Stay

Chapter 20

"You left a four year old home alone in an apartment that isn't safe. He could have been kidnapped!" I yell at Peyton. He doesn't say or do anything. He stands motionless in front of me. I can feel my cheeks heat up due to my frustration and anger. I'm normally not the one to yell, but this is where I draw the line.

"I thought you brought him with you to the station. You could have at least hired a teenager for a few hours. Ten bucks isn't that hard to give up!" I continue to yell. I'm sure that the kid would've been paid more, but I can't think straight and ten was the first number that came to my mind. Peyton crosses his arms and just listens to me, if he even is listening. I clench my fists then carry on with what's going on in my mind.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I didn't even see him this morning. I thought he was with you!" He defends himself, yelling back at me. I call bullshit on that. I don't understand why he's being so weird today. Normally he cares about Carson and where he is at at all times and he's never shoved me before today. He doesn't shut me out like this. What's up with him?

"Whatever you say." I murmur to myself. I can tell that Peyton is getting pissed off too because his eyes reveals everything. I sit down on the couch and rest my head in my hands, crying silently. I feel the couch move as Peyton sits down next to me. I'm just terrified that one day that Carson will be gone because of his wicked father. An arm wraps around my shoulder and pulls me in close. I know it's Peyton because of the warm fuzzy feeling he gives me.

I pick my head up and look at him with my red puffy eyes. I wipe the fallen tears away from my face and the next thing I know, his lips are pressed against mine, moving with passion. I move mike in rhythm with his, making a connection stronger than we have before. Before anything goes any further, we stop and see that Carson is looking at us with his petite bright eyes.

Peyton hugs me one more time before letting me go start a bath for Carson. He claims that he only needs a shower, so I start the water for him. This time I don't leave the door open because I want him to feel like he's all grown up.

"I'm sorry." I apologize to Peyton as I clean up the apartment a bit. He shakes his head no.

"It's my fault. I know I shouldn't have left him alone."

"He's my responsibility not yours." I claim. He is and I should be watching him at all times. Not some guy that I like, no love. I doubt Peyton even sees a future with me because I'm probably in the way of him from pursuing his dreams.

"We're in this together, Dakota." he places one of his hands on my cheek and cups it. I automatically smile as he says my name, as if it comes natural to him. I nod my head and lean into his palm.

"I'm not up for checking out the houses. Let's just pull one from a hat then that's the place we're going to buy." I pitch an idea to him.

"Alright." We are picking from the hat, well Carson is so that way we don't cheat. He has to keep his eyes closed to ensure that this is totally random. He reaches his tiny hand into the hat and pulls out a folded piece of paper. The paper has a picture of a three story house with a backyard filled with grass and a swimming pool which will need to be fenced for children's safety.

"Looks like we are buying this one." I smile as I show everyone what is going to be our new home.

~*~

We agreed on the house and decided to go check it out the next day. It was about a 45 minute drive from the apartment. I can't complain because I love car rides just as much as a little kid does. I traveled a lot when I was a kid so I grew a costumed to being in the car for long periods at a time. I just learned to enjoy the ride.

The house is big and looks new. When we walk in through the first door, there's a living room and a bathroom to your right. To your left there's a staircase which we walk up. This floor has all the bedrooms. I'm assuming the third floor has the dining room and kitchen. I step out of the balcony that's connected through the kitchen and look out at the land. This place is beyond beautiful. Carson runs out of the back door and into the sandbox where he plops down. At least I know that he'll be entertained for quite sometime. The pool is not too far behind the sand box. It shouldn't be too hard to fence it off.

The lady who's showing us the house is giving us a tour through all of the rooms and explains what each room is for, as if we live under a rock. The master bedroom has a bathroom in it, with two sinks and another Small room for the toilet. There's a walk in shower that appears to be a waterfall type of shower head. I like it. There's two smaller bedrooms, one also has a bathroom but not as big or fancy. I'm assuming Carson would take this room. There's another bathroom but it's downstairs. 

Mrs.Johnson who's about 45 and all her kids are grown. She yacks away until I cut her off and tell her that we will take the place. She smiles then walks away to get the paperwork for us. 

"Do you even like the place?" I ask Peyton. He nods his head and pulls me into a tight hug. I hug him back and rest my head on his chest. I can hear his heart beat every second. I memorize how his heart beat sounds and replay it in my mind. I'm buying a house with a man who claims he loves me, but hasn't decided if we are a couple or not. 

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I apologize for such a boring chapter. It's more a filler before shizz goes down ;) Definitely have a surprise for all of you :)

xoxo-Chasidy