“Are you sure?” Payton asked.

  “I said I’m fine,” her mother argued. “I’ve been taking care of this house by myself for years.” There didn’t seem to be any animosity in those words, just more a fact. “What are you doing here?”

  “I just thought I’d bring you some salad and a few cookies,” she said.

  “Thanks,” her mother said. “You can go put them in the kitchen. I’ll be right in. I just want to finish this last one up now that the sun is at the back of the house.”

  Payton let herself into the house, looked around at the old hardwood floors that were scarred, but clean. The paint on the walls was fresh, telling her that her mother touched them up recently. How long had it been since she’d been here? Probably months.

  Once she was in the kitchen she grabbed two glasses and filled them with the lemonade that was always in the fridge growing up.

  “Thanks,” her mother said, walking in and picking it up, taking a long drink, then setting it down and reaching for a cookie. “So you really only came over to bring me food?”

  “I just wanted to see you. We haven’t talked much lately.”

  “You’ve got a business to run and a boyfriend. Seems like your life is complete.”

  There was the bitterness she’d been expecting, always making it so hard for her to have any simple conversation with her mother. “Why do you say it like that?”

  “Like what?” her mother said.

  “That it’s a bad thing that I’ve got a career and am seeing Bryce.”

  “First off, I’m not sure what you’ve got is a career, but it’s a job.”

  Yep, there was her mother bringing what she did down again. She was wondering why she bothered to come over. Why she even bothered to try.

  “Are you that embarrassed over me and what I do? Because I didn’t go to college like you? You’re a gym teacher, Mom.”

  Her mother snorted. “I know what I am. Been laughed at enough in my life over it.”

  “Yet you always have to put me down for my choices.”

  Her mother turned and crossed her arms. “I don’t put you down.”

  “You do all the time. Aunt Millie was the only one who ever encouraged me to pursue my dreams.”

  “Your dreams were to work your fingers to the bone making sandwiches and salads for people?”

  “I never had a lot of dreams period,” she argued. “I’m not sure I was allowed to have them. I spent too much of my life trying not to hate myself because I struggled to read. Because everyone picked on me and my parents didn’t defend me let alone help me.”

  “So it’s my fault that you struggled,” her mother said.

  “No. It’s not even your fault it took so long for you to find out what was going on. It’s not your fault that you didn’t encourage me to keep working at it. But it is your fault for all the degrading and demeaning comments and words you and Dad always said to me.”

  “We just wanted you to work harder.”

  “By putting me down? By telling me how dumb I was? By saying men were only going to want me for my looks and I should spend more time on them than anything else? That I should get a boob job so that my body was more proportioned? That’s funny coming from someone who doesn’t even own makeup let alone a dress or a pair of nice pants.”

  “I like the way I am,” her mother said, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

  “Maybe I like the way I am too,” Payton said back.

  “You’ve never liked one thing about yourself and you know it.”

  Payton felt her eyes fill with tears. “Because no one ever told me anything nice. Only Aunt Millie.”

  Her mother snorted. She’d never had much nice to say about her sister-in-law. “Your aunt loved that place, but it never amounted to much.”

  “It was enough for her. More than enough for me and I don’t understand why you can’t accept that.”

  “You were always closer to your aunt than to me.”

  “I didn’t think I had a choice. She was the only one that talked to me. That listened to me. That told me I could be something.”

  “That’s because she never had kids and wanted you for herself.”

  Payton wondered why she was here and what she hoped to accomplish. She’d thought after hearing Grant talking about his mother being alone with three boys she should thank her own mother, but now realized how crazy she was. “Is that so bad? Someone wanted me.”

  “We loved you. Your father and I loved you, but things were hard. Your dad didn’t even know what he was saying or doing half the time in the last few years.”

  She remembered. “Before that though he always said mean things to me. He always put me down. I’ve been a disappointment my whole life to you two.”

  Her father loved to tell her how beautiful she was and that she’d do better being a friendly face to get a man than to put work into anything else. That this would be the only way she’d get ahead in life.

  To marry for money. To find a good guy that liked the way she looked and not worry if he cared what she said.

  Just because she struggled in school didn’t mean she couldn’t have intelligent conversations with people. But she’d been knocked down so much in her life, that she started to doubt everything and believe what her own parents repeatedly told her.

  “Payton, we all make our own choices in life and you made yours. You work too hard and don’t need to. I guess I should be happy you are dating Bryce now. Maybe you’re listening to your father.”

  Her jaw dropped. “What does that mean?”

  “That you’ve got a good-looking guy who has money and can take care of you. That is if he doesn’t get frustrated with the amount of time you put into your job.”

  “I don’t want someone to take care of me. I can take care of myself,” she argued.

  “You just remember that when you’re still single in your late thirties and your time has passed by.”

  Who was this woman she was talking to? “I don’t know why I came here.”

  “You want me to pat you on the back, that is what you want. I told you that I think you’re doing a good thing dating Bryce.”

  “That’s not why I’m dating him.”

  “Did you ask him out, or did he ask you?”

