42. Paige
In Your Love - Tyler Childer s
A s promised, Cade approached the owner of Chapters we even got Cade out there on a chestnut stallion and when I tell you it was like a fantasy come to life, I am not exaggerating.
We’re 2 weeks away from the showcase, so here I am on a random Thursday evening at Ivy’s house. Her cat, Hazel, is fast asleep, contentedly purring on my lap as we click through my portfolio, selecting the best pieces to display. My whole body is vibrating with nervous energy.
“This one, for sure.” Ivy says, pointing to a self portrait of Cade and me at the end of the dock. He has his arm around my waist. I’m looking out at the sunrise on the horizon with my head resting on his shoulder, and his gaze is fixed on me. I smile wistfully at the photo that so perfectly captured the stillness and effortlessness of our relationship.
“Ok, we still need one more.” I note the file name next to the rest as Ivy flips through more of my work, passing over the first session we did at the park. “Wait, go back,” I say, stopping her on a photograph of Rylin falling asleep on her shoulder. “That one. It’s my favorite.”
“Are you sure?” she grimaces. “You really want me and Ry in your showcase?”
“Of course I do! You’re one of my best friends. But don't tell Mags. She hates competition.”
She snorts out a laugh and, with the final choices made for the showcase, we spend the rest of the evening ordering the prints, frames, and labels for each one, giving them all titles.
After months of preparation, the day is finally here. I’m standing near the entrance to Chapters I could identify those voices as Mags and Miles anywhere. This night, surrounded by these people, in my happy place, is more than I ever dreamed possible for myself.
After the exhibit, we all head out to The Ridge to celebrate. Anticipating that it would be a slow day, given that most of the town would be attending my showcase, Cade closed the bar for most of the day. When we walk in, Shannon — Cade’s new hire — waves at us from behind the bar. She must sense something in Cade’s demeanor because she gives him a curt nod then says, “Everything’s under control, boss.”
“I like her,” I say, standing up on my tiptoes to give Cade a peck on the cheek. Having extra staff has given us a lot more time together.
“Me too. Let’s go claim our table before the crowd swarms the place.” He leads me over to a set of high tops that have been pushed together. There’s a bouquet of wildflowers in the middle with a little card attached .
Paige,
You are a light in every storm. I’m so proud to call you my wife.
Yours forever,
Cade
I suck in a sharp breath, willing the tears not to fall as I turn to face my husband. I wrap my arms around his waist, soaking in the familiar comfort of his embrace. “I love you so fucking much. Thank you for believing in me.”
He kisses my forehead, letting his lips linger for a moment. “Always. Now, what do you say we get this party started?”
As if summoned by his words, a raucous crowd bursts through the doors. Our entire crew has arrived with Nana in tow, and I wince at the thought of her being here with us. We can get pretty rowdy and downright inappropriate at times. Though I have to admit, I got some of my sass from Nana, so I know she can hold her own.
Cade takes our orders, and he leads me over to the bar, helping me onto a stool — my legs are short, what can I say? He pushes his sleeves up to his elbows, switching into sexy bartender mode. Watching him behind the bar does something to me. I get lost in the delicious lines of his forearms as he meticulously crafts our drinks, and I might actually be drooling now. Before long, there are two trays loaded down with beverages and a huge plate of poutine for yours truly. I help him carry everything over to our table, slapping Miles on the hand as he tries to steal some of my fries. “I don’t think so, mister. Get your own Canadian delicacy.” I joke.
“But not mine,” Cade says with a wink as he slaps me on the ass.
“Ok, who’s ready for trivia ni ght?” Liam’s voice booms over the crowd from his spot on the small stage at the back of the bar. A responding chorus of hoots and hollers comes from every corner of the space. His commanding presence is the perfect antidote to the rambunctious bunch of townies in here tonight. I’ve been in Oak Ridge long enough to recognize almost every face. This place and these people have become my sanctuary, and I can’t imagine going back to a life before this.
“Alright. Alright. settle down. I want everyone to split off into teams of 4, then take the paper in front of you and give your team a name. ”
“I’m claiming my bestie since I missed the last game night,” Mags says.
“I get the feeling that Miss Ivy here knows a little about a lot of things, so I’m going to stick with her.” Nana says.
“Obviously, Paige and Cade need to be together, so they’ll need one more teammate. Dean and I want to stick together too. So how about this… Miles, you join Paige, Cade, and Maggie? Ivy and Nana can be on our team.” Cara’s logic checks out, so Maggie reluctantly moves over one spot to make room for Miles and I don’t miss her dramatic eye roll.
“Ok team, we need a name!” I say, attempting to ease some of the tension.
“Sherlock Homies,” Maggie suggests.
“The Fellowship of the Quiz,” Cade responds.
“The O’Trivia Bensons,” I say, referencing one of my favorite badass female characters of all time.
Miles cuts in with a “Dun Dun,” and we all burst into unrestrained laughter. “We have a winner,” he says.
Nana suggests ‘The Quizzard of Oz’ for their team, and then the fun begins. Liam’s voice cuts in above the noise of the crowd.
“Ok. Here’s the drill. I’ll be asking y’all questions relating to the early 2000s. You’ll write your answer on the paper. The first team to return to the stage with the correct answer will get the points. At the end of the game, the team with the most points will win $400. There are three rules — do not shout out any answers, no cell phones, and no collaborating with other teams.
