by Morgan Utley
Then, of course, she noticed a smudge on the floor, so after the pile was swept up, she grabbed a rag and started mopping on her hands and knees.
She was so distracted with her cleaning that she didn’t even hear the door open.
“Peyton? Peyton, where are you? I’m home!” he called.
She jumped right up, threw the rag into the sink, and straightened out her clothes before replying, “I’m in the kitchen!”
He walked in and was covered in grime from head to foot. He was a mechanic and worked on cars all day long at his shop. He always had a faint oily smell to him that she always loved, and it had become a homey smell. Peyton looked at him and just admired him, thinking how lucky she was and how he took her breath every time he was in her presence. He was pretty tall, about six feet, which was good, because she was not very tall at all. He had piercing blue eyes and messy blonde hair. It was always messy, but she didn’t mind. She couldn’t expect it to be perfect when he was under cars all day. He had a smile that could wake a whole room up with laugh lines all around his eyes. He was always laughing or smiling, because he was just happy, and it was contagious. He was her little sunspot, her shooting star. He lightened up her world every day and reminded her of how blessed she genuinely was to have a man like him in her life.
“Boy, does it smell good in here! I’m hungry! I haven’t eaten since this morning. I’ve been so busy.” He looked over at the table, and his face lit up, “Lasagna! Oh no, what did you do?” She couldn’t fool him.
“Oh, you shut up. Do you want to eat now or wait until you shower?” she asked.
“What, you think I need to shower, huh?” He started coming closer to her. She knew what was coming.
“Don’t you dare,” she started to back up slowly. A playful grin spread across his face. Then he darted into a sprint towards her, and before she could escape, he grabbed her and started hugging her tightly.
“Aw, come on. You’re going to make me smell too!” Peyton whined.
“I guess you’re going to need a shower too.” He winked and smiled. He thought he was so funny. Before she should reply, he started talking again, “Let’s eat though. I’m so hungry.”
“Okay, that’s fine with me.” They sat down at the dinner table, said a prayer, and started dishing out the food.
“Man, this looks so good. Thank you for making this, sweetheart,” he said.
Her heart started thumping harder in her chest; should she tell him now or later? She had been waiting for what felt like forever, and anticipation was practically bubbling up to her lips from excitement. Instead of spoiling his dinner, she decided to at least let him finish his plate.
Peyton sat there and tried not to eat fast but couldn’t help it. She was so excited. There were a few times she almost just blurted it out, but she didn’t want to. She just listened to him talk and tried to enjoy the nice dinner as much as she could.
He finally finished the last bite of his lasagna and started reaching for the spoon for seconds.
“Honey, do you mind waiting? I wanted to tell you something,” she said abruptly.
“Aha! I knew there was something!” he exclaimed.
“It’s not what you think. I have some news to tell you…” she started trailing off.
“Oh, so you didn’t break anything or spend lots of money?”
“No.” She took a deep breath and contemplated how she was going to tell him. Then she started freaking out about whether or not he was going to be happy or upset.
“Peyton, whatever it is you can tell me. Sorry, I was just teasing you.” He grabbed my hand, looked right at me, and smiled.
“I know, I know. It’s okay.” She took a minute to collect herself and looked at him. She slowly started to calm down and get her breathing back to normal. The look of reassurance in his eyes helped her believe that no matter what, he was going to love her and take care of her little family for the rest of her life.
“Derek, I’m pregnant,” she whispered.
“What? Really?” Derek whispered back.
“Yes, I went to the doctor this morning because I was so sick. They took a blood sample, and well, they found out I was pregnant. It explains why I’ve been sick.” She looked into his eyes, and she could see the wheels turning in his head. “Are you okay, honey?”
He picked her up, spun her around, and kissed her forehead. “I have never been so happy in my life. I love you.”
It had been one of the happiest days of her life and a treasured memory that she liked to look back on and remember. Pure joy emulated throughout both of them, and they couldn’t stop smiling for days. It was a good reminder to her that true happiness was possible, and it could be found. Even though, at times, it felt like a sad memory because of the tragedy that followed weeks later. It was still a memory that brought her a little hope. Hope that she could find that kind of true happiness again.
Chapter 4
Peyton walked inside the house and found her mom sitting there with Chris in the living room. It wasn’t a big house, but it had enough room for everyone. Her mother had spent a lot of time working on this room after the accident in an attempt to keep her mind occupied, and she had turned it into a beautiful room. The room was color coordinated with navy couches accompanied by white and orange pillows, white end tables, and a white TV stand. The walls were a light grey color decorated with many family pictures and artwork that her mom had collected throughout the years. Each picture was placed perfectly on the wall, in a way that didn't look cluttered, but it kept your eyes flowing easily from picture to picture.
“Hi, sweetheart,” her mom said, looking up from her conversation with Chris. “Would you like to go shopping with me? I want to look for a new top, and I thought we could look for some new running shoes for you. I noticed yours were pretty worn, and I can imagine your feet are starting to hurt.”
“Yeah, that sounds like fun. And you're right, my feet are starting to hurt when I run. Are we leaving right now?” Peyton asked.
