Page 100 of All Our Secrets

She couldn’t find out. King seemed to have decided against telling her who he was, right?

I staggered backward as the shock rippled through my ghostly form.It’s all over for me if he tells her.I couldn’t lose my wife.

In our bed, Peyton turned and sighed for the twentieth time before flinging the covers off and sitting up. I frowned as she ran her fingers through her hair and looked toward the door. I’d give anything to know what she was thinking. Throwing her feet off the bed, she checked on our son before tiptoeing out into the hall.

Something nasty twisted in my gut when I saw where she was going.

My form pulsed as her fingers wrapped around the doorknob. She stopped there and took a deep breath. Her head bumped against the door. She stood there for a long time—long enough that the slouch in her posture gave away her sense of defeat. I had never liked seeing my wife upset, but I disliked what she was doing even more. With the shake of her head, she turned back, then made it halfway to our room before going right back to his door.

I balled my hands into fists. I watched her go back and forth several more times before she finally gave in and crawled back into our bed. Only then did my ghostly form stop rippling. I wouldn’t have stood by and let her enter that room. Even if I had to terrify her to do it.

But why? Why was my wife sneaking into King’s room?

Chapter Thirty-Nine:

you’re killing me

Peyton

Iyawned as I placed a huge platter of bacon and eggs on the table. I’d barely slept. It was impossible to when I was all too aware of how close Silas was. All I had wanted to do was crawl into bed with him, let him hold me, let him tell me what we were doing was okay. But I needed to draw a line for myself. I couldn’t keep changing my mind. I wanted him in my life, but I didn’t know how to not want him as my soulmate.

I had been so close to saying to hell with it and climbing into bed with him last night, but I’d found the restraint I so desperately needed, and I’d walked back to my room instead. Silas King was something constant and good in my life. We couldn’t ruin that.

To thank Silas for staying, I made breakfast. I smiled as T.J.’s wide-eyed stare followed the food on my fork. “As soon as Mommy can, I’ll give you all the good food you want. Until then, it’s milk.”

“Something smells good.” Silas’s gruff morning voice did things it shouldn’t to my body. My skin prickled, and my chest grew uncomfortably tight.

“I figured I’d whip something together,” I said as he sat down in the chair beside me. “Thanks again for last night.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” He filled the plate I’d laid out for him with eggs and bacon.

I stared long enough that he looked up, so I finally brought it up. “You were here before I got the chance to call you.”

He grunted. “You shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Yeah, I know,” I agreed as my heart skipped a beat. “But I was. I’ve been ignoring you.” I took a small bite of food. “Have you been sleeping in your truck?”

When he slouched forward with a fake cough, I got my answer.

“Why? Why go through all this trouble? I came on to you, then I ran. Because it’s wrong. But so is what I did to you and then how I acted like everything was all righ—”

“Peyton,” he murmured, dark eyes softening. “I’m not intimidated by your guilt. We’ll get through it. These things come in stages.” Silas’s gaze darted around suddenly, like he was searching for something. When he seemed satisfied, he resumed. “I don’t like you in this house. Please don’t say too much in here.”

I frowned. “I don’t understand. We should work through this.”

“I’ll talk to you about anything and everything, baby, but we should have this conversation somewhere else. I’m not sure how he’ll respond toward you—”

“What? I’m confused—”

The doorbell rang.

When I stood, Silas tried to follow, but I placed my hand on his shoulder. “Eat. I think I can answer my door without your assistance.”

I got another grunt in response.

As soon as I opened the door, my stomach dropped. “Gerald. What brings you over so early?”

“I spotted King’s truck in the driveway and figured something might have happened.” Gerald smiled at T.J., holding his index finger out for him to latch on to.

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