Lakeshore Legend: The McAdams Series (By The Lake Series Book 2)
Page 25
Colt.
Peyton hadn’t realized her eyes were closed until they opened and down the hall stood Colt staring at her like he was looking at a ghost. His gorgeous tanned face was pale with turmoil. His perfectly pressed suit was now wet and he had pulled his tie halfway down his neck. He stood with his hands pushed deep in his pockets. He looked awful. Peyton was sure she was quite the site too.
His eyes spoke to her in volumes and his body looked like he was having the hardest time staying planted. But he would, for her. For her he would do anything. If she let go of her own fears of letting him love her and stopped worrying about how broken her heart would be, she realized it would feel exactly as she felt right now without him in her life. She could have him forever. He gave himself to her. All she had to do was accept him.
For the first time since the accident, the blur lifted and she didn’t feel alone.
“Thank you,” she said to Elaine before she let go and started toward Colt. That was all he needed, her two little steps and his long legs did the rest, closing the distance between them in a speed like he was moving on the ice. He pulled her against him without hesitation and she knew it was because he loved her.
She wrapped her trembling arms so tightly around his neck so he wouldn’t lift his height away from her and she pressed the side of her face against his.
“The baby might be hurt Colt,” she whispered in his ear and the tears she’d been holding fell down her face.
He held her tight but she could feel he was controlling the strength around her middle.
“Peyton, I was so scared that I lost you. The worst images came into my head and all I could do was think that you didn’t believe how much I love you. Peyton, I love you and I am never leaving your side again. You’re stubborn and I’m stubborn and Woman we are going to be stubborn together. We will work through this together. Alright?”
She believed him. “Alright.”
“Alright?” He sounded a bit surprised like he’d thought he was going to have to fight her a little more.
She nodded against him. “I love you too, Colt.” Peyton found his face. “Will you come with me?”
Colt took a deep breath. “Can I?”
“Always.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes.”
Colt was still squeezing her. “You have to let me go,” she said with almost what sounded like a chuckle.
“I don’t want to.”
“I’m scared too.”
He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on hers. She felt his arms loosen. “Together,” he said.
She kissed him. “Together,” she promised.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Twins! They were having twins.
Colt could barely contain himself after Peyton had gotten discharged, dressed and they were walking toward the waiting room hand in hand.
Peyton chuckled.
“What?”
She looked up at him. “How about you tell everyone,” she suggested.
He shook his head. “No. It’s your family out there, you go right ahead.”
Peyton had to monitor herself for the next week, but everything seemed fine with the babies.
They rounded the corner and his mother, who already knew about the twins, and Sydney’s mother-in-law, who was visiting a friend stood with the McAdams.
They rushed around Peyton for their turn for a hug.
“How did the ultrasound go?” Kate asked.
“Everything seems fine. I have to come back in a week, but so far everything is good.”
“We’re having twins.” It just came right out of his mouth and Peyton laughed.
The family shrieked in delight and another round of hugs, this time including him.
When they finished, they shrugged their coats on and were met outside the hospital door with a slew of flashing cameras and shouting press.
Colt immediately wrapped a protective arm around Peyton and she clung to him as questions were hollered at them about the possibility of Peyton having Colt’s baby. They started toward the limo waiting for them, Colt pushing a pathway in front of them. Johnathan held the door open waiting for them. Colt had called him hours earlier and was glad when he’d arrived.
Colt let Peyton go in first. She was his main concern and, although the cameras were for him, he ushered everyone else inside.
Sydney stopped mid-step.
“What are you doing?” Colt asked.
She looked up at him. “Do you hear that?”
He heard a lot, the yelling of questions, the hum of the limo, the flashing of lenses.
“Hear what?”
“Colt, that verse. Don’t you hear it repeating? It’s the same one that has been on little notes on Peyton’s car.” Sydney retracted from the car looking furious. “Who said it?”
Colt grabbed her before she went into the mob of reporters. She had already had a hard evening and he didn’t know if she was afraid to get inside the limo or was actually hearing something.
