Chapter Twenty
chapter twenty
NATE
“I understand they want seven percent but—” Dustin starts to argue, but his words are cut off by the sound of his alarm going off. Since he’s late to everything, his assistant insists on him using alarms for everything. “Shit, we’re going to need to table this,” he says, standing. “I need to head home to get ready for dinner.”
I glance at my watch, shocked to learn that I’ve been working for quite a few hours and Paige hasn’t appeared.
“I need to get ready as well,” I say, standing.
“Paige is with you, right?” Dustin asks.
“Yeah, she was in the bath…” Like, three hours ago. “We’ll see you tonight.”
I click End on our video chat and head straight for my bedroom since the last time I saw her, she was in my bathtub, soaking in the tub.
But before I make it into the bathroom, I’m stopped in my tracks by the sight of her sleeping in my bed. She’s curled up and beneath the sheets with her face nestled into the pillow. It’s the first time I’ve had a woman in my home, in my bed, and I love that it’s her.
I pull my phone out to take a picture, wanting to capture her in this rare moment of peace. Between the stress of us and our future, carrying a baby, and working hard at Kingston, she’s getting pulled in different directions, and I worry it’s all too much. Decisions need to be made, but I wasn’t lying when I told her that she can trust me. She might not have had the best track record with men in her life until now, but that stops with me. I will always put her and our baby first.
After taking a couple of pictures, I pocket my phone and sit on the edge of the bed, leaning over Paige so I can kiss the corner of her mouth. She sighs in contentment, and my heart swells in my chest.
Not long ago, my entire world revolved around work. My only goal was to become CEO of my family’s company. But the moment Paige stumbled into my life—literally—my priorities shifted. I’d forgotten what it was like to connect with someone on a deeper level. To laugh and joke and be intimate with them. And now that I have it, I won’t do anything that will put me at risk of losing it—of losing her.
“Why are you staring at me?” Paige asks, her voice raspy from sleep.
“Just trying to figure out how the hell I got so lucky to call you mine,” I tell her honestly.
She smiles lazily, only half of her mouth quirking up. “That’s so damn cheesy, but I love it.” She fists the front of my shirt and pulls me down to her. “What are the chances of me convincing you to give me an orgasm before we have to go?”
“That depends…can you be quick? Because we need to leave in about twenty minutes.”
“What?” Paige shrieks, pushing me back and sitting up. “Why would you let me sleep that long?”
“I didn’t even know you were asleep,” I say with a laugh.
“Ugh!” She groans, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. “I didn’t mean to, but your bed was too comfy.”
“Look at the bright side. After dinner, you can come right back to my comfy bed, where I can spend the next twelve hours making you come as many times as you want.”
I smirk, and Paige blushes.
“You can’t say things like that or I’ll be begging you to cancel dinner. I’m already worried about meeting your entire family.”
“Not my entire family,” I remind her. “Only my parents, brothers, and their wives. Tomorrow, you’ll meet the rest of my family, including my adorable niece and nephew.”
“You’re not helping,” she mutters as she closes the bathroom door behind her.
I know she’s nervous about meeting my family, especially since she’s not close with the only family she has left—her dad—but my family isn’t judgmental, and I have no doubt that once she gets to know them, she’ll realize her worry is for nothing.
“What do you mean, you haven’t seen your father in almost ten years?” Mom stares at Paige in horror. “What parent lets a child go that long without seeing them?”
“Well, in his defense, he used to ask me to go home…” Paige murmurs.
“No,” Mom says, “that doesn’t defend him. You were obviously upset, and he should’ve come to you. He should’ve tried harder. You already lost your mother…”
Mom pulls Paige into a hug since she’s sitting next to her at the dinner table. “You’re so strong,” she coos. “Losing your mother and then your father. You went to college and then got your MBA all on your own. You should be so proud of yourself.”
“Thank you,” Paige says.
“I know you’re independent and used to going through life alone, but you have us now,” Mom tells her matter-of-factly. “We’re your family. Anything you need—and I mean, anything—you just ask.”
“Thank you,” Paige whispers as Mom continues to hug her.
I can’t tell if she’s annoyed or sad or now regretting coming to dinner since I’m sitting on the other side of her and her face is tucked into my mom’s chest, but my answer is given when the hug ends and Paige turns to me, and with a small smile on her face, she says, “I really like your family.”
“Good, because they really like you,” I murmur so only she can hear.
