Chapter 9
Rhyland
O n Sundays, I wake up, get a run in, shower, stop at the coffee shop, and head to the fairgrounds.
Every Sunday is the same thing—the routine is something I’ve prided myself on over the years.
I did all of those things this morning, only instead of driving to the fairgrounds, I drove to Connie’s house.
My body didn’t even act on instinct, knowing exactly where it was meant to be.
As I walk up the front steps, I replay the conversation I had last night with Archer and Ollie about what was happening today.
After a busy evening, the Mosby brothers, Logan, and I all stayed past closing to decompress.
It wasn’t entirely out of character for us to do, but it seemed like it had been forever since we had.
I had planned to tell them the plan, but turns out I hadn’t needed to. Someone else had beaten me to it.
“What’s this I hear about my sister and niece moving in with you?” Ollie said as he sat down four beers on the table.
Well, so much for any nerves I had about sharing the news of our new living situation. “Pretty much exactly what you just said,” I teased.
“I didn’t realize you were looking for a roommate,” Archer added, while Logan just sat back and observed the conversation.
“I wasn’t. But I guess your mom has been driving Pay nuts, and I just figured she had been through enough and offered her a safe space that’s not some strange place with potential strangers around her.”
“Makes sense. I’m glad Payton has an extra big brother looking out for her.
” Ollie saluted his beer in thanks. I tried to hide my wince by taking a swig of my drink.
If only he knew my thoughts of his sister were anything but brotherly.
Yes, I wanted to protect her, but I also wanted her under me, in front of me, and riding me.
“But I don’t want your one-night stands around my niece. ”
I didn’t correct my best friend that it’d been a while since I’d fucked anything other than my right hand.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t had plenty of opportunities, too, but I just hadn’t felt it.
It wasn’t really a conversation I wanted to have right now because I knew Ollie, and he would pry until he pulled the last layer back to figure out the truth.
Logan had been the first to leave, followed by Ollie, but he made one last dig before heading home to the missus.
“Good luck tomorrow. Don’t call me to help move shit,” he laughed. “Call that motherfucker.” He nodded toward his older brother. “He was the one who arrived last the last time we had to move Pay’s stuff.”
Archer sighed. “How long you gonna hold that over my head, Ol?”
Ollie paused and made a huge, dramatic show of his thinking. “I mean, at least on our deathbeds, and then maybe once we find ourselves in the afterlife.”
With that, he left, leaving me and Archer to finish cleaning up.
“You know he probably sped unpacked all her shit before literally just for this purpose, right?” I laughed, knowing my best friend too well.
“Yup,” Archer replied as he stacked his chair on top of the table.
I adjust the tray of coffees in my hand so that I can ring the doorbell. Even though this house is like my second home, I didn’t want to just barge in today. As I hear the tone coming from inside, I wince and worry that maybe that wasn’t the right idea and could have woken up or disturbed Gabby.
What sounds like a herd of elephants coming toward the door has me quickly taking a step to the side, just in case I somehow transformed into Jumanji and am about to be greeted by a stampede.
The door flies open and reveals a flustered-looking Payton.
A pale shade of pink paints her cheeks, as if she had been running around, and half her hair is falling out of the messy bun thing on top of her head.
Her shirt has a wet spot that runs from the shoulder down to her breast. And now I’m staring at her boobs.
I continue to drop my gaze to look down at my watch and check the time. Huh, so much for if you’re not early, you’re late.
“Is everything okay? Did you change your mind?” Fuck, I was so excited that I hadn’t even thought that maybe she would think more about this and then change her mind.
“No, no,” she pants. “It’s nothing like that at all. It’s just that Gabby was up all night, and, well, today is just not going at all planned.” She sighs and leans against the doorframe, her eyes dropping to the tray of coffees, and a glimmer of hope shines in her eyes.
“Is by any chance one of those for me? Because if so, I would love you forever.” Is that all I need to do to capture her heart?
“It is, in fact. I got one for you and one for your mom.”
“Oh boy, you trying to be today’s favorite son, huh?” she teases, and a smile finally takes over her beautiful face. Pay extends her hand to welcome me inside, and I offer her the cup for her as I pass by.
“Thank you,” she says, while closing the door behind me.
The moan that slips from her mouth at her first sip has my spine straightening just as hard as my dick is right now. Fuck.
Instead of going for awkward, I go for humor. “Good, huh?”
“Yes,” she sighs with a dopey look in her eyes, and it only makes me smile more. “I can’t believe you remembered my coffee order.”
“Oh, come on, it’s not that hard to forget.” It’s not like she didn’t badger me and Ollie to drive her to the coffee shop all the time to get one, and then one Christmas, Ollie had bought her a fancy coffee machine to make lattes at home to avoid having to play taxi for her.
“Yeah, I guess.” She pulls the corner of her lip between her teeth, as if she’s getting lost in thought somewhere. Where did she go just then?
“Payton? You okay over there?”
“You sure you want to do this? With me being a hot mess and Gabby being up for all hours. I’m sure it will only get worse as she goes through her sleep regressions and teething and—” Payton’s rambles, but enough of that.
I step up and press my finger to her mouth, shushing her.
