Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
D ecember 27 th
I wouldn’t say sex changed my life, but embracing my sexuality did. Christmas was fun as Max spent it with my family. We exchanged gifts, made pancakes, and watched movies. I will admit now that I know what it’s like being with Max, it’s hard not to make love every time we’re together. Therefore, I have to wait until after Christmas dinner to finally have time alone with Max again. And then again, and again. We might have pulled over on the drive back to the city because I couldn’t stand to wait another moment to have him inside me again. I’m afraid I’m becoming an addict after only two days.
Max is at work and I’m getting ready for our Christmas book club gift exchange. I gave Max some of my favorite romance books along with a thin leather bracelet I found at one of the Christmas market booths. It had a small silver bird on it. Max was wearing it this morning when he kissed me goodbye and went to work, just as I was wearing his necklace. I wonder how long it’ll take my friends to notice it. Considering they were all there when Max slapped the cuffs on me, they’ll be sure to get it. The only question is, how mad they’ll be at me for not calling them when Max showed up in my small town for Christmas? Needless to say, I bought three bottles of wine for today’s book club.
“Merry Christmas!” Leah said the second she crashed into Paige’s apartment with a tray of brownies in one hand and a bag of books in the other.
“Girl, you make some money now. Can you find a place with an elevator?” Eli asked, setting down his bag of books and handing over a baked ziti casserole his mother always made.
“No, she can’t move away. This is in walking distance of all of our places,” Amelia said, putting a carrot for Monty through the cage slats and setting down a thermos of her homemade hot chocolate.
“Wait a second,” Eli said, sniffing the air like a hound on a scent.
“What are you doing?” Paige asked as she laughed at him.
“I smell body wash. Male body wash.” In a couple of steps, Eli was in her bathroom. “Aha!” Eli emerged triumphantly with Max’s body wash in one hand and his toothbrush in the other.
Leah and Amelia all turned to her with wide eyes.
“Yeah, so Merry Christmas to me. I fulfilled my New Year’s Resolution.” Paige tried to act like an adult. It didn’t work.
Her friends screamed and tackled her onto the couch as they demanded to know everything.
“What it a hometown boy?”
“I think it was Mr. Paris.”
“I was hoping Max would step up.”
“Wait, you said at Christmas so that means it has to be someone from home.”
The rapid fire questions came so fast and furiously that Paige didn’t know who to answer first. “Whoa!” Paige called, stopping their nonstop questions. “I went home, Max followed me there, we’re dating, and that’s who I fulfilled my resolution with,” Paige said before telling them all about Nick, Max, the bookstore, Mr. Paris, Christmas, and ending with the fact that Max still hadn’t actually gone home yet. “He spent the night with me here then went to work. He’ll be back later tonight.”
“I’ve been thinking about this,” Amelia said. “I think Nikolas could be Mr. Paris. I know you said he had a slight French accent. Nikolas is from Italy and that’s really close.”
“I think it’s the son. I sent an email to the foundation that he runs saying goodbye and thanking him for saving the bookstore,” Paige told them. “It doesn’t matter though. I’m with Max and haven’t thought of Mr. Paris once since I sent that email.”
“Look at us,” Leah said to the group. “All coupled up. I can’t wait to see what our New Year’s resolutions will be this year.”
They laughed, ate, and toasted the year before exchanging books and talking about their significant others. They were happy, in love, and still best friends.
“I think we should invite everyone to our book club on the thirty-first,” Paige told her friends as her apartment door opened.
Max walked in, his eyes instantly going to hers and a smile on his lips. “Hey everyone. I hope I’m not intruding.”
Paige had never seen such a free-for-all. Her friends pounced on him, on the fact he was carrying a duffle bag full of clothes, and interrogated him about his feelings for her and his intentions. Max took it with ease and good humor and it made her love him even more.
After the interrogation, Paige brought it back around to the 31 st . “I don’t even know if we could hold it at Felix’s. We’ve kind of grown in size. Last time we took up way too much room.”
“Let’s have it at my place,” Max offered. “I mean, I don’t have Felix’s drinks, but I can whip up some things.”
“Really?” Paige asked, reaching out and taking his hand. “That’s so nice of you. I haven’t been to your place. Granted we’ve only been dating a week,” she said with a laugh. “Will everyone fit, because I also want to invite Dracklen. And would you be horribly mad if I invited Nikolas and Rocco?”
