She’d contemplated abortion over and over the first ten weeks, but with the equal chance the baby was Ryder’s, she hadn’t been able to do it. Now, she’d be on pins and needles until the results came in. Dr. Garzo was amazing and told her he’d already taken care of getting the sample, so all she had to do was get one from the father for comparison.
She closed her eyes and groaned.
What a clusterfuck this was.
She and Stella were released the following day and she was glad to be home. At first, the idea of moving back in with her parents had been daunting, but now she was glad she’d done it. She had a job and made okay money with excellent insurance, but living at home allowed her to save for a place of her own and probably daycare once she was off maternity leave. She made a decent salary, but it was nothing to write home about and she didn’t ever want to be in a situation where she couldn’t give her baby everything she needed, with or without the father’s financial contribution. Especially since her parents were moving out of the country soon.
“Look at all the flowers!” her mother exclaimed.
“Wow.” Peyton was startled at the four bouquets on the counter.
“Two came yesterday, two today,” Mom said. “I didn’t open the cards.”
“Let me see.” Peyton opened the first one, a huge, gorgeous group of wildflowers that were all purples and pinks, and read the card aloud. “Peyton—I’m sure Stella will be as beautiful as her mother. You’ve got this and we’ve got your back, always. Donovan and Tara.”
“You do have the best big brother,” Mom said, laughing.
“I do,” she agreed, putting the card back in the envelope and reaching for the card in a bouquet of all pink roses that appeared to be from her boss. “Peyton, congratulations on the new baby. We can’t wait to meet her. Les, Vivian, Rhonda and Tony.”
“You’re lucky to work with such nice people,” Mom said. “The fact that they chipped in to buy the crib was amazing.”
“Everyone has been amazing,” Peyton replied, opening the next card. She glanced down at the signature and froze.
Oh god.
How had he found out?
She squeezed her eyes shut.
“Peyton?” Mom looked worried and Peyton hurriedly closed the card, stuffing it in her pocket.
“My friend Lacy,” she said, forcing a smile. “Just silly girl stuff.”
But her hand was shaking as she reached for the final card, which hopefully wasn’t from Lacy because that would be awkward.
She pretended to need to use the bathroom and left the last card behind, hurrying into the nearest one, closing the door behind her, and trying to breathe.
What the hell was she going to do now? She’d had eight months to come up with what to say to him when and if the time came, but she still had nothing. Now, the words of Ryder’s note were burned into her brain and guilt whipped through her.
Peyton—
Congratulations on the new baby.
I think we need to talk.
At your convenience.
I just want to help.
—Ryder
3
The last few days had been brutal. Ryder thought of little but Peyton and the baby, and he didn’t feel he could confide in anyone. Not until he talked to her. Logan knew something was up but Ryder kept putting him off, telling him he wasn’t ready to talk about it.
And the truth was—he wasn’t. The only person he could talk to right now was Peyton and he didn’t know how many days was enough to wait. Donovan had texted him a picture of Stella and she was truly the most beautiful baby he’d ever seen. Not that he’d seen that many, but this one was gorgeous. She seemed tiny but Donovan said nine pounds was a good weight for a newborn, so that was all that mattered.
He stared at his phone for a long time and then touched the screen so he could see the time. It was a little after eight and he figured if he was going to call, this was the time to do it. Any later and she might be in bed, and he didn’t want to wake the baby.
Christ, this was hard. He’d never had trouble calling a woman before but Peyton was different. This whole situation was different, and his hands got a little clammy every time he thought about talking to her. He had to, though. He had to know if the baby was his.
Gripping the phone, he slowly pressed the button that would call her and held his breath. He didn’t know what he would do if she didn’t answer. Was it appropriate to leave a message? Or maybe just hang up so—
“Hello?” Her voice was soft, but he’d know it anywhere.
“Peyton? Hey, it’s, uh, Ryder. Kingston.” Jesus, was he a dumbass or what?
“Hi.” She sounded sad and unsure of herself, as if she was as nervous as he was.
“I, um…how are you?”
“Tired, but good. How are you?”
“I’m…confused, Peyton.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Do you, uh, feel like talking?”
“No, but we should.”
“I’m sorry.” What the hell was he apologizing for?
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, as if reading his mind. “So, the story is pretty simple. I had sex with Troy not long before you and I did it, and there’s no way to know who the father is until…” Her voice trailed off.
“Until we do a DNA test.”
“Yes. The pediatrician is going to handle it, but I need a sample from one of you and, honestly, I’d rather it be you.”
“That’s no problem. In fact, the team will be in Detroit in three weeks. I was thinking I’d see you then and we could do all that. And, you know, maybe I could meet her, if you’re willing.”
“We’re only forty-five minutes from Detroit so it’ll be easy to get together. And of course you can meet her. I named her Stella.”
“That’s a pretty name.”
“Thank you.”
There was a momentary awkward silence before he said, “I wish you’d called me, Peyton. I could have been there for you, you know? The pregnancy and all that.”
“I don’t know that she’s yours,” she whispered, her voice cracking a little. “I’m so fucking embarrassed.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. Whether it was me or him, it takes two to tango, so we’re equally responsible.”
“You’re sweet to say that, but I shouldn’t have done what I did.”
“What, had sex with two men?”
“So close together, so…irresponsibly. I just wanted to erase the memory of—” She broke off abruptly. “Anyway, thank you for calling. I’m sorry I didn’t reach out sooner. And thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful. It really made my day to get so many.”
“Who else did you get them from?” he asked curiously.
“My brother and Tara, my boss and a few of my co-workers, and my old college roommate.”
“That’s nice. My dad always said you should send a new mom flowers.”
“That’s incredibly thoughtful.”
There was another awkward silence before he cleared his throat. “Can I, um, can I see her? Like, now?”