Dream Boy

by Cassie-Ann L. Miller

  "Don't get too comfortable down there on the floor," Reese says, as she pads over to stir the pots on the stove. Her voice lowers conspiratorially as her eyes flit to the back porch where the men are gathered around the grill. "I want you to meet Archie."

  My belly flips over with nerves. "Ugh! You still haven't let that go?"

  "Come over here and get a look at him.” Nova waves me over with one hand. "Don’t let all that hotness to catch you by surprise. Come. Take a minute. Breathe in. Absorb all the hotness. Become one with the hotness.”

  I chuckle. "I can see him just fine from over here." My eyes fan over his form and the black coffee I had for breakfast six hours ago bubbles in the hollow of my stomach.

  Damn it, he's gorgeous.

  His handsome profile is a bit harder now. His hair is longer, too. Just long enough for sliding probing fingers through. My fingers twitch, wondering what it would feel like. His white T-shirt doesn't stand a chance against that broad back and the corded muscles in his arms. Black sweatpants hang low on his hips and the tight roundness of his glutes is almost obscene. Just looking at him has me sweating.

  Fanning myself with my hand, I speak to Reese. "Is the air conditioner broken? Gosh, open the windows in here or something. I’m about to start melting." Before anyone can respond, I’m over by the sink, flinging the windows open, one by one.

  While I’m struggling to unhook one of the latches, the back door slides open. Laughing wildly, Brenton bursts through the curtain of birthday decorations hanging in the doorway. I throw a glance over my shoulder in his direction and my heart tumbles into my belly...

  Archie is there in the doorway, broad and tall and majestically rugged. He's grinning from ear to ear as he follows Brenton into the room.

  Our eyes meet.

  His steps falter.

  His smile freezes.

  The sheer violence of his beauty causes my body to spin around without my brain's approval. My throat tightens painfully as I try to shove words out of my mouth. "H-hi..." is all I can manage.

  He blinks rapidly. His smile is back and it's more glorious than ever. "Hi.”

  Charlie pushes past him and comes tromping into the kitchen. A quick kiss lands on Nova's forehead then he glances at me. “What’s up, Soph? Nice dress." He gives me a playful jab in the shoulder before he yanks open the fridge door. "This is Archie, by the way. Archibald Jones. He served with Leo and me." He crouches down in front of the vegetable drawer and starts rummaging around. "This is Sophia Gallo,” he tells Archie. “We go wayyy back. We used to live across the street from each other when we were teenagers."

  I try to add something to the conversation but it feels like concrete has hardened in my windpipe. "Oh, uh, I..."

  A knowing smirk rides Archie's plush mouth as his attention travels the length of my body, making every inch of me prickle. His teeth sink into his bottom lip for a fraction as his nostrils flare and I'd kill to know what he's thinking right now.

  Slowly, his hand lifts from his side and extends to me. "Nice to meet you, Sophia Gallo. A pleasure." His eyes twinkle with innuendo.

  His big, rough palm slides against mine, tightening around my fingers. It's all electricity. And when he brushes his lips over my knuckles, my heart smashes about in my chest.

  I distantly hear Charlie muttering something about his friend being a charmer. The words drown beneath the ruckus of my blood whooshing through my ears. I know that everyone in the room is staring but that’s really low on my priority list. I’m trying to focus on not dissolving into denim-clad pile of mush.

  "It's nice to meet you." I barely manage to squeak out as I pull my hand back.

  And Archie absolutely loves watching me squirm. "It really is a nice dress…" he whispers close to my ear.

  His hot stare tracks down my body again and I know he’s scheming.

  He’s trying to figure out what it’ll take to get me out of my clothes. Oh, boy. I think I’m in trouble.

  7

  Archie

  Leaning my weight against the deck's wooden railing, I twirl my empty beer bottle around between my fingers. I steal a look over at the picnic table across the yard. My eyes collide with hers.

  Again.

