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“We…um…” She cleared her throat, pulling her cell from her pocket, then glancing up. “We should go.” She held her hand out for Kian who immediately let go of mine and went running to her as Bailey stood, taking Reed over to her.
“You don’t have to leave yet,” Bailey said, trying to keep her voice low, but it was no use because we could all hear her over the silence bathing us. “You haven’t eaten yet.”
It hadn’t been lost on me that Peyton hadn’t eaten, yet the boys had. In fact, when I thought about when I helped her inside with her groceries, there only ever seemed to be food for the boys.
“I’m not hungry,” Peyton said, taking Reed out of her arms. He placed his head on her shoulder, his little eyes closing as soon as he was back with the one person he loved most in this world.
Without another word, she spun round, taking her sons with her. Everyone was silent as they made their way through the house, then I heard the front door beep open and close—the alarm signaling us. And I didn’t know what possessed me, what made me follow her, but my gut was telling me that I couldn’t let her leave like this, not without saying something to her. What that something was I had no idea.
Blinking, I didn’t look back as I casually strolled into the house, taking the same route that Peyton and the boys had just taken, and as soon as I was outside, I spotted them near their front door.
“Peyton?” Her head snapped around at the sound of my voice, her brows knitting together in confusion. “Wait up.”
“I…” She maneuvered Reed on her hip, adjusting him. “I can’t do this right now, Raf.” She shook her head, tiredness flashing over her face as her mask slipped a little—a mask I was starting to see behind more and more.
“Just…” I held my hand in the air. “Just wait a second.” I glanced down at Kian, seeing his puffy eyes. “I just wanted to check that Kian is okay.” I crouched down, knowing that wasn’t the only reason I’d come out here, but Ididwant to know that he was okay.
“Don’t,” she warned me, but I didn’t listen to her as I asked Kian if he was okay. His little nod and small smile reassured me, so I stood again, staring her square in the eyes and wishing I wasn’t about to walk away from her.
Fuck. When did this need to be close to her start? It felt like it just all of a sudden sprung on me, and now I didn’t know how to act—how to behave.
“Don’t do this,” she said, her voice getting firmer. I raised a brow, silently telling her to expand on what she was saying, and with a small huff, she told me, “What happened in there, it…it means nothing, Raf. It was just a moment of fun.” She glanced around, clearly trying to find the right words, which only told me that she didn’t believe a word she was saying, because if she did, she would have known exactly what to say to me in that moment.
“Mama,” I murmured, not missing the pink hue that took effect on her cheeks. Damn, I loved the sight of that. “You can tell yourself that all you want, but both you and I know thatthatwas more than a moment offun.”
Her chest heaved, her body taking a step away from me. “No, Rafael.” She said my name in a way a mother did when you were in trouble, and fuck me, I liked it a whole lot more than I ever thought possible. Shit, this woman was making me all kinds of crazy. The back and forth, the secret looks, the silent conversations that we had. It was all…more than I’d ever experienced before. And I wanted more. I needed more.
“Yes, Peyton.” I took a step back too, lifting my hand in a wave as I promised, “I’ll be seeing you soon.”
And I would. There was no doubt about that. Me and her were only just getting started. She just had no idea.
* * *
PEYTON
“Mom!” Kian shouted from downstairs. “Someone is at the door!”
I winced, a second of terror flowing through me at his shout and knowing that whoever was on the other side of the door now knew who was home.
“Coming,” I responded, placing the rest of the laundry on my bed, then shooting out of my bedroom and down the stairs. Kian was standing there, waiting for me, a smile on his face.
I narrowed my eyes at him playfully as I reached the front door. “What are you up to, Kian?” He laughed, running away back into the living room where I’d left him and Reed. A mother’s instinct was never wrong, so I knew they’d donesomethingin there, but right in that second, I couldn’t find out because I was opening the door to—
“Bailey.” I let out a breath, thankful that she’d come over. It had been two days since I’d walked out of her barbecue.
She shuffled from foot to foot, her gaze batting between me and the open door. She was nervous. “Hey. I…I just…” She cleared her throat, her awkwardness making me smile a little. “I just wanted to see if you’re okay. If Kian is okay.” She paused, her gaze finally landing on me. “If we’re okay?”
I pursed my lips, trying my hardest to keep my grin from taking over my face as I stepped forward, grabbed her hand, then pulled her inside. “Of course we’re okay.” I closed the door behind us, automatically engaging the extra locks I’d installed the day we moved in. Although part of me wanted to put more there, I didn’t need to.
Not yet anyway.
Bailey let out a big breath, one that sounded like she’d been holding it for a while. “I was so worried.” She leaned against the door in the hallway, pushing some hair off her face. “When I didn’t hear from you yesterday, I was sure you were mad at me.” I held my hand up to stop her, but she didn’t take any notice, just continued, “I’m sorry about Kian getting upset. I didn’t know that was going to happen. And then he said that his dad—”
“Mom! Reed is being mean to me!”
My shoulders drooped, my stomach bottoming out as I was saved by my oldest son yet again. I couldn’t talk about their dad, not right then, not when I still hadn’t figured out everything that was going on. I felt like a kite flying in the wind with no destination in sight. I was just drifting, hoping that I would find the place I was meant to be at, but it was hard knowingwhenthat was going to happen.
“Come inside,” I told Bailey, spinning around and heading into the living room.
