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Chapter 35: You Look Like You've Seen A Ghost
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2022-11-24 14:14:52Related chapters
Portwood 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 : 2022-11-24Portwood Brothers Chapter 39: Look Out For My Brother While I'm Gone
Was there ever a day where her head wasn't pounding? Payton didn't think so. It was simply a matter of how bad the pain was. Several months ago things had seemed to be getting better, but those days were long behind her, and now she was caught in a vicious cycle of pain and pain medication. It was wearing her out, but she didn't know what to do anymore.Rubbing her temples trying to ease the pain, she knew that it was going to be a pain pill kind of day. She headed up to her room, closed her door, and started to sift through the many prescription bottles she had sitting out on a stack of boxes. She grabbed a couple of the pills she'd been looking for, popped them in her mouth, and then found her water on the table. She swallowed them down and then sat down in the quiet. There was a light knock at the door, and when she saw it was Josh, she opened it wide and motioned for him to come in. She watched as he took the room in and the emotions that crossed his face."Is it that weird? I mean
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Portwood Brothers Chapter 40: This Is So Fucking Fucked Up
"This is so fucking fucked up. What the hell is with me?" Jackson thought as he looked back at his family one more time. He made his way on the bus and took a seat. He'd known Payton since Thanksgiving when Josh had brought her home for the first time. Sure they had some stuff in common, and she listened to him like no one else did. And damn, he hadn't meant to kiss her, but now that he had, he couldn't forget about it. He'd told Josh it was a mistake, and it didn't mean anything, and it was true, but he wished it weren't and it could.Payton was the kind of girl he'd have picked to bring home to the family. She was smart, able to go toe to toe with Bryce, funny, cute, and she was just a decent person. There wasn't anything he knew about her that he didn't like, and that was the problem. Josh never dated women like her, and here he was falling in love with the person Jackson was sure was meant for him."Why the hell am I so hung up on my brother's girlfriend... no, wait, fiancée?" he w
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Portwood Brothers Chapter 41: There's Two Of You
VOLUME TWO: PLAYING WITH FIRE"Incoming," Josh said with a smirk right before Jackson was thumped on the back of the head."The fuck?" he muttered and then removed his headphones to see what the deal was."They said you've got a pick up in the mail room, just passing it on," the soldier said before moving on."Thanks, I'll pick it up when I'm finished," he responded and turned back to the computer screen in front of him. He was on Skype like he was every weekend with his brother and his brother's girlfriend. He had always just intended to call Josh, but Payton would eventually join their conversation. "That's probably mine," she let him know. "I sent my last box out a week or so ago. It feels really good to say that."Jackson smiled at her. She'd made it damn near impossible to forget her, to stop wanting her. His job had put distance between them, made it so he had a mission that took over most of his thoughts, but there were always reminders in the way of care packages, emails, and
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Portwood Brothers Chapter 42: Do I Look Okay?
"Eight... Nine... Ten," Emma chanted as she stretched out her leg. Moving to the other side, she started counting over again. Her friend, Hannah, was supposed to be her partner in crime this summer doing that whole Couch to 5K thing. They never had any time to do this sort of thing when they were working at school during the year, so now was the perfect time. Heck, it was even her idea. Today was only the third day, and Hannah was already MIA. Emma knew she wasn't a graceful runner. She was positive she looked scary when she ran, but here she was... alone. She strapped on her armband and after she started her playlist and the running app, she was off. She was bound and determined she was sticking with this. Only as the minutes dragged on, she felt more and more like giving up. "Home," she muttered as she ran into the driveway and lay down. That's how bad it was. She didn't even have the energy to go one step more. Forget the house. The concrete while hard was still cool from the nigh
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Portwood Brothers Chapter 43: You Wanna Come In?
Seventy-two hours. That's how long Jackson had been off, and it wasn't long enough. He'd thought that going nine months without a day off that three would seem like a jackpot. What he realized that it was just enough to show him what he was missing, and it made him want more. When he'd shown up at work, he thanked his lucky stars that everyone else had shown up too. That would have made the already crappy morning worse if they had to start tracking people down.While they were in their morning formation, the commander welcomed them back and reminded them about their week of reintegration training, or as some of the more seasoned guys in the unit called it, "Don't Beat Your Wife" class. It was a week's worth of cover your own ass crap ranging in topics from drunk driving to suicide. Putting a bunch of irritable, tired guys in front of a PowerPoint screen wasn't the best way to get them to pay attention, but Jackson was just there to check the box and get out."If they show me one more s
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
