Page 16

Peyton

I lay in bed, trying to force myself to stay awake. I watched the game. Clay hadn’t played tonight, which was odd, yet I knew he was there because I’d seen him skate onto the ice at the start.

I glanced over at the clock on my side table—a little after eleven. I was certain the guys would be back home by now. They normally were when they played a home game. I picked up my phone and checked to see if I had any messages, but there was nothing.

I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes. I felt uneasy all afternoon, especially after the doctor’s appointment. I’d given my notice at work and then had come home and started packing. Mom had let me know she’d finally found a place and that she had told William that the money he’d received from Knox for this month’s rent would be the last.

I let out a sigh and rolled onto my back when my phone rang. Grabbing it, I brought the phone up to my ear.

“Hey, how are you doing??” Clay’s voice asked over the phone.

“Okay, you?” I asked.

“Tired. It’s been a day. Did you watch the game?”

“I did. I noticed you didn’t play tonight,” I said, bunching the corner of my sheets in my hand as I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“Nah, not tonight,” he muttered. “Doctor’s appointment went well?” he asked, changing the subject.

I frowned. I didn’t like that he hadn’t expanded on the reason he hadn’t played. Clay only ever stepped out of the game when injured or sick. I knew that much from my brother.

“Yeah, how did you feel about the news?”

I’d been worried about telling him how far along I’d been through a text message. I’d wanted to see his face when I told him the news. That way I could gauge his reaction myself, because I still feared somewhere inside, he wasn’t serious about being there for me.

“I’d planned to be there for you no matter what. Even if it wasn’t mine,” he said, going quiet for a few moments before clearing his throat. “What I’d like to know is how you see this going?”

“What do you mean?” I questioned, not sure what it was he wanted to know.

“Well, what do you want? Did you want to try to co-parent, or do you want to be together?”

I knew what I’d always wanted if I were to have children with someone, but I certainly didn’t want to force him to want the same things. However, I knew I needed to be honest with him instead of dancing around the subject or trying to hint or maybe never tell him what it was I wanted. This wasn’t just me I was messing with. I had someone else to think about now, which totally blew my mind when I thought about it.

“To be honest, I always thought that when I had kids, or was lucky enough to have them, I’d be with the father, in a solid relationship.”

I swallowed hard when the line went quiet. It stayed quiet for a few minutes.

“When are you coming back out here?” he asked. “Maybe we should try to settle things?”

“I’ll be out this coming weekend,” I answered.

“Okay, that sounds good.”

Once again, he went quiet. I wanted to see him, to see his expression.

“Clay, before I go to sleep, do you think we could video chat?” I asked.

Clay cleared his throat. “I don’t know if that is a good idea right now,” he said.

“Why?” I questioned, fear running through me. He hadn’t played tonight…now he didn’t want to video chat.

Then, as if he could read my mind, the line went dead, and my phone rang, a video chat invite popping up.

I pulled up the video call and then saw the reason Clay hadn’t wanted to be on video. The cut across the bridge of his nose was red and bloody, but the swollen shut black eye and bruising were horrific.

“What the hell happened to you?” I cried, horrified.

Clay chuckled a little. “Don’t freak out, but your brother happened.”

Tears came to my eyes first because of the damage Knox had caused, and then for another reason. “Why would he have done that?” I questioned; positive I knew the answer already.

“I told him,” Clay answered. “About us.”

“What?” I questioned, panic filling me.

“I told him today. I couldn’t keep it from him any longer. Like I told you, I was prepared to take what was coming my way.”

“God…I’m going to let him have it,” I said, anger rising in me.

“No, you aren’t. We are going to let him cool off, and then we are going to deal with him like the adults we are. He’ll come around. I am sure it was just a shock to him. Now, I’m going to get some ice on my face so I don’t miss any other games and get to bed. I want you to do the same, and I will see you on the weekend.”

“But, Clay, he can’t do this—”

“It’s done, Peyton. He did it and I expected it. Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.”

“I’m not worried about him.”

