Any Kind of Life (Hush Liverpool #4)

Chapter 35

One month later…

“Hannah! Give me a hand with these drinks, please.” Paige waved Hannah over, eyeing her where she sat beside Caz in Juliet’s area of the bar. It was positioned perfectly when it came to keeping an eye on customers, and it was set back out of the way. “Sometime today would be amazing.”

Hannah rolled her eyes as she made her way towards Paige. “Don’t you have staff to do this stuff for you?”

“We do. But Henry is checking the barrels, and Stephen is dealing with a table in the new area.” Paige lifted a shoulder. “And we own this place, so the least we can do is take care of ourselves.”

“Fair enough. We get free drinks, so I shouldn’t complain.” Hannah winked as she took two drinks from the bar, leaving the other two for Paige. She stopped when Paige came out from behind the bar and leaned in. “You know, you and Juliet seem…different.”

Paige chewed the inside of her cheek to keep her from smiling. “Yeah? How so?”

“I don’t know. Like there’s been a shift of some kind.”

Oh, there had. There had been a huge shift within their relationship. “Yeah. I think she’s just back to her usual self and enjoying life again. You know.” Paige walked away and made a beeline for their table, setting Juliet’s glass of red down in front of her, an espresso martini for herself. She looked to her fiancée and then Caz. “What are you two nattering about?”

“Nothing much.” Juliet lay a hand on Paige’s knee. “Caz was just telling me that Ofsted have been to inspect her school. They came back with exceptional in their report.”

“Oh, Caz. That’s brilliant!” Paige smiled back at a very proud-looking Caz. Life was just…perfect for them all lately. “Some schools don’t have much luck with Ofsted these days, so it’s nice to hear you got the result you deserve.”

Caz waved a hand. “Oh, stop it. I just oversee everything. It’s the staff who make the school what it is.”

“Nah. You’re the boss. What happens is down to you at the end of the day.” Paige lifted her cocktail and eyed Caz. “Take the credit. You deserve it.”

“Paige is right, babe. You really should give yourself more credit.” Hannah leaned in and kissed Caz below the ear. When Hannah drew back, Paige watched the look in Caz’s eyes. Unconditional love. “That school was on its arse when you took the headteacher job. If it wasn’t for you, it would probably be hitting special measures by now.”

“Never mind me and the Ofsted report.” Caz looked between them all. “Tell us what you and Juliet have been getting up to. We haven’t seen you for a couple of weeks.”

Paige puffed out her cheeks. “We’ve been…busy, shall we say?”

“Busy is one way of putting it.” Juliet’s hand remained on Paige’s thigh. Just where she liked it to be. “Paige and I have a few plans in the works.”

“Do you never have a break? You’ve only just reopened this place after having it renovated. I wish you’d slow down.”

Paige almost laughed at that. With the plans they had, there would be no slowing down in the near future. Kids…yeah, nobody was slowing down.

“I’m perfectly fine with my life at the moment.” Juliet gave Hannah a knowing look. “I prefer to be busy. I can sleep when I’m dead.”

Paige winced at that. “Less of the death jokes, babe. It’s still a little raw for most of us.” While Juliet had thrown herself back into life at a force Paige couldn’t comprehend, the people around her struggled to understand how quickly she could move on. Paige still had nightmares, and Hannah and Caz rarely found the strength to engage in any conversation that included Juliet’s potential demise. Caz, even as Paige looked at her right now, had tears in her eyes. “But yeah,” Paige said, clearing her throat. “We’ve invited you here tonight so we could talk through some stuff with you both.”

Caz lifted a brow. “Oh?”

“The…wedding.” Paige had wanted to give Juliet anything she wanted when it came to their wedding day. Just because Paige had already been married and failed with it, she wouldn’t dampen the mood by suggesting something small. If Juliet wanted the fairytale day and white dress, she could have that. Only Juliet had gone and suggested what Paige was trying to avoid. Small and intimate. And by small, she meant just Hannah and Caz as witnesses at the local town hall.

“What about it?” Hannah sat forward in her seat, twisting her wine glass on the table. “Have you booked it?”

“Kind of. We’ve registered our intention to marry.”

“Oh, that’s great. Don’t you have to get married within a certain time when you do that? Like twelve months or something?”

“We do. We’re planning to get married in five months. The date we met two years ago.” Juliet took Paige’s hand and shifted closer. “It’ll be small. No big do. Just us…and you two. And Edie, of course.”

Hannah’s brows rose. “O-oh. We expected something grand.”

“We…have other plans, and the cost of a huge fancy wedding would certainly be better spent on those other plans.” Paige squeezed Juliet’s hand, giving her the okay to reveal everything.

“Paige and I want to start a family.” Juliet beamed a smile as she revealed what they planned to do. It only had Paige falling in love with her all over again. As she spoke those words to their friends, Paige’s heart soared. “Within the next year or two, providing everything goes well once we book a consultation.”

