AUGUST | NH |

THIRTY

Niall

"Should we get macaroni?"

Archer looks at the grocery list in her hands, eyes focused on the shelf in front of her as I drop down to one knee behind her.

"What do you think?" I ask, wishing for her to turn around. "I thought you were done with macaroni?"

"Done with macaroni—" She doesn't even finish her sentence as she turns around, her mouth falling open as she looks at me down on one knee on aisle six. "Niall—"

Finishing the knot in my shoelaces, I look up at her. "What? My shoe came untied."

"Fuck you." She seethes, grabbing the handle to the grocery cart and pushing it down the aisle, flipping me the middle finger before turning the corner.

I laugh to myself as I follow behind her, shoving my hands in my pockets.

That's not the first time.

Recently, I've been pushing my luck and randomly dropping down to one knee in public places. Each and every time, my shoe has magically become untied.

Not to mention the time I wasn't even wearing shoes that tied.

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Archer made me sleep outside on the back patio in her reading chair. To be fair I probably deserve that.

It's been two years since she finished school and moved into my little house, making it a home and giving me the life I always dreamed about. That means it's been three years since we met and that just doesn't even seem real to me.

Everyday I get to tell her how much I love her and everyday she gets to tell me how much she loves me.

It doesn't get better than this.

It can't get better than this.

Right now, we are trying to buy the stuff we need to make for Ellis and Inez's baby shower.

Baby Shower.

They got married not long after Archer moved to Cape Charlotte, now we are about to welcome their baby girl into our circle.

Archer has never been more excited to be an aunt and I don't blame her. The night Ellis and Inez pulled us aside and asked us to be the godparents to their child, I'm pretty sure I cried.

Just knowing a little one was going to call me Uncle Niall made me emotional.

Making my way through the store, I find her in the freezer section with a pint of ice cream in each hand, trying to decide which one she wants.

Coming up behind her, it's like I can hear her roll her eyes at me as I press my chest to her back. "Are you still mad at me?"

"I'm not talking to you right now." Tone flat, she puts both pints of ice cream in the cart. "Go away."

I only let her make it about two steps in front of me before I wrap my arm around her waist, kissing the back of her neck. "I'm sorry."

"That's what you said last time." She pretends to still be mad but I don't miss the way she melts into me. "When you finally ask I'm just going to say no."

I kiss her neck, up to her ear. "You'd really say no?"

"Maybe." Laughing she pulls away pushing the cart down the aisle before turning to look at me. "Keep testing your luck and you'll find out."

Shaking my head, I follow her.

We make it out of the grocery store without any more fake proposals or unnecessary boxes or macaroni and cheese. Driving across town, it doesn't take us longer than five minutes to get there.