“Oh, it was just Payton.”I mean, it’s not a lie.
I thought mentioning that it was just his sister would get him off my back, however, it seems to backfire.
“Is that dickhead causing more trouble for her?” He pushes off the wall, standing straight up.Fuck.
Archer seems to have been more protective since finding out that Payton and I kept that secret from him that Joel had shown up at the house. Total big brother mode activated. He’s been on edge since.
Whoa there, killer.I hold my hand to calm him down. “No, nothing like that. She just had some trouble with the internet and needed help with resetting the router and shit. Had to walk her through it.”
Archer’s shoulders relax, and he nods in acceptance. If there’s one thing I can’t fault the Mosby brothers for, it’s wanting to protect their sister.
Clearing my throat, I tilt my head toward the kitchen. “Well, I should probably get back in there.”
Archer calls my name just before I push through the kitchen door.
“I know I might not say it, but I really appreciate you looking out for my sister and niece. I’m sure it’s a bit of an inconvenience, but I’m sure she’ll be back on her feet soon.”
If I open my mouth, I might refute it’s not an inconvenience. Far from it, in fact. If I have my way, they’ll never leave. So instead, I just nod.
Just a few more hours, and I can head home to my girls.
Chapter 28
Rhyland
It’s wild that you can go years believing that you’re living your life to the fullest, only to realize the truth is far from it. Since Payton and Gabby moved in, I took off the rose-colored glasses I’ve worn most of my life. The ones that made me believe that what I was doing daily was living, but I was a fool because that wasn’t living; it was surviving. Since opening my heart to Payton, the world has gone from black and white to the brightest technicolor.
I couldn’t imagine not coming home to find Gabby’s toys scattered all around the house, or Payton’s shoes on the stairs with her intention of carrying them upstairs, yet never doing so. I wouldn’t want to come home to a silent house without Gabby’s babbling and giggles. And even if I struggle to get the cabinets open quickly, or it takes an extra minute to plug something in because I need to peel the cover off the outlet, I love all ofthose silly contraptions we recently babyproofed the house with, because it means that Gabby is safe.
Now that I’ve gotten to experience all of that and see what exactly was missing in my life, how could I ever give any of that up? The answer is simple—I won’t. But the first thing we need to do is come clean to everyone about our relationship. I’m done hiding it.
What makes me any worse than Joel Taylor? He kept his secrets from Payton, and while I’m an open book to her, I’m keeping secrets from everyone else. It’s time the world knows she’s mine.
I reach the side of the bed where Payton slept last night, hoping to pull her closer to me, but I come up empty. All plans of talking last night were shot to hell once I found her waiting for me in my bed in just my shirt. Our mouths were quickly otherwise occupied for the rest of the evening before she fell asleep in my arms.
Pushing up to a seated position, I look around the room and see that I’m alone.Where did she go?
I twist to a seated position and grab my phone from the charger beside my bed. Making a rash decision, I open up the group chat I have with Ollie, Archer, and Logan.
Me:Hey, just letting you know that I’m not coming in today. Don’t worry, everything is fine. Logan can take over for me in the kitchen. Everything is in the walk in.
I send the text off and put the phone back on the nightstand with every intention of ignoring it today. There’s no point in waiting for a reply because I made up my mind. There’s nothing they can say to convince me not to spend the day with my girls.If we are going to come clean to everyone and dive headfirst into possible chaos, I want one last day of peace with them—just us.
With that dealt with, I hop out of bed and throw on a T-shirt and go in search of the girls.
Popping my head into Payton’s room, I come up empty, so I head downstairs. As I make my way down the stairs, I hear a familiar rattling coming from the living room. I walk into the room and find Gabby bouncing in her jumper activity center. She loves this thing. It has an assortment of different activities and things for her to play with.
The TV is on, and there is a blanket strewn across the couch, but where the hell is Payton?
“Good morning, Princess.” I crouch down and press a kiss to her forehead. “Do you know where Mama is?”
“Oh.” Payton gasps behind me. I twist around and see her walking into the room, both hands clutching her coffee mug. The hair bundled on top of her head and the slow shuffle of her feet give me an idea that maybe I was alone in bed for quite some time.
She lets out an enormous yawn as she takes a seat on the corner of the couch.
I join her on the couch and lift her legs into my lap, then stretch the blanket over both of us.
“Have you been up long?” I ask as my palms glide up and down her legs.
