Chapter 26

Peyton

Iwas home alone, locked up safe and sound, and feeling miserable. Again. Which meant there was only one person I wanted to talk to.

"How are you?" Lisa asked when she answered my phone call.

I shrugged. "Been better."

"Oh no, honey. What's got you down? Please, tell me it isn't something new."

"What, because being pregnant isn't enough?"

"I'm sorry, I only—"

"It's okay, sorry. Didn't mean to snap at you." I felt my throat tighten in warning already, and I shoved my palm into my eyes to try and force my emotions back. "How have you been?"

"I've been fine, baby, nothing to worry about. Please, don't even think about me."

I pressed my lips together. "I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself, Lisa. Let's talk about you for a little bit."

So we did. For nearly twenty minutes we chatted about nothing, shows on Netflix and a new dinner recipe she'd seen in a video and other stupid shit, until my heart felt light enough that when my pregnancy came up again, I was able to actually talk about it.

"You know you don't have to be pregnant if you don't want to be, right? I mean, you haven't told anyone else yet, which sounds to me like it means even you're not sure."

"I'm sure that I'm keeping the baby," I said firmly, and even as I said it, I knew it was true. "I know it's under terrible circumstances and I know I should reconsider, but I can't. This is…I don't know how to explain it. This is mybaby, you know? I have a child. It's mine, and I can't just get rid of it. I want a family. What if this is the only chance I'll ever have?" What if no one ever loves me enough to do it on purpose with me? But I didn't quite say those words, because I knew exactly how they'd sound and what she'd say in response.

But I felt it. And I tried my best to bury it, but that feeling of never being good enough wouldn't quite leave me.

"I'm so fucked up," I whispered after a moment. "So damaged, that I might not ever get the husband and the picket fence, so I'm taking what I can get."

She went quiet on the other end of the line for a long minute. A low whisper sounded beside her, which brought me out of the spiral that threatened to take me again.

I blinked, and the ghost of a smile passed across my lips. "Is someone there with you?"

"Yeah." She paused again, and I sat up straighter, wanting suddenly to go back to talking about light, fun stuff like boys instead of all my problems.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"That's not important right now, but what I have to tell you next is. Remember that creep, Zachary?"

"God, yeah," I said, feeling a shiver of dislike course through me at the mere mention of him. "What about him?"

"Well, he stopped by my apartment the other day asking to see you."

I blinked. "What the fuck?"

"Exactly, what the fuck? He wanted to know if you were okay and if I knew where you were.Like I was just gonna tell him. Luckily, I wasn't alone at the time, so he didn't hang around long."

"Wait, how…" My mind was suddenly running a million miles an hour. "First of all, how the fuck does he know who you are?"

I heard another whisper, and Lisa shushing someone in the background. "He remembered me from the bar, he actually called you my girlfriend at first, though he said it like he didn't believe it."

"But how does he know where you live?"

"Babe, I do not know. Like, at the time he'd said he was walking past and saw me head into my building. I had just walked in, to be fair, but after he left I just…I don't know. It felt odd. It all didn't quiteadd up somehow, but I just can't put my finger on why, you know?"

Yeah, I fucking knew. "Have you told the police?"

"Told them what? He didn't do anything, what are they gonna say if I make a complaint about some guy walking past my building."

I sighed, I know Rocky had his theories about the man who Chloe had been seeing, and I had to admit the fact she was hiding stuff under my bed was as shady as shit, but still… "I mentioned something about him to the cops, I guess he checked out. But even if he's not linked to what happened to Chloe, that guy is starting to sound like a creeper."

"And the weirdest part was that he had this dumb smile on his face, right? Luckily—uh, someone arrived just at that time, and creepy ghost man just ended up leaving. I haven't slept alone here, since."

"Someone, huh?" I said, wanting to try and lighten the situation, because dread was beginning to pool in my stomach.

"Yeah, yeah," Lisa grumbled. "Someone, okay?"

I bit my lip. "There are too many weird coincidences with this dude."

"I know, he gives me the fucking heebie-jeebies."

"What day did he come by?"

"Uh, I think it was the day you moved into the clubhouse? He was all twitchy about it too, as if hesuddenly didn't know where you were and was panicking. But he hasn't known your location this whole time, right, so it was super odd. Oh, speaking of which, please stay put at the clubhouse, okay? Be careful, don't just leave on your own."

"I never said I was leaving." But, yeah, I was kinda sorta thinking about it. And I wasn't at the clubhouse anymore.

"You didn't have to say it. I know you better than anyone in the world. It's starting to get too much for you and you're thinking of running away."

"Well, fuck."

"That's right, babe. But, don't. Don't go anywhere or else I will find you, and I'll use your secrets to do it."

"Fine," I sighed. "For now, I'm not going anywhere. Happy?"

"Thrilled."

"I'm not at the clubhouse anymore, by the way," I confessed, just in case there was an emergency and she needed to find me. "I'm back at Rocky's, there was an incident at the clubhouse, and he thought I'd be safer here."

"Incident?" Lisa asked, her voice heavy with concern.

"Nothing to do with whatever's going on with me. It was club related."

"Okay," Lisa said. "If you think that's best. As long as you're not staying all on your own."

"I'm not."

"Good. Love you. Talk later." The call ended and I fell back on the bed, chewing on my lip anxiously.

This fucking Zachary guy. My gut was telling me there was something more going on with him, he kept popping up, and I couldn't shake the unease the thought of him brought up in me.

I picked up my phone and called Rocky, and not just because I wanted to hear his voice. Not just because I missed him. I needed him to know about Zachary's visit to Lisa's apartment. But while I sat around thinking about him, longing for him and pining after him, Rocky was off living his best biker life and not thinking about me at all. He didn't answer and I didn't leave a message. It felt too pathetic, so I ended the call and sent him a text message with the information.

He was avoiding me, that much was obvious, and if nothing else I was a girl who knew how to take a hint.