Okay, the babysitting might end up annoying her, but being safe mattered more. Truth was, that attacker’s eyes still rattled her. She’d never seen eyes so dead before.
She strode past her bar, missing it like crazy. Whiskey Blues had been her whole life for so long, but maybe the break wasn’t terrible either. Her current plate wasn’t only full but overflowing now.
When she entered Peyton’s shop, she found her behind the counter, scrolling through her phone. “You look happy this morning,” Peyton said by way of greeting.
Kinsley shrugged, letting her mind wander to where it had gone after Rhett’s nightmare last night. “I am happy, but I’m also…” She hesitated. “Actually, I don’t know what I am.”
Peyton’s brows lifted. “Damn, girl, that sounds complicated. Come have a seat.” She pulled the stool around from behind the counter then patted the top. “You’re usually the town’s therapist at the bar, but I’m a really good listener too, so spill the beans.”
Kinsley plopped her butt up onto the chair, resting her elbow on the counter and her head on her hand. “Where to start?” she muttered.
“At the beginning is usually a good place.” Peyton leaned a hip against the counter, one arm folded, the other hand holding her coffee mug.
Kinsley missed coffee something fierce. She inhaled the nutty aroma while drawing in a long breath, pulling all her thoughts together. She finally looked up at her sister-in-law and spoke the truth. “I don’t know how to help him.”
Peyton’s brows rose. “Help Rhett, you mean?”
Kinsley nodded. “He has nightmares.” She hated admitting that truth to anyone, but she needed to talk this out. Her head felt heavy this morning. Her heart even more so. She wanted to break through those nightmares, keep him here in the present, and save him from his past. Emotion clawed at her throat and she fought the tears. “I hate watching him struggle.”
Peyton’s eyes saddened. “No one wants to watch anyone struggle, but that’s the thing, Rhett needs to want to come out of whatever is haunting him for himself. No one can help him do that.”
And that was exactly why Kinsley wanted—no, needed—to talk to Peyton about this. “You came out of what haunted you.” Peyton lost her first husband in what she thought was a car accident, but later turned out to be a murder. Sometimes Kinsley didn’t know how Peyton survived that, but then, she was just so happy now that she’d found Boone. “What you went through is unimaginabl
e. Sometimes when I think about it, I can’t believe you had the strength to not only wake up every day, but to start this brand-new life.”
Peyton sipped her coffee, then returned her mug to the counter. She sighed very, very heavily, her eyes going distant, far away from there. “I did get through my past, but let me be honest with you, it was hard. Unbelievably hard. And I had to do it myself. Nothing anyone said or did would have helped me.”
Kinsley figured that, but part of her was hoping for a magic answer. Something that she could give to Rhett to make him…better. “Do you think it’s possible…you know, for him…”
“To be happy again?” Peyton offered.
Kinsley nodded. “Yeah, exactly.”
“Of course.” Peyton took Kinsley into her arms, and Kinsley settled into the warmth of her embrace, as she went on. “Anything is possible, Kinsley, especially when love is involved.” She leaned away, keeping her hands braced on Kinsley’s shoulders. “You’re bringing Rhett out of his shell. Everyone is seeing it. Especially Boone. And believe me when I tell you that no one expected him to act like this. So if this is possible so far, then yes, I think that love can help Rhett. Especially the way you love him, so fiercely, so loyally.”
Kinsley hoped so. “I know Remy thinks deep down giving Rhett a chance is a big mistake, but what do you think?”
Peyton regarded Kinsley intently. “Remy is protective of you, and Rhett’s past screams danger. I’m sure, out of anyone, Rhett is not the guy anyone would choose for you. He’s got his issues. But I know that sometimes one life ends, and another begins. Rhett’s becoming this guy that is surprising everyone. He hasn’t fallen down yet. And you know what?”
“What?”
“The fact that through all of this, the danger around you, the stuff with your bar, and that you’re pregnant too, you’re still thinking about him and how to love him better…that has to stand for something.”
Kinsley smiled, warmth spreading down into her chest. “Maybe.”
Peyton returned the smile then patted Kinsley’s hand. “All I know is, I never thought I’d be happy again after Adam passed away. It seemed inconceivable to me. But look, here I am in this amazing town, surrounded by the best people.” She lifted her chin, grabbed her mug again, and said, “So to answer your question, no, I don’t think this is a big mistake. Rhett will either find his way closer to you or he won’t. And it sure looks like he’s trying very hard to follow you. Fate made you strong, Kinsley. And maybe that’s because fate knew you needed to love Rhett.”
Kinsley shot off the stool and wrapped her arms around Peyton, spilling the coffee from her mug onto the counter. “See, this is why I come to talk to you,” Kinsley said, not caring about the coffee. “You always make me feel so much better.”
“What else are sister-in-laws for?”
Kinsley leaned away to grab some tissues from the box and clean up the spilled coffee before tossing the tissues into the garbage. When she rose up, the same gorgeous cherry red lingerie nighty that she’d admired a few days ago once again caught her eye on the hanger. The loose fit in the front would surely accommodate a growing belly. “So, you know, with Christmas around the corner, if you’re going to be making a list for Santa anytime soon, that”—she said, pointing to the nighty—“would make this girl a very happy one.”
Peyton laughed. “I’ll make sure to send Santa a note.”
Kinsley stopped at the door and glanced back over her shoulder. “Seriously, Peyton, thank you. I really needed this talk. Love you.”
Peyton’s smile warmed. “Love you back. I’m here. Always.”