Page 84 of An Unexpected Turn
“Stop,” I told her through gritted teeth and pulled Peyton behind me. “Mike isn’t home and won’t be coming back until tonight, so you have no other reason to be here. I’ll tell him he missed you. I’m sorry that you came here for nothing, but it’s time for you to leave my house.”
“I remember when it was my house too.” She shook her head and approached Peyton, looking between us for a second. “Be careful. He builds you up so high that the fall is a real bitch.”
She gave me one last scowl before stalking out the door and leaving it open behind her.
I pushed the door shut, rubbing my eyes as I tried to calm down. So much for a perfect weekend. If Peyton and I were in this for the long haul, she needed to know what baggage she was taking on. An ex-wife I’d never be on friendly terms with was more than half of it.
I sucked in a breath, not wanting to meet Peyton’s gaze yet. After trying to prove to her how different she was from Eileen or anyone else I’d ever known, I was afraid Eileen’s ugly words had planted a seed of doubt.
“I’m sorry about that. I had no idea she was coming here, and neither did Mike.”
“Hey, stop it.” She rubbed her hands up and down my arms. “I’m fine. She’s not the first one to imply I’m a young whore.”
“What?Who called you that?”
“Travis’s wife, when it all came out. She showed up at my apartment and said a whole lot worse for much longer. But what could I say? He lied to her too. I felt sorry for her and ashamed of what I’d done. And while Eileen has no excuse for making her son suffer for her own anger, I honestly feel sorry for her too.” She feathered her hand down my cheek. “I imagine you’re difficult to come back from.”
“I love you, more than I ever loved her, as terrible as it sounds. Please don’t think that I’m—”
She pressed her finger to my lips. “I love you too. And I know what kind of man you are. The best one I’ve ever known. I think you’ve punished yourself enough where she’s concerned, and now you take care of yourself and your son and hope that she finds a better way to deal with her unresolved feelings toward you. But that’s her problem. As much as you’d like to think so, you can’t fix everything.”
“I’m so fucking lucky,” I rasped, grabbing the back of her head and hauling her to me. I covered her mouth with mine, bringing her flush to my body, and that still wasn’t close enough.
She laughed against my lips before she pressed her hands into my chest.
“So am I. Especially if I still get pancakes.” She peered up at me, quirking an eyebrow.
“I’ll give you whatever you want.” I kissed her again before looping my arm around her shoulders and heading back to the kitchen.
I’d never come back from Peyton. She gave me a certainty and satisfaction I’d never known, and I was done keeping it to myself.
THIRTY-THREE
PEYTON
“That’s a great tree,” I told my aunt as I eyed what looked like a six-foot Christmas tree taking up almost the entire corner of their living room.
“It’s abigtree. That’s why it only has lights so far.” Aunt Maya dragged her gaze up and down the tree, shaking her head as she pinched one of the branches between her fingers.
“It’s fantastic.” Uncle Keith wrapped an arm around her waist. “The boys expect a big tree.”
“This boy expects a big tree.” She pointed a thumb at my uncle over her shoulder. “The two upstairs just care what’s under it on Christmas Day.”
“Speaking of,” Uncle Keith said, keeping his arm around his wife. “Are you bringing someone with you on Christmas? You know you can. I’ll only show him my gun once.” He laughed when Aunt Maya elbowed his side.
“Maybe,” I said, pushing a smile across my lips.
While my frustration grew, I was relieved at every reprieve. I paid closer attention to all the laughs we’d have when I’d see my uncle, compared to how I imagined things would be when he found out. Everything was about to shift, and I wanted to hold on to the simpler times before they all got too complicated to remember.
But it had gone on too long, and Jake and I had come too far to take anything back. My uncle deserved the truth from us, and we’d carried the lie on for too long. Jake would be mad at me, but he’d get over it. I’d had a small break between dismissal and when I had to head back to school tonight, and all I could think of was coming here and getting it over with.
“Actually, can I talk to you about that, Uncle Keith?”
“I am going to the garage to see if we have that other set of lights,” Aunt Maya said as she stepped to the side. “I think this is the fourth set.” She chuckled, her brows lifting when she glanced in my direction. “I’ll be back.”
Part of me wanted to go with her, delay this conversation once again, but I’d explode if I waited another minute.
Lying to my uncle cheapened what should have been the happiest time of my life, and I was sick of doing it.
