Rule (24 page)

“What’s wrong?”

“The bed’s wet.”

  I just stared at him blankly. 
“So?”

“So that means we didn’t use
protection.  I haven’t had sex without a condom since I was a teenager and an
idiot, Geez no wonder it felt so good.”

“I’m on the pill.”

“Why?”

I made a face and rolled off of
him.  “Because my mother made me.  She thought I was hooking up with one or
both of you Archer twins long before it ever happened.  I’ve just stayed on it
because it makes my period less crazy so we should be fine.”

He pulled me back to his chest and
brushed my hair away from my face.  “With my history you really wanna chance
it?”

I exhaled.  “You really know how to
ruin a moment Rule.”

“Hey I told you it’s my job to
protect you even if that means I have to do it from myself.  We have to have
clean health screens to work in the shop since we work around bodily fluids,
needles and open skin and my last one was crystal clear and like I said I never
ever have unsafe sex unless it’s with a high maintenance blond with killer green
eyes that makes me so crazy I forget.”

I cuddled into the curve of his
body and let him wrap his arms around me.  The hand that had his name inked
across the knuckles ended up resting across my chest and I used my index finger
to trace over the bold letters.  “I trust you and I think we’re good so I’m not
going to make an issue out of it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah because like I said it’s
always been you Rule, even when I really wished it wasn’t.”

“I’m starting to wish I had paid
closer attention.”

I laced our fingers together.  I
liked the way they looked all tangled together.  His were long and covered in
brilliant designs, mine were small and tipped in boring pink polish but next to
each other they were more interesting, more vital.  I fell back asleep listening
to the steady inhale and exhale of his breath in my ear and thinking that even
if I hadn’t been on the pill having a moment of wild, uninhibited and totally
unprotected sex with him was most definitely worth any of the risks that were
involved with that.  I could think of a worse fate that brining the next
troublesome Archer into the world.

Rule

“The first time I came home and
saw you sitting in the kitchen with Remy I remember thinking what in the hell
has he gotten himself into?  You were so pale and scared, your eyes were twice
as big as normal and you looked like a little bird that had fallen out of the
nest.  Remy had always had a soft spot for the neglected so I wasn’t surprised,
but I was flabbergasted at how quickly the rest of the family took to you.  I
always thought it was going to be us Archer’s against the world forever and
then there was you and it all kind of broke apart and I became even more of the
black sheep than I had been.  Rome adored you, mom and dad just took you and Remy
as an evitable unit and I was left out in the cold as usual.  I think I just
took all those feelings of separation and alienation and transferred them onto
you.  Remy and I were always two parts of a whole and when you came along that
went away to some extent.  I think I was jealous that he spent so much time and
effort being your hero and not being my brother.”

“The first time I saw you I was
terrified.  I had seen you and Remy around school and everyone always talked
about the Archer twins like you were some kind of mythical creatures.  Remy was
so athletic and had all the right friends and the best grades, you were always
in trouble, running around with older kids and constantly getting called to the
office for skipping class or whatever else you were up to.  Remy saved me and
brought me home, he made me laugh when nothing in my life seemed remotely funny
and he was kind when no one in my life had ever even tried to be nice before. 
He sat me in the kitchen told me not to worry when his brothers came home he
would keep them in line and then you and Rome came barreling through the door. 
Rome looked at me and shook his head he asked Remy if I was another stray and
you, you just looked right through me like I was a ghost and asked him if he
still wanted to go with you and Nash for pizza.  I thought you were beautiful
in such a different way than Remy.  You guys looked so much alike but you
turned your looks into something so interesting I couldn’t look away.  I stared
at you for a full fifteen minutes and then when you and Rome left you looked at
me and said ‘Geez Rem get her a cup of tea or something she looks like Casper
the Friendly Ghost.  Remy just shook his head and sat down across from me he
knew then, he always knew, he told me, ‘Rule is a good guy, Shaw, the best
actually.  I love him more than anything in the world but he’s also a sixteen
year old guy and an Archer.  Don’t barrow heartache when you can avoid it.’ 
For years and years he told me over and over that I was being foolish that I
shouldn’t get wound up about you when your priorities were elsewhere and then
about a year before he died he changed his tune.  When you moved to Denver
together suddenly he was all about me going to DU after school, all about me
getting to a point where I could tell you how I had felt about you.  Suddenly
he was Remy the matchmaker, it was weird and then the accident happened and I
never got a chance to ask what changed his mind.”