Dinner was spent with everyone getting to know Paige. They didn’t ask her anything to make her feel uncomfortable, keeping it about the baby and how she likes living in Rosemary. Carmine talked to her about the Kingston-Bradford partnership since he’s supposed to be the point of contact, and they hit it off immediately, talking about marketing through half the meal.
Then, Paige shocked me when she started asking the questions. It’s not that I don’t think she’s social, but I wasn’t sure how it would go since there’s only one of her and so many of us, so I’d imagine it could be a bit intimidating. But she was comfortable enough to ask Carmine and Penny about their kids, which stemmed into a conversation about parenting, which unfortunately led to Paige admitting she lost her parents years ago in different ways.
“I’m glad you convinced me to come,” she says with a smile.
“Me too.” I lean over and kiss the corner of her mouth.
“And I’m really glad this will be our baby’s family.”
Her words cause my heart to both warm and squeeze in my chest. The former because I love that she’s so accepting of them, and the latter because even though she’s so accepting of them, her home is four hours away from them, which means so is mine.
And with that thought, it hits me—I’m going to need to move to Rosemary if I want a future with Paige. And I do, more than anything else in this world.
And just like that my decision is made—I’m moving to Rosemary.
“I wish my mom were here,” Paige admits, laying her head on my shoulder as we watch the fountains dance to the lights. “She would’ve loved your mom.”
After we had dessert and everyone said good night since we’re going to see them tomorrow at the barbecue, I asked Paige if she’d like to go for a walk with me. Downtown can get busy, but there’s a walkway along the water, where I sometimes go for a run, that’s beautiful at night. She spotted the fountains immediately, so we had a seat on the bench to watch them.
“Do you think she would’ve liked me?” I ask, curious since they were so close.
Paige looks up at me and grins. “She would’ve warned me away from you. Told me you were too good-looking and you would break my heart.”
I know she’s only half joking, but I lean in anyway and speak so she can hear me clearly over the sound of the water. “I would’ve proven her wrong…shown her not to judge a book by its cover because there’s no ma n who will love her daughter like I will…like I do.”
Paige’s eyes go wide. “L-love? You mean hypothetically, right?”
“No,” I admit truthfully. “I love you, Paige.” I glance up so I can look into her striking green eyes. “I fell in love with you in London, and I told you so, and it’s only grown since then.” I place my hand on her bump and kiss her lips before backing up slightly so I can look at her again. “I’m going to show you every day how much I love you and our little one.”
Paige’s eyes water as she nods in understanding. I don’t expect her to say the words back. Even if she feels them, she’s too scared about our future. But I need her to know how I feel. I love her, and if I have it my way, I’ll get to spend the rest of our lives showing her how much.
“Wow, you have a big family,” Paige says, sitting in a chair I saved for her. “Your mom introduced me to them as her daughter-in-law.”
“Give it time, and she’ll be insisting you call her Ma.”
My mom knows no boundaries. Once you’re part of our family, you’re in it for life. Valerie and Penny are both close with their moms, but it didn’t stop mine from insisting they call her Ma, claiming they were the daughters she never had.
“Oh, she already did,” she says, her eyes glassy with emotion. “Right after she told me she can never replace my mom, but she already loves me like one of her own.” She glances out at everyone laughing and talking and mingling. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be part of a big family.”
“It’s not all rainbows and sunshine,” I tell her. “People disagree, and arguments happen. One Thanksgiving, my aunt Linda stopped talking to my uncle Barry, and the whole ordeal got canceled. Half the family ate at my parents’ while the other half ate at my uncle Barry’s.”
“But they obviously made up since they’re all here now,” Paige points out.
“Yeah, they always make up. That’s what families do. They fight, and they make up.”
“My dad and I never fought,” Paige says softly. “Sometimes, I wish we had. Then, we could have gotten it all out, you know?”
“It’s not too late.”
“It feels like it is.” She shrugs and then changes the subject. “Are we doing anything tomorrow? Valerie and Penny asked me to go to breakfast with them.”
“Ahh, yes. Tomorrow is their monthly girls’ brunch. My brothers and I usually go golfing, and the girls go to brunch at the country club. I can skip it, unless you want to go.”
“I do,” Paige says. “I’d like to spend some time with them since our time here is limited.”
“We can come back anytime you want,” I tell her, tugging her chair closer so I can wrap my arm around her. “I know Rosemary is your home, but here, with my family, can also be your home.”