Page 33 of All Our Secrets

“You won’t like me if I find you sleeping in that chair again.”

She scoffed. “That’s such a strange thing to get upset about.”

“You’re not sleeping there.”

“I think this is the last night you’ll be in my house, Silas.”

Worry clogged itself in my throat as I stepped forward. “Peyton.”

“Goodnight, Silas.” She looked back to the window, and I stopped. “I need to feed my son.”

When I turned around, Theodore’s blue eyes were burning a hole through me. Without words, he walked out, disappearing as he did.

Meanwhile, I went to sleep. In my dreams, I was Peyton’s rain.

Chapter Fourteen:

life is strange

Peyton

“It’s perfectly normal for newborns to lose a few ounces, but if you’re worried, you can come back in two weeks.”

“If he’s not latching properly, there are always alternatives…”

I bit my bottom lip as I buckled T.J. into his car seat. Tears blurred my vision, and I wiped my eyes quickly. T.J.’s doctor’s appointment hadn’t gone as planned, but he was healthy. I, on the other hand, was producing less milk. I couldn’t say that to the doctor, though. If I spoke it out loud… I shook the thought away. No. I felt like enough of a failure lately.

“It’s okay. We got this,” I told T.J. as I shut the door and got in the driver’s seat. There had to be supplement drinks or vitamins—something I could pick up at Walgreen’s on the way home that helped with lactation.

∞∞∞

“Gerald?” I hesitated as I gawked at my porch.

Two men I didn’t recognize drilled somethingintomydoor while Gerald watched with his hands on his hips.

“Oh Peyton. Good, you’re home.” He smiled, but I couldn’t muster one back.

That happened when you returned from a doctor’s visit to people in your home. Theodore’s parents had a spare key to my place because this house had been passed down in their giant family. Something about Gerald and two strangers being there jarred a memory. The conversation I had with Theodore before we moved into this home. He’d been adamant that we’d have privacy. That was a big deal for me. I’d lived alone for years. Even when I lived with my mother, since she had always been gone. A person got used to that kind of seclusion. More than once, I realized Theodore had lied. His parents came over uninvited all the time. I believed it must be a big family thing, and maybe I’d be used to it if I had been someone else. But I wasn’t. It was tiresome, but I knew my son would have all the love I never did. T.J. would never know the loneliness I had experienced.

ButI was exhausted, and more than anything, I wanted the peace loneliness offered.

Anytime I tried to ask them for some privacy, though, the words got stuck on my tongue. My shoulders sagged at the thought of this older man going out of his way to protect me and my son when I just wished him gone.What’s wrong with me?Deep down, Theodore’s parents meant well. They did more for me than my mother ever did. It wasn’t Gerald or Rosie’s fault I was raised in an empty home. It didn’t help that I spent all my time outside of the house being this chatty, happy friend. So when I came home, I didn’t want to be that person. I wanted to recharge. I needed this place to be my sanctuary.

“What’s going on?” I asked Gerald, even though I already knew.

I peeked down at T.J. in his car seat. He was awake, staring up at me with his bright eyes. Something about his innocence, the blink in his stare, waiting to unravel the world, made me worry less. It didn’t make all my fears disappear. It simply reminded me I’d do anything to make him content.

“A buddy of mine works for Bernie’s security. I called him. With this new security system installed, no one’s walking through the door or any window without alerting the police. Of course, you’ll have a passcode,” he rambled.

I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes. That was a good idea, but Gerald should have consulted me about it. “Is that so?” I observed, pursing my lips, as the two strangers slipped inside my home. Were my panties and pj’s still lying on my bedroom floor?

“Yeah.” He scratched his rounded belly. “That way, King won’t have to stay another night.”

My heart jumped. “He’s not staying another night.”

“Yeah. We don’t have to aggravate the boy.” My chest tightened as Gerald spoke. “Rosie and I know you don’t want to stay with us.”

“Gerald—”

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