The game starts out pretty simple, guessing the most popular songs, tv shows, and movies of the early aughts. The O’Trivia Bensons are neck and neck with The Brain Farts, but the pace is picking up and Nana’s team isn’t too far behind.
“In 2012, who did the University of Kentucky Wildcats beat in the final round to take home the championship title in men’s basketball?”
Nobody at our table moves but Cade, who quickly picks up the pen to scribble down his answer before darting across the bar, racing several other people in the crowd, clinching the point for our team.
“Liam knew exactly what he was doing with that one,” Dean says. “No way was Cade going to miss a question about UK.”
The game continues, our team missing several historical questions despite my almost 4 years at UofT majoring in history. “What can I say, I dropped out for a reason,” I shrug.
Cade’s eyes crinkle as he brings his lips to my forehead. “You were always meant to find your way here.”
“Aww, that was disgustingly adorable,” Mags says before Liam cuts in with the next question.
“When asked about getting into Harvard, Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods has what to say?”
I lean over to Cade who has his notepad in hand, ‘“What, like it’s hard?’”
He scribbles quickly and hands me the slip of paper. I dash towards the stage, nearly colliding with Cara in the process. She hands her sheet over to Liam first and unfortunately for me, The Quizzard of Oz team gets the point.
“What color i s the infamous sweater in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’?” “Oh, I know this one!” Miles bounces in his seat excitedly. “Blue.”
“Um no. It wasn’t just blue; it’s also not turquoise or lapis. It was cerulean.” Mags is slurring her words slightly as she leans over and boops Miles on the nose. “Good try, Casper.”
I don’t have time to unpack that little exchange. Cade writes down our answer and I’m the first to the stage, taking the win for our team. I return to the table in time to catch Miles scrubbing a hand over his face before standing to walk over to the bar. Miles is the most easy going person in our group, and this is the first time I’m seeing a small crack in his facade.
“Mags... I don’t pretend to know what’s going on between you two and I’m not thrilled that you won’t talk to me about it, but I need you to cut that shit out.”
Mags downs the last of her drink and walks over to Miles. I avert my gaze, knowing that whatever is going on is a secret for a reason, and when Mags is ready to talk about it, I’ll be the first to know.
“E.L. James’ erotic Fifty Shades of Grey was originally created as fan fiction for what series?”
Nana all but shouts, “Twilight!” but the crowd is so loud at this point, only our combined tables notice. I narrow my eyes at my grandmother, wondering how the hell she would know something like that. I’m not sure I want to know the answer. We’re down two members and being the most sober between the two of us, Cade stands to turn in the answer, allowing Cara to go first since it’s pretty much Nana’s point.
“Final question of the night! The Brain Farts are in 3rd place with 13 points. The Quizzard of Oz are in 2nd place with 18 points, and leading the pack is O’Trivia Benson with 19 points. The last question of the night is worth 10 points, and it will determine the winner.
“The finale episode of this belo ved sitcom aired in 2004 with the title ‘The Last One’.”
“Omg, Cade, run and write! Go Go Go.” I don’t even have to say the answer. I know he knows. Cade runs to the stage with the entire notepad and pen in hand. Liam has a shit-eating grin on his face as he hands over the final answer.
“We have a winner! Congratulations to The O’Trivia Bensons!”
We celebrated with one more round, but it’s been a long day, so we called it a night a little earlier than normal. Mags is staying with Ivy, and Miles offered to drop Nana off at our house so Cade and I could have some alone time.
We say our goodbyes, thanking everyone for making this day so special, then venture over to Willow Creek Park. The last light of October has sunk over the horizon as we walk hand in hand along the boardwalk beside the lake, leaves crunching underfoot, the subtle glow of the moonlight overhead. It’s hard to believe that we’ve known each other for a year. I can’t stop the emotion from welling in my eyes, my mind tracing back through all the memories we’ve made since then. Cade had been given every opportunity to walk away, and yet he was still here beside me, a pillar of strength, when I so often couldn’t stand on my own two feet.
My heart can be pieced together like chapters of a book. Everything before I met Cade was just the prologue. Every struggle and triumph existing only to lay the foundation for the story to come. Knowing him, loving him, and being loved by him is not my purpose, but it has given me permission to be wholly myself, to find out who I am and love this version of me, for the first time.
We stop on the bank of the lake, his thumb gently stroking my cheek. “I can see the wheels turning. What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking about you; about us. About everything it took to get us to this place — to this moment.” I inhale a ste adying breath. I’ve already cried too many times today. All tears of joy. “I’m… grateful. You could’ve walked away so many times and you didn’t.”
“If you think for one second that I ever even considered walking away, you’re wrong.”
“No, I know you didn’t. You’re a good man, Cade Brooks. The best man.”
“I don’t know about all that, but I would do anything for you.”
“It’s funny. I can’t really remember my life before us.”
“That’s because none of it matters. Everything before this — us — is inconsequential.”
He doesn’t say anything else as he brings his forehead down to meet mine. Eyes closed, breathing in my scent. We stay like that for what feels like an eternity before he takes my mouth in a soul-crushing kiss.
“I love you, Paige Brooks.”
“I love you, too, Cowboy.”