Bound to Be His ( The Archer Family 2)

"Are you okay?" he asked in his low grumble.

"I'm good, yeah."

"Good, you asshole. I've been calling all morning, and you haven't bothered to answer. What the hell happened this morning?"

"Something that should have happened a long time ago," Matt said.

"So you told Shay you love her, then?"

Fuck. Shay.

"Not quite," Matt said, and then parked on a side road. He glanced around. There was an AT&T store, an ice cream shop, a convenience store. His gaze narrowed on one of them, and he did his best to focus.

"I think you might have been right," Matt said at last.

"About what? What the hell—"

"I've got to talk. About some shit. And, you know, I should probably... the thing with Shay..."

"Well, fuck, man, don't tell me, tell her. I'm not going to

Dr. Phil you."

Matt laughed. "Okay, cool. And... you know, thanks."

"No problem. Call me back when you're lucid." The call ended with a click, and Matt stared down at it for a second before he realized he had another missed message.

Shay got her flight moved up. Thought you might want to know.

He read the words over again and then frantically texted his sister back for details. What did she mean getting her flight moved up? What did she mean just leaving like that? And who didn't give details for a message like that? Still, as he waited, no answer came, and he knew he only had one thing left to do.

* * *

A gentle knock sounded on Shay's bedroom door, and she nodded for Andy to step inside.

She'd been packing her bag on and off for the whole of the morning. Really, she only had one thing left to pack—Matt's jacket, the one he'd lent her in the party store. God, how could something that happened so recently already feel like it had happened a lifetime ago? She shook her head at the thought and zippered her case closed.

"Did I thank you for having me enough times?" she asked Andy.

Andy smiled. "More than enough."

"And you had a good time at your wedding?"

"Perfect."

"And my speech—"

"Was amazing." Andy nodded. "Yesterday was a beautiful day. It was everything I could have ever wanted. But I don't want to talk about yesterday."

"Hey, have you seen my phone?" Shay patted her pocket. "I can't remember the last time I saw it."

"No, but that does explain some things." Andy flopped onto the bed next to Shay's case. "Why didn't you tell me about the divorce?"

"On your wedding day?"

"You didn't find out on my wedding day." It was a matter-of-fact statement.

"No, but it's okay. What else is there to say? She's getting divorced. Again. I'll just replay the tape of the last six times we talked about this."