “I looked at the numbers the other day when you guys were killing each other in that new version of Halo.”
“It wasn’t Halo, but I get it.” Archie leaned into the sofa next to me. He sat sideways so he could stare down at my face. I loved the way his brown eyes would soften and almost seem to lighten a shade when he looked at me. I loved how the tense lines at his mouth always eased and the sinful smirk relaxed into something far more affectionate.
Archie Standish might be brutal in how he handled others, but that side of him never touched me. Not that way. “I love you,” I told him.
“And I love you, stop trying to distract me. Even if you presented me with your delectable breasts and begged me to suck the nipples until you were so wet, I could lick your juices from your thighs, we still need to talk about this.”
Goddammit.
I shifted on the sofa and pressed my thighs together. His utterly unrepentant grin made my stomach do a flip-flop. “You know exactly what you do to me.”
“Mmm-hmm,” he replied, humming a pleased note. “It’s only fair since you utterly devastate me. Now focus, Frankie, before we have to resort to birth names and you threaten my balls.”
Laughter bubbled up through the desire he kindled, and I cupped his cheek. “You’re terrible.”
“And all yours, so deal with it.”
Yes, he was mine.
“Focus, Frankie,” he c
ontinued, and I stuck my tongue at him. He only winked. “The point here is you have access to a great deal of wealth, and I want you to be comfortable with it. You do not have to make a lot of decisions right now, but some are necessary. For example, the shares you have in Standish gives you voting rights.”
I groaned.
“Hush and listen, my beautiful, brilliant lady. That mind of yours is as sharp as your heart is big. You can handle this.”
The encouragement was almost as sexy as the dirty teasing. Pulling my legs up so I could sit crisscross, I turned to face him. “Okay, I can handle it. Tell me what you’re thinking, because I know you. You have a plan.”
“I have the elements of a plan,” he conceded. “I cannot, however, dive into it without involving you. This has to be your call, even if I would be delighted to deal with every single battle for you, this one included.”
“But you trust me to make those decisions for myself.” I don’t know which of us was more impressed. Archie or me. Still…
“I trust you to know your own mind, Frankie. I trust you to follow your instincts. Making those decisions for you might protect you in the short-term, but it doesn’t help in the long-term. You want to be partners, not the princess.”
“Who says I can’t be both?” Not that I had any desire to be the princess, but Archie got that and his eyes warmed.
“You’ll always be my princess, and I will always protect you,” he told me in the most sincere tone that could have been sappy as hell, yet wasn’t. “But as your partner, I want to advise you that your income has increased significantly. The amount already available to you from your trust fund will not only pay for the relocation to Manhattan, but cover all four years of your college and probably two years of a master’s, as well as cost of living in the city with extras thrown in. Easily.”
I wanted to throw up.
“Breathe,” he told me, tracing his fingers up to my temple before beginning to massage my scalp as he brushed the hair away from my face. “That doesn’t take into account the fact you have a scholarship to cover college.”