“Dracklen, yes. Mafia, no. But I won’t say anything if you run into them at Jack’s. Just know you’re probably being photographed and recorded. And yes, I have plenty of room for that guest list. Although, Dracklen does take up the space of three people.”
Paige understood about Nikolas and Rocco. She made a mental note to send some cookies over to them and then jumped back into the conversation.
Paige closed the door two hours later as her friends finally headed home. “Are you sure you want to host everyone?”
Max kissed the top of her head before starting to help her clean up. “I’m sure. I’ve become really good friends with them all this year. How about I pick you up a little early and take you over so you can see my place before they all arrive?”
“That would be great.” Paige smiled and slipped her arms around his waist. “Why does it feel as if we’re moving fast, yet not fast enough?”
“I think because we’ve been together all along. We’ve just made it official, so we’re catching up to where our hearts already are. We are the end game, Paige. That’s why it doesn’t seem fast enough at the same time.” Max gestured to his bag. “Speaking of that. Do you mind that I brought some more things over?”
“I love that you brought things with you.”
Max smiled at her and kissed her again. “Good. When you come over to my place, why don’t you bring a bag too? Maybe some things that you can leave at my place?”
“I can do that.” Paige kissed him.
This kiss didn’t stop though. It led to roaming hands, stripping clothes, and waking her neighbors with her screaming.
Paige had been told not to come into work until after the New Year, but that didn’t stop her from checking in on her team and passing along the great news to Lenora. Her book was quickly becoming one of the top-selling biographies of all time, thanks to the Christmas rush.
“Should we celebrate at The Red Door tomorrow?” Lenora asked her. “They’re having a huge New Year’s Eve party.”
“Dracklen told me about it. Thank you for the invite, but I think I’m good. I’m dating that detective, and we’re really happy,” Paige told her.
Lenora chuckled. “Welcome to the deflowered side of the garden. You’ll have such fun here. I have something for you. A gift. I’m only going to be in town tomorrow evening. When can I drop it off?”
“Oh, that’s so nice of you, Lenora. I’m sorry, but I have a book club party that night. I’m not going to be at home.”
“Perfect. I’ll drop it at the party. Just send me the address.”
“I’d love to have you there! Dracklen will be there too before he has to go to work at The Red Door.”
Paige texted Lenora the address before scanning her emails for anything that couldn’t wait. She replied to a few, took some notes, and then got Monty’s cage cleaned out. Lastly, she pulled the book she was going to take tomorrow that had the most meaning for the year. She smiled at it, knowing she’d set it aside a couple of weeks ago and now it somehow seemed even more perfect. She slid it into the bag she was packing of things to take to Max’s and made sure she had everything ready.
Paige had never imagined how stepping up and out of the safe little box she’d put herself in would change her life. She was meeting Max’s family on New Year’s Day. In the days since getting back to the city, Max had also introduced her to several of his cop friends. They gave her crap when she told them of her friend, Gina, the firefighter. But they’d been nice, and she had no trouble fitting in.
In ten days, Max’s and her lives were so entwined she didn’t know where one began and one ended. When Max texted last night on the Book Club group chat, she realized it wasn’t just ten days. Max was right. It was the entire year that he had slowly become an integral part of her life and her friends’ lives.
The door lock flipped and Max strode into her apartment. “I got Monty a new toy,” Max said, holding up a bag from the pet shop. “I felt bad that I was taking his mom away tomorrow for a couple of nights.” Max opened the cage and pulled Monty out. “But, maybe if I ask Paige nicely, she’ll let us all live together. What do you think, Monty?”
“Are you asking my rabbit if you can move in with us?” Paige asked as she laughed.
“I’m asking you both to move in with me. Or here. I don’t care where we live so long as we’re together.”
Max looked nervous and she found that so sexy. “Yes. I want to move in together. I think we’ve already done it, don’t you?” Paige asked, looking at the mix of his and hers packed bags in her apartment.
Max pulled her into a hug and kissed her. “Love you, my duchess.”
“I don’t know which I like better, jailbird or duchess,” Paige told him as they moved to the kitchen to start cooking dinner. That had become their thing they did together every night. Well, that and making love.
“I like both because you are both. I love your wild side that led to me arresting you, and I love your relationship side that has me racing home to you every night. A person can be so much more than just one thing. It’s fun finding all your different sides.”
“Hmm, just like your secret romance-book-loving side and your badass cop side?”
“Exactly. Now, bend over that counter and let me show you another side of us.” Max’s voice dropped to that serious growl that she loved so much. It left her rushing to do his bidding because she knew nothing was better than when they went on adventures together.