I made a face and then looked over at him. “I know you’ll think it’s stupid, but…you guys have already done a lot, and going to talk to someone is…Mom—Maddy always said Curtises don’t do therapy. It’s already feeling weird that I’m going to go at all.”
Weirder still because it was right before his birthday.
“Yeah well, I don’t think much of Maddy’s opinion. I think the world of yours. I’d rather be the one taking you, but I’m glad you told me. If you want Rachel to take you then…I’ll help with the guys.”
“I don’t want to tell them.” I made a face. “I mean, Coop kind of knows that I’m looking, and we talked about that…”
“And Jake knows you need to talk to someone,” he reminded me. “I’d bet you a dollar that Bubba does, too.”
“A dollar?” I laughed a little. We were still idling in his car at the end of the drive, and Archie made no move to pull out.
“I’m trying to practice frugality. How’s it working so far?”
I snickered, which had probably been his intention.
“Frankie, this will sound weird, but…we all have four stories. That’s what Nana used to say. There’s the story we share the world, our public face. It seems like a lot, but really, it’s only a little. Then there’s the story we share with acquaintances and people we know. Then there’s the story we open ourselves up to with the people we care about. But there’s always a story that’s just ours. The one we don’t know how to share. Sometimes, we get to glimpse that in the ones we are really close to, but the only person who knows that whole story is you.”
I swallowed. “That sounds lonely.”
“Yes and no. You know your story. You know what you need. Babe,” Archie continued, reaching over and sliding his hand into my hair and tugging gently so I’d meet his gaze, “no one is going to think any less of you for going. Fuck, I’m relieved you want to.”
What? “Really?”
“I don’t know how to make those dreams go away. I don’t know how to fix what that asshole did so you don’t hurt anymore. I am clearly not the poster child for healthy parent-child relations. So yeah, I’m relieved you’re going to talk to someone who might be able to do all those things.”
I swallowed. “You know you’re pretty awesome.”
“I know,” he agreed. “I’m just glad you finally came around and figured it out.”
With a roll of my eyes, I shook my head. “You are such an ass.”
“Yep,” he agreed, running his thumb over my cheek gently. “Sometimes. But you need me to be an ass sometimes. I’m pretty sure that’s what you like about me, too.”
I made a face. “I will neither confirm or deny that.”
“Good, make me work for it.” He winked, then he sobered. “I’m serious. Go, talk to them. If they aren’t a good fit, we try someone else. I want you to take what you need.”
“What about what you need? Or the guys?”
“Eh, I have what I need right now.”
My skepticism must have showed, because he grinned.
“Oh, trust me, babe. I have you. I got my best friends. I have my grandfather back. Birthday in a few days. It’s looking pretty golden here, even if I have to learn how to do laundry because my girlfriend is a tyrant.”
I shoved his arm away from me, and he smirked. “So tell those losers to order pizza if they’re hungry, and yes, we’ll grab coffee if you want some. Then we’ll go do whatever…but I’m sleeping in the bed tonight. I want that much if I’m not going to have you to myself.”
“Well,” I said, reaching for my phone, “you do have a birthday coming up.”
We locked eyes for a moment. “Only if you’re ready,” he told me.
“I’m ready. I would have been ready earlier tonight, but…”
“But we needed to talk. This is good, too. At least I know you don’t just want me for my banging body or my money.”
“Nope,” I agreed.
“Wait.” He frowned. “I do have a banging body.”