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Chapter 30: Head Over Feet
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2022-11-24 14:14:52Related chapters
Portwood Brothers Chapter 31: I'm Scared
Had he heard Payton right? Had she really just said she loved him? He tensed up and wondered if he should say something.Smiling up at him Payton said, "Now you're the one who looks like he's gonna bail."He had heard her right. Smiling back, he told her, "I'm not bailing; I just didn't think I'd heard you right.""You heard right. I realized on my flight here that no matter how hard I've tried to tell myself I don't love you or that this won't work, it was all just a lie. After hearing Gramps say they were taking Mom off life support, I realized just how short life is. Even though it doesn't fit in my plans to be in love, I am. I love you."Josh pulled her in closer, "I love you too."Spending the whole night in the hospital lobby was not what Josh had thought would happen when he got to Texas, but that's what they did. By the time morning had come around, she was stretched out on the sofa with her head in his lap, and he had spent most of the night watching her sleep. He couldn't pos
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Portwood Brothers Chapter 32: I Need You Here
Josh had been on an emotional rollercoaster ever since he stepped off that plane, and the last couple days had been the worst. They'd done nothing but wait, but it was filled with so much tension and anticipation, he was sure that he was going to crack. As he got to know Martin and Nora, his worry about being around so much was put to ease. They had let him know many times, and in many ways, that they were glad he was there.As he felt more accepted, he wondered why Payton's mom hadn't told anyone about the man she was seeing. Surely everyone wanted the same kind of happiness for her that they did for Payton. Payton had told him many times that it wasn't the fact that her mom was dating that had upset her; it was the lying about it. How might things be different if that man were around now?It had been a week, and there had been no change. At first it seemed like everyone expected something to happen, and everyone stuck around close. As the days wore on, Payton started to get hopeful t
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Portwood Brothers Chapter 33: Numb
As Payton slowly drifted back into consciousness, the first thing she noticed was that Josh was there holding her tight. She felt his slow, steady breathing, and she didn't know what she'd do if he weren't there with her. She couldn't have done this without him; he was her rock through it all. Stretching she felt stiff and sore like she'd been sleeping for weeks, not hours. She hadn't felt anything but stiff and sore from sleeping at the hospital for the past week.Slipping out of Josh's arms trying not to disturb his sleep, she climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She wasn't sure what time it was, but with how dark it was, she knew it was late, and if she knew what was good for her, she'd get back in bed and try to sleep. She was suddenly wide awake, though, and she didn't feel like going back to bed at all. Instead of going back to her room, she went to the door of her mom's room. She squared her shoulders and before she chickened out, opened the door.Payton hadn't been in
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Portwood Brothers Chapter 34: I Want To Be With You
Josh woke abruptly to sobs. It sounded like someone was really hurting. Realizing almost instantly that Payton wasn't in bed, he panicked and sat up looking to see if he could find her. Payton sat on the floor by the closet with her mom's journal in her hands. Grabbing his shorts, he pulled them on and sat next to her. When he put his arm around her, she collapsed into his side and he could feel her shaking as she cried."What's wrong?"She stuttered trying to explain, "My... mom... she... she... dad.""Shh, calm down."Her body trembled as she continued to sob. After a bit, her sobs turned to hiccups, and then she quietly sighed. The whole time Josh did the only thing he could think of, he held on to her as tight as he could."The guy..." she whimpered again, "The guy she was dating was my dad.""But I thought you said..." Josh trailed off not knowing how to finish the thought.She must have known, though, "I did too."He was thoroughly confused, "It doesn't make sense.""From what I
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Portwood Brothers Chapter 35: You Look Like You've Seen A Ghost
Looking across the busy foyer Payton saw Josh talking with his parents and Hailey. When Hailey made eye contact, she smiled slightly and gave her a little wave. Hailey had come in that morning, and Payton had only had time to give her a quick hug before she'd gotten busy doing stuff for the service. She was really surprised at the number of people who'd come, and how many of them had come to her personally to share a story or say how much her mother meant to them.Things had calmed down a bit and even though there were several people still around, Payton's grandparents had gone to take care of a few things in another room. Payton was about to finally go see her friend when a man stopped her, "I just wanted to say I'm so sorry about everything that happened to Kathy. She was an amazing woman."Payton saw him extend his hand and moved to shake it, "She was. Thank you." When she finally made eye contact, her eyes widened, and she gasped. She tried to recover, and thankfully the man didn't
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Portwood Brothers Chapter 36: You're A Good Man
Payton had tried to go to bed over an hour ago, but sleep wouldn't come. She was tossing and turning, and her mind was running a mile a minute. One minute the grief of her mom passing would crash over her and the next the nerves of meeting with Dave would take over. She was a hot mess, and she wasn't sure what to do about it."What's going on in that head of yours?" Hailey asked, startling her."Lots of things.""Payton, it's going to be okay. I know it's crappy for me to say that, but it will be. We're gonna get through this," she told her reaching for her hand.Payton squeezed her hand, "I know, it's just so... I don't know how to explain it. She wasn't really here with us for so long anyway, but it always felt like she could come back to us.""You want me to stay?" she asked."No. Josh is staying, and I'll be okay. It won't be long before we're back at school anyway.""Okay, if you want me to, though, I will.""I know, and I love you for that." After several seconds she said, "What
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Portwood Brothers Chapter 37: So What If I Am?