  She freezes like a deer in the headlights when I catch her. Then she blinks half a dozen times in rapid succession, snaps her head away and stabs at the salad on her plate with her fork.

  Again.

  And a smile unfolds across my face. The chemistry between us is still there, that lust simmering right beneath the surface. I haven’t forgotten what it was like between us when we first met. Her touch. Her kiss. The electrical storm that danced in the air all around us.

  This thing between us is half-finished and I have every intention of getting right back into it while I’m here in Copper Heights. She isn’t going to make it easy, though.

  After our awkward “introduction” in the kitchen, Sophia was eager to escape into the backyard. Now she’s sitting with the group of women eating, laughing and gossiping under the shade of the huge white oak. But she can’t stop her gaze from repeatedly drifting over to me and I can’t take my eyes off of her.

  She looks gorgeous. So pretty and demure in her girlish denim dress with her dark hair parted down the middle and carefully tucked behind her ears. She’s more curvaceous than when we met. Two years ago, she’d been slim and athletic with long, slender limbs and a slight slope to her ass. Now, she’s filled in in all the right places. Her plump breasts swell against the neckline of her dress and the denim she’s wearing flutters around her widened hips.

  And I’m a man, so of course I want to get my hands on that luscious body. But beyond all that, I freaking missed the girl.

  It’s weird to admit that to myself because the way we left things, we were never supposed to see each other after that night. But the moment I laid eyes on her again, it hit me just how deeply I’ve craved her presence all this time.

  But she pretended not to know me when Charlie introduced us today. No one realized that she was lying.

  It's our little secret.

  If that's the way she wants to play it, I'm game. A little plausible deniability is always fun. But I’ve got to admit, it kind of stings that she hasn’t mentioned me.

  I mean, even when I was halfway around the world, in a dense, mosquito-infested jungle, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I was scribbling out postcards to Leo and Charlie, gushing about the unforgettable woman I met just days before shipping out.

  Of course, I didn’t tell them she’d been at a bar in a wedding dress, because they’d just chalk it up to Archie being Archie. Impulsive, reckless, always looking for trouble.

  It was more than that, though. It was more than me being up to my usual shenanigans.

  When I saw Sophia sitting alone at the bar, crying quietly, invisible to everyone around, a part of her reached out to the deepest part of me. I couldn’t just look the other way. She needed a hero that night. And approaching her may just be the craziest thing I’ve ever done, but I regret nothing.

  On the edge of my consciousness, I hear Charlie yapping away. "...And I know they may not be the type of guys you'd grab a beer with on the weekend or have a deep, meaning-of-life conversation with. But business is business. They're your coworkers. On the worksite, you're gonna have to put your differences aside. Because at the end of the day—"

  Leo's gruff laughter cuts through Charlie’s monologue. "I'm willing to bet Archie hasn't heard a word you've said over the past five minutes." My eyes snap away from Sophia and shift back to the grill where Charlie is flipping the burgers. Leo grabs my empty bottle and slips another cold beer into my hand. "He's too busy with his eyes on Sophia." Leo bounces around as he speaks to entertain the baby strapped to his chest.

  I toss a cursory glance in Charlie's direction. "I get it, man. I won't cause trouble on your worksite. Now, give me a break." My attention wanders back to Sophia at the picnic table across the yard. I tip the neck of my bottle in h
er direction. “Is she seeing anybody?” Gulping from my beer, I try to mask how deeply I’m invested in the answer to that question.

  Leo sees right through me, anyway. “Nah, she’s not seeing anyone,” he tells me with a sly grin. “But that’s all the information I’m giving you. If you want any more details on her, you’re gonna have to ask her yourself.”

  I glare at him.

  He stands firm in his position. “I’m a grown man, Archibald. This isn’t some Friday night sleepover in the 4th grade. You won’t get the gossip from me. Go talk to her.”

  Charlie nods in agreement.

