Page 28 of Depraved Favors

We have an hour to ourselves with our son before her parents text to see her. Peyton had been too far into labor to allow her mom to come back, so I let her know as soon as our son arrived.

With her parents surrounding her now, I step out into the hallway and pull out my phone. My thumb hovers over her contact, my heart beating with nerves before I finally press it. It rings a few times before she picks up.

“Hello?” Her usual tone of annoyance is missing and it gives me the courage to continue.

“Hey, Brit. I just wanted to call and let you know that Peyton had the baby.”

She inhales sharply, her gasp loud in my ear. I wait for a response as we sit in silence before she finally speaks.

“And her… and the baby are okay?”

“Yeah, she did amazing, and he’s perfect.”

“He? So I have a brother…” Her swallow is audible and I can barely make out a small sniffle.

“Kellan Scott,” I tell her. I clear my throat. “We’re still in the hospital, if you want to…” I trail off, unsure if I should extend the full offer without asking Peyton first. I know she would never deny me if I wanted them to meet.

“Oh, uhm. Thanks, but I don’t think Peyton would want me there,” she says, echoing my thoughts. “Especially when she’s recovering, but I think… I think I would like to meet him, if that’s okay.”

My heart fills with a bit of hope and I nod, even though she can’t see me. “I’d love that. You were the first person I wanted to tell that he’s here.”

“Thanks, Dad. I just—I’m sorry, okay? And can you tell Peyton I’m sorry too?”

Her defeated tone makes me want to find her and hug her, but I glance over my shoulder to the room I just exited. I have two people who need me more right now, and I’ve never felt more torn.

“I will, sweetheart. You know I love you, right?”

She huffs out a laugh. “Even when I was a bitch?”

“We’re all human, kid. Living life for the first time. I never held it against you.”

Brit sniffles again. “I needed that.”

I sigh, rubbing my face. “I gotta go back, but do you want me to send a pic?”

“Wait—I just want to say that I’ve been going to therapy the past few weeks, and I want to try to fix our relationship. I know mom might not like it, and she’ll probably mess with my head like usual. But I guess… I’m just trying to say thanks for not giving up on me completely.”

My throat aches with emotion. “I’m always here for you. You’re my daughter.”

“And send me a photo of my little brother.”

We hang up, and my chest feels lighter than it has in years.

Chapter Fifteen

Peyton

I hold the back of Kellan’s head, cuddling him to my chest as I press kisses on the top of his fuzzy hair. Owen glances over at us with a smile as he drops the boxes he’s carrying onto the floor. My dad follows him a minute later and does the same with a huff.

“I think we’re getting too old to move ourselves. Should have hired some movers,” he says, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

I snort. “I told you, but what did you say?”

My dad points a finger at me. “You, shush.”

“You said the minute I can’t carry my own shit into my own house is the minute I find my retirement home. And this isn’t even your house,” I say, my cheeks hurting with how much I’m grinning.

My mom snickers from where she’s unpacking Kellan’s stuff in the kitchen. I’m not sure if we were dumb or smart to move a few weeks after his birth, but they’ve all treated me with kid gloves. Acting as if I’m too weak to pick up anything but the baby. And to be honest, I am too exhausted to fight them over it. So Kell and I are just observing while our family works hard to move into the house Owen bought a few miles from his bar in California. My parents are still searching for a house nearby, but I know they’ll be quick to follow us.

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