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“Don’t tell all my secrets,” Flynn admonished.
Archie wiggled against me and I wrapped my arms around his chest to hold him still.
“I was getting ready to tell him how you keep everything so close to the chest that I didn’t even realize how heartbroken you’ve always been until two weeks ago when he walked back into your life.”
In my arms, Archie’s entire body went rigid as a board.
“What?” I asked, looking toward Flynn with wide eyes.
“I didn’t realize. Honestly, I didn’t put it together until he put you on a plane and brought you here.”
“Shut up, Flynn,” Archie said, almost a plea, even if there wasn’t any real fight in it. Just resignation laced with a little bit of fear.
Flynn stood up and stretched, cracking his back with a heavy breath. “I didn’t realize what it was back then.”
“What are you even trying to say?” Archie’s tone was exasperated, but trembling. In my arms, his muscles twitched, and I tightened my hold around him.
Flynn shot Archie a scathing look, then flicked his stare toward me. “It wasn’t until I saw the way Archie loves you that I realized it’s what he’s been doing all along.”
He raised his mug and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and went back into the house, leaving Archie and me in the lounger.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Archie wiggled out of my arms, shaking his head. Turning to face me, he sat cross-legged, unable to meet my eyes. I shifted back so my spine was straight, and I waited for him to explain.
“Archie.” I licked my lips. They were parched. “Tell me about your last serious relationship.”
He exhaled and angled his head to the side, looking up at me with earnest and tired eyes.
“Owen, come on.”
“It’s not a big ask.”
I didn’t want to fight with him, not on my last day in California, but I wanted to know the truth. I deserved to know the truth.
“It was you,” he whispered, giving me a weak shrug. “The last relationship, the last person I loved, the last person I wanted to build a life with. They’re all you, Owen. It’s you. It’s always been you.”
CHAPTER25
ARCHIE
Owen lookedat me like he’d seen a ghost.
“Archie, what? We never…”
“I know.” I scrubbed a hand down my face, not sure of how to explain. I glanced into the house, finding a grinning Flynn staring out the window with Grayson beside him. Grayson gave a thumbs up and Flynn mouthed an apology. I would deal with them later. I had more pressing things to attend to.
Namely, Owen.
“I just…in my head, I guess I…”
Shit.
Fuck.
“It was me,” he said softly.
“I mean, technically my last relationship was your sister, but—”