Her eyes widened. Peyton hadn’t agreed to go shopping with her in a while. “Yep, I just need to go grab my purse. Chris is going to go have lunch with Gloria anyway. Right?” Her mom looked over at him.
“Well, if you're going to buy me new shoes, I’ll cancel my lunch date.” He started smiling widely and blinking his eyelashes.
“I took you shopping not too long ago and helped pay for some new repelling gear, so I think you're just fine,” she said and patted him on the leg.
“Only joking, Mom. Thank you, by the way.” He kissed her on the cheek and stood up from the couch. “I better head out or else I’m going to be late for my date. Love you guys.”
“Love you too,” Peyton and her mom said in unison and watched him walk out.
Peyton’s mom waited to make sure her brother had left and said, “That boy is head over heels for La Señorita.”
“Yeah, I could tell. Do you think she feels the same way?”
“Hard to say. I guess we will know with time. Ready to go?”
“Just about. Let me go change into some jeans and grab my purse. And maybe I’ll put a little mascara on.” Peyton shrugged her shoulders and started walking away to her room.
“You look exhausted,” her mom pointed out.
“I feel exhausted. Last night was a bad night, so maybe I’ll put some concealer on too. I’m sure the bags under my eyes are horrendous,” Peyton admitted.
“Okay. Well, I’m going to go tell your father goodbye, and then I’ll be waiting out in the car.”
“Sounds good.”
Peyton climbed the stairs two at a time and quickly changed into jeans, a zippy hoodie, and some Converse tennis shoes. She looked in the mirror but resembled a zombie. She pulled out her makeup and began applying it to the dark bags under her eyes and to the pimples that had popped up.
She finished the rest of her makeup routine, which included a little foundation, blush, and mascara, then threw her hair into a high ponytail, and grabbed
her purse. When she stepped outside to head to the car, her mom was in the car just as she said she would be. She climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up.
“Ready?” her mom asked.
“Yep, let's go!” Peyton tried to act enthusiastically, but she certainly wasn’t. She just hoped her mom wouldn’t try to shop the entire day.
The drive back into town was just as beautiful as usual with all the greenery surrounding them, except the closer they got, the more houses that interrupted the natural beauty the earth provided. Sometimes, Peyton wished she lived in a cabin out in the forest, where she could live on her own and enjoy the beauty of nature. However, she knew that this earth life was never meant to be lived through alone. It was meant to enjoy being surrounded by people who love each other, and Peyton was having to constantly remind herself of that. Some days, the idea of becoming a hermit sounded amazing, but that would only lead her down a dark and lonely path.
Her mom pulled into the mall parking lot and parked the car in the closest stall possible.
“Brace yourself,” her mom teased.
“Don’t worry. I am,” Peyton said in a serious tone.
They climbed out of the car and half ran to the entrance nearest them because there was a crazy wind storm going on. Once they entered the mall, they went into a store that was obviously intended for her mom because it had a bunch of clothes that were not meant for Peyton’s age group. Not at all Peyton’s style. Although, Peyton didn’t really have a style. Her wardrobe consisted of sweatpants, jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and workout clothes. She also had a few dresses that she would wear to church, but she hadn’t worn them in a while. So, they stayed in the back of her closet for the time being.
They shopped around the store for a little bit, and her mom grabbed a few new blouses to try on in the fitting rooms. She would come out occasionally, and Peyton would give her an opinion of the shirt. Then she would go back in to try another shirt on.
“What do you think of this?” Her mom came out of the dressing room in a beautiful royal blue blouse that brought out her blue eyes perfectly.
“I love it, Mom! I really do, and it looks stunning on you!” Peyton sincerely tried to sell it because the sooner her mom found a blouse, the sooner they could go. Not only that, but she truly did love the shirt, and her mom was an indecisive woman.
“Are you sure? You don’t think it accentuates the wrong places?” Her mom was gesturing toward her stomach and kept turning around to look at her backside. Her mom wasn’t a large woman, but she was definitely curvy and was self-conscious about showing them.
“No, I actually don’t. I love it, and that blue could go with anything. You could also either dress it down and wear it as an everyday shirt, or you could dress it up and wear it to church or on a date with Dad,” Peyton explained to her mom as she was still looking at herself in the shirt and fussing with it.
“Alright, if you say so, I’ll get it.” Her mom had been convinced, and Peyton was elated.
“Mom, the important thing is, do you feel pretty in it?” Peyton looked at her mom and waited for her to answer.
Her mother smiled and said, “Yes, I do. I really like the color and it flows just enough for it to not show too much, ya know?”
“Yep, I thought the same thing.” Peyton smiled.
“Great. Well, I think I’m going to buy this, and then let’s get something to eat. It’s been too long since I’ve eaten, and if I’m going to keep going, I need fuel,” her mom admitted.
They left the dressing room to stand in line at the cashier to buy her mom's new blouse. Once they reached the front of the line, her mom became excited when the cashier mentioned that her shirt was on clearance, so she ran back to get the same blouse in a different color.
Her mom looked at Peyton and shrugged her shoulders. “Can’t hurt, right? It was cute, and I love this maroon color.”
