A Bad Boy's Gift

Chapter 30

We get the supplies we need from the supermarket and Hudson decides on pancakes and ice cream for pudding.

We pull up at home, Archer's car parked neatly next to where I usually park.

"Why is Archer here again?" Hudson asks, looking at me with a confused look on his face.

"He's staying for dinner with Molly again," I say to him, undoing my harness.

We climb out and I take the bags inside, Hudson runs upstairs and I hear the shower start.

I place the shopping on the island, calling out for Archer and Molly.

"River!" Molly runs into the kitchen from the snug and wraps her arms around me tightly.

"How are you feeling, Sweetie?" I ask, looking down at her and hugging her back.

"I was sick at school, and my friends laughed at me." She starts crying.

"Oh, sweetheart, do you want to get into bed?" She nods and I lead her up to my bedroom. Archer joins us up there with her pyjamas; we get her changed and tucked in. I close the curtains and turn the bedside lamp onto the dimmest setting. She's asleep almost instantly.

We make our way back downstairs and I start making the lasagne.

We eat when it's ready, adding garlic bread to the mix makes it even better.

Archer helps Hudson with his homework at the dining table while I clean up.

I make my way over when I'm finished and hear Hudson speaking to Archer.

"They called me fat, and kept trying to push me over, but said I was too fat for them to be able to." My heart breaks for him as I hear what he's been going through.

"You know, one day you're going to grow really tall and be really strong, just like me and River. And what they say to you now, it won't matter then." Archer says, giving Hudson words of advice.

I lean in the doorway, listening to them talk before asking them if they're still doing homework.

"We're all finished now," Hudson says, collecting his books and papers and taking them up to his room.

Again, Archer and I are left alone, in the kitchen. I sit on his knee, resting my head on his shoulder, "I'm so tired," I tell him, my eyes closed. I feel my stomach churning, is it nerves? Is it just my food going down?

It's when I get the sudden rush of heat to my cheeks that I realise it's neither of those and quickly run to the toilet. My hair frames the toilet bowl as my dinner and dessert make a reappearance.

I rest my head on the back of the toilet seat as I keep throwing up. Archer scoops my hair from around the toilet and winds it onto the back of my head. He rubs my back and shoulders before flushing the toilet so I'm not staring at my vomit.

After I've not vomited for a couple of minutes, I sit back and rest my back against the wall. I wipe my mouth.

"Are you okay?" Archer kisses my forehead, "Have you eaten something dodgy?"

I think about everything I've eaten today. Toast and jam for breakfast, ham and cheese salad for lunch and then lasagne for dinner.

"Do you feel okay?" I look at him, "was it the lasagne?"

"I'm fine, what did you have for lunch?" he strokes my cheek.

"Salad. With ham, and cheese." I think about what else was on there. "There was also salad cream on there too."

"I think your salad may not have agreed with you." He gives me a small smile, "shall we get you showered and into bed?"

I nod and rise slowly off the floor. Archer helps me upstairs and into the shower, then returns downstairs to get my phone, lock the doors and turn the lights off.