Page 91 of After All

They both groaned. Nothing had ever been this good, or this right, and after they’d both come apart in each other’s arms, he carried her, and the bottle of syrup, to the bedroom, and they did it all over again, getting his sheets as sticky as she’d promised on that very first day.

Several hours later, Scott was aware of the mattress dipping and the sheet shifting as Peyton got out of bed. But he kept his eyes shut. She was leaving. He’d known she would. He was heading to Omaha tomorrow and then to Cedar Downs. Having her in his bed, or his kitchen—and God help him if she had a spatula in hand—would have made it nearly impossible to leave.

But before she left, he felt her lips on his. And she kissed him like she wasn’t going to see him for a long time. And like she was just maybe going to miss him terribly while he was gone.

Chapter Fourteen

There was really onlyone time and place where Peyton ever felt what it might be like to be quiet and shy.

And that was with Hope Bennett and her friends.

Adrianne, Hailey, Lauren, Phoebe, Kate, and Delaney, along with most of the female population of Sapphire Falls, had gathered at the community center for Hope’s baby shower. It had been planned for after the baby was born, but so far, TJ Bennett’s child was proving to be as stubborn as he was, and was taking his or her sweet time about showing up.

But they’d gone ahead with the party anyway. Lauren was due in D.C. next week, Delaney’s boys had baseball tournaments all next weekend, and Hailey had to…do something amazing somewhere. So rescheduling wasn’t an option.

Peyton stood off to one side near the food table, watching them all and trying not to be overcome by the general kick-assery in the room. People—women mostly—talked about the testosterone overload when these women’s husbands got together, but the confidence and beauty and sheer OMG-I-want-to-be-her in the room was ridiculous when these women were in the same place at the same time.

“I kind of want to hate them all.”

Peyton turned with a carrot stick between her teeth to see that Tessa had finally shown up. She bit the carrot off. “Thank God you’re here.”

“Sorry I’m late. Went for a run and didn’t get back when I’d planned.” Tess was a half-marathoner. She also helped Hailey Conner Bennett run the town. Tess fit right in here. She was beautiful, accomplished, independent, and madly in love with Bryan Murray, a Sapphire Falls boy who was equally beloved.

Still, Peyton always felt better when Tess showed up. She was a little younger than the other women, like Peyton, and was one of Peyton’s closest friends.

Tess was still surveying the room.

“By the way,” Peyton said. “I kind of want to hate them all too.”

“But we can’t,” Tess said.

“Nope. Because they can’t just be beautiful and successful, they all have to be super sweet too.”

“Yeah.”

They both sighed and again looked out over the room. Peyton crunched on her carrot and Tessa grabbed a chocolate-dipped banana.

Peyton was used to being in the middle of the party. Whatever the party. She was also used to having something to say. Always. So she was pretty out of her element here with the teachers and scientists and business owners who had wrangled some of the most eligible bachelors in the state and made beautiful babies with them. All while continuing to rule the world.

She and Tessa called it being “overwhelmed by the awesome” and had discovered there wasn’t really any cure for it. But honestly, Peyton had never felt left out or judged by any of these women. The opposite, in fact. They always made sure she was included. But it was just a fact of life that in this group of women, no matter how confident you were every other moment of your life, you would feel under-accomplished, unsophisticated and plain.

She also knew that ifanyof them knew she had those thoughts, they would be appalled.

She just thanked God that Tessa felt the same way.

“I heard that TJ is going nuts,” Tess said, reaching for a cup of punch.

Peyton grinned. “It’s hilarious. You know Hope, she’s all into everything being natural and not getting worked up about things like due dates, but she’s four days over now, and TJ is like a mother hen.”

“What’s Hope doing to deal with being overdue?” Tess asked. “She’s huge.”

Peyton nodded. She was. There was no way around the fact. “She’s doing her yoga and lots of walking. But she’s not worried or rushing things.”

Hope was the most laid-back, Zen person Peyton knew. Or anyone around here knew. She was into herbs and natural remedies and natural, healthy living.

A little boy, holding a younger girl’s hand, pushed in next to Peyton. “’Scuse me,” he said. It was Carver, Adrianne and Mason’s son. He was holding onto Kaelyn Spencer’s hand, Phoebe and Joe Spencer’s oldest, and reached for one of the banana pudding cups with animal crackers around the edge. Carver was a handful for his mother, but he was absolutely adorable. And he had a very obvious fondness for Kaelyn. It was probably the bright red curls that were just like her mom’s.

“Thanks.” Kaelyn beamed up at Carver as he handed her the pudding.

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