  “He asked me,” she said.

  “Because of the way you looked?” her mother asked, tilting her head.

  She didn’t want to believe what her mother said, but it was hard not to when she heard what Ryder said yesterday. “I was waiting on him. I had my hair pulled back in a bun, no makeup on, and a big apron over my clothes. There wasn’t anything appealing to me at all.”

  “Payton, look in the mirror. Your friendly nature combined with your blonde hair, blue eyes, and clear complexion with exceptional features and a perfect body are enough for men to hit on you.”

  She supposed that was a backhanded compliment on her friendly nature but pushed it aside. “Bryce and I have a good time together. I’m not just someone he wants to show off to people.”

  But she remembered how many times people said he never brought a date to the fundraiser and those damn doubts were creeping in her brain like a bird stalking the worms on the grass after a rainfall.

  “You can say what you want to make yourself feel better, Payton, but the guy is a certified genius. He’s probably spent most of his life with women just like him and now that he is an adult, he gets to pick the hot chick because he has money behind his name.”

  “He’s a genius?” she asked, wondering why she’d never heard that before.

  “Yes. I remember when he was younger Diane telling everyone he’d been tested. IQ through the roof. I have no idea what it was and tried not to listen to it. You’d think with intelligence like that he’d go into medicine or something, but instead he’s teaching.”

  “He loves what he does,” she argued. “Why is that so hard for people to understand?” Here she was defending Bryce.

  “Whatever. My point is, ask yourself how long this could last and why it’s lasting now. What is making it work and if you want it to continue, then you’ll have to figure it out.”

  “I’m leaving,” Payton said. She couldn’t stay in this room and hear any more of it. She’d had enough doubts in her mind her whole life, even the past few weeks, and now this.

  Later that night, she was jarred awake by a noise and looked around her room, trying to figure out what was going on.

  She didn’t see anything and just figured it was a noise in the building.

  The minute she closed her eyes, she heard her name and sat up in bed, reaching for the light.

  “You aren’t here,” she said, looking at her aunt. She had to be losing her mind. This couldn’t be happening. It was more likely the fact that she’d spent a good hour crying when she’d gotten home, trying to figure out what was going on in her life.

  So much so, she’d even picked up her tablet and tried to find some of the apps she’d been working with over the years to improve her reading skill and level. She wasn’t stupid, she wanted to learn, but it was so frustrating and she often gave up.

  Her brain just read the letters spelled differently and she had to work twice as hard to train her brain to see it the right way. By the end of the day her brain was just plain tired along with her body.

  That had to be why she was having this dream right now. There was no way her aunt was in her room. Anytime she tried to work on her reading, she’d see or think of her aunt, the one person who always encouraged her.

  “I am here. I’ve tried to come to you in dreams and you won’t believe it’s me. So it’s time to make my presence known.”

  The familiar black pants were there with a red smock on top. Why would her aunt be wearing that in a dream? Why not wear something more casual?

  “I don’t understand,” she said, pulling the covers up to her chin. Hadn’t she wished she could talk to her aunt a few weeks ago? And here she was being given the opportunity, but she told herself it couldn’t be real.

  “Payton. Stop listening to everyone trying to bring you down. Be your own person. You’re strong. You’re smart and you’re determined. It’s time to prove that to everyone. To prove it to yourself.”

  “I don’t need to prove it to anyone,” she argued.

  “You don’t believe that. You wouldn’t have gone to your mom’s tonight if that were the case. You want her to tell you how well you’ve done for yourself and it’s just not going to happen. You need to do things for you and only you.”

  “Why do I have to deal with this?” she asked her aunt, knuckling a tear.

  “We all have things we have to deal with in life. You make the best of it. You do what you can to be happy. If you’re happy with the way your life is, then don’t keep trying to learn. But you aren’t happy if you picked that tablet back up again.”

  How could her aunt know that? “I don’t want to be an embarrassment to Bryce.”

  “That’s the only reason?” she asked. “You’re afraid to embarrass someone you’ve dated for a few months?”

  “I really like him. I want him to like me too.”

  “He does like you and he has no idea what you are struggling with.”

  “But would he like me even less if he did?”

  “I guess that is the million-dollar question,” her aunt said. “Are you going to tell him and find out?”

  “No. I don’t want him to know. I can get better at it. It’s time that I worked some more anyway.”

  “Don’t do it for anyone but yourself,” her aunt said. “I’ve told you that enough in life. It’s your choice who you want to listen to.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, but her aunt faded away.

  Why was she worried about Bryce finding out about her learning disability? Because in the short period of time they’d been together she’d found she was falling in love with him and she was terrified he’d think less of her if he knew.

  Or worse yet, if he thought she wasn’t good enough for him and he’d really only wanted her as someone he could show off on his arm.

  Bothers You

  Bryce had felt bad he wasn’t spending the day with Payton, but he had a family commitment and she said she understood.

  It’s not like they had to spend every weekend together, even if they were. Or that he was coming to rely and depend on her smile and laughter.

