I was sitting on the bench in the back garden, letting the afternoon breeze cool my skin when the sound of approaching footsteps reached my ears. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
"What are you doing out here alone?" Archie’s voice was light, almost as though nothing had ever happened between us.
I shrugged, keeping my gaze fixed ahead. "Just needed some fresh air."
He nodded slowly before settling beside me, cradling a tiny baby wrapped snugly in a blue blanket.
"I hope you don’t mind me bringing him along," he said, offering a small smile. "He’s still too little to be left on his own."
I turned my head slightly, feigning curiosity as I regarded the sleeping infant. "Whose baby is this?" My tone was deliberately flat.
Archie hesitated before finally answering, "An acquaintance’s… He couldn’t take care of him, so I was considering adopting him."
I glanced at him then, arching a brow. "Adopt him?"