30. Pecker
Chapter 30
Pecker
“So, how’s everything going?” Wes grabs a mug off the counter and pours himself a cup of coffee.
I'm already dressed in my uniform and I have around half an hour before I need to leave. I didn’t expect anyone else to be up yet.
Jax and Cody are going home early tomorrow morning. It was nice to spend some time with them. I wish I didn’t need to work so I could spend the rest of the day with them.
I really love Sophia’s entire family, but Jax, Cody, and I click like we’re best friends. I'm sure when I move to Mulberry Lane, we will be good friends.
And Wyatt’s my brother. He’s slid into that role so naturally, it’s almost strange.
I'm working half a shift today and Colt is covering the other half. Sydney and the kids are coming over this afternoon and meet the Robinsons and Eversons. It will be the first time she gets to meet Wyatt in person and the first time she’ll get to meet Sophia’s family.
I'm praying it all goes well and everyone gets along. Our future will be so much easier if things are calm and happy tonight.
“Everything is good. I wish I didn’t have to work today, but Colt couldn’t work the entire shift for me and Jared worked overnight.”
“Where’s your head?” He asks, keeping his gaze on me.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, when you left Mulberry Lane, you seemed determined to make things work with Sophia long term. What’s the plan with that?”
“I need to talk to Sydney.” I let out a long sigh and run my fingers through my hair. “I’m hoping she’ll be ok on her own soon, but I'm torn. How do I leave her and the kids after Rob left them? I don’t want Danny to think I'm walking away from him, but how do I make him understand that’s not what I'm doing?”
“You don’t walk away.” Wes lifts his coffee to his lips and takes a long swig.
“What? No matter what happens, I have to walk away from someone. I thought you liked me and wanted me to stay with Sophia, but now you’re telling me not to walk away from Danny. I can't live in two places at once.”
“I like you a whole hell of a lot, Peck. And I definitely want you to continue dating Sophia. Honestly, I want you to propose to her, but that’s a different conversation.” He waves his hand through the air like he’s erasing the comment.
“Then what are you saying?” I ask slowly.
I'm not addressing the proposal. I want to marry Sophia, but I need to make sure I can give her everything she wants before I drop down to one knee.
“You don’t need to live here to be in Danny’s life. You can live elsewhere without walking away.”
“How? I feel like I'm screwed no matter what I do!” I cover my face in my hands and growl.
“C’mon, Peck, calm down and listen to me.” Wes leaves his mug on the counter and places his hand on my shoulder. “You can still be there for all of them. You can call and video chat with them. You can visit or bring them to Mulberry Lane. What Danny needs more than anything is for someone to listen to him when he wants to talk. You can do that from anywhere.”
“That’s true,” I say softly.
“What it really comes down to is does Sydney still need your help with babysitting? And are you ready to make this move and leave your life to start over somewhere else? Do you want to take your relationship with Sophia to the next level?”
“I’ve never wanted anything more, Sir. I just need to talk to Sydney about babysitting. When will Sophia’s house be finished?”
“It’s been done for two weeks, Peck. I just haven’t told her yet and she hasn’t asked for a single update. I think it’s better for everyone if she doesn’t know until you know what you’re doing.”
“Holy crap! You really are Wyatt Everson!” Danny practically squeals when he walks in the front door and spots Wyatt sitting on the couch.
“Danny! Watch your volume level! There’s a baby sleeping!” Sydney hisses as she covers his mouth with her hand.
“Guys, this is Sydney, my sister… and Wyatt’s. And these are her kids, Danny and Bree. This is Sophia’s family. Addi and Wes are her parents. Charlie is the beautiful mama holding our adorable niece, Carter. Jax and Cody are her brothers. And this…” I place my hand on Wyatt’s back. “Is our brother Wyatt and your Uncle Wyatt.” I glance at Danny and Bree.
There’s chaos in the room as five different conversations break out at once. It’s crazy and yet I wouldn’t change it for anything. I have a feeling any family gatherings will always be chaotic, but I’ll love every second of them.
“Hi! I'm Bree.” My innocent little niece plops down on the couch between Cody and Jax. She’s all smiles as she stares up at them with hearts practically popping out of her eyes.
“I think someone has a crush,” Sophia singsongs.
“What up, small fry? I'm Cody and this is my brother, Jax.” Cody drapes an arm around her shoulders and her smile widens impossibly bigger.
“You know, Syd. If we get married, every person in your family would be married to someone in my family.” Jax grins at her from the couch.
“Something tells me you’re not prepared for an instant family.” Sydney tilts her head to the side and examines him.
“Ignore him and give me a hug.” Wyatt steps in front of Sydney with open arms. She doesn’t waste a second to step into them and hug him back. “It’s so nice to finally meet you in person,” he whispers softly.
“I'm so sorry for how you found out,” she murmurs. “I never would’ve-”
“Stop, Syd. It’s over and done with. We can't change how things worked out and I’m not sure I’d want to. I'm happy. Happier than ever before. I have an amazing adoptive family. Fantastic in-laws. A perfect wife and daughter. And now I have a wonderful blood related family too.”
“I'm so happy to have you in our lives,” Sydney chokes on her words as she hugs Wyatt even tighter.