  Had he realized he wasn’t spending as much time on this thesis as normal? He had, and rather than be annoyed or even shocked over it, it hadn’t bothered him in the least.

  He wasn’t in a rush. He didn’t need it. He was only doing it for fun.

  Yeah, he was a class A nerd that most had wanted to call him when he was growing up but wouldn’t dare.

  He’d been bigger than many in his class, he’d played sports, and he’d been popular in his own right.

  He didn’t go out and party and get drunk. He didn’t do drugs. But people looked up to him and wanted to be around him.

  He’d never fit the image of the brainy type guy, and for that reason, no one ever gave him crap over it other than his own family.

  Sure, he tended to date smart girls now because he felt he’d have more in common with them. The few times he dated someone for their looks or popularity, he’d grown bored with them.

  Or they wanted to date him for his looks, his name, and his brains. What they thought he’d amount to one day. He lost track of the comments saying he was wasting his life teaching.

  How many times had he been dating someone who tried to get him to do their work for them? Too many to count, and he’d been stupid enough in the beginning to fall for it, thinking he was just helping them out.

  “Why are you so quiet?” Sam asked him from the shotgun seat. Ryder was in the back with his face in his phone texting some chick he’d met on a dating app.

  “I didn’t know I was,” Bryce said back.

  “You’ve been quiet this whole trip. Too hard to be away from Payton for the day?” Sam asked.

  “She had things to do. We don’t have to spend every waking moment together,” Bryce argued.

  “But you pretty much do, don’t you?” Ryder asked from the back seat.

  “Hardly. We only see each other on the weekends or if I go get some food during the week. She works a lot of hours and by the time she is done at night, she’s tired.”

  “That bothers you, doesn’t it?” Sam asked.

  “No.”

  Ryder snorted in the back. “I saw your face when she mentioned expanding her business. She saw it too. It’s like she’s a new toy you don’t want to give up playing with. Of course if I had her on my arm I’d feel the same way. How is she in the sack?”

  “First off,” Bryce said, his voice firmer than normal, “that’s none of your damn business. Second of all, she’s not a toy. You guys are reading way too much into this whole thing.”

  “If you say so,” Ryder said, then dropped his head back down, his fingers going a mile a minute on his phone again.

  They couldn’t pull into his aunt and uncle’s house fast enough. His parents and other aunt and uncle were already here, having driven last night and staying for the weekend to visit. His three cousins all drove down last night too and planned on spending the night and driving back tomorrow. Maybe he could dump Ryder with them, but knew Sam would go home to be with Dani.

  “Looks like we are the last of the family to arrive,” Ryder said.

  “You knew that,” Sam told him. “You could have ridden with Drake if you wanted last night.”

  “Nope,” Ryder said. “I had a date and I wasn’t giving it up.”

  “The person you’re pounding on your phone with?” Bryce asked.

  “Yep. Trying to set up another date.”

  “I don’t even want to know,” Sam said.

  “Good, I don’t want to tell you. Well, maybe I do. Tits out to Neverland and she was putting them on display for me to see.”

  Bryce rolled his eyes, parked, and got out. He wasn’t in the mood for his younger brother’s dating stories.

  Walking ahead of his brothers, he went around the back of the house and saw Brody first, making his way over.

  “Look what the cat dragged in,” Brody said, reaching for his hand.

  “Good to see you. I hear congrats are in order.”

  “Thanks,” Brody said. “I’m both excited and terrified at the same time to have a baby in the house. I’ve had practice with Sidney though.” Sidney was Brody’s wife’s daughter who was two when they met and he adopted her.

  “You still don’t know how to change a diaper,” Mason said, coming over. “Every time the twins dirtied one you ran out of the room gagging. I can’t wait to see how Aimee gets you to help out.”

  “I’ve got months to figure it out. Maybe.”

  Brody laughed and walked away, leaving Mason and Bryce standing there. “So how are Jacob and Jeremy doing?”

  “Running around like crazy giving Jessica fits. I’d like to say I don’t remember being that hyper as a kid, but I think I was.”

  “Not you, and not me, but everyone around us.”

  “That’s true,” Mason said. “Were you planning on spending a week brewing with me again? It was nice to put my head together with another science geek.”

  “I’m teaching this summer,” he said.

  “And he’s got a girlfriend,” Ryder said, coming up to stand next to them. “He’s in the honeymoon phase of not wanting to be away from her.”

  Bryce rolled his eyes. “It’s a good thing you were the youngest of the group because if you were first or second our parents would have stopped.”

  Aiden walked over and slapped Ryder on the back. “Bryce has you there. Are you being your annoying little brother self again?”

  “It seems that is all I am to everyone,” Ryder said, putting his beer to his lips. He hadn’t wasted any time getting one.

  “And congrats are in order for you too,” Bryce said to Aiden. “When is Nic due?”

  “Just a month after Aimee. I swear in this family when it rains it pours with kids. Thankfully though, no multiples for either Aimee or Nic.”

  “They’ve got to be thrilled,” Bryce said, not thinking much of it, but the chances were pretty strong.