Page 35 of Archer
“I have plenty of time to share a meal with you.”
“Good. I’d like that, Daddy,” I said, feeling inordinately pleased that we’d get some more time together before facing our days.
“Good. Me, too.”
I’d brought everything I needed for today when I came over last night. As I took off my toothbrush cover, he plucked his toothbrush out of the holder on the counter and picked up the toothpaste. He opened it and held it out, so I obediently held the toothbrush out and let him put on the paste. Then he spread it on his own. As we stared at each other in the mirror, both of us began brushing our teeth. I thought this might be the best thing ever. Okay, let’s not get crazy. It wasn’t better than the sex, but still. There was something so domestic about us getting outof bed together, showering together, and now doing the other normal morning things.
After he bent and spat out his toothpaste, I immediately spit out mine, and we grinned at each other. Archer’s eyes sparkled, and it made me feel all tingly inside that he was obviously enjoying this as much as me.
As soon as we both finished getting ready, we headed down to the bakery. When Archer clasped his hand with mine, twining our fingers, I was pretty sure that I might have flown away if not for his firm grip on me. Man, I really wanted to start every day like this.
“What are you grinning about, sweet boy?” he asked.
“Nothing.” He squeezed my hand, and I felt him peering down at me. I rolled my eyes at myself for thinking I could get anything by Archer before peeking up at him from under my eyelashes. “I was thinking how much I like being with you,” I admitted, feeling like a total sap.
He bent down and kissed my forehead. “I like being with you, too. If you’d asked me before this morning, I’d have said there’s nothing like a good night’s sleep, but I’d have been wrong. There’s nothing like waking up to your gorgeous face in the morning.”
Swoon.He was killing me. How was this the brooding man I used to see around the building? Archer was nothing but a big ol’ marshmallow inside.
When we walked into the bakery, the first person I saw was Elton. He was scribbling furiously in a notebook, and he looked energized. I stared hard, hoping he’d sense it. It must’ve worked because he looked up and saw me and started beckoning me over with his hand. At least, he did until he saw Archer on the other side of me. The small grin he’d been giving me blossomed into a big smile as he mouthed, “Sleepover?”
I bobbed my head once in confirmation, raised my shoulders toward my ears, and gave him a goofy smile. He put his hand over his mouth and giggled. Yep, this was me strolling into the bakery for breakfast after the best sleepover ever, and I hoped to have many,many more morning afters with Archer.
I’d been letting Archer lead me through the other customers, so when he squeezed my hand, I looked up at him. “Yes?”
He tipped his head forward. “Bram wants to know if you want to try a new recipe he made?”
It was then I realized that we were at the front of the line, and Bram was smirking at Archer. “Um, sure.”
Bram’s gaze moved to me and softened. “You don’t have a choice. When you came in and got the scone the other day, I was thinking about my breakfast selection. I always make sausage rolls for the mornings, but I thought someone like you might enjoy something a little lighter. You’ve inspired me. I went through some of my old recipes and decided to try out Lorraine quiche bites. If they do well, I’ll add them to my normal menu.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do anything special on my account.”
Bram shrugged. “It’s actually a pretty good idea. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it before.”
“What are they exactly?” Archer asked.
Bram pulled on a glove, bent down, and pulled something small off one of the trays behind the glass case. He handed what looked like a little mini pie over to Archer. “It has eggs, Swiss cheese, bacon, red onion, some other seasonings, and its shell is made of phyllo.”
That sounded pretty awesome. Archer took a bite and nodded. “This is good.”
He held it out to me, and I leaned in, taking a small bite. My eyes widened when the flavor hit my taste buds. “These are delicious.” I wasn’t usually much of an egg eater, but a couple of these would be perfect.
“I’m happy you like them. Would you care for another?”
Would I? Suddenly I was ravenous. Maybe Archer was onto something with the whole, if I ate, my body would eventually start reminding me we had a routine. “Actually, I’d like two for breakfast with my tea, and can I have another one of those lemon scones for later?”
“You’ve got it.”
“Which tea flavor would you like this morning?”
“Surprise me.”
Bram grinned. “What about you, Archer?”
Archer chuckled. “As tasty as that is, it would take five of them to fill me up. How about a couple of your sausage rolls with a large coffee, please.”
Bram got our order together, and when he tried to wave off Archer’s money, Daddy narrowed his eyes. Grudgingly, Bram took his payment, and then we made our way to a table and sat down across from each other to eat.