Page 162 of What Goes Around

I lifted the box and held it against my chest.

“I came for this,” I replied.

Then I turned and left.

Chapter 51: Goodbye

Thomas had a work meeting in Boston and Payton came with him.

They stayed at a hotel near the harbor, and when Thomas left for his meetings, Payton took a cab across the river to see me.

“I finally get to see where you’ve been hiding for four years,” she said when I opened the door.

I smiled and stepped aside to let her in.

She moved slowly through my apartment, taking in the minimalist lines, the neutral colors, the quiet order. She brushed her fingers over the back of a chair, the edge of the counter, the spines of my books.

“This is… very you,” she said softly.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It is,” she laughed.

We ordered takeout, kicked off our shoes, and settled onto the couch while the city hummed faintly beyond the windows. She talked first about the honeymoon. The sun, the laughter, the ridiculous souvenirs. Thomas burning his shoulders because he refused sunscreen.

I listened, smiling, genuinely happy for her.

Then her hand drifted unconsciously to her stomach.

“I still can’t believe it,” she said quietly. “I wake up and I’m like… there’s actually someone in here.”

I smiled. “You look happy.”

“I am. Terrified. But happy.”

Thomas texted her then, a photo of a conference room and a sarcastic caption about corporate boredom. She sent him a heart and told him she was stealing my couch.

“You picked well,” I said.

She smiled. “I know.”

We talked about names. About whether she would keep working full time or take a year off. About how Thomas was already reading parenting books like it was an Olympic event.

Then, gently, carefully, she shifted.

“So… Apple went to the doctor.”

I didn’t react outwardly.

“Nick showed me the ultrasound pictures,” Payton continued. “The dates matched.”

My fingers tightened around my glass.

“Did Nick go with her?” I asked.

Payton shook her head. “No. She said since it was a vaginal ultrasound, she didn’t want him there. Especially since they’re not a couple.”

I nodded once.