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Chapter 18: Off Like A Prom Dress
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Portwood Brothers Chapter 19: You're Playing With Fire
"Okay, you can stop looking at my boobs anytime now," Payton scolded Josh playfully."But they're such nice boobs.""Okay, keep gawking. It'll give you an excuse when I beat you."Josh had recently discovered that Payton liked to swim. She didn't just swim for fun, but she swam laps for exercise. It just happened to come up in a conversation when he and his roommates were talking about sports. Wes had blurted out that no one did anything in the water, and Payton spoke up. After that, things got competitive."So sorry if I don't believe you, but I just don't see how you'd be able to beat me at anything sports related," Josh had said."Because I'm a girl?""Not just that. I work out a whole lot more than you do."Payton stuck a hand on her hip, "Oh, just get over yourself already. I know I can beat you down the pool and back. You think that just because you're majoring in 'sports' that it makes you better than me. Well, it doesn't."Josh loved the playful banter, "Well, it's not just th
Portwood Brothers Chapter 20: You're Kidding Me, Right?
Everything came to Josh at once, and suddenly he was very awake. The sunlight hitting him right in the eyes, and the fact that he was hungry probably were to blame for the abrupt wake up, but realizing he was alone was what had him sitting up and looking around. It was crazy that there wasn't even a sign she'd been there the night before; all her stuff was gone. He wondered if he'd pushed her a little too far the night before, and now it looked like he needed to track her down.Sighing, he rolled out of bed and found a pair of athletic shorts in his dresser, and when he opened the door, he started the trek down the stairs. One way or another, he'd find her, and figure it all out. When he rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs, he saw her at the stove, and it sounded like she was holding her own with the guys. She hadn't left after all."I can't believe you beat him!" Wes exclaimed loudly."Why is that so hard to believe? Boys and their macho egos.""Ego, huh? At least I've got
Portwood Brothers Chapter 21: I Hear A "But"
Josh had played the morning over in his head a million times, and each time he cringed when he got to the point where he didn't stand up for Payton. He wished he had said something to the guys right then. Better yet, he wished the guys had kept their mouths shut. Sometimes the guys just didn't think, and sure, he was guilty of that too, but he hoped it had never caused the kind of problems it had this morning. The guys knew they'd messed up and tried to apologize to him, but he let them know that he wasn't the one that they needed to be apologizing to.After she left, he'd gone back to his place and called to see if he could talk to her. He hated that she felt she couldn't measure up to Ella. He hoped he'd never given her any reason to feel that way, and he'd work hard to prove to her that she never did again. Hailey had just about let him have it on the phone that morning."She's in the shower Josh," she told him.Letting out a sigh, he said, "Yeah, just like she's washing her hair t
Portwood Brothers Chapter 22: As Ready As I'll Ever Be
"Have a good break," Payton's professor told her as she turned in her last test of the day. She'd had more tests and papers due this past week, and part of her was glad that her grandpa had talked her out of going home because she'd have never gotten caught up.Her class right after lunch was her last for the day, and she was ready and waiting when Hailey walked through the door just after two."Hey, girl! You all packed?" Hailey asked as she threw her backpack on the floor."Yeah, just got finished.""What time is Josh picking you up?"Payton looked at the clock, "In about forty-five minutes.""Want to go get some coffee or something?""Sure, I've got some money left on my meal card, I might as well."The girls headed up to the student lounge and grabbed a coffee before taking a seat on the sofa. Payton blew on the brew hoping to cool it before she took a hesitant sip."You ready for the weekend?" Hailey asked."As ready as I'll ever be. I haven't met anyone's parents before. I'm kind
Portwood Brothers Chapter 23: Your Funeral
Pushing himself harder, Josh made the turn around the yellow house that marked the halfway point on his old running route. There was a sense of comfort running the path he'd spent his childhood on. Things had changed, sure, but it still felt like home. It felt right. His mind drifted to Payton, and he wondered if she'd survived the night with Addison. They were sharing his and Jackson's old room even though it looked nothing like it used to. His mom had stacked the beds into bunk beds again, and the rest of the room had been made into an office for her.Slowing down as he hit the yard he checked his watch and was pleased to see he'd made the run in less than forty minutes. He took some time to stretch and cool down before making his way inside. Everyone was finally awake and sitting at the table eating breakfast. Payton looked like she was comfortable enough so he excused himself and headed downstairs to shower and change. He'd told everyone he'd go pick up Jackson from the airport, an
Portwood Brothers Chapter 24: My Milkshake Brings All The Boys To The Yard
Addison was a small girl, but Payton had learned that no one should underestimate her. Addison had told her they were going to "shop 'til they drop," and she'd dropped about three stores back. Addison, on the other hand, was still going strong and looked like she wasn't quitting any time soon. If it weren't for the good company, Payton would have called Josh to come rescue her.Payton was looking through a rack of dresses trying to find something to wear for the Winter Formal coming up while Addison was sifting through the sales rack next to her. Pulling down a dress, Payton held it over her body and looked over in Addison's direction. When she shook her head, it went right back to the rack. Worse case scenario, she'd just wear something she or Hailey had around."Oh! That one, the white one," Addison said.Payton made a face, "I don't usually wear white.""Try it on. I bet you'd be surprised."Payton made her way into the dressing room, and she was in fact surprised with the way the d
Portwood Brothers Chapter 25: Not A Baby
Josh held Payton and watched her as she slowly drifted off to sleep. He felt her body totally relax, and he even heard a small sigh escape her lips. What he realized as he was holding her was that he'd never seen her so relaxed before. Maybe it was because she'd never let him in this close, but maybe it was because she always had her guard up. Their relationship was shifting, and the feelings he felt for her were overwhelming. Just looking at her he knew there was so much more to the woman in his arms than he could even begin to imagine, and that scared him because he didn't know what she'd do with that once she realized it too.Just thinking about their relationship the last couple of months, he realized he'd never been happier even though he'd worked his ass off. Their relationship was the hardest thing he'd ever worked for, but he knew that's what made being with her so much better than any of his other relationships. Most of the time women were easy, they wanted to be with him, and
Portwood Brothers Chapter 26: You Don't Have To Say It Back
Payton was still kicking herself for making such a stupid mistake when she left the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Looking over she noticed everyone's eyes on her again. The blush spread up her neck and over her face as she rushed to her room. It deepened when she noticed Josh waiting for her in the chair he'd been in the night before. She gripped the towel and looked down."Feel better?" he asked."Much.""I'm glad. I'm gonna go so you can get dressed, but come find me when you're finished."Payton took her time getting dressed, and when she finally came out, she caught the end of a conversation between Bryce and Jackson."What the hell does that crap mean anyway? Pudding? Come on. That's just stupid," Bryce was ranting about Jackson's shirt."Just because you don't get it, doesn't make it stupid.""No one gets your shirt."Payton was curious about the shirt now and made sure to get a look at it. When she read the words "Keep Calm and Eat Pudding" with a picture of Carl above it, she th
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