  These assholes won’t budge an inch. All afternoon, I’ve been trying to grill my friends for information about her but they won’t give up the goods. They keep saying that if I want the details about Sophia, I have to get those details myself.

  They’re trying to push us together and I’m not opposed to that idea one bit. It appears that she, on the other hand, is less than willing. And she’d rather pretend that we don’t know each other at all.

  My chest squeezes when I glance at her and again, our eyes meet.

  I grin. She looks away.

  You're killin' me, Daisy.

  8

  Sophia

  Soph, you can just leave all those dishes right there. I’ll take care of them in the morning.” Reese bounces Lennox on her hip as she goes around the room picking up discarded paper plates and plastic utensils. A weary Brenton clings to her leg, whining about not wanting to go to bed. She looks pretty weary herself.

  “I don’t mind loading the dishwasher,” I tell her. “I just spoke to Angie. She said that River’s already sleeping so I’ll just pick her up in the morning.”

  Reese gives me a look over her shoulder. “How’s Angie doing? Is she over the morning sickness phase yet?”

  “Oh, yeah. She’s all good now. She’s just trying to babysit River every chance she can get. She says it’s practice for when her baby comes.” I chuckle.

  My sister is due to give birth in a few months. For now, River is her crash test baby. And my little girl doesn’t mind one bit because her auntie spoils her beyond her wildest imagination.

  “Aww,” Reese coos. “You’re so lucky she can help you out.”

  I nod as I slide a handful of silverware into the utensil compartment of the dishwasher. “I am. Especially with the whole situation with my parents.”

  “Things aren’t getting better with them?” My friend’s brow pleats with concern.

  I lift a shoulder. “We have good days and bad. I guess there’ll always be some tension in our relationship but, y’know, they love River and I hope that soon they’ll finally got to the point where they realize there’s no point in being pissed about the past.” I’m downplaying the situation. My parents’ approval means a lot to me, especially my mother’s, and over the past two years, I haven’t exactly been in their good graces.

  Gianni and Agata Gallo were not happy when my wedding got canceled and they were even more disgruntled when they found out that I was pregnant.

  To my mom, the blemish on her social status was not welcome. Plus, it put a big strain on her relationship with Josh’s mom who happens to be the head-bitch-in-charge of their social circle. Mom was more concerned with the smear to her reputation than the actual tangible, real life implications of single parenthood on me. I can’t pretend that didn’t hurt.

  But it’s water under the bridge now. We’re trying to move on and forge some kind of relationship again.

  My friend gives me an encouraging look. “Things will work out. You just have to give it time.”

  The backdoor slides open and Leo steps in with a sleeping Maizy slung over his shoulder. “Charlie and Nova just left,” he tells us as he slips a foil tray of leftover veggies onto the counter. “Madalyn was fussing so they couldn’t come say good night. Viv and Clint are just packing up their car to leave.”

  “Alright. Time to go put these babies to bed,” Reese tells her husband, motioning to the three sleepy children.

  “Go on,” I tell them. “I’ve got the dishes.” I shoo them away with my hand as I open the dishwasher door.

  “You’re a lifesaver, Soph,” Leo tells me as he shepherds his family up the stairs.

  “No problem.” As I watch them go, my chest tightens with jealousy again.

  I just wish I could give that to my daughter. A family.

  My mind wanders back to Archie. A part of me just wants to step up to him and tell him, point blank, that we have a child together and that she’s the most incredible thing on the face of this earth. And I want him to fall in love with her the way I have. But the other part of me is flashing red warning lights. Reminding me that if Archie enters River’s life only to walk away when he gets bored of our small town setup, that would destroy my little girl. It’s not worth it to me to risk her heart unless I know what Archie is going to do with it.

  And he probably doesn’t like kids. Guys like him—with the bulging muscles and the charming personalities usually don’t want snot-faced kids hanging around. Plus, he probably hates the idea of settling down in the suburbs even more than he hates kids. Both valid reasons for keeping River a secret. I’m trying to protect her. I don’t want him to hurt her.

