Chapter Ten

After The Reunion

Nash: I know I said I'd be cool about the texting. I said I wouldn't reach out until we'd both been home for a little while, to give us a chance to get settled. But here I am at the rest stop on the Florida-Georgia border, drinking my free OJ, and I already miss you so much that I just couldn't wait.

Peyton: When did you say all that about being cool and not reaching out? I know *I* didn't tell you to do that. Also, drink some OJ for me. I'm not going to stop there this time.

Nash: Oh, I made all those promises to myself, not to you. I don't want to push you into anything before you're ready, but also . . . in case you didn't get the message this weekend . . . I'm ready. I'm waiting for you whenever you say the word.

Nash: Also, are you on the road yet? I guess you're pretty far behind me. I hope you're not texting while you're driving. I'm using a voice-to-text app, which I should probably warn you can sometimes get things wrong, so please excuse any grammar or punctuation mistakes.

Peyton: I'm not driving yet actually. I'm sitting in a parking lot in Elson. Just getting ready to leave. The girls (Emmy, Sheri, Delilah and me) lingered over the breakfast buffet. I think we didn't want to say goodbye again. Esp with Sheri.

Nash: Awww I'm sorry. Sending you hugs until I can give you one in person.

Peyton: Thanks. And just in case I wasn't emotional enough by then, I stopped to say goodbye to my cousin Jude, and she convinced me to go see my mom at the nursing home. She went with me—I guess she visits pretty often—so I wasn't alone, which was good since I totally expected my mother to refuse to see me or to kick me out.

Nash: Wait, you went to see your mom??? This is too important for text. I'm calling you now.

I hit the button on my steering wheel that initiated a phone call and waited through several moments of ringing before Peyton picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, it's me. Is it okay to call you?"

I heard her chuckle on the other end. "Well, you're doing it, so I guess it is."

"You didn't have to answer," I countered. "You could have texted me later and claimed the phone never rang."

She was quiet for a moment. "I'll always pick up for you, Nash. I mean, unless I'm being held hostage, or I'm trapped under a large piece of furniture—but those are extenuating circumstances."

"And totally excusable." I glanced in my mirror and changed lanes. "So what happened at the nursing home? Unless you don't want to talk about it."

"No, I do." She sniffed, and I wondered if she'd been crying. "I wasn't going to stop anywhere—I was just going to leave the Cove after breakfast. Like I said, saying goodbye to Sheri was pretty brutal. But then somehow, my car just drove back to the Tide. I don't think I told you this, but I saw Jude when I first got back into town on Thursday, and I wasn't exactly very nice. She was so sweet to me, and I sort of threw it back in her face."

I grimaced, secure in knowing Peyton couldn't see me. It didn't surprise me that she hadn't accepted her cousin's warm welcome; I could tell from the moment we'd begun talking at the reunion icebreaker that Peyton was still holding onto assumptions and anger about the Cove and her history there. As someone who had a pretty large chip on his own shoulder, I understood.

Still, unlike me, Peyton had family in Crystal Cove. She'd left behind people who loved her, and if there was even the slightest chance that she could make those relationships right, she owed it to herself to try.

"I'm glad you decided to go back and talk with Jude. You were always so close."

"I know. She's the only one I've stayed in touch with over the years, and she's been there for me, even if it was from afar." Peyton sucked in a breath. "So I went back with my tail between my legs and apologized for how I'd acted. I told Jude that all this time, I assumed everyone in the Cove knew why I'd left and either pitied me or was gossiping about the situation. She had told me before that wasn't the case, but this weekend, I got to see it for myself. I promised that I'd come visit more often, and that I'd bring Charlie with me so she can meet her family."

"That's a great idea." I had to believe that finding peace there would give Peyton some much-needed closure.

"It is," she agreed. "But then Jude said that if Charlie came down, she should be able to meet her grandmother. Her other grandmother. And she reminded me that nothing is guaranteed—that today might be my last chance to see my mother, even if she was stubborn and refused to speak with me. So I let her talk me into riding over to the nursing home in Elson, and we went in—I was terrified, to tell you the truth. I was fully prepared to be rejected by her—again."

"And . . ." I prompted when Peyton stopped speaking.

"And . . ." She sniffled again. "When my mother saw me, she started crying. She opened her arms and said that she was sorry for what she'd said, that she'd been praying for a miracle that would bring me back to her. It was—it was incredible, Nash. She wanted to hear all about Charlie, and she begged me to bring her for a visit soon."

"Sweetheart." I was dangerously close to tears myself, just hearing the story. "I'm so glad for you. How are you feeling now?"

