A giggle escaped, I couldn’t help it. “Archie, you’re so you. You’re not remotely terrible, but you are a force of nature. You storm through my defenses, and you throw money around with such ease. You are comfortable with huge price tags and exorbitant fees. It doesn’t seem to faze you in the slightest.”
“And that’s bad?” he checked.
“No, I think you’re the best rich person I’ve ever known. You’re not a snob. You are hands down one of the best people I’ve ever known, period. You are so focused on others and caring about them. You are generous to a fault. You are as far from terrible as you can get.”
He laughed. “Well, that doesn’t sound too bad. I think you’ll be an even better rich person than me.” The teasing light in his eyes took any sting from the words, except…
“I don’t think badly of you.” It was very much the last thing I wanted him to think.
“I know, babe, seriously. That said, I’m not the only wealthy person you know.”
A sigh escaped me. “Your parents aren’t totally wretched.”
“That you can even say that with a straight face after everything that’s happened just proves to me how much better than both of them you are.” Before I could protest, however, he pressed a finger to my lips. “Listen, please?”
It was the please that secured my silence.
“Okay.” He exhaled the pair of syllables as if he needed to steel himself in the coziness of our living room to dive into this topic with me. Guilt struck in the next second. Archie should not have to gird himself to have this—or any for that matter—conversation with me. I cupped his face, and he quieted.
“I know you want me to listen, but, Archie, nothing you tell me is going to change how I feel about you. I might get mad or I might yell, and I’ve even been known to throw things when I’m not being an utter delight.” As I spoke, I climbed over to straddle his lap, and his eyes brightened, even as the corners of his lips tilted upwards. “Don’t ever be afraid to talk to me.”
“I love you,” he said, hands on my hips as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Then with a little sigh, he gave me a squeeze. “Now sit that beautiful ass still so I can talk to you about this without you trying to distract me.”
The playfulness was back, but he meant what he said. As tempting as teasing him was, I bit the inside of my lip and saved that for later.
He groaned. “I know that look.”
“What?” I protested. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to. You’re going to make me pay for that statement.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Didn’t you want me to listen?”
“Yes.” He gave my hip another squeeze, and I returned the favor by tugging his hair lightly.
“Then start talking.”
He pinched my ass, and I jumped. “If you insist.” At my rolled eyes, he pinched my ass again, and I laughed.
“If you think that’s going to deter me…”
Nipping my lower lip, he gave it a gentle tug, and I hushed. Forehead resting against his, I waited.
“First step, financial advisor. Wittaker has put together a file with six names, I marked the three I liked, but I want you to review all six of them. Then if you have questions, we can discuss it. The final decision will be yours.”
That didn’t seem so bad.
“Wittaker will arrange for your first meetings, if the advisors are out of state, we can do it over video call or take the meeting to them.”
Yeah, I wasn’t going to touch that one, instead I soothed myself by playing with his hair.
“The first couple of meetings will be the worst. You need to know every asset at your disposal. Everything listed in your name, every dime and dollar coming to you as well as when it is coming to you. A trust isn’t just a stagnant pool, if handled correctly, it also continues to earn interest and income that will then help the trust grow. Sometimes, the funds it earns are used to pay the administrators, lawyers, and advisors, which means your nest egg isn’t touched.”
My head ached at the idea of how much money would have to be present to earn the incomes of three different people—or at least the fees of three different people. Wittaker couldn’t be cheap. While Archie had never told me how much his fees were, I figured somewhere in the five hundred dollars per hour range.
Rubbing a hand against my back, he grinned.
“Don’t freak out.”
“I’m. Not. Freaking. Out.” Okay, so maybe I was a little. I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath. The caress of his hand running up and down my spine made me sigh. “Okay, I’m freaking out a little.”
He smiled. “I know you are, that’s why I wanted to talk to you about this alone. You’d probably be even more wound up if the guys were here. Money isn’t a fun topic for a lot of people to talk about.”
“Unless you have money,” I pointed out. Money had never bothered Archie.
“That’s because it’s a resource. For some, it’s status. For others, it’s survival. For me? It’s just another resource I have to make life easier for the people I love.”
Warmth bloomed inside of me.
“And now, you have that resource too. Not that I won’t still insist on paying for meals and spoiling you with presents.” He curled a lock of my hair around his finger. “I guarantee you the guys will feel the same. Boyfriend privileges.”
Yes, they had made that very clear. “Brother boyfriend privileges.”
Archie threw his head back and laughed. The sound was so open and joyful, it chased away some of my nerves. Still chuckling, he gave the lock a gentle tug. “No distracting me.”
“I would never.” I lowered my lashes, and he snorted.
“Anyway… We need to lock down your financial advisor before we move out of here.
