“Jee-zus Christ, who’s your man?” the ultra-permed bartender asked Peyton, snapping her gum as she craned her neck to look at Connor.

After dinner, they’d driven a few towns over to an old tavern that Yelp called “trashy fun.” Upon walking in, Peyton could pretty quickly understand why. She’d gotten barely two steps inside when some half-assed bar fight jostled past them for the doors. Her sharp gasp was half-laugh as Connor pulled her in fast, lifting her clean off the ground and holding her away from the mess till the brawlers were booted outside.

They’d been so drunk and stumbly Peyton had never really felt threatened. It was no grave situation but Connor had looked so serious. That irritated, ready-to-kick-someone’s-ass frown was easily the sexiest thing Peyton had ever seen, and just the sheer reminder of his strength as he held her in his arms made her itch to drag him right back to the car and climb all over his body.

But they needed to take it easy.

Bluntly put, they’d spent the whole day having sex in every room of the house. Just thinking about their dirty bathroom romp a half hour ago made Peyton suck on her lip.

“Look at you. Getting all hot and bothered just lookin’ at him,” the bartender teased as she poured two pints of beer.

“Yup.” Peyton smirked as she caught Connor’s eye across the bar. He had his black baseball cap on with a grey T-shirt and jeans. He wasn’t wearing anything much different than the men around him, but God, he looked sexy as sin. Somehow, being in a public place with him made her feel all the more awed by the fact that he was hers.

“He got a brother?” the bartender joked as she slid the pints across the bar. Peyton managed a laugh.

“Yes, but not one you’d like,” she said before taking the beers and heading back to their table.

Peyton had to giggle at the way Connor watched her so tightly. He actually stood up as she made her way back to him, like he was ready to lunge at anyone who dared to so much as look at her the wrong way.

She couldn’t really blame him.

That whole fight had been their first impression of the place, and save for the bartender, Peyton had to be one of four women in the entire bar. It was very much a sausage-fest, but so far, the male patrons had been respectful. Of course, it was only because Peyton was there with Connor, and because his body language made it clear that she belonged to him.

Peyton had to admit it – it kind of gave her a thrill.

“Easy, tiger,” she teased when she got back to their booth. She laughed as she watched Connor let go of the breath he’d been holding. “Damn, Schaffer. Didn’t know you were so protective.”

He laughed. “Not sure I knew either.”

“What do you mean?” Peyton slid into their booth first.

“Well, I’ve never been to a bar with a twenty to one ratio of men and women,” he snorted. “And I’ve definitely never brought a girlfriend to any place like this.”

Peyton’s eyebrows shot up high. “Come again?” she asked, a nervous giggle bubbling from her lips.

“What?” Connor frowned, somehow oblivious to what he’d said. He blinked at her for several seconds, but with a pause, he broke into a short laugh. “I just call you my girlfriend?” he asked.

“Yes?” Peyton answered. Connor arched an eyebrow.

“Huh,” he said before taking a drink.

And that was it.

Peyton stared. Really? God, she wanted to smack him. Only Connor Schaffer could have a huge, potentially embarrassing slip-up and not give two fucks about it. Soooo… nothing? Peyton seriously wondered as Connor went straight into another topic, laughing about some couple that had just walked into the bar with their three kids.

“That’s certainly a way to save on a babysitter,” he said as they watched the parents hand over a roll of quarters before sending the kids to play Big Buck Hunter next to the wasted bikers playing pool. Peyton laughed in disbelief as the parents then went to the bar.

“Wow. I’m not sure if that’s horrible or awesome,” she said.

“Could be a bit of both,” Connor joked. “Though if even I’d avoid it, it’s probably leaning closer to horrible,” he said. When Peyton lifted her eyebrows in surprise, he cocked his head. “What?”

“Nothing. I think I’m just surprised that you already know what kind of parent you’d be.” She paused, assessing her own thought process. “Actually, no. I think it’s more that you picture yourself being a parent at all.”

“Ouch. I don’t look like father material to you?” Connor smirked.

“You do. Of course you do. You just…” Peyton trailed off, realizing that in just two-and-a-half beers, she’d gotten to that point where she lost some of her filter.

“Say it,” Connor goaded her. Peyton groaned.

“Fine. You just… looked like one of those gorgeous womanizers who’d date models till he was forty-five, at which point he’d marry a super hot twenty-two year old yoga instructor,” Peyton said all in one breath before heaving a sigh. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Connor winced. “Jesus Christ. Not at all.”

“In my defense, that’s more of what I thought before I got to know you. But in the past few days, I’ve definitely reversed a good handful of assumptions,” Peyton said as Connor leaned a muscled forearm on the table and angled his body to face her.

“Yeah?” His eyes glinted. “Like what?”

