Page 79 of After All

“Weird?” Heather asked.

“I’m never content. I’m always looking for something to do, people to be with, a party to start. Content isn’t a normal word for me.”

Heather nodded. “I guess that’s true.”

“But I never had all the things I have with Scott,” Peyton said. “I’ve never wanted to go home, and stay home, before.”

Heather squeezed her hand. “That’s awesome, Peyton.”

“It is.” She swallowed hard. “I mean, we don’t even reallydoanything. We watch TV and talk and cook and do laundry. I’ve been going to bed around eleven every night. I’ve eaten more meals at a kitchen table in the past few days than I have in the last fewyearscombined. It’s all just really normal, boring stuff. And it’s so…nice.”

“You seem stunned by that.”

“I am,” Peyton agreed. “Who would have believed thatIwould be so happy being normal?”

Heather didn’t laugh. She sat back in her chair and looked at Peyton thoughtfully. “I completely believe it.”

“It doesn’t seem strange?”

“Not at all. It’s what you’ve always wanted,” she said. “A normal home and family life. Some people don’t get to go out much, so having a night on the town is a treat. Some people never get to travel, so they dream of seeing the world. Your dream is the normal, contented life that you didn’t have growing up and staying home doing nothing is your treat.”

Peyton nodded. Heather was exactly right. “I’ll tell you, not doing the whole hair and makeup thing every nightisa treat. And my feet feel great since I haven’t had heels on in over a week.”

Heather laughed. “I really am happy for you.”

Peyton grinned and glanced down at her computer. The test she needed to take was up on the screen. She looked over at the coffee cup that sat to the right of the keyboard, then up at her friend.

“Do you know how many shots we’ve done at this table?” she asked Heather.

“I’m not sure I can count that high.”

Peyton chuckled. “And now here we are, drinking coffee, working, talking about our relationships, and how nice it is to stay in. What happened to us?”

Heather sat forward, also looking very content. “We fell in love.”

Peyton felt her eyes widen. In love? She knew Heather was in love with Seth, but her and Scott? She knew she was crazy about him. She knew that she was maybefallingin love with him. But was she already there?

“You do know that you’re in love with Scott, right?” Heather asked, clearly reading Peyton’s expression.

Peyton felt her head nodding slowly. “Yeah. Okay.”

Heather snorted. “You’re not actually surprised by that, are you? I think you’ve been in love with him for a really long time.”

Peyton thought about that. Heather might have a point. It would explain a lot. Like how bossy she let him get. And how her heart rate kicked up every time she saw him. And how she could still feel the icy coldness coursing through her when she’d heard “Scott’s been shot”.

“Wow,” she finally said.

“Wow?” Heather repeated. “That’s it?”

Scott had been so in her face about taking care of her and wanting more from her that it was a little surprising to find out that he’d actually snuck up on her. “I guess I would have expected torealizeI was already in love.”

Heather gave her an affectionate smile. “Scott made it easy and comfortable. Just like he does everything for you.”

And Peyton felt her heart expand. That was so true. “Heather?”

“Yeah?”

“I think that maybe this—” Peyton swept her hand over the table, indicating everything from her coffee-cup-instead-of-a-shot-glass to her computer to their conversation. “—might be what being grown-up and mature is like.”

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