“Well I’m glad I know now and I
still think you look like Casper.”

“I’m glad too and I don’t mind
when you call me Casper, its kinda sweet.  Besides when you first started it I
thought I was special, none of the other girls ever got a nickname you just
called them sweetie, or babe, or honey.”

“You are special, you were
special then too I was just too stupid to see it.”

“I don’t think I would have been
ready for you then.”

“Are you ready for me now?”

“Any time.”

The hushed conversation gave me a
whole new insight into the girl that was starting to mean so much to me.  It
also brought up a lot of questions that I couldn’t ask of my deceased brother. 
I wanted to know why if he had known she had a thing for me, he let me and the
rest of the family happily believe they were an item for all those years.  It
seemed deceitful and shady and so not like Remy.  I also wanted to know why he
hadn’t said anything to me about her, I thought we shared everything and not
that I had been in a place in my early teens to offer Shaw anything it still
seemed odd he hadn’t mentioned anything about her feelings to me so that I
might have treaded more carefully around her instead of trampling across her
feelings like a herd of buffalos.

The quiet conversation took place
early in the morning while she was stumbling around my room trying to get ready
for school.  She only had her fancy dinner with mom clothes and didn’t want to
run back to her apartment so I told her to take one of my t-shirts out of the
closet.  It was fun to watch a hot chick scramble around half naked and pick
through my pretty basic guy wardrobe.  She ended up in her leggings and boots
and my Black Angels t-shirt that hung almost to her knees and suddenly getting
up to take her to school seemed a lot more fun.  She dodged my grabbing hands
with a laugh while trying to pull her hair into a ponytail.  This was the kind
of interaction I missed by only engaging in meaningless one night stands.  I
liked playing with Shaw, liked having her using my bathroom and being all up in
my stuff and the more I thought about it the more I realized I had missed her
in more areas of my life than my bed this last week.

She pressed a quick kiss to my
mouth and told me she was going to make coffee and something for breakfast so I
struggled to get up and searched around for my phone to call Mark.  I wasn’t
going to waste any time trying to put as many roadblocks between Shaw and
Davenport as I could.  I pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a shirt and went
into the bathroom to splash cold water on my face.  The phone rang while I
brushed my teeth and Mark picked up just as I was spitting into the sink.

“What’s up kid?”  I was checking
out my stubbly face in the mirror and decided since I didn’t have any hair at
the moment I was just gonna let it go, maybe try and grow it into a goatee or
something.

“Hey Mark, sorry to bother you but
I have a problem and I need some advice.”

“You piss off that pretty girl of
yours?”

I laughed and leaned against the
sink.  “Yeah but I managed to fix that all on my own, but she is the reason I
am calling.  She has a lunatic ex who doesn’t seem to want to take no for an
answer.  He’s been showing up at her work, following her around, calling her a
million times a day and he’s a friend of the family so her parents keep making
excuses for her to be around him.  This weekend he cornered her when she was alone
shook her up and grabbed her.  He left bruises on her arms and made a bunch of
threats about what he’s going to do to her if she doesn’t take him back.”

“I’m surprised you’re not in jail.”

“Well she didn’t tell me about
until after we left her parent’s house and I’ve already told him in no
uncertain terms to leave her alone.”

“What’s his name?”

“Gabe Davenport.”

There was a low whistle and I could
practically see Mark pacing back and forth.  “He wouldn’t happen to be Judge
George Davenport’s son would he?”

“Probably.  He keeps throwing
around that there isn’t anything I can do to him because of who his dad is.”

