“I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Why are you calling? It had to have been something. Is it the kids? The baby?” My stomach clenched, and I held my breath.
“I assumed I would just get your voicemail. We’re all doing wonderful, Killian. And I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you, you know. Dumbass.”
My lips twitched, and my heart twisted just a little bit. I had pushed Ann away, knowing she had her family and had roots that she was putting down on her own. She didn’t need me.
I had told myself I didn’t need her.
“I’ll call you back soon. And you can update me on the family.”
“I would love that,” Ann whispered, her voice full of tears now.
“Don’t cry, Ann.”
“I don’t know who this friend is, and the fact that you were an asshole is probably not encouraging, but I’m going to take it as encouraging anyway. I love you, big brother. Now go grovel. You do a good grovel.”
“Ann,” I growled.
“Love you.” She hung up and I shook my head, holding back a laugh.
I froze, rubbing my fist over my chest—an actual goddam laugh. I looked up to where Archer’s apartment was and shook my head. “Who are you, Archer Montgomery?”
There was a catalyst for this change, and I wasn’t sure I liked it.
But I needed it.
I put my phone in my pocket and went up the stairs, my chest aching from the speed of my heart as I made my way to Archer’s apartment.
Maybe he wouldn’t even be home. Maybe he was with his family. Or, fuck, maybe he was on a date.
I should have just waited for Archer to get back to the mountain and talked to him there. Or hell, I could have called him. Done anything other than stand out here in the cold wondering if I should actually knock on the door.
I let out a breath and told myself I just needed to not throw this away. To at least do this part. To take that step. Because I hadn’t beenlivinglong enough, just surviving. Growling at myself while I worked on my house wasn’t enough.
If it had been, then why was I even bothering with the mountain?
I banged on the door, emotion churning within me, making it a little more forceful than I planned on.
Archer opened up quickly, and his eyes went wide at the sight of me. “Killian? What the fuck?”
Archer looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days, his dark beard coming in nicely. His hair was slightly disheveled, and he had a warm gray Henley on, one that was just tight enough against his chest to show his defined muscles. He had pushed up the sleeves to expose his forearms and his ink.
He had on jeans, worn slightly around the pockets and knees, and there was a hole right at the edge of one seam, probably where he had run into something when he was working.
And he was barefoot.
I frowned, wondering why the sight of his toes did something for me.
Did I have a foot fetish I didn’t realize?
“Killian? Are you okay? What’s wrong? Is it Penny? Cora?”
I swallowed hard and forced my gaze up to him. “What?”
“You’re staring at me. Hell, you’re here.” Archer took a step back and held up his arm. “Get in here. It’s chilly. And I have neighbors that are nosy. They’re all watching out of their doorbell cameras at this point.”
I snorted and took a step in, grateful that he had even let me walk through the door.