Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Cora and Simone’s place is only a ten-minute drive from the station. They live in a small three-bedroom house on a quiet street, with the familiar scent of freshwater clinging to the air.
A second after I knock, the door pulls open, my sister’s wife beaming at me. She’s got her black hair in cornrows that lead into loose braids at her nape, the ends with beads on them. Her skin is a rich, cool brown, her belly swollen with their first child, via an anonymous sperm donor.
“Hey, honey. How are you?” I give Simone a quick hug and press a kiss to her forehead.
“Fat,” she says playfully, rubbing a hand over her stomach.
“Can I?”
“Of course.”
I place my hand on her belly. “Hey, little one. Your uncle Archer can’t wait to meet you.”
“Arch? Is that you?” my sister calls from the kitchen.
“Yep. It’s me.”
“She just got off work but insisted on cooking me dinner.” Simone heads inside, and I follow.
“That’s because she knows how to treat her lady.” We head into the kitchen, Simone sitting at the small table there. “Hey, you.” I hug and kiss my sister. “Smells good.” I nod toward her stir-fry.
“There’s enough for you too.”
“I’m not going to turn you down.”
She playfully swats my stomach. “You’ve always been able to eat like crazy and not put on any weight. It’s the main reason I hate you.”
I laugh and lean against the counter. “The main one? How many are there? I thought you loved me and I was your best friend.”
“I do love you and you are my best friend.” She peeks around me at Simone. “Other than my lovely wife. But it’s my job as your sister to get mad at you for certain things. Your metabolism is one of them.”
I chuckle. “Well, I guess I can accept that. As long as you love me.”
“It would be impossible for anyone not to love you, Arch.”
“I agree,” Simone adds.
“Stop or you’ll make me blush,” I tease.
Simone has been like a sister to me since we were teens. She and Cora had been best friends. Unfortunately, she lost her parents when she was nineteen. The two of them have done and continue to do everything together, but it wasn’t until they were thirty that Simone realized she was in love with Cora, and my sister just said, “Took you long enough.” They’ve been together ever since.
We chat while Cora finishes cooking, and then the three of us sit down at the table to eat together. When dinner is done, Simone says she wants to relax in the bath, so I wait for my sister while she goes and runs the water and helps Simone in.
“You’re good to her,” I say when she comes back to the living room.
“I love her. I’m supposed to be good to her. And she’s the same with me. Whenever you find your person, you’ll be the same with them too.”
I nod, trying to ignore the fact that East’s face fills my thoughts. It’s too early to be thinking that way, but I know myself, and I know how I feel. What I’m starting to feel for him isn’t something I’ve ever experienced before.
“I’m…kinda into someone.”
“Kinda?”
“I am into him, but it’s complicated,” I admit.
It’s hard to sort out what I’m trying to say without giving away too much. I don’t want to betray East’s trust in any way, but I always talk to my sister and Cass. They know everything about me, but I haven’t shared much about East with Cass and nothing with her.
“He’s been through a lot, so it’s hard for him to let people in. He does it with me in little ways, though. I just…hell. I’m not sure he’ll want the same things I’m pretty sure I’ll want, and I don’t know if being with him could make things difficult at work.”
She frowns, maybe putting the pieces together, or maybe just curious. “Want to know what I think?”
“That’s part of why I’m here.” I chuckle.
“I know you, Archer, and if you’re thinking about all this, you’re already in deep. For people like us, there’s no going back from that. Dad knew Mom was the one for him, and he never faltered. I was sixteen when I realized I was in love with Simone, but I knew she wasn’t ready, and hell, I didn’t know if she would ever feel the same. She’d never been with a woman before me, but once I knew, I knew. If she hadn’t fallen for me, I never would have gotten into a serious relationship, and I’d have spent my life loving her quietly. Is that healthy? No, but that’s how Thorns love. We love big, and we love forever, so I hate to break it to you, but if he doesn’t feel the same, you’re fucked.”