  But why is there that niggling voice at the back of my mind saying that I’m the one hurting her by keeping her from her father? And should I really be standing in the way of this man knowing his child?

  It’s just that, I know what it’s like to be left behind. I don’t want to see my little girl get her heart ripped out when Archie jumps into his car and rides off into the sunset without us.

  As I’m bent over loading the dishwasher and trying to work through my mental turmoil, I feel a presence behind me. My body knows it’s him without even looking.

  I twist my head around and Archie is standing there, dilated pupils smoldering on the curve of my ass. I bolt upright and spin to face him.

  His lips curl slowly at the corners and his dimples have apparently made it their mission to melt my panties tonight. “Hey,” he says.

  “Um, hi.”

  He takes slow steps toward me and for the first time, I notice the slight limp in his gait. How did I not notice that before? I silently wonder what might have caused it.

  He holds a pile of dirty serving dishes in his arms. “This is the last of the stuff from outside.” He observes the backup of pots and pans in the sink. “You look like you could use some help.”

  I straighten my shoulders and speak politely. “No thanks…I’m all good.”

  We stand there and stare into each other’s faces for a hot, hot minute. Then, his hungry gaze takes a leisurely slide down my body, lingering on my breasts then on my hips before ending on my calves.

  He steps past me, right up to the sink and starts rinsing out a pot.

  “You don’t have to do that,” I tell him. “I’ve got it.”

  He glances at the dishwasher and stretches the pot to me. “Load ‘er up.”

  When I hesitate to take it, he insists with a tip of his chin and a wiggle of the pot.

  He’s not going to back down. I concede with a sigh. His dimples make another appearance to celebrate the victory.

  He’s so annoying.

  Biting back the smile fighting for control of my lips, I wordlessly slide the pot onto a rack in the dishwasher and when I’m done, Archie passes me a handful of spoons.

  "So, you opened a daycare, huh?"

  My chest flutters a little when he says that and I silently wonder how he knows that about me. Did Charlie or Leo mention that? What else have they told him?

  I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Yes. Well, sort of. I run it out of my house right now. At least until I finish up the renovations on the center I just rented. It should be ready in a few weeks.”

  “So, you’re in the middle of that process right now?”

  "Yup." The word pops out with emphasis on the 'p'. “But it’s moving slowly. Trying to run th
e home daycare and set up the center at the same time is a bit crazy.”

  “That must be hectic. Having a bunch of kids in your house all day.”

  See that right there? He doesn’t like kids. He doesn’t like kids. I knew it!

  “Believe me, it is. My home décor pretty much consists of alphabet posters on the walls, plastic bins full of toys and miniature furniture everywhere.” I giggle. “That’s why I decided to move the business outside of my house. But gosh, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.”

  “Right.” He nods once. “It might be tough right now but you’ll get there. I know you will.”

  A little knot takes root in my belly when I think of River. “I will. I’m determined to.” Getting this business to work is all for her. For her future.

  “That’s really great, Daisy. So many people have dreams they never chase down. You actually followed through.”

  “What?”

  He glances over at me from the casserole dish he’s rinsing. “You did say you always wanted to work with kids...The night we met, you said you were studying to be an English teacher. But you'd dropped out of school to plan your wedding..."

  My movements halt. I look over at him. “You remembered I said that?”

  "Of course, I remember you said that. I remember everything about that night." His tone is so sincere when he says the words. I think I’m too stunned to respond. Dropping the soapy sponge into the sink, he rinses his hands and turns to me. "You don't believe me? You think I'm bullshitting you?"

  I sort of shrug and give him my back, wiping a wet rag along the countertop.

  In an instant, Archie is standing right behind me. My heart rate picks up but I don’t dare turn around.

  "Look at me, Sophia."

  "We don't have to talk about this. Really." I scrub at a spot of stuck-on cheese on the counter.

  "No, look at me."

  "Archie, it all happened a long time ago. I'm okay now."