"A little raw," she admitted. "I feel like my entire life has been turned upside down, and now I have to figure out how to exist in this new paradigm where my mother wants a relationship, my hometown doesn't hate me or judge me, and—" She lowered her voice. "I had the hottest, most incredible sex of my entire life at the age of fifty-three with the guy who got away."

Just hearing her husky voice describe what had happened between us this weekend made me have to shift in the driver's seat. "I love hearing that, but driving with a hard-on isn't any easier at fifty-three than it was at eighteen."

Peyton giggled. "Okay, I'll behave."

"Only until I see you again. Then you have my permission to misbehave however you want."

"Duly noted." She sighed. "I should probably get on the road. I'm supposed to have dinner with Peg and Charlie tonight, and I'm going to have a lot to tell them."

"Yes, you will," I agreed. I paused for a beat. "Will you tell them about me? About us?"

"Nash . . ." She said my name on a long exhale. "I don't know. Probably not, at least at first. Because if I do, they'll make it a big deal."

My fingers tightened on the wheel. "I don't know about you, but I kind of think that would be good. We are a big deal, Peyton."

"But that's between you and me. For now, I just want to keep—this, whatever this is—between us."

"Ah." I nodded in my empty car. "Because you think we're not going to work, and then you won't have to explain anything to your family."

"That's not it," she denied hotly. "Not at all. But I'm a private person, Nash. I always have been. It's why I didn't tell my girlfriends that I was pregnant back in high school. It's why I haven't really made any close friends in the years since I left the Cove. I want to enjoy what we have together, and if I'm worried about what Peg might think or what Charlie might say, I won't be able to do that."

"I guess I can understand that," I allowed, somewhat mollified.

"Will you tell Reggie and Max about me?" Peyton inquired.

"Do you want me to tell them?"

"That's your call. I would love to meet them someday, but as I said, for now, I think we need to make sure that you and I can work in the real world first."

"I think I'll play it by ear. I'm not going to lie to them if they ask me if I saw you, but I won't volunteer the information. And I sure as hell won't tell them how hot you are in bed."

"Nash!" Peyton scolded, but she was laughing. "I'd appreciate that. Even if I eventually tell Peg and Charlie about you, I'm definitely not going to tell them that I had more orgasms in one night with you than I did all of the rest of my life."

"Probably a good thing," I conceded.

"I'm going to run into the diner across the street to grab an iced tea for the road and use the restroom, so I better let you go. Text me when you get home safe."

"Will do. You do the same." I paused, not quite wanting to say goodbye again. "I'll talk to you this week, sweetheart."

"Okay," she answered softly. "Be safe, Nash."

Nash: Made it home to Burton. House feels emptier than usual, which is crazy, but there it is. I'm meeting Reggie for dinner at Kenny's. Hope your drive is going well.

Peyton: I'm home safe, too. Peg cooked up fried chicken and greens, which are my FAVORITE, so I'm dropping my bags at home and then walking down to her house to eat. Who is Kenny?

Nash: Fried chicken is my favorite, too, with chicken and dumplings a close second. Bet you had a great meal. Kenny's is the local diner here in Burton. It's owned and run by Kenny and his wife Darlene, and they make the best food around, especially their pie. Reggie and I had a good time—he's thrilled about Jared, already heard from the Bradys' attorney. Looks like the deal is going to go through thanks to you. 3

Nash: I'm heading to bed now, but before I sleep I wanted to say that I wish it was last night again, and that my arms were wrapped around you. Good night, sweetheart.

One week after the reunion

Peyton: Oh my God, I just got home after dinner with Peg and Charlie. I love them both, but they won't get off this ‘save Peyton' kick.

Nash: Save you from what?

Peyton: From myself, apparently. They think I don't have a life, and they're trying to convince me to get on a dating app.

Nash: That's got to be annoying. I don't want to state the obvious, but maybe they'd lay off if you mentioned to them that you have a pretty serious text relationship with a guy who would really love to see you this weekend.

Peyton: I almost did tell them. But now I feel like they'd be hurt I didn't say anything until now.

Peyton: Do you really want to see me this weekend? Where?

Nash: Haven't I made it clear to you that I want to see you whenever, wherever, however? But in this case, how about you come to Burton? We could have dinner at the Road Block and I can show you around the town.

Peyton: Well . . . the store is closed on Sundays, and I don't have plans for this weekend. I could drive down on Saturday afternoon after I close up . . . if you can recommend a place where I could stay, that is.

Nash: I think I can recommend some overnight accommodation with very special, personalized service.

Peyton: Color me intrigued. Send me the address for the Road Block, and I'll meet you there at six.

Nash: Counting the minutes.