71. Peyton
PEYTON
Daltyn is trying so hard to hide it.
That’s the worst part.
He still kisses me goodbye before practice. Still reaches for my hand automatically. Still pulls me against him at night.
But something quieter lives beneath it now.
Fear.
Constant fear.
I notice it in the way his eyes flick toward me sometimes when he thinks I’m not paying attention. Like he’s memorizing me. Like he’s already preparing himself to lose me.
And honestly? That hurts worse than if he’d begged me to stay.
Instead of making this about himself, he keeps trying to love me the right way.
Even if it’s killing him.
Which is exactly how I end up standing in the kitchen three nights later, staring at the email draft open on my laptop while my heart pounds violently in my chest.
The cabin is quiet except for soft music playing in the kitchen.
Daltyn is in the living room watching game footage. Or pretending to. I caught him rewinding the same play three times.
I glance back at the screen.
Mark’s last email sits open.
My eyes skim over the words.
A promotion.
More money.
A new apartment.
A fresh start.
Everything I thought I wanted.
Everything I wanted my first night here.
So why does the thought of leaving make me feel sick?
My chest tightens painfully as I look around the cabin. The open floor plan allows me to see the living room, kitchen, and part of the hallway.
I lift my eyes to the loft.
My gaze sweeps over the blankets tangled on the bed.
I close my eyes, picturing Daltyn’s hoodie draped over the chair. My skincare products scattered beside his toothbrush in the bathroom. My clothing in his closet and drawer as he slowly moved me from the guest room to his bedroom.
My eyes pop open.
Somewhere along the way, our lives quietly began to exist together, and this stopped feeling temporary.
And maybe that realization should terrify me.
Instead? It feels like peace.
The final piece clicks into place so suddenly that it almost steals the air from my lungs .
Florida stopped being home the moment I started building a life here.
Not because of Vermont.
Because of him.
Emotion swells painfully in my chest.
Before I can lose my nerve, I close the laptop and head to the living room.
Daltyn looks up from the couch.
His eyes track me carefully as I walk toward him barefoot in one of his hoodies. Concern flickers across his face.
“You okay?”
Even now, he sounds braced for impact.
I stop in front of the couch.
My heart pounds so hard it hurts.
Daltyn slowly sits forward. “What happened?”
I swallow hard. “It’s a really great opportunity…”
The second the words leave my mouth, I see it happen.
His entire body stills.
I see the tension in his jaw. The slight withdrawal in his eyes. The way his shoulders lock. The careful expression he puts on when he’s trying not to break.
And suddenly I realize something awful.
He already thinks I’m leaving.
Pain slices through my chest. “Daltyn?—”
“You should take it if that’s what you want.”
The words come too quickly. Too rehearsed.
Like he’s been forcing himself to practice them in his head.
My throat burns.
Because he means it.
Even if it destroys him.
I move closer.
“Hey,” I whisper softly .
His eyes finally lift to mine. Guarded. Terrified. But trying so hard not to show it.
And God, I love this man so much it physically hurts.
“I’m not taking it.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
Daltyn just stares at me like his brain genuinely cannot process the words.
“What?”
“I’m not going back to Florida.”
His breathing changes, becoming sharp and uneven.
“But your job?—”
“Isn’t my dream anymore.”
He blinks, like he’s trying to process my words.
Emotion climbs thickly into my throat. “Honestly?” I laugh shakily. “I don’t think it ever really was.”
Daltyn watches me carefully, like he’s afraid this is some kind of cruel trick.
“I thought losing my apartment was the worst thing that could happen to me,” I admit quietly. “But somewhere along the way…”
My voice softens. “I found a life that actually feels like mine.”
His chest rises hard beneath his T-shirt.
I step closer until I’m standing between his knees. “You know what I realized?”
Daltyn’s hands settle against my hips automatically. Like even now, his body reaches for me instinctively.
“What?” he asks hoarsely.
“I stopped missing Florida.”
Something breaks open in his expression. Like years of loneliness cracking apart at the seams.
Tears sting my eyes .
“I love it here,” I whisper. “I love the life we built.” My voice shakes harder. “And you…”
His hands tighten against my hips.
“I’m completely in love with you.”
Daltyn closes his eyes briefly, as if the words physically hurt him.
Then, suddenly, he stands so fast that I gasp softly as his hands cup my face.
“Peyton…” His voice breaks.
And I think that’s when I fully understand just how terrified he’s been.
“I want to stay,” I whisper. “I want you.”
I straighten my shoulders.
“I choose you.”
A rough sound leaves his chest before he pulls me against him so tightly I can barely breathe.
But honestly? I’ve never felt safer in my life.
His face buries against my neck.
And when he finally speaks, his voice sounds wrecked.
“You’re home to me, too.”