Page 34 of Broken Chains

"No, he won't," Peyton said adamantly.

When Eve cried out, the mood in the room changed.

"I'll get her," Kenneth offered.

"I'm starving. What's for dinner?" Brady asked.

"Sorry, I've been so busy today that I didn't get around to cooking," Peyton admitted.

My brothers had been making a point of coming over on Mondays, knowing it was Peyton's day off and that she always cooked something delicious. Secretly, I wouldn't miss a Monday night dinner, either.

"Go ahead and order pizza tonight," I said.

"You're serious?" Brady asked. I handed him my debit card. "Hell yeah!"

He and Tim left to go downstairs and place the order. Peyton took another look around, smiling, before closing it up as we walked back to her room. She sat on her bed and I realized I was closer than I thought. It would be so easy to take one step to stand between her legs.

"If we clean up that nursery and turn it into Eve's room, then I think you should take this room," she surprised me by saying.

"No, I'm not taking your room. Besides, this is too much for just me," I argued.

She gave me a sexy smirk. "Well, you did say the bed was so big we could fit the whole family in it. You could just move in here then," she said, and I didn't have to see the look on her face because I could feel how hopeful she was.

I took a deep breath and knew the moment had come that I had to set things straight. It wasn't right to keep flirting around like this.

"Peyton, I appreciate everything you've done for me and my family, but you have to know, nothing can ever happen between us. You and I, we come from two very different worlds, and I will not pull you down to my station in life. You deserve so much better. I'm sorry I kissed you the other day. I shouldn't have done that. I don't want to lead you on. It's not fair to you."

I expected her to be upset. I was not prepared for her to be angry. Her arms crossed over her chest and she genuinely looked pissed.

"I believe it was me that kissed you."

"Well, I shouldn't have kissed you back like that."

She shook her head. "I can feel our bond strengthening, Oliver. You can kiss me back anytime you want."

"Peyton, there's no bond. There can't be. I won't let that happen."

"A little too late for that, don't you think? Or perhaps I just imagined you’re my one true mate."

"Your mate? Is that what you really think? I don't know what you think constitutes mating, but we aren't mates." The second I said the words aloud, they felt like a big fat lie.

Tears started to stream down her cheeks as she pushed off the bed and walked out in a huff. I didn't want her to leave. We needed to sort this out immediately, but I didn't have the strength to watch her cry. The physical pain it caused me, shocked me to my very core.

"Peyton, what's wrong?" I heard Brady ask from the top of the stairs.

"Your brother's an idiot. It's fine. We'll sort it out later. I'm going home for the night," she said.

"But Peyton, you are home," Kenneth said sadly.

"Well, it doesn't feel like it at the moment," she said, before stomping the rest of the way down the stairs then yelling back up, "And you better make your beds with the new linens we bought before sleeping in them. Oh, and I'll pick Eve up at daycare as usual tomorrow. It's not her fault her father's an idiot."

I heard the front door slam.

"Beds?" Brady asked.

I walked out just in time to see the three of them jump up from where they'd been sitting on the stairs and scramble to their rooms. I stopped at Kenneth's first and watched as he turned in circles, taking it all in.

"This is really for me?" he asked.

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