Chapter 27 Paige
PAIGE
One Year Later
"To CupidCode!" Alex raises his glass, his eyes sparkling in the candlelight. "And to the brilliant, beautiful, occasionally infuriating woman who made it all possible."
I roll my eyes, but I can't fight the grin that spreads across my face. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Spencer."
He winks, clinking his glass against mine. "Don't I know it, future Mrs. Spencer."
I take a sip of champagne, the bubbles fizzing pleasantly on my tongue. It's hard to believe it's been a year since we launched our startup, a year since we took that leap of faith and ventured out on our own.
But here we are, celebrating our success in the fanciest restaurant in town, dressed to the nines and giddy with pride.
"I can't believe we actually pulled this off," I murmur, shaking my head in amazement. "Remember when we first pitched the idea to Sam and Jamie? I thought they were going to laugh us out of the room."
Alex chuckles, reaching across the table to take my hand. "To be fair, I think they were more skeptical about us working together without killing each other than they were about the actual concept."
I snort, lacing my fingers with his. "Can you blame them? We weren't exactly the picture of professional harmony back then."
He grins, his thumb stroking over my knuckles. "No, but we sure had chemistry. Even when we were at each other's throats, I couldn't keep my eyes off you."
I feel a flush creep up my neck, memories of stolen glances and simmering tension flashing through my mind. "The feeling was mutual, believe me. Why do you think I was always so prickly around you? It was either snark or jump your bones, and HR frowns on the latter."
Alex throws his head back and laughs, the sound warming me from the inside out. "Oh, if they only knew the half of it. We're lucky we didn't set the office on fire with all that unresolved sexual tension."
I giggle, taking another sip of my drink. "Poor Jamie. She had to put up with so much of my pining and whining. I'm surprised she didn't lock us in a closet together and be done with it."
"Sam too," Alex commiserates, his eyes twinkling. "I think I spent more time waxing poetic about your eyes and your ass than I did actually working."
I gasp, mock-affronted. "My ass, huh? And here I thought you fell for my brilliant mind and rapier wit."
He grins, unrepentant. "Oh, I did. But that ass certainly didn't hurt your case, sweetheart."
I laugh, shaking my head. "Incorrigible. It's a miracle we got any work done at all, let alone launched a successful startup."
Alex sobers, his expression turning tender. "It was more than just a miracle, Paige. It was you. Your brilliance, your drive, your unwavering belief in what we were doing. None of this would have happened without you."
I feel tears prick at the back of my eyes, my heart swelling in my chest. "Alex..."
He lifts my hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to my fingers. "I mean it, Paige. You're the heart and soul of CupidCode. The algorithm may have brought us together, but you're the one who made it all possible. You're my partner, in every sense of the word."
I swallow hard around the lump in my throat, my voice thick with emotion. "And you're mine, Alex. I couldn't have done any of this without you. You're my rock, my biggest cheerleader, my favorite pain in the ass."
He grins, his eyes suspiciously shiny in the flickering candlelight. "I'll take it. As long as I'm yours, I'm happy."
I lean across the table, capturing his lips in a soft, sweet kiss. "Always," I murmur against his mouth. "Forever and ever.”
We linger there for a long moment, lost in each other, until the sound of a throat clearing behind us makes us jump apart.
"Sorry to interrupt," our waiter says, looking anything but. "But your dessert is here."
Alex grins, sitting back in his chair. "Ah, perfect timing. Bring it on out, my good man."
The waiter nods, disappearing back into the kitchen. I raise an eyebrow at Alex, curious. "Dessert? I don't remember ordering any."
He just smiles, enigmatic. "That's because you didn't. I did. A little something special to celebrate the occasion."
Before I can ask what he means, the waiter returns, a silver dome-covered plate in hand. He sets it down in front of me with a flourish, lifting the lid to reveal...
A small, velvet box.
My heart stops, my breath catching in my throat. "Alex..."
He stands up, coming around to my side of the table and dropping to one knee. The restaurant goes silent around us, every