I froze, blinking. “Oh. That would be, you know, that would be pretty amazing. You’re a lot better at electrical work than I am.”
“I’ve kept up my credentials, too. I’m a certified electrician.”
I grinned. “I am not. Just a certified plumber and contractor.”
“And talented at both. The team will help, of course. But if you need more, I’m there.”
I stood up then, moved around to hug my dad tight. He stiffened for just a moment, mostly because I had surprised him, and I hadn’t hugged as many people recently as I should have, and he hugged me back.
“I love you, Archer.”
For some reason, I held back tears as I swallowed hard. “I love you too, Dad.”
My voice cracked, and I let out a huge sigh as we just stood there hugging, until my dad quietly patted my back, nodded tightly, and walked away.
I loved my parents. They loved each other and were good parents. Yes, they had had issues with the way that we had handled the company, but that had been on them, and we were past that. And I didn’t know why I just wanted to cry right then.
* * *
At the end of the workday, I stretched my back, wincing at the pain. I knew I hadn’t broken anything, but the huge bruise on my side ached, and all I wanted to do was take a hot bath in my tiny apartment and pretend that I hadn’t made a fool out of myself in front of a hot guy.
I was getting good at making a fool of myself, wasn’t I?
I picked up my things, and rather than heading home, used the large shower in my office to get ready. Since I had designed the plumbing in this place, I had made sure I had the best shower, considering my job.
I headed over to Riggs’ after, knowing we would eat dinner there. Riggs’ offered bar food and giant salads, and their food was just getting better and better as Riggs found his routine. By the time I got there, I happened to be the last one there. Everybody was there with all of their spouses, and I just smiled at my family.
Annabelle and Jacob were on the dance floor, Jacob holding his wife close enough that I held back a sigh. Brenna and Benjamin were at the bar, helping Riggs and Clay with a tray of drinks for the table. Eliza and Beckett were at the table, laughing with one another, as Paige and Lee sat in the booth next to them, the two tables pushed together with more chairs added to accommodate our big group.
Everybody looked happy, ready to hang out, so why did I feel like I was on the outside looking in?
Annabelle moved towards me and laughed as she ran and jumped. I held up my arms instinctively and caught her, letting out a groan as I did.
“What did I do? Did I hurt you? You’ve never groaned while catching me before.” She moved back, her eyes wide, and as she pulled up the side of my shirt to see what had made me wince, she paled. “What the hell happened? Are you okay?”
And then everybody was there. Even strangers were looking at us.
I blushed, annoyed with myself.
“I had a little accident at work. I’m fine.”
“An accident!” Paige exclaimed.
“I sort of fell off a roof.”
“Sort of fell off a roof?” Beckett growled. “How do yousort offall off a roof?”
“Because I wasn’t really on top of the roof. Just on the ladder-ish. It’s fine. The neighbor broke my fall.”
Everybody was silent for a moment before they all talked at once, and I held up my hands.
“I need a fucking drink. I’m fine. I didn’t break anything. And I didn’t break the neighbor.”
“Was the neighbor hot at least?” Lee asked, grinning at me.
I knew he was trying to cut the tension, and I would forever be grateful to my brother-in-law.
“He was okay,” I said, completely lying.
“Oh, that means he was sexy as hell. Tell us more about this neighbor that you fell on top of,” Eliza singsonged as she moved forward to pat my face gently. “Let’s get you something to drink, and you can tell us all about this hunky man.”
“I didn’t say he was hunky,” I grumbled as they pushed me towards the booth and put a beer in my hand.
I looked around at my family and reminded myself that I was happy. They made me happy. I didn’t need more than this.
And I didn’t need to think about a hunky blond man that I happened to know what it felt like to be pressed up against.