“I will look into it. Get inside the limo.”
Once she reluctantly climbed in Colt called Johnathan to his side and told him to find the police and he relayed Sydney’s fear: someone in this crowd had been responsible for the crash.
Just then as he was about to climb into the limo his eyes travelled over the crowd and he spotted a familiar tall slim blonde sending him an evil glare. Wasn’t she the drunken blonde urging Josh to kick the shit out of him outside the dance?
Colt backed away from the limo going to personally find Officer Rowan.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kent and Elaine’s wedding had been beautiful and romantic. Peyton could hardly drag her eyes away from how handsome Colt had been long enough to listen to the vows exchanged.
He was all hers. The thought tickled her stomach and a sense of contentment satisfied a part of her that she hadn’t known was astray.
After they’d celebrated their parents unity with only close family attending the elaborate reception at Colt and Peyton’s new luxury home on the cliff Colt and Peyton had spent the week celebrating their own new found love together. Besides the wonderful time they spent in bed together, Colt had enforced her bed restrictions until her hospital check-up, which had come back all perfect.
So when he surprised her with a chartered plane waiting at the small airport outside of town, for just the two of them, she was absolutely thrilled.
Snuggled beside Colt on the sofa...yes, there was a sofa on the airplane...Peyton pulled her cell phone for a selfie of the two of them to add to his pages. “Smile.”
Colt was flipping through a sports wholesale catalogue on his computer when he noticed what she was doing. She was happy he found a passion opening his sports store.
He pushed the phone away. “No. No more pictures of you on my page.” His voice was stern and serious.
Peyton almost laughed, but she didn’t dare because she knew it would flare him into a speech about the accident. The accident had stemmed from the jealous blonde at the country dance. She had also caught sight of Peyton on his page. It was the same girl that had been harassing Peyton with notes that weren’t being blanketed around the town vehicles like she had thought, but just solely on her vehicle. After the police investigated, they found the woman’s vehicle’s damage had matched Peyton’s Escape’s damage and the threat went right back to his social media page. So Colt was taking no chances.
Peyton rubbed his leg. “Colt, I’m fine.” She wanted to remind him she had in fact lit the blonde’s fire toward them but he would dismiss it anyway.
“Let’s let your fans know you are sweeping me away to elope.” Elope. She loved the idea of it. Sure her sisters wouldn’t be by her side, but they understood and they were all ready to celebrate when they got back.
Colt took the phone away and tossed it across the aisle to the bucket seat. “No. It’s called elopement for a reason and I don’t want anyone to know where we are. Come here.” He stood holding her hand
and led her down the hall to the back of the plane.
They slipped into the bathroom.
She grinned up at him as he swept her hair from her shoulders and started hot warm kisses along her collarbone. “What are you doing?”
“I...” He slipped her shirt over her head and she laughed. “Have never...” He lifted her onto the sink counter and she grabbed his shirt, surprised. “Had...” He tore his shirt off throwing it across the small bathroom. She couldn’t help but touch his warm chest. He lowered his hot sultry body to hers and whispered in a low tone, “...sex in the bathroom of an airplane.”
She laughed. It was never ever going to be a dull, loveless life with this man. He was everything she didn’t know she wanted and everything she knew she couldn’t live without.
“Lock that door,” she said, remembering Abby’s words.
He shook his head. “I’ve never been busted either.” He didn’t let her object and crashed against her lips, flesh on flesh and she knew it was worth feeling this love, with the chance of heartbreak than not knowing it at all.
The End
Coming Soon:
Lakeshore Love
The McAdams Sisters
Book Three, Sydney McAdams
By The Lake Series
Shannyn Leah
Collect them all!
By The Lake Series
The McAdams Sisters
Lakeshore Secrets (Book One)
Lakeshore Legend (Book Two)
Lakeshore Love (Book Three)
Lakeshore Candy (Book Four)
Lakeshore Shadow (Book Five)