“He might be right.  I would say we
need to get a personal protection order in place as soon as possible, but there
is a good chance if Davenport sees his son is involved it might not get
passed.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“It is, but we still need to try
otherwise there won’t be anything on file.  You need to keep a clear head about
this kid.  The name Davenport is pretty powerful in our legal system and you
don’t want to end up on the wrong side of it.”

I ran an agitated hand over my
head.  “I’m not going to let him anywhere near her Mark, plain and simple.”

“That’s fine but don’t go looking
for trouble.  She’s going to be a sitting duck if you go after the son and end
up locked up.”

“I’m pissed Mark, not stupid.  I
want her safe and his guy taken down a notch or two but I’m well aware that me
rearranging his face isn’t going to accomplish either of those things, however
if he comes at me I make no promises.”

“If he comes at you take him out,
but remember guys like this use laws and regulations to fight not bare knuckles
and fists.  Tell Shaw to be extra careful, tell her to try and be around
someone else at all times, look at getting her a Taser or some mace and tell
her if he shows up or put his hands on her again to call the police.  She can
get a harassment order in place if he keeps hounding her and once the police
are involved there isn’t much a judge can do to make the report go away.  Give
her my number just in case, tell her to call me if she has questions or just
needs to talk.  Like I said that’s a special girl you got there, Kid.  You
wanna keep an eye on her.”

“I’m doing my best.”

“I know you are and Rule,” I waited
a moment while he finished.  “It’s good to see you finally settling down. 
You’ve always reminded me a little of my son, wild and carefree but you needed
something to give you purpose.  For my son it was fighting for our freedom and
protecting his country, for you I think it’s figuring out you are worthy of the
kind of love and affection a girl like that can offer.  You two take care I’ll
be in touch.”

I hung up the phone just as the
door swung open and Shaw stuck her head in.  “Come on let’s eat so we can go.”

I looked at her, I mean really
looked at her and that slippery stuff in my chest suddenly settled right in the
center.  Her green eyes got wide when I tugged her into the bathroom and pulled
her between my spread legs so that she was up against my chest and I rested my
chin on the top of her head.  Sometimes the difference in our height was just
delightful.

“Are you okay?”  She put her hands
around my waist and gave me a tight hug.

I let out a breath that felt like I
had been holding for a hundred years.  Suddenly I knew that no matter how my
parents felt, no matter what happened in the future near or far I was for once
doing the absolute right thing.  “Yeah, I’m good.  Better than good actually.”

“Okay well I don’t want to be late
so come eat some pancakes and take me to school.”  She gave my ass a little pat
and bounded back out of the room.  I shook my head on a little laugh and
followed her out.  Rome was up and sitting at the table listening to her tell
him about the bizarre brunch yesterday but Nash was nowhere in sight.  I had
let both of them know what was going on with polo shirt yesterday and I think
they were both on hyper alert so that I didn’t go off the rails.  My brother
gave me a questioning look as I sat down, but I wasn’t about to go into detail
while Shaw was prancing around feeding us breakfast.

“You still good to come to get her
car with me?”

“Yep but I’m going to swing by mom
and dad’s while were there, you wanna come?”

I flipped him off because he knew
the last thing I wanted to do was see my folks.  “Can’t anyways I have an
appointment at noon.”

Shaw placed plates in front of both
of us and took a seat on my right, she gave me a warm smile and I knew besides
feeling right that this is what I had been missing for so long.  I felt at
home, this girl, my brother, my friends all the things that I had surrounded
myself with suddenly made so much sense and I had a clarity that had been
missing since Remy’s death.  I loved my family, but I had never felt like I was
part of them, this world I had developed, this life I was living it was a good
one, filled with solid people that saw me for who I was and cared about me
anyway.  My throat got tight and I had to hide the swell of emotion behind a
glass of orange juice otherwise I risked blubbering like a baby.  I cleared my
throat, “I’m gonna run Shaw to school then come back and get you is that cool?”