“Like… everything,” Peyton murmured, realizing how much she’d gotten wrong in the beginning. “I thought all you cared about was yourself. I was wrong. I thought you couldn’t do one nice thing to save your life. Also wrong.” Chewing her lip, Peyton thought about all the things Connor had told her yesterday about Shane and his parents and their little, blue-collar town in Vermont. “I assumed you had this easy, perfect life where everything was handed to you. And I couldn’t have been more wrong. And I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. That’s actually the assumption most people make,” Connor chuckled though Peyton suspected he didn’t find it all that funny.

“And you don’t care that people have the completely wrong idea of you?” Peyton frowned. “You don’t care to correct anyone?”

“No,” Connor answered easily. “The people who matter to me know the truth.”

“And how many people know the truth?”

“Not a lot,” Connor laughed. “My parents. Liam. You.”

“Huh.” Peyton could barely contain her grin. She had to actually pause and take herself out of the moment for a second so she could process what he’d just said.

“The people who matter to me know the truth.”

And she was among them.

Seriously? She had to ask herself. You were still babysitting Kensie in New York a few weeks ago. Now you’re collecting multiple orgasms in Farmtown, Connecticut with Connor Schaffer who just told you that you’re one of four people he cares about in this world.

Cool.

Totally not a thing to freak out about.

Staring into her lap, Peyton twiddled the ends of her hair. Then she giggled to herself like a schoolgirl.

Crap. Yeah, there was no playing this cool. She was tickled pink, it showed, and it was making Connor crack up in the cutest way possible.

“Stop looking at me,” she whined, covering her face. Connor laughed as he gently tugged her hands from her cheeks and pulled her closer to kiss her.

“All I ever want to do is look at you,” he said, smoothing his hand up her thigh as his tongue flicked softly against hers. She moaned softly as he pulled away. She wanted more, but they were in public, so she had to nip it in the bud – especially with those darned kids playing so nearby.

“Okay. That’s cute,” she had to admit as she watched one of them struggle to lift his little brother so he could see the screen of the video game. Connor turned to look.

“Aw. That’s a good brother,” he laughed, his eyes shimmering. But somehow, Peyton sensed that his smile would falter, and somehow, she was right.

“Hey,” she said, catching his jaw to turn his face back to hers. Whatever he was thinking about, she had a feeling it was about Shane, and she wanted to stop the train of dark thoughts before they could really take off. “Connor.” She looked into his eyes. “Don’t think about your brother. Or any bad things right now. Okay?”

“I’m not,” he murmured, blinking himself out of it. When he fully came to, he looked at Peyton and attempted a smile. “I wasn’t. I promise,” he assured her, taking her hand. “I was just thinking about something I’ve kind of always suspected.”

“What?”

He hesitated, clearly nervous to say whatever it was out loud.

“I think… I mean I honestly know that if I had kids, my parents would finally cut Shane out of their lives,” he said to Peyton’s surprise. “My mom’s been dreaming of grandkids since I was in college, and I know she’d never risk having someone dangerous or violent around a child. Her standards would change completely.”

“That… makes sense,” Peyton said quietly, almost to herself. She looked up at Connor. “And that never made you want to settle down faster?” she asked. Connor shook his head.

“No. Settling down fast is just… settling. I know it sounds wrong though. I had a solution all these years to get my parents back, and I didn’t do it,” he said, a deep frown in his brow. He turned to Peyton with guilt in his eyes. “Is that fucked up? Am I completely fucked up for that?” He forced a laugh to hide how completely broken he sounded as the question left his lips. Her heart aching, Peyton looked deep in his eyes. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she shook her head no.

“I don’t think so, Connor,” she whispered. “You know it wouldn’t be fair to your wife or kids if you just used them as some kind of quick fix. But I understand how much it hurts. How it feels like you could’ve fixed this years ago and had your family back if you just found the right girl,” Peyton said softly. “But you can’t force love, it just happens. And when it does, I like to believe that everything falls into place,” she said, offering a smile. “If anything, take comfort in the fact that you don’t know at all what the future holds for you and your parents. Five, ten years down the line, you might be at the start of a brand new chapter you couldn’t even fathom today.”

Her words had spilled unplanned off the tip of her tongue, but Peyton believed every one of them. After all, just a month ago, she never knew this town existed, she never knew this bar existed, and she certainly didn’t know she’d be here some random Tuesday night, falling in love with Connor Schaffer.

Huh.

Peyton’s lashes fluttered when she acknowledged the fact to herself. She had never been in love before, she had no idea what it felt like, but for some reason, she was ninety – actually, ninety-five percent sure that it felt exactly like this.

Smiling, Connor grazed her lips with his.

“For some reason I think you’re right on all that,” he whispered.

“Good,” Peyton whispered back, her heart skipping a beat. And as she kissed him, she thought, scratch that.

Screw ninety percent. The number was more like ninety-nine point nine.