She closed the door behind her and went into the kitchen. Since her aunt and uncle had moved to enjoy their retirement on the peninsula, the house had become dark and quiet. Peyton used to welcome the loneliness, but now, she hated it. When she had been with Callum on Sunday night, she hadn’t been quite alone. She had been wrapped in him as they’d opened themselves to sharing the loneliness they were in. She’d felt connected and wanted.

It probably hadn’t been the best idea to kiss him in the middle of the town’s main road. Anyone could have seen. No doubt the town gossipers had. She didn’t care about their opinions, though. She loved this town and the people, but this was between Callum and her.

She couldn’t ignore the way that he had kissed her and held her. The way he’d begged her. The way he’d sighed her name. It was utterly unforgettable. She wanted more. But he wouldn’t let her. The truth was stopping him. And the truth was something Peyton wanted and didn’t want. The truth, she was sure, would break her to the point where breathing wasn’t enough.

The vibrating of her phone in her pocket had Peyton pulling it out. When she swiped the screen and checked her messages, she had found a new one from Madilynne in her inbox.

Madilynne: I’m sorry that I left you with him. We’ll talk about him being back tomorrow. You should have told me, Peyton. I’m not mad. I understand. Graham isn’t mad, either. He wants to talk to you. Come over, but he says you can’t ask him about Callum. He says that it’s Callum’s choice to tell you and that Graham can’t take that away from you and him. I’ll see you soon.

Peyton: Okay. I’m on my way.

She needed to see Graham. She needed some assurance from him. That the choice she was making was one that would be worth something in the end. It didn’t have to mean forever. It just had to mean something.

Peyton took out the keys from her pocket and walked out of the house. Graham wanted to see her. Even though he’d broken the tradition and trust they had, she couldn’t turn her back on him.

After closing the door behind her, Peyton ran down the stairs and to the driveway. Then she unlocked her Volkswagen Golf. The moment the lights flashed and the car made a sound, she opened the driver’s side door and got in.

Peyton reached for the seatbelt and clicked it in place, desperate to speak to her best friends. She put a hand on the steering wheel as she inserted the key into the ignition. The second it clicked, she froze. She didn’t turn the key all the way. Instead, the click brought flashes of the pictures she had seen in the newspapers the day after her parents had died.

Images of the mangled car brought tears running down her face, and then images of flowers placed by the side of the road brought the sobs. It was the first time she’d sat in the driver’s seat since the accident. Her aunt drove her if she needed to be anywhere that wasn’t within walking distance. Her heart twisted as she remembered the picture of her mother and father’s happy faces on the front of the paper. They had been taken from her. That was the day her father hadn’t fulfilled his promise.

Tears streamed down her face as she tried to fight off the pain. She reached into her pocket and took out her phone. Then unlocked it and pulled up Graham’s number. Her eyes were firmly set on the steering wheel before she pressed the green button to call him.

It rang twice before he answered. “Hello.”

Peyton didn’t answer, but rather, she sobbed.

“Peyton, are you okay? What’s wrong? What did he do to you?” Graham’s voice was heartbreaking. She hated that she was this weak, this scared of the past, that it affected her present.

“I can’t get out, Graham,” she cried.

“Out of where, Peyton? Tell me! Where are you?” he asked in a desperate yell.

“I want to see you, but I can’t. I keep seeing their faces. I keep seeing the wrecked car. I can’t get to you.” Peyton placed her forehead on the wheel and cried.

It was too much. She didn’t think. She just needed to be at the farm. She needed her friends.

“No, don’t think about them like that, Peyton. I’m here. Think of your parents with you and laughing. Don’t think of the accident. Please. Please don’t,” he begged, sounding like he himself was about to cry.

“I can’t get out of the car, Graham. I can’t get out. Help me, please. I need you.”

“Madilynne, call Callum right now!” he yelled. “I’m here, Peyton. I’m here. I can’t get to you.”

“Why?” Peyton asked in a small voice.

“I’ve been drinking. I didn’t think you’d want to see me. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told Madilynne that I wanted to see you. I’m getting Callum, okay? You’re not going to be alone. You’re never alone. I’ll be here until he gets there.” He was trying to calm her, but Peyton could still hear the fear in his voice.

“He’s not picking up!” Peyton heard Madilynne cry out desperately.

“Try again!” Graham roared. “Don’t slip, Peyton. I don’t want to see you go into that state again. You’re strong. You’ve been strong. Don’t shut down on me.”

Darkness started to encroach, attempting to suffocate the light around her. So she closed her eyes and concentrated on his voice. Her heart pounded violently against her chest and her breathing was gasps as she tried to inhale enough oxygen to calm her body.

She felt her phone slip from her fingers and she whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

She was afraid of the darkness that was swallowing her. But she wanted the pain to stop, so she welcomed it. She’d let it win. She was too tired to fight.

“It’s okay, Graham. I have her now.” His voice sounded so close, but she knew he wasn’t. Physically, he was, but emotionally, he was too far gone. “No, don’t worry. Sober up. I’ll stay with her. I won’t leave her alone tonight. Make your time with Mads count. I’ll let her call you. Okay, bye.”

Peyton squeezed her eyes, seeking the light. She’d spent years fighting the darkness. She didn’t want it to win. But the loneliness enticed the darkness. It fed it temptation.

“Pey, I’m here. Let me take care of you.”

Pey.

She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the Volkswagen logo. His nickname for her drew her out of the state that she’d been falling into. She couldn’t look at him, though. Her heart had bled too much pain. It had been denied too much from him. Her heart decided that it no longer needed a filter.

“I’m in love with you,” she confessed. “Don’t you see that?”

Callum placed a hand on her thigh. Peyton looked down to see the cherry blossoms poking out from the long sleeve top he wore. Then she dropped her hand from the steering wheel and placed it on top of his. Her fingers slowly stroked his until suddenly Callum flipped his hand over and threaded his fingers with hers.

“Look at me, Peyton.”

She turned her head and saw those grey eyes full of pain and relief.

“Let me take you inside. I’ll take care of you.”

Peyton’s eyelids fluttered once and she nodded. Callum stood up and reached over, unbuckling her seatbelt. Then he crouched down and pulled out the key from the ignition. He gave her a reassuring smile before she looped her arms around his neck and he pulled her out of the car. As she held him tightly in her arms, he used his body to close the car door and then carried her up the steps to the front door.

Her car sounded as Callum locked it and she rested her head against his collarbone.

“I think I left the door unlocked,” she said quietly.

He bent down and, from under her, reached for the doorknob. Then twisted it once and the door opened. Not saying anything, he walked into the house and kicked the door close behind him. Looking up, Peyton stared at the way his eyes roamed over the dark and quiet house. The confused expression on his face was like he was thinking of where he should put her.