“Is he supposed to do that?”
“Probably not, but he knows how hard Bobby’s been working…and how much this means to Archer.”
I feel a tug on my heart, pulling it up from the dark pit I shoved it in, bringing it closer to the spot it’s supposed to be in.
“Do you need to go get him?”
“Yeah. We can take you home first.”
“No, you don’t have to. You said he’s only five minutes away, so we should go.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod, words of truth bubbling inside of me. I know what it’s like to have a family member be an addict, and I want to tell her that she and Archer are good fucking people. And Wes too, but dammit, his goodness is so bad for me.
“Yeah, and I can hold Emma for you if you need help.”
“Thank you.”
It’s a tense ride to the diner, and when we get there, Jackson says he has to go potty. Emma is asleep in her car seat, and Quinn carries her in. Wes is sitting in the back, looking all gorgeous and heroic in his uniform.
“Daddy!” Jackson calls and runs to him. Wes gets up, face tight but smiling as soon as he sees his son. Jackson throws his arms around Wes’s neck and my ovaries explode.
Then I notice the guy who’s sitting at the table with Wes. He looks like Archer but is dirty, tired, and worn. It’s a look I know, one I used to see on my own mother’s face.
Archer rushes forward, and Bobby stands, face falling. Tears well in his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Arch.”
“It’s okay,” Archer tells him, pulling him into a hug. Quinn sets Emma’s car seat on the table and puts her hand on Archer’s back. Bobby breaks away and looks at Quinn and then Emma. His face falls and he hefts back into the booth, covering his hands with his face.
“Hey, buddy,” I say, dropping down to Jackson’s level. “Do you still need to go potty?”
He does, and I take him into the bathroom. When we get back, Bobby is drinking coffee with Archer, and Quinn is talking to Wes near the door. Jackson goes to his dad, and Wes scoops him up. I slowly make my way over, giving them some space.
“Thank you, Wes,” Quinn tells him.
“It’s no problem.” Wes pats Quinn’s shoulder. “I’m glad I was the one who responded.”
Quinn nods. “Me too. The last thing we need is for him to get arrested again.”
I watch them and then look back at Archer. He’s ordering food for Bobby, who is still very much drunk and overly emotional.
“Do you guys have this?” Wes asks his sister.
“Yeah. We’ll order him some food and take him home. The Joneses are out of town this week, and we thought Bobby would be okay on his own. We’ll bring him home with us and look into rehab again.”
“Can I get food too?” Jackson asks.
“Of course you can,” Quinn tells him with a smile. “But you have to share your fries with me.”
“No!” he laughs. “Order your own!”
“I will. But I’ll still steal one of yours.” She smiles, and Wes looks up at me. His navy eyes meet mine and, Lord have mercy, that man is fine. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Quinn look from Wes to me and back again. “Can you join us for lunch?” she asks him.
“Yeah, I’m not doing much else and I eat lunch around now anyway.”
“Can I show you my pumpkin?” Jackson asks Wes. “It’s so big!”
“Sure, on our way out,” Wes tells him, setting him down. Jackson takes my hand and pulls me over.
“Hungry?” Quinn asks, giving a guilty smile. “Sorry if this isn’t how you imagined your day would go.”
“It’s fine,” I assure her, though she’s right. This isn’t how I thought my day would go. I didn’t think I’d see Wes and Quinn deal with a sensitive issue with nothing but concern and care.
Maybe there’s hope for me after all.21WestonI zip up my coat, feeling chilled despite the warm sun beating down on me. Maybe I shouldn’t have ignored the fact that I woke up with a sore throat. But the day is over and I’m looking forward to going home and having dinner with Jackson and Scarlet.
I call Quinn on the way and check on Bobby. He’s at their house and has been sleeping it off for hours. I remember the first time Archer stayed with us while he and Dean roomed together in college because his brother got himself into trouble with drinking. They’ve been trying to help Bobby get clean for so long. It’s starting to get hard to think he ever will.
Scarlet and Jackson are outside when I get home, and she’s chasing him around like a zombie again. He fakes a fall, dramatically rolling through fallen leaves. Scarlet sees me first and stops dragging one foot with her arms out in front of her. She smiles, and I have to work hard at ignoring the rush that goes through me, making my cock jump.