Sometimes Moments (Sometimes Moments, #1)(52)

In theory, dying sounded easy. But the thought of never seeing him was shattering. She could say it a million times and never mean it. Callum meant a lot more to Peyton than she wanted to admit. She wanted every laugh, every touch, every belief of them to be tarnished in pain and deceit. But they stayed pure.

Peyton stopped her steps as she reached her street. She looked to her right and stared at the double-story house across from hers. Biting down on her lip, Peyton weighed her options. The truth was that she missed him. Missed the way he held her in his sleep. Missed the little smiles that went unguarded. Missed the moments when she could tell herself that she was his. The moments she believed could be enough for them. But they weren’t. They never would be.

Her feet made the decision for her as she crossed the road and made her way up the path. She stepped on his mat and studied the door. She concentrated on finding a normal rhythm of her heart. She was anxious and hopeful. She was also regretful and broken. The only reason she was at his door was to see him. To prove that he was worth losing Graham and Jay for.

Along with the sun setting, a cold gust of wind blew, causing Peyton to shiver. She’d spent most of the day watching the construction of the structure for the Reynolds’ wedding. Besides that, she’d hid in her office, not wanting to return home. Her thoughts had been on Callum. They shouldn’t have been, but they were. It had been days since she’d last seen him. She should have been worrying over her friendship with Graham, but she had to give him space.

Forming a fist, Peyton raised it up at the door and gently rested her knuckles against the wood. She took a deep breath and let her head fall forward.

What am I doing? I’m just making it worse for myself.

With a sigh, she pulled back from the door and stood straight. She hadn’t imagined them apart until it had happened. This time, she couldn’t imagine them together. She wanted more. She would always want more from him. She wanted to be given what she was being denied—a future with the one person she loved, no matter how much he tore and destroyed her soul.

Maybe, in another life, I could have had him.

She took a backwards step. And then another. Her eyes were on the door before she spun around and made her way back towards her house. When she looked at the steps, she thought of the morning when he’d left. She’d sat on these exact steps. Moments later, she’d had her heart torn out. Placing her bag on the step, Peyton turned around and sat down next to it. Her eyes roamed every inch of the brick house as her heart ached at the years she’d needed him.

My biggest lie: wishing I hadn’t fallen in love with Callum Reid.





Aunt Brenda: We went fishing by the pier. Your uncle is hopeless. We love you, Peyton. Are you eating? How’s the hotel?

Peyton: Aunt Brenda, you should worry about him falling in rather than the fish. I love you both, too. You’re getting good at texting. Hotel’s good. We have everything under control. Jenny turned down Hyatt. The building for Marissa’s dance floor starts today. Yesterday’s weather was too risky to pour the cement for the posts.

Aunt Brenda: Jenny loves the hotel, too. She won’t leave unless you do. Your uncle wants to go down to the shops. We both love you. LOL.

Peyton: I think you’re using LOL wrong.

Aunt Brenda: We are sending you lots of love.

Peyton: You might want to find out what LOL means, Aunt Brenda. I’ll speak to you soon x.



“God, this town got uglier!”

Peyton lifted her eyes off her screen to see her door burst open. She knew that voice. She wasn’t surprised when her best friend, Madilynne Woodside, walked through the door. As usual, Madilynne wore her blonde hair in her natural curls, her long, dark eyelashes framed her blue eyes perfectly, and her lips were coated in a matte-red lipstick. Peyton placed her phone on her desk and stood up.

“What happened to calling me from Ryder’s?” Peyton asked as she walked towards the door.

Madilynne rolled her eyes. “Drove right past. Kinda forgot to look out for it. Dammit, I forgot how pretty you are. I’m glad that I don’t have to compete with you in the city.”

Peyton shook her head. “I’m sure you do just fine in the guy department, Mads.”

Madilynne shrugged. “It’s a tough department. The city isn’t very kind, Peyton. Neither are some of the girls. But enough about me. How’s everything in ‘Peyton Spencer is a hotel owner’ world going?”

I should tell her about Callum…and Jay…and Graham.

As Peyton looked at her best friend, a sense of relief washed over her. She finally had someone in town to spend time with. Someone she could be around. Someone to distract her. It had been two years since Madilynne had last been in town, too busy with university and city life. They had continued their friendship through calls and messages.

“Mads, it’s Friday. You should have been here a lot earlier,” Peyton said, deciding that she’d keep Callum’s return to Daylesford from Madilynne for a little longer.

Madilynne wrapped her arms around Peyton and said, “It’s good to see you, boss. I’m also happy to see that you haven’t been struck by lightning.”

After a laugh and a quick hug, Peyton stepped back and adjusted her silk blouse. “Would you rather we get work orientation over and done with or catch up and go through work stuff tomorrow?”