Rooted outside the place she'd agreed to meet Dave, Payton couldn't get the nerve to move. She was already ten minutes late, and she could see him in the booth through the window. He looked like he was getting ready to leave, and Payton couldn't blame him. The ringing phone didn't pull her eyes from the man in the restaurant, but she fished it out of her pocket and answered, "Hello?""Hey, I'm on my way home.""Okay, see you in a couple hours.""Why aren't you at lunch?" Josh asked."I'm outside now. I'm suddenly not sure I wanna do this," she confessed."Do what you have to. This isn't for anyone else, just you. If you wanna see him, then go in. If you're doing it for any other reason, just leave. It's not like you'd see him again anyway."Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she gathered up her resolve, "No, I need to do this.""If you need me, give me a call.""Thanks."Slipping her phone back in her pocket, she stood up straight and told herself she could do it. Taking it one st
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Portwood Brothers Chapter 38: Someday
EIGHT MONTHS LATER Payton didn't know where the time had gone. After Christmas, she and Josh had returned to school and finished out the semester. She'd watched as he graduated and helped him move to a home he'd bought in the town he'd be teaching in. She'd gone with Josh to visit Jackson in New York for a few days, and she enjoyed getting to know him more.The big trip of the summer was for Bryce and Addison's wedding. When one of Addison's bridesmaids ended up not being able to travel due to a high-risk pregnancy, she asked Payton to stand in for her. Payton wasn't sure at first, but she was glad she had. Getting to know Addison and being around Josh's family had felt right.Now she was headed back to school, and she'd be there alone. Well, not alone, but Josh was going to be two hours away, and she'd be stuck still suffering with senioritis. Knowing that it was the day she'd see her friends again, she woke early, hugged her grandparents goodbye, and made the trip with as few stops
Last Updated : 2022-11-24
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Portwood Brothers Chapter 164: You Had Me At Ben And Jerry's
NINE MONTHS LATERWes looked up at Hailey in awe. She had overcome her fears and had rocked the shit out of her time on the stand. When she had decided to stay in DC, it was to support her friend who was pressing charges against the two guys sitting not far from Wes, guys he'd like to take outside and punch a few times. They both thought the process would be over somewhat soon, but the whole thing seemed to take time, a lot of time.During that time, they'd grown closer. They'd spent many nights talking on FaceTime and the phone. They'd only been able to see each other in person one other time, and that was in April. Wes had flown to DC to see Hailey again. He'd brought Cali with him that time, and he'd spent a week with her. While he was with her, she took him to see some of the sites. They were down at the National Mall, and as they walked by the Tidal Basin with the trees full of Cherry Blossoms, he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. They'd gone home, and sh
Portwood Brothers Chapter 163: I Gave Up Everything For You
"You did what?"This conversation wasn't going like she planned. She had envisioned telling Wes she'd turned down the amazing opportunity, and he'd say how much he loved her and appreciated that, and they'd ride off into the sunset together. Instead, it sounded like he was... mad? How was that possible?"I thought you'd be happy.""You gave up a great opportunity on a whim? Yeah, that's something to be excited about.""I don't get you, Wes!" She yelled into the phone. "First, I don't move in with you after college, and you break up with me. Now I give up my job, and you're mad. What's a girl supposed to do?""That's just it. You didn't even bother to ask. You just made the decision on your own. It's the same as last time.""But... but I gave everything up for you."Hailey heard Wes sigh over the phone, "I don't want you to give it all up. I want us to be a team. Isn't that what you want?""I just thought that I was doing this for us.""Maybe if we'd have talked about it, we
Portwood Brothers Chapter 162: I'm Quitting My Job
Wes waited around like a kid waiting for his crush to call. He wanted to pick up his phone the second he knew Hailey got off work, but he didn't want to overwhelm her. So, he'd held off and was waiting for her to call. Only he was losing it because it had been hours since she should have gotten off work, but he hadn't heard anything at all, not even a text.When it came time for him to crawl in bed, he took Cali out, looked at his phone one more time, and finally gave up on the idea that he'd be hearing from Hailey. He hated that he still felt like she didn't include him in her life, but that would come, he hoped.Just as he was about to fall asleep, his phone rang. Grabbing it from his nightstand, he looked at the screen and was surprised to see Hailey's name there. She was a total night owl, but with her having an hour on him, he figured she'd have been in bed a long time ago."Hey," he answered."You're mad." It wasn't a question."Not mad. I'm more hurt."He heard Hailey le
Portwood Brothers Chapter 161: Stop Thinking So Hard
