Page 5 of Peyton's Price

“What?” He laughed, not expecting that.

“I already know what you’re going to say.”

“And what’s that?” Ethan asked.

The wet city streets crawled past the rain-streaked window. They had hit downtown traffic. “You’re going to say I’m better off,” she supplied in a flat voice.

Ethan and Liam didn’t get on. To say the two rubbed each other the wrong way was a vast understatement. They hated each other, for reasons neither had disclosed.

“And then you’re going to say I’ve wasted my time pining for someone who will only ever see me as a sister,” Peyton continued. “You’re going to say I’m a fucking idiot—that I’ve been one for years.”

“Err…”

It wouldn’t have been the first time. Maggie had said the same things—only she had put them more diplomatically. Trick had also hedged and nudged her in other directions, leaving the blunter you-don’t-have-a-prayer-with-Liam speech for his sister. Even Calen had dropped a less-than subtle hint last Christmas. That had hurt because she’d always believed only the Tyler siblings had been aware of her secret.

Some secret. It seemed everyone had been aware of how Peyton felt about Liam. Their pity would be unbearable now.

“That’s a bit harsher than I would have put it,” Ethan muttered, stopping for a red light.

Peyton reached up to trace a falling raindrop on the other side of the window. “Did I ever tell you how long I’ve known the Tylers?”

“No…a while, right?”

“I was seven when I met Maggie. It was my first day at Eastwood Prep. It’s a private school. She was in my class. I sat next to her, but we didn’t speak until recess, in the sandbox. These rich girls were picking on me for being new. Somehow, they knew I was a poor scholarship kid. I guess my second-hand uniform gave me away. One pushed me down. I was crying, and Maggie came to my rescue.”

“I’ve never heard this story. What did she do?”

Peyton’s mouth twitched. “She barreled into our little cluster like a cannonball, then pushed them right back. She yelled at them to go away…and for some reason, they did. She told me later they’d tried to bully her, too, but her brothers had prepared her for that sort of thing. They taught her to fight back, dirtier and harder.”

He laughed. “That sounds like Maggie.” Ethan was fond of his partner’s wife, but not too fond. He liked Maggie, but he spent most of his time flirting with Peyton when he was around them.

“I met Liam that day, too,” Peyton continued. “He picked Maggie up from school. Back then, their parents were still alive. Picking her up was a chore for him, but he didn’t complain when Maggie insisted on waiting until my dad came and picked me up. Dad was an hour late. That was around the time he started drinking heavily—he was starting to lose track of time.”

Ethan murmured noncommittally. Peyton hadn’t mentioned her dad to Ethan before, but Dad’s alcoholism was an open secret. Donald Carson had been gone over a year. In some ways, though, she was still dealing with his problems.

“It wasn’t long until Liam started driving me home instead of waiting around for my dad to remember what time school let out. It was over twenty minutes out of his way—an eternity for a teenage boy.”

“It’s an eternity for him now,” Ethan sniped.

“True.” Liam was the most driven individual she knew. He was also the most impatient. When he wanted something, he wanted it done yesterday. “But he stopped driving me home after he had to help me carry my second-grade science project inside the house. Once he got a good look inside, he took me to his parent’s B&B. I practically moved in with their family then.”

She could still remember how Liam’s face had hardened when he’d walked inside that first time. He’d put down her project—an ancient computer, dissected and laid out with each internal piece carefully labeled. Ever so slowly, he’d done a circuit around the dingy living room, no doubt counting the number of empty liquor bottles.

After he’d peeked into the refrigerator and almost-bare kitchen cupboards, he’d made her pack a bag. That had been the first of many sleepovers with Maggie. Patrick had moved one of the B&B’s trundle beds into Maggie’s room for Peyton to use. Eventually, they got so tired of moving it they’d left it there permanently.

Liam had become her hero that day, but not yet the love of her life. That status had been cemented later.

“Hey, I get you’re grateful to Liam, but—” Ethan began.

“I’d be dead without him,” Peyton said flatly. “Or worse…”

He shifted gears. “Don’t you think that’s a bit of an exaggeration?”

“No. It’s not.” She flicked a glance at him. “I don’t think Jason knows so you wouldn’t have heard it from him. Liam doesn’t share much. He’s rather good at keeping secrets. Patrick has never mentioned it to me, but Calen knows because he was there.”

She’d piqued Ethan’s interest now. His hands tightened around the steering wheel. “What happened?”

“You’ve heard about my dad’s gambling problem, right?”

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