Peyton chuckled and nodded in agreement, watching her mom complete the transaction. The other people in line were a little annoyed because her mom ran out of line to grab another shirt, but she didn’t care. Peyton was surprised she bought a shirt in the first place because most of the time she would just get frustrated and walk out empty-handed.
“Ready?” her mom asked after grabbing her bag of new shirts.
“Yes, I’m hungry too. I didn’t get to eat much before we left. I was talking to dad, and then I got ready to go,” Peyton answered as they walked out of the store toward the food courts.
“Did you guys have a good conversation?” she asked.
“I think so,” Peyton replied. “Although, I’m sure he told you about it.” She looked at her sideways, and her mom smiled.
“Nothing gets past you, does it?” Her mom chuckled.
“Nope. Not much. Plus, I know how that works. You tell each other everything, I get it. I’m not upset by it either. I wish I still had that…” Peyton trailed off and became quiet. She started looking in the shop windows to try and distract herself.
“You will again. Someday.”
Peyton gave her a look that made her mom put her hands up in a defensive manner. “I’m not saying right now. But eventually, you will. That’s all I’m going to say.”
The funny thing was that her mom always said, “that’s all I’m going to say,” but she always ended up saying something else.
“Anyway, what do you want to eat? What sounds good?” her mom asked in an attempt to change the subject.
“I’ll eat anything, you know that. You just pick what you want, and I’ll find something I like on the menu.”
“Alright, then it's going to be Chinese. Your dad doesn’t like Chinese, so I might as well take advantage of the opportunity while he isn’t here.” She headed towards the Chinese line, and Peyton followed. Once they ordered the food, they sat down at a nearby table to eat while they people-watched around the food court.
“Dad doesn’t like Chinese?” Peyton asked in disbelief.
Her mom shook her head, “Nope, never has. He’s given it an honest try, too, but he just doesn’t like it. It’s sad.”
“I love Chinese food. I can’t believe he doesn’t. I guess that makes sense though, now that I think about it, we’ve never eaten it at home.” Peyton said in between bites of her orange chicken.
“Yep. It’s a shame too. But you know your dad is more of a hamburger-and-fries guy anyway. He doesn’t like any of those crazy spices. Don’t even get me started on the first time he tried Thai food. He acted as if someone had just insulted him when he put the curry in his mouth.” She started laughing to herself as she recalled the memory.
“I can’t blame him there, I…” Peyton stopped talking immediately when she noticed someone else in the food court. He was standing in line for food with his back slightly turned away from her, but she could still recognize him from the distance.
“Peyton, are you okay?” She turned to her mother and realized she had been staring with a worried look on her face. Peyton started blinking her eyes as if she had been in a trance.
“Mom, we need to go,” she said urgently.
“What! Whoa, why? You mean leave? We haven’t looked for your shoes yet.” Her mom sounded upset. She had obviously been enjoying herself with her daughter, so Peyton tried to relax and hide her face.
“We can go anywhere, anywhere else. Just not here,” she whispered. She didn’t know why she was whispering because Noah was a few yards away from her table. She figured it helped her stay inconspicuous and less likely to be heard.
“Peyton, who are you hiding from?” her mother demanded.
“The guy from Dr. Schoenborn’s office. His nephew Noah,” she tried to explain quickly.
“Oh, that guy!” Her mother turned around to look behind her. “Which one is he?” Peyton thought her mom sounded too excited.
“No, Mom, please don’t try to look for him. I don’t want him to see me,” she pleaded.
Her mom sat up straight, trying to act casual, “Okay, fine. Will
you please explain to me which one he is, and I will very casually look around to find him. I want to see what this boy looks like.”
“But mom…”
“Now,” her mom interrupted. She was looking serious now, but Peyton knew her curiosity had just peaked, and she wasn’t going to let it go.
“Okay, he’s in the sandwich line over there,” Peyton gestured with her head. “He’s the tall one with jeans and a grey pullover sweater.”
Her mom very slowly—and in Peyton’s opinion quite obviously—turned around to look for the man matching Peyton’s description.
She turned back around and leaned forward across the table, “Honey, you know you just about described every man in this food court?”
“Look, it's not my fault every guy has the same wardrobe!” Peyton said sarcastically.
“Okay, okay. Just try to tell me something else, so I can spot him easier,” she said.
“Fine, let me look.” Peyton looked over at the line where she had seen Noah standing and then scanned the line to find him. After a brief moment, she found him ordering his food.
“Mom, if you look right now, you can see him in front of the cashier ordering his sandwich,” Peyton whispered again.
Her mom turned around a little faster this time, not trying to be as subtle, and looked in the direction Peyton told her to. After a couple of seconds, she turned around and smiled at Peyton.
“That guy taking out his wallet?” she snickered.
Peyton nodded her head and started blushing for what reason she didn’t know. “Yes,” she mumbled.
Her mom took another glance and smiled even bigger. “Peyton, he’s a doll!”
“I know,” Peyton admitted and blushed.
“You do?” If her mom smiled any bigger, Peyton was afraid she may be stuck like that.