“Then I suppose I’ll just say what I came to say from out here.”
His mother rocked back on her heels.
“Agatha, who is here?” Their father moved into the foyer. “Archer? What are you doing standing out there? Come in.”
“And what about Isaac? Is he welcome?” Archer sniped.
“Isaac made his bed,” their father said coldly.
“You lied to me,” Archer said to them. “You told me that he left. That he didn’t want to be part of the family anymore.”
“He did leave,” their mother said. “He had a choice.”
“Reform or leave,” Issy said dryly. “That was my choice, huh, mother?”
“That stuff you were watching was sick,” his mother hissed. “Imagine if anyone found out.”
And that was the heart of it. What other people thought.
“They haven’t changed,” he said to Archer. “They never will.”
Archer nodded his face cold. “I just came to tell you that I quit my job in Dallas. I’m moving in with Issy. We’re sharing a beautiful, darling woman who you will never, ever meet. Not only is she my sub, but she’s my Little girl as well as Issy’s.”
His mother’s mouth dropped open. “This…this isn’t happening!”
“It is,” Archer replied. “I came to tell you as a courtesy since my assistant was threatening to call you herself. Although from your shock, I can see she hasn’t.”
“Harold!” his mother yelled.
“This…this is preposterous,” his father blustered. He turned to Doc. “This is your fault. This is your doing.”
“Yes!” His mother took up the cry, her face twisted and nasty as she stared up at him. “This is you.”
Archer stepped back and took hold of his arm, pulling him away. “Actually, it’s not. This is what I want. I want to share this gorgeous, wonderful woman with my brother. I want to be her Papa with Issy as her Daddy. And from your reactions, you’ll never accept that. It would be best if you didn’t call me.”
With that parting shot, Archer led him away. Their mother called after them, but they both ignored her.
“I’m driving this time,” Archer said, opening the driver’s side.
Issy got into the back with Caley instead.
“What is it? Are you okay? Issy? Archer?” she asked worriedly.
He slid into the middle seat and pulled her against him. He took in her scent as she surrounded him with her love. There was silence for a long moment.
“I take it that it didn’t go well,” she said quietly.
“No worse than expected, love,” Archer told her calmly.
“You didn’t have to do that,” he told his brother. “Cut yourself off from them like that for me.”
“I didn’t do it for you,” Archer said. He pulled over to the side of the road. Then he got out and opened the back door. Caley undid her belt and they both moved over so Archer could climb in. They held her between them, surrounding her.
“I did it for us. They think you two aren’t good enough for them, but they have it the wrong way around. They’re not good enough for you. And I won’t have that poison in our lives.”
Doc sighed. Thank fuck.
“I love this, you know,” she said quietly. “The three of us together. It just feels right.”