#Chapter 41: Shocked

I wake up in the morning incredibly disoriented. I was half expecting to wake up in the front seat of Archer’s jeep. In the comfort of my own silk sheets was a shock. I wipe the sleep from my eyes and check my alarm clock. Four AM. Mia’s feeding isn’t for another two hours. I roll over to look at the crib. The babe in question is wrapped in her own blanket. Her mouth is wide open and she’s snoring softly. I roll on to my back and stare at the ceiling. The day before queues up in my memory as if it was a movie. I see all of the scenes. The champagne in the limo. The game. Beau. Archer. Getting stuck in the rain. Archer’s disdain for love. His loss. It all ticks by in black and white silent pictures. The idea that Archer had a reason for being so guarded had never crossed my mind. I simply thought he was some rich boy who was bored and hated the poor with equal amounts of fervor. To hear the way he explained his loss – and the way he was so blunt about it – hurt me. But it also