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“No need to be nervous. Go to your room and read the note. Then you can decide what to do next.” She tilts her head to the side, eyeing me inquisitively.
“Maybe I don’t want to know what it says.”
“Excuse me?” Peyton responds, confusion written on her face. “Have we entered the twilight zone or something? You’ve been moping around for weeks, wondering why he left and when he was coming back. And now you don’t want to hear his explanation? What changed?”
“Nothing and everything.”
“You aren’t making sense.”
“I know.” I sigh, heading toward her and taking a seat in the chair next to her at the table. “I always thought that Campbell left because I wasn’t enough for him. That there was something wrong with me that drove him into Emmeline’s arms.”
“And I’ve told you a million times that wasn’t the case. The best-case scenario is that he was thinking with the brain between his legs instead of the one between his ears, and that’s why Emmeline ended up with your ring on her finger.”
“Don’t be like that, Peyton. I’m being serious. We talked, really talked, about what happened to us. Until that moment, I didn’t know that I was still searching for a reason that things ended the way they did between us. Wondering if there was something wrong with me that made him change his mind so suddenly.”
“And what does that have to do with you and Finn?” she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Peyton.” I put a little more force into my words, and she raises her hands in surrender. “Finn loves me. I didn’t drive him away. He left because he needed to. Because there was something he had to do in order for him to be ready to commit to me completely.”
“Duh. Took you long enough to figure that out. I blame the cheating asshole for that.”
“Campbell never cheated on me. Whatever happened after we broke up had nothing to do with our relationship ending. I fell in love with Finn after we spent a few amazing nights together. Why couldn’t the same happen with the two of them?”
“You finally admitted it out loud.” She gasps, tears collecting in her eyes. “I feel like my little bird is finally ready to leave the nest.”
“You’re so dramatic.” I shake my head at her. “Maybe it’s time for you to leave the nest, too. I know the perfect guy.”
“No way, Marissa. He broke your heart.”
“We haven’t been together in years. He is a part of my past, but he can be a part of your future. All you need to do is give him a chance.”
“I’m scared. What if he…” Her voice breaks. “I lost everything when Jules broke up with me. You know what I went through. There are pieces of me missing that I can never get back. What if he doesn’t understand? What if I tell him and he doesn’t want me anymore?”
Peyton has secrets. Secrets that she has only shared with me, and I plan on keeping it that way. Peyton lost more than just her heart when her boyfriend cheated on her, leaving her to deal with his selfish choices on her own. And she fought to keep her head above water, barely surviving each day before beginning the battle again.
“Then I’ll kill him and hide the body.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder, pulling her into my side. “I doubt very much that Campbell will react that way, but if he does, he never deserved you in the first place.”
There’s a loud knock on the front door, causing us to jump slightly. I push back from the table to get the door, but Campbell comes striding down the hallway. He gives me a playful wink before he swings the door open, and everyone files into the house.
“You’re right.” Peyton raises her voice slightly over the buzz of voices around the entryway. “But I’m not doing it alone. If I’m opening myself up to heartbreak, you are, too.”
The noise level rises exponentially as Ms. Charlotte slides into the room, carrying two large casserole dishes in her hands. “Where do you want these?”
“The buffet table.” I motion with my hands, not once letting go of Peyton as she tries to get a handle on her emotions. “Just clear some space. If you need any spoons or anything, they’re in the center drawer.”
My eyes search the room, looking for any sign of Finn but come up empty.
“Did you mean what you said?” I whisper into Peyton’s ear.
“What?” She sits up, her eyes locking on mine.
“If I read Finn’s note, you’ll go out with Campbell.”
“I don’t know…” Her voice trails off as a hint of fear flashes in her eyes.
But fuck that. I’m not about to let my friend close herself off to love no more than I want to go back to the way I was before spending the night with Finn. I’m scared shitless to read this letter, to know his real reason for leaving me, but if I want things to move forward with us, then I have to take the next step.
“No more games, Peyton. We both need to take a chance on something more than a quick fuck from a random stranger,” I growl before planting a kiss on her forehead and pushing to my feet. “It’s time to take a leap of faith.”