Hannah and Caz stared back at them. Hannah with a look of disbelief, and Caz with those ever-present tears rolling down her cheeks.

“We will also be selling the apartment,” Juliet said. “I’d like my wife and children to have a bigger home. Something with a gorgeous garden and plenty of space.”

Caz cocked her head, offering Juliet an adorable smile. “That may be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“I want the best for them. For all of us.” Juliet relaxed back against the couch, pulling Paige’s hand into her lap as she did so. “Life has been crazy recently. Whether that was because Paige was away on tour and I was dealing with this place, or the whole Cara wants you dead situation, life has been manic. If I’ve realised anything since that day in here with Cara, it’s that we never know when the end will be here. We never know when that last opportunity to see someone or to tell them how we feel is staring us in the face.”

“Babe.”

“That moment actually came for me. As I stood in this bar, knowing what was coming, I thought about the people I loved. The people who mean the world to me. I thought about everything we’ve achieved in the last year or so and how happy we all were.” Juliet faced Hannah. “I thought about how much your life had changed since you met Caz. I thought about the times I’ve enjoyed being in your home with your gorgeous family and how I’d miss those evenings.”

“Juliet,” Hannah said, lowering her eyes.

“And then you flitted into my mind, Caz.” Juliet smiled in Caz’s direction. “I’ve never seen a woman look at someone the way you look at Hannah. When we first met, I know it was…difficult to let me in. Understandably so. But now? I couldn’t imagine not having you in my life as a very good friend. You’ve pulled me through some rough moments, and I’ll never be able to thank you for that.”

Juliet turned to Paige this time, but Paige already had emotion lodged in her throat. She wasn’t sure she’d make it through whatever Juliet was about to verbalise.

“And you.” Juliet beamed the most beautiful smile. “I have no words for how you make me feel, Paige. All I know is that I’m honoured to be the woman you want to have this future with. That you see me as the person to stand by your side and support you through everything we’re going to face.”

“Babe, I wouldn’t do this with anyone else.”

“You saved my life in more ways than one.” Juliet lifted Paige’s hands and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I want you to have anything you could ever need.”

Whether they had more to come or not was irrelevant to Paige. Juliet was more than she ever could have hoped for in life. “I already do.”

“This right here.” Juliet cast her gaze around the table. “This is what matters to me. True friendship and people I would trust with my life. Now that I have those things, I want more. I want everything I always dreamed about. It almost wasn’t possible, and now that it is, I’m grabbing it with both hands. This life is…perfect.”

Caz lifted her glass of wine and nodded. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Paige looked over towards the bar. Henry was back, and it was perfect timing. “H. When you’re ready.”

Henry took the bottle of champagne that had been chilling and carried it through the bar to them. He rushed back for glasses, smiling at Paige when she held up her hand. He was included in this, too. She wanted five glasses, not four.

Paige quickly shared the champagne around and stood at the end of the table. “I think Juliet said everything that needed saying. She always has been better with words than me.” Paige winked in Juliet’s direction and lifted her glass. “So, to friendships, love, and found family.”

Henry squeezed Paige’s shoulder, giving her a smile when she briefly looked his way. “Nice one, Paige. That was lovely.”

“I mean it, H. You are a part of this family now. Never forget that.”

Henry wrapped an arm around Paige’s shoulders and nodded. “I appreciate that, and I won’t forget it.”

Juliet knocked on the office door lightly, opening it when Paige called for her to come inside. She sat at the desk, writing something down, her shoulders relaxed. “Sorry, babe. I’ll be out in a sec.”

“Is everything okay?”

Paige looked up at her, brows drawn. “Of course. I forgot to order a few bottles of mixer for cocktails, so I figured I’d do it now before I forgot again.”

“Right, okay.” Juliet was sure an order could wait for another day. It was only some bottles of mixer. Mixer Paige could likely pick up from the cash and carry.

“I know it’s our night off, but I’ll only be a minute. I’ve already placed the order; I was just making a note of it.”

Juliet smiled back at Paige, resting against the doorframe. “Rachel and Andi have just arrived.”

“Oh! Right. Fab.” Paige shut the computer down and filed the paper away she had just been making notes on. “Come on then. I’d like to see them before they bolt out the door suddenly.” She leaned in and kissed Juliet’s cheek, lingering for a moment. “What you said out there tonight…it was beautiful.”

“It was the truth.” Juliet took Paige’s hand and guided her back out into the bar.

Rachel and Andi sat with Hannah and Caz; a few regulars dotted about in their usual spots. It was a quiet night at the bar, but that was to be expected given the fact it was only Thursday. The weekend was sure to be busier. This night marked only their third night open since before the building work, and everything else took place.

Juliet checked with Henry that Rachel and Andi had drinks ordered, then returned to her seat. Surprisingly, the air felt calm and relaxed around her. It was nice to feel less intensity in her general day-to-day life. “Glad you two could finally make it.”