“Absolutely. It will all be fine. I’m never really home, anyway.
” The urge to kiss her is strong, so I step back, putting much-needed space between us.
I don’t know why I added the last part. While it might be true, I was never home because it always more so felt like just a house—four walls and a roof.
There was never anyone to come home to or laughter filling the house unless I had friends over.
But something tells me that things are about to change.
“Oh,” she says, almost as if my stating that fact was disappointing.
A part of me tells me I should explain more about what I mean by that, but the other part tells me that this is already a deep conversation for the first thing in the morning. I allow the latter to win and change the subject.
“So, should we get started? Do we need to pack up Gabby’s things first so that we can set her up for like a nap or something when we get there?”
“No, Mom is going to bring Gabby over a little later so that I can focus on getting everything set up without having a baby stuck to my chest.”
She says that like it could be a bad thing. Where do I sign up to be stuck to her chest?
“That’s really nice of her. Hopefully, between the two of us, we can knock it all out quickly.”
Payton nods.
“Well, where is your mom, and I’ll deliver this coffee to her before we get started?”
Payton points toward the kitchen before ducking up the stairs.
It only takes just over an hour to play Tetris and get everything all packed up between my truck and her vehicle. I don’t know if Payton had already packed everything or maybe just never got around to unpacking. Either way, it made for a smooth morning.
I’m just bringing the tailgate of my truck down when Payton finally gets out of her car. She had pulled right in beside me in the driveway but hesitated to get out. I don’t know if she was once again doubting this or giving herself a pep talk. Either way, I didn’t push.
“Wow, this is beautiful.” Payton pauses on the pathway, looking up at my house as if it’s a castle.
“Thank you,” I reply as I open the front door and set the box down in the hallway. It’s nothing special, really—but it’s mine. It was my first major purchase.
“I can’t believe I’ve never been here,” she says, setting the box down beside mine.
I had bought it while she was away at college, and when she came home to visit, I guess there wasn’t really a reason for her to come by.
“Well, you’re here now. Come on, I’ll give you a tour.”
To our left is the living room, and the dining room is to the right.
“How long have you lived here?”
“A few years.”
Payton hums in response, and I have to smother down my chuckle as I take her in.
I would bet my life that she wants to make a comment about the lack of décor in the house.
It’s something that Ollie basically comments on every time he’s over.
But like I’ve said before, it’s just a house, and I’m never home, so I never felt the need to fill it with extra shit.
But as I walk Pay around, visions play out in my head.
I can see Gabby’s toys strewn out all over the floor, and maybe even stepping on a Barbie shoe or two.
I can recall stepping on a few of Payton’s when we were younger, and they hurt like a fucking bitch.
But if it meant that this house was more of a home, I would walk on a path of Barbie shoes.
You can reach the kitchen by the front hallway or through the dining room.
I don’t think I can even count on one hand the number of times I’ve eaten in the dining room.
With it being just me or the guys coming over, we usually just sit around the island eating or out back on the patio.
I’m slowly working on updating the kitchen.
It’s still technically a work in progress to being my dream kitchen, but I’m not in a rush.
We finally make our way upstairs, which houses my room, a full bath in the hall, and the guest room, which will now become Payton and Gabby’s room.
Payton takes in the room, and I’m thankful it wasn’t too messy when I came home the other night after offering this room to her.
I just had to move a few things into the garage and my closet.
“You can paint or redecorate however you want. The walls have been this gray color since I bought it.”
“No, it’s perfect.” I can’t help but smile that she likes it. I leave her for a moment and run down to grab the first round of boxes that we had left at the front door.
“How about you unpack,” I say, setting the boxes down just in the doorway, “and I’ll keep bringing them up. That way, we’re constantly working together.”
“I can’t ask you to be the only one to unload.”
“You’re not asking. I’m volunteering. I think it will go the fastest. Then your mom can bring Gabby over sooner. I’m sure she misses her mommy.”
I smile at her as she nods, and that smile never leaves my face the rest of the morning.
“Where do you want this box?” I ask, entering the room with my fourth box. Music plays from her phone, which is perched on the bed.
“Right over there is fine.” She nods next to the closet.
After dropping the box to the ground, I shove my hands into my pockets and look around the room. It already looks like a different room. Clearly, I was right that this was a faster way because the other boxes are already empty and broken down.
“So, I’ve got a few more boxes, but then I’m ready to bring Gabby’s crib in.”
“Oh, I can help with that. It’s solid wood and a little heavy.”
“Where do you want to put it?”
She pauses from hanging clothes on a hanger—who knew one could own so much clothing—and looks around the room. “What do you think about moving that dresser over to this wall, and we can set it up there? That way, if the hall light is on and the door is open, it won’t shine directly at her.”
“I think that’s perfect.” And not something I would have clearly thought about. “I’ll clear these empty boxes out of the way, and then I’ll get that moved.”
Payton resumes hanging clothes up in the closet.
I stand in the doorway for a moment, just watching her.
Her hips sway side to side to the music, and her messy bun bounces.
I can even hear her softly singing along.
This is the most relaxed I’ve seen her in so long.
And knowing that I had a hand in that just does something to me.