Page 28 of All Our Secrets

Sarah slapped a palm over her face, then pointed. “Ladies and gentlemen, my husband. Let’s go join them.”

“Go on ahead. I’ll go upstairs and feed T.J. first.” Ignoring Sarah’s amused smile, I ran up the steps. Once I was inside my bedroom, I shut the door and nursed. I couldn’t help but tap my feet furiously as I simmered in silence.What am I doing? I lowered my head and sighed. I was hungry, but I’d chosen to sit upstairs to prove a point. My emotions were all over the place. If Silas had looked at anyone other than me when he barked that order out, I would have been fine. I had no energy to cook, and the man brought home pizza like he knew. The things I was getting upset about were ridiculous, but I couldn’t seem to control it.

Postpartum emotions?

Would I always be this wound up? I couldn’t remember what I was like before. Panic gripped my chest at the thought, and I glanced at T.J., who had fallen asleep while nursing. Covering myself, I burped him, then placed him in his crib as gently as I could.

I nearly collided with Silas when I opened my bedroom door.

“Wha—”

I lifted my finger to my lips to silence him, pushed at his chest, and backed him away from the bedroom. “He’s asleep.”

Laughter trailed up the hallway, and my shoulders sagged. I loved our friends, but I also needed the comfort that came in the quiet. The relaxation that came with being alone. More than anything, I wanted that silence right then.

“You want them to leave?” Silas murmured.

I shot a look at his stern face, the stubborn set of his jaw. My body wilted even more, and my chest lightened tremendously. “I’m tired,” I admitted.

“Go eat, and I’ll get rid of them.”

I gaped. “What?”

His jaw ticked as he stared. He pointed at the stairs. With a huff, I ventured downstairs to eat. Sure enough, after I ate three slices with some orange juice, Silas told everyone to leave, including T.J.’s grandpa. I cringed. But I shouldn’t have expected anything softer from Silas.

∞∞∞

Theodore placed a kiss on my cheek, his eyes warm as he glanced down at me. “Ah. It was fate, if you ask me,” he began, and his buddies all laughed every time he told the story. And he dida lot.“Peyton pulled into the gas station in a U-Haul, looking all cute and lost. You know me. Being the gentleman I am, I saw the worry on her face and walked over.”

Steven snorted, but Theodore ignored him.

“I saw it in her eyes the moment I walked over. She wasgone—head over heels in love with me.”

That time I snorted. “I saw your intentions a mile away. You took advantage of a poor girl in need of directions to her new apartment. Lord knows I circled Bedford Street ten times before I realized I was supposed to take that dirt road you can barely see.”

“Now, baby, don’t interrupt me.” He placed his finger to my lips. “I’m telling our story.”

Everyone laughed, including me. My boyfriend knew how to entertain. My eyes strayed to Silas, who was knocking back a beer at the bar. We were in FCR’s cabin. A.k.a. the boys’man cave. Well, almost everyone smiled. Our eyes met, but Silas’s dark brows only furrowed deeper, and he turned away.

A nervous ache settled in the pit of my stomach. My smile slipped. Being near Silas King always made me think ofmyKing. The one who had up and ghosted me a few months ago. No contact. After we’d spoken for hours each and every night for years. The pain spread, slipping into my chest as I stared at Silas’s back. I had thought he was MoodyKing1, but he wasn’t. My gamer pal had clearly passed away. There was no way he’d up and ignore me. No way he’d treat me as coldly as this King did. The one who sounded so much like him that it made me want to sit beside him and strike up a conversation. Something I failed at every time I tried. Silas King hated me.

“Peyton, baby.” Theodore got my attention.

I turned, and his brilliant blues cut into me, briefly glancing to the bar. Anger flashed for a fraction of a second in his eyes, but then his devilish smile was back, and he stole my lips.

“What’s got you looking so sad?”

My shoulders drooped. “He hates me.”

Theodore didn’t have to ask who. He frowned toward the bar where Silas sat. “King is a tough nut to crack. He’s like that toward everyone.”

“But he—”

“He’s not your gamer friend. Stop wasting your time worrying.”

I almost wished I hadn’t confided in Theodore about my King. He hated that I dwelled on how he’d ended our friendship, especially when I mentioned how similar he and Silas King were. “What if something bad happened and that’s why King hasn’t been online?”

“Do you truly believe something happened?”

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