“Peyton, we’ll be fine,” Clay said, the confidence in his voice reassuring me. “Now, go get some rest and I’ll see you in a few days.”

I was just placing the load of towels I’d washed into the dryer and started it when my cell phone rang. I glanced at the screen to see my brother’s name. Swearing under my breath, I contemplated not answering it but then reconsidered. I was pissed with him, and he needed to know it. How dare he hit Clay.

“What?” I barked into the phone, not caring how I started this entire conversation between the two of us.

“Don’t you dare start off a conversation like that with me. I’m beyond pissed with you!” Knox yelled.

I could hear Mom or Lorelai in the background muttering something, but he covered the mouthpiece and mumbled something at them.

I had nothing to say because he had no right to be angry at me. I was an adult, and if I wanted to have a relationship with Clay, I had every right to.

“I see you have nothing to say. That figures, it’s very much like you. I don’t know why I ever expected anything different from you, Peyton.”

Tears filled my eyes as he spoke. His tone was harsh, his words even more so.

“What do you mean by that?”

“God, you sat right there that night and lied to my face in Vermont. I asked you point-blank if you were in his room and you fucking lied to me.”

“That’s because it wasn’t any of your business.”

“Not my business?”

“That’s right, you heard me. It’s not your business.”

“Seriously, Peyton, of all the guys on the team, Clay?”

I frowned. Was he upset about the fact that I’d messed around with one guy on the team or was he more upset at the fact that it was Clay?

“What is that supposed to mean? I would imagine it would upset you regardless of who it was that I messed around with.”

“Correct, but Clay?”

“Yes, Knox, Clay. What’s the problem?”

“It’s Clay, manwhore of the team. Jesus, if you even knew how many women—”

“Knox, it’s none of my concern, and it’s not like you are a saint, either. Hell, I’m sure you’ve had your fun just as much as any of the others on the team.”

“Peyton, this isn’t about me and my fun. This is about you and your choices and—”

“It’s always about me and my choices, isn’t it? Well, my choice was Clay, Knox, like it or not. It honestly didn’t even start out being that way. I ran into him the night you forced me to face the security after I shoplifted.”

“What are you talking about? The night you lied about being at my place tucked into bed, the night you came home drunk and staggered down the hallway…that night?”

How had he known? He’d been asleep when I’d left, I was certain of it, and I’d been as quiet as a mouse, or so I thought when I returned.

“Yes, that night.”

“So, you’ve been fucking him this entire time?”

“No, I never said that. If you really need to know, I slept with him when you forced Mom and I to go to Vancouver after I called you. I was in trouble that night. I’d stopped into some little dive bar there and some guy was trying to pick me up. He was touching me and saying all these things, making me feel not only uncomfortable but super dirty. I didn’t know how to handle it, and then I saw Clay across the room. He’d promised me that if ever I needed anything and you weren’t around, I could count on any of the guys on the team.”

“Oh, I see how it is. You were horned up and wanted to get laid.”

“You are impossible. No. I needed help. He came over and chased the other guy away. We talked for quite a long time after that, and then one thing led to another. We’re attracted to one another, and it just sort of happened.”

“Spare me the details, Peyton. Clay is nothing but a joke.”

Once again, irritation, followed by anger, flooded me. It wasn’t a wonder I never told Knox anything but lies. When this was the reaction, I always got in return, no matter if I told him the truth or not.

“You might think that Knox, but let me tell you, he is so far above and beyond the guys I’ve dated. He’s a man—”

“I don’t want to hear it, Peyton. In my books, Clay Harris is nothing but a fool, and he is dead to me from here on out.”

“You know what, big brother…you best watch who you are talking about, but that fool that’s dead to you is the father of my baby. Now, I’ve got to go. Oh, and don’t bother to pick me up from the airport on Friday. I’ll have Clay do it.”

I ended the call, then shoved my phone into my pocket. I didn’t have another thing to say to my brother on this subject, and if I had my way, I’d make sure not to see him when I was in Vancouver this weekend.