The rest of the evening is spent with Danny asking Wyatt questions about baseball, Bree bursting with happiness each time Cody talks to her, Jax flirting with my sister, and everyone gushing over how adorable Carter is. The entire time, I watch my girl. Noticing how she’s lit up since her family showed up.
Don’t get me wrong, Sophia’s happy here and she’s always smiling, but it’s different when she’s with her family. She’s more.
“Peck, can I talk to you somewhere private?” Sydney places a hand on my forearm and stares up at me with her brows pinched together.
“Yeah, no problem.” I lead her into my bedroom, unsure of where else we could get privacy. It’s too cold to be outside when we don’t need to be. “What’s going on?” I ask as I shut the door softly.
“You have to move,” she blurts out before covering her face in her hands to muffle a quiet scream.
“Umm… what?”
“You have to move! She’s so happy with her family and so are you. They’ve welcomed you with open arms and even you’re happier with them around. It’s like they’re this missing piece of your life and you’ve finally found them.”
“I'm happy with the family I’ve always had and I'm happy here.” I tug her hands away from her face and try to calm her down.
I don’t want to think about where I'm happiest because that makes me feel like a shitty brother. Instead, I blame it on Sophia and where she’s happiest.
“Oh, shut up! I know you love us and want to be around us, but that’s not what I'm saying! You love that family, Peck. Wes treats you like you’re his son and I know how much you miss having Dad around. I'm not saying he can replace Dad, but he’d come freaking close! And Addi is the sweetest woman ever. She’s even more amazing than Mom was. They’ll be such amazing in-laws to have.”
“We’re not engaged, Syd. I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself.”
She looks like she’s seconds away from a meltdown and I don’t know how to fix this. The only thing I can think of is reassuring her I'm not leaving yet. I'm not engaged yet.
But deep down, I know I want to leave Maple Springs. I want to drop down on one knee right now. I wasn’t sure if Sophia’s family treated me differently when we were visiting because I was new or if they were trying to be on their best behavior, but now I see it’s just who they are.
“Bradley! You need to marry her. You love her so much. You’d be an idiot to walk away from her.” She grips my shoulders and shakes me a little harder with each sentence.
“I’m not planning on walking away from her, but we’re not walking down the aisle yet. I need to make sure I can give her what she wants and I'm not sure I can right now,” I say softly, hating how true my words are.
“What does she want?”
“She wants to go back to Mulberry Lane. She says she’s happy here, but I'm sure you’ve seen how she lights up with her family. She’s happier, more talkative, more at ease. I don’t know, she’s just more. ”
“And so are you.” Sydney places her hand on my chest, right over my heart. “You and Wyatt act like brothers, Peck. You don’t seem like people who just met. Jax and Cody treat you like you’re their best friend. Charlie welcomes you easily into their family and I already told you how I feel about Addi and Wes. You love Sophia and you love that family. Why are you still here? Why aren’t you moving to Mulberry Lane?”
“Because I'm here for you! If I move, I can't help you or babysit, but if I stay, I could lose Sophia. I'm screwed no matter what I do!” I run rough hands through my hair and barely contain the scream wanting to break free. I'm so frustrated about this and yet there’s nothing I can do to fix it.
I pace up and down the length of my room and wince every time I step on the same spot that makes a loud creak.
I can't make Rob magically come back and honestly, I wouldn’t want to even if I could. He’s a piece of shit and doesn’t deserve to be in their lives.
I can’t make Danny and Bree grow up faster so they don’t need someone home with them and I can't do anything about Sydney’s weird hours she works.
“You can move! I'm fine! I don’t need you as much as I did when you moved into my basement. Hell, even when Rob initially left us, I didn’t ask you to move here from Tuft Swallow. You did that on your own and while I'm very appreciative of the help you’ve given me, I could’ve done it without you. Rob didn’t help. He was just a warm body to have in the house while the kids slept. I could’ve asked someone else to do the same thing or hired more people.”
I pause my pacing and stare at her. She didn’t need me? I left a life I loved behind to move here and she never needed that? Thinking back, Sydney didn’t ask me to move. I just assumed she’d need another set of hands, but she’s right. Rob didn’t help with anything when they were married so not a lot changed for her.
I'm not upset I moved. If I hadn’t, I never would’ve met Sophia. She’s worth everything to me. I’d move a million times if it meant I got to be with her in the end.
“You don’t need me? Now?”
“I met someone, Peck. He’s amazing and has been helping me out a lot. I don’t think you’ve realized, but for the past month or so, I’ve barely asked you to help me at all with the kids. He’s been stepping in and being the dad they’ve always wanted. He’s great with them and they love him so much. We’re not getting married or anything yet, but I can really see a future with him.” The smile spreading across her face has tears pricking the back of my eyes.
I'm so happy she found someone who can fill the void Rob never could. Someone who’s good with the kids and loves them like they’re his own. The three of them deserve someone amazing.
“You don’t need me to stay in Maple Springs?”
“Not only do I not need you to, but I don’t want you to. Go build the life you and Sophia are dreaming of. Take that woman into your arms and never let her go. Let her have her dream house on Mulberry Lane and help her build the bakery of her wildest imagination. She’s going to be amazing, Peck, and you could be right there next to her.”
“Ok, but when do I get to meet this guy?” I fold my arms over my chest, acting like the protective brother I’ve always tried to be.
“You already know him,” she says softly.