Just Sign Here - Cara Dee Page 0,58

a dad-joke.

“Holy shit,” Peyton exclaimed unsteadily. “You’re really on your way?”

My mirth faded when I heard the uncertainty in his tone. “We’ll be there in two hours, love. I promise. I just need the address.”

He swallowed audibly. “Okay. Okay. Shit, I can’t believe you. Oh my God, I’m gonna see you both tonight. I’ll text you the address—fuck, I gotta tell Mom. She’ll go ballistic if I don’t give her a heads-up. Address, right—texting you right now.” Without another word, he hung up.

I grinned to myself.

It was too dark to get much of an impression of Peyton’s hometown, but from what little I saw, it definitely had potential. We drove through patches of forest and a cobblestone neighborhood called Cedar Valley. Signs for places such as Silver Beach, Olympic Falls, and Downtown Marina with the ferry to the Chinook Islands made it abundantly clear that we were a long way from Boston.

This seemed like a place where I could go fishing again.

We arrived in what I assumed was a working-class neighborhood, although back home, these three- and four-story buildings would fit right in. Peyton had once told me he’d grown up in the “bad part of town,” but I supposed it depended on what you compared it with.

After passing an empty square, the driver made a couple turns before he announced we were here.

I peered out of my window just as the hall inside the building lit up. A second later, Peyton appeared in the window and opened the door. He smiled widely and jogged down the steps.

“Theu’s Peyton!” Julia exclaimed. She was out of her booster seat in a flash, and then she was climbing over my lap to get out first.

I grinned and let her out before I followed.

“Hi!” She ran straight into him, and he picked her up and hugged her tightly.

“Holy fuck, have I missed you, sweetheart.”

I joined the two on the curb and gave Peyton a hard kiss. “It turns out we’re nothing but a couple miserable McDonald’s regulars without you.”

He exhaled a laugh and fidgeted with my tie. “So, don’t let me leave again. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“We’ll learn from our lesson.” I gave him one more kiss before I dealt with the driver. Peyton and Julia could catch up for a while; soon, he’d be mine.

“Have a good Fourth of July, sir,” the driver said and shook my hand.

“Likewise.” I tipped him, then strapped the booster seat to my rollaboard.

Julia was going a mile a minute about how fast Daddy had run in New York so we wouldn’t miss the flight, and Peyton was soaking it all up with a big smile.

“Darling, we have all night to talk about how fast Daddy can run,” I reminded her. “Tell Peyton why we were running in the first place.”

She furrowed her brow and hooked an arm around Peyton’s neck. “We were in a hurry.”

I chuckled and bent down to open the outside pocket of my carry-on. “Partly because we couldn’t decide on the gifts for Peyton’s mother and sister.”

“Oh Christ, honey, you didn’t have to get them anything,” Peyton said in a rush.

“Nonsense. It’s the first time we meet your family. It’s customary to bring something.” I handed the two folded-up bags to Julia, who’d already declared that she wanted to give the gifts to them. “You’ll have to forgive my lack of creativity. We were in a rush, and, well, I don’t know your family yet.”

Julia scratched her nose and flung the two bags over her shoulder. “I wanted to pick a Minion lunchbox, but Daddy say no. It had chocolate in it!”

“And that right there was why I asked the saleslady for assistance,” I finished.

Peyton laughed softly and pressed a kiss to Julia’s cheek. “You’re amazing—both of you. And my mom is probably pacing in the hallway right now, so let’s get this show on the road.”

“Want me to carry Jul—”

“Hell no. You had your turn.” Peyton turned on his heel and walked up the steps.

“I can walk,” Julia said casually.

“Not now.” Peyton kissed the side of her head and opened the door.

I followed them, happy and amused, and we crammed ourselves into a tiny elevator to take us to the third floor.

Peyton watched me with so much affection in his eyes that it was almost impossible not to steal him away. I needed a proper reunion. It didn’t have to be anything remotely dirty, but I craved the intimacy. The long hugs, the unhurried kisses, just having him in