Strictly Baby Business Book 2

When they tell you that the town of Yander is small, they are both right and wrong.

The thing to know is that, yes, Yander is small in comparison to many, many other places, but it is still bigger than those small towns that you see in movies. This is why Peyton hated being there.

Everyone knows everyone in the town of Yander, yet at the same time, you don’t know what is happening on the other side of town until you find out on the news the next day.

“Honey, will you please relax, it’s all taken care of.” Glaring at Sebastian, Peyton doesn’t bother answering him before she looks out of her window again.

Sebastian knew that she had forgotten Christmas is in two weeks while Peyton thought that it was at least another three weeks away. Now her baby is spending Christmas alone with her grandparents because Peyton has to clean up the mess that two people left behind.

Two people who messed up parenthood and everything that comes with it.

“Peyton, you need to realize that I also have a lot at stake here.” Sebastian’s voice gets serious, letting Peyton know that he is getting tired of her cold shoulder. He left behind a billion-dollar company so that he could come and support her in her hometown.

“So what? You have people to do things for you.” She turns back to Sebastian and gives him a challenging look, which he returns without waiver.

“Need I remind you what happened in London?”

There it is.

Peyton was wondering how long it would take before he threw that in her face. She never told him to follow her to another country. The agreement between them had always been to end up divorced, but it was his own choice to find another way to work from London.

Rolling her eyes at him, she scoffs. “I am not about to do this with you.” Leaning forward, Peyton starts speaking to Mikayla, asking her about the guy they had hired to take away and move all the things she wanted to get rid of.

“Yes. ma’am. Unfortunately, he will only be coming in later, so you will have a few hours to go through everything in privacy,” Mikayla answers, and for some reason, Peyton almost thinks of hiring people to go through everything for her.

That would make her time here a vacation.

“Thank you.” Peyton leans back and looks out of the window just as they cross into the town of Yander, and a chill runs down her spine that she can’t stop. Every memory of this place comes back to her in a flash, and for some reason, Peyton feels oddly calm.

See, not all memories here are bad. Peyton actually had quite the time here. She was good at school, and she and her brother were everywhere and with everyone because it meant that they never had to go home. The only bad memories she has of the town all take place in the same exact place they are going to be clearing out.

“Why didn’t we just hire someone to come do this?” Peyton asks Sebastian, her voice a bit shaky, and he can feel his annoyance fade away immediately as he moves the slightest bit closer to her.

“We still can. You just have to be here for the meetings with the lawyers about everything they put in their wills. That’s it.” Sebastian grabs her hand, and Peyton gives him a look that lets him know how thankful she is to have him with her.

“I think we can make a decision once we are there,” Sebastian says before Peyton answers him, knowing that she herself isn’t sure of what she wants.

“Look.” Peyton points out the window, and Sebastian leans over the slightest bit to have a look at the little bakery on the corner of the street. There are people standing around in warm clothes and having coffee, but the thing that strikes Sebastian is the way that the Christmas lights are reflecting on the glass window of the bakery.

By now, the day had turned dreary and colder, looking like it wants to rain and snow all at the same time.

While a white wonderland for Christmas isn’t something out of the ordinary for Sebastian, it holds a special place in his heart as it brings back the fondest of memories that he has from his childhood.

For the rest of the drive to the estate of Peyton’s deceased parents, Sebastian can see the effect that this is having on the love of his life more than ever. He knows that although they weren’t the best parents ever, she still loved them.

You can’t help it.

By the time they reached the big gates that open onto the property that Peyton has come to know and hate so much, Mikayla had told them all about the town’s Christmas festival which will start from tomorrow.

Peyton can remember the festival, because every person in town usually participates, but the reason she can remember it so well just so happens to be that her parents were the biggest contributors. While they didn’t do anything, they paid for almost all of it and then made sure to enjoy the festival when it took place.

Whereas Peyton always made sure to be a part of it, using it as a sort of distraction. But this time around, she has decided that she will be leaving the town of Yander with better memories than the last time she left, when she and her brother disappeared in the middle of the night, leaving her friends, boyfriend, parents, and home without a word.

“I think we will most definitely check it out,” Sebastian tells Mikayla, excited to see what the town has to offer, but for now, they make their way up the long driveway that stretches through big gardens, and in less than a minute, Mikayla has driven around the fountain and stopped in front of the main door to the house.

“Again, sorry the driver didn’t come and fetch you guys. He is having a hard time with the death of your father,” Mikayla apologizes, making Peyton scoff at her words.

“I find that hard to believe.” The guy sucked. He was an abusive asshole, and Peyton had no intention of mourning him or her mother in any way. While the entire town will be at their memorial, she will be throwing snowballs at Sebastian and creating the happy memories of this place that they stole from her.