“Andi has a rare day off tomorrow, so we thought it would be best to get out tonight while we can. I don’t know the next time I’ll get a night out with her.” Rachel rested her arm over the back of Andi’s chair and grinned. “This place looks amazing now.”

“It didn’t look amazing before?” Juliet frowned. “I know it was smaller, but I still loved it before.”

“Oh, no. It did. It looked great. But I don’t know, there’s something about it that just seems much warmer than the last time I was here.”

Juliet laughed inwardly. It never would have felt warm to Rachel back then. They were on terrible terms with one another the last time she stepped foot in here. “Well, the less said about that, the better. I’m sure you’ll agree.”

“Mm. You’re right.” Rachel took her drink from Henry and passed Andi’s over to her. “Thanks, Henry. Good to see you again.”

He smiled. “You too, Rachel. Don’t be a stranger, yeah?”

“We won’t.” Rachel sipped her glass of rosé then relaxed into her seat. “So, how’s business been since you reopened?”

“Nice and steady, which I’m thankful for. I’m not sure either of us is prepared for hectic nights in here just yet.”

“And you’re still looking to sell the apartment?” Rachel looked between Juliet and Paige. “Andi has a few places in mind for you, depending on what you want.”

“Oh. Really?” Paige sat forward and joined the conversation. “Anything you can tell us about now?”

Andi brought up her phone from the table and unlocked it. “Yes. Give me a moment to pull up the pictures I had sent over to me today. Gorgeous house outside of the city. Huge, landscaped garden, five bedrooms, detached.”

Well, now, that sounded right up Juliet and Paige’s street. If they were moving into something bigger, then as big as they could find was what they hoped for. Who knew how large their family would become? And it was always nice to have a spare room or two. “Sounds promising.”

“Oh, it’s absolutely beautiful. I’d even go so far as to say that it needs no work before you move in. Of course, you’ll want to put your own mark on it, but it’s already finished to a high specification.”

God, Juliet really wanted to see this house now. She needed to see it.

Andi handed her phone over to Juliet and Paige. “I haven’t put it on the site yet or in the shop. I have some details to go over with them first. But it’s only looking like a few days before it’ll officially be on the market.”

Juliet almost gasped when she saw the first picture alone. An expansive driveway lined with trees greeted her, and she felt an instant connection with it. They would have to view it, there was no doubt about that, but getting such a powerful feeling at first glance was always a bonus. “Wow.”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what I said when I saw the pictures. It’s going to be snapped up very quickly.”

Juliet almost sighed. She really didn’t want to get into a bidding war with people. She just wanted to find something perfect for them…and live the dream. “Do you have any idea on the asking price yet?”

Andi nodded as Juliet returned her phone to her. She would prefer to see the rest of it up close and personal. “Yes. The owners are asking for offers in excess of seven hundred thousand.”

Paige cleared her throat at that, but Juliet simply lifted a shoulder. “So, if we offered seven two five?”

“Babe, we haven’t viewed it yet.” Paige turned to her suddenly. “And if they don’t accept it, it’s not the end of the world.”

“No, I know. I want to view it first, but maybe if we throw that figure out there to them and see how they respond?” Juliet turned her attention back to Andi. “Is that something you can do?”

“Absolutely. They’re looking for a quick sale because they’re moving abroad and don’t plan to come back to the UK unless they absolutely have to.”

“You see,” Juliet said as she leaned in towards Paige. “Could be perfectly timed.”

“I’ll call them in the morning. Would you both be available to view it if they’re interested in your offer? I’m sure they’d like to get everything done and dusted sooner rather than later. They’ve already started packing up as it is.”

“We can be available whenever they are. That’s no problem.” Juliet may be getting ahead of herself here, but this house landing in their laps this evening felt as though it was meant to be. Could Juliet see herself running around after a toddler in that very garden? Oh, she could see it so vividly it almost seemed real. “Right, baby?”

Paige smiled weakly. “It is beautiful. It’s definitely the kind of place I had in mind when you decided to sell the apartment.”

“We, Paige. When we decided to sell the apartment.”

“R-right. Yeah.”

Juliet had been over this with Paige several times now. It didn’t matter if Paige had moved into a place Juliet already owned. They came as a pair these days, and that extended to houses and cars. “So, you want to view it?”

Paige grinned. “I want to view it.”

“Perfect.” Juliet felt that excitement for life building in the pit of her stomach again. It had been a long time coming. Something seemed to get in the way more often than not, but not this time. Juliet was determined to go after anything she wanted. “Will you call me and let me know what the owners say? We’re ready to get the ball rolling if this house turns out to be our dream home.”

Andi smiled. “I’ll get your number before the end of the night.”

Well, then that was that. A wedding booked, a potential new home on the horizon, and the woman of her dreams by her side. Juliet couldn’t want for anything more in life, and as she sat here looking around the table, she knew just how blessed she was to be alive.