Wes: You're ignoring me. Stop it.Hailey looked at the text the next morning and realized that she needed to call Wes. Picking up her phone, she dialed his number. It didn't even ring twice before he picked up."Glad you decided to call. I was giving it until tomorrow, and then I was looking at plane tickets.""Wes, get serious. And here I was worried I'd be waking you up.""Oh, I've been up for a while. I haven't been able to sleep right since I got back. And I am serious. Cici has been all over my ass since I came back to work. She said the only people who can stand me are the animals. Most of them can't stand being around me either. Thankfully Cali doesn't seem to mind my mood.""She must be a good dog." "She is.""You didn't tell me much about her. When did you get a dog?" she asked."A few months ago. I went to Kentucky for Sexy Kenny's bachelor trip. We went away hoping to be doing nothing but drinking and relaxing in the woods and ended up rescuing a mom and her p
Portwood Brothers Chapter 160: Bring On The Pain
There's no two ways about it, Wes was miserable. He missed Hailey, it was colder than crap out, and things just seemed to be going downhill since he got home. On the way home, Wes' flight had been delayed overnight due to weather, so he'd got stuck in Chicago. When he got home, he found out that not only had his pilot light gone out on his furnace, but his pipes had frozen too because it'd been so cold. Thankfully they hadn't burst. Because of all that, he'd been staying at a hotel. His landlord told him that with the weather warming up next week, it should fix the issue, but there was no guarantee. The icing on the whole craptastic cake, Hailey had been distant, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Even Cali had been standoffish sensing his foul mood.A knock at his office door had him barking out a, "What?""Geeze boss, I thought you'd have come home in a better mood," Cici said as she wondered in. "One of us was alone with a member of the opposite sex, and th
Portwood Brothers Chapter 159: Where Do We Go From Here?
Christmas music filled the space, and Wes wondered what time it was. Ever since he'd got to DC, she'd been up early, most of the time beating him up. It looked like she beat him up again. Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, he found his sweats and slid them on before heading out to see what she was up to. He hoped she wasn't going to any trouble. A flurry of activity was going on in the kitchen, and Hailey was moving around in a whirl. Pulling out a pan from the oven, she set it on the counter, and then looked up and spotted him."Hi," she said with a small smile."Hey.""I made breakfast."Smelling the rich aroma made his stomach growl, "It smells amazing.""It's just omelet muffins. It should hold us over until I can get lunch made.""I'll help with lunch," he told her as he reached over and grabbed one of the muffins burning himself in the process."You don't have to.""I want to."The pair ate breakfast together but didn't really talk about what had happened or what
Portwood Brothers Chapter 158: You Need A Plan
The pounding on the door started again, and Hailey curled up tighter. She just wanted it all to go away."Hailey, you in there?""Wes?" she asked knowing he couldn't hear her.Slowly she stood, trying to get her bearings. Her legs didn't want to work, and she was worried they might give out on her. When the loud knocking started again, it scared her so bad she jumped and held her chest hoping it would slow her heart. Checking the peephole just to make sure, she confirmed that Wes was there, hopefully alone, and opened the door."What's going on?" he asked looking angry at first and then when he took her in, his face softened. "What happened?"Reaching around Wes, Hailey looked out the door just to make sure no one was there, and then closed the door and locked it again. It wasn't until she'd done this that she could breathe again. When Wes' hand landed on her shoulder, she yelped and jumped."What the hell happened while I was gone, Hailey?""It... it was nothing.""Bullshit. Y
Portwood Brothers Chapter 157: Is It Me?
"Is that bacon?" Wes asked half asleep as he made his way into the kitchen the next morning."There's something else that smells like heaven in a pan?"Snatching a piece from a plate sitting on the counter, Wes took a bite and groaned. "If I didn't love you before, I'd totally love you now."A small noise escaped her and Wes wondered if he'd pushed it a bit too far. He'd already told her he loved her, and when she hadn't said the same, he wondered if she just needed more time. He didn't doubt that she did love him. She wouldn't let him touch her much less bring her pleasure if she didn't. He just knew she wasn't ready to jump off that bridge yet. "How'd you sleep?" she asked as she worked over the stove."Would have been better if I were sleeping next to you, but not too bad. You?""Like the dead... well after," she didn't have to finish for Wes to know what she meant. "I've had nightmares almost every night since that happened. I feel like I actually got some good sleep in."
Portwood Brothers Chapter 156: I Need You
"Get off me!" Hailey yelled even though it didn't matter. No matter how what she did, she couldn't stop the man from getting what he wanted."You can fight all you want, princess. We both know deep down you want it.""NO!""Hailey.""I said get off me." She kicked her legs and felt a sense of satisfaction when her hand connected with his face."Shit! Damn, I'm bleeding. Wake up, Hailey. Don't make me bleed on your bed."That didn't sound right. Why would Michael care about that? It was then that she realized she wasn't being held down at all, and the voice; it wasn't the one from her nightmare. The realization woke her like a bucket of ice water being thrown on her. "Wes?" Opening her eyes, she saw him sitting on the edge of her bed covering his nose. "Oh crap! I'm so sorry. I'll go get something for it. How bad?"Still holding a hand over his nose, she saw him try to smile, "It's just a flesh wound. I'll go take care of this if you're okay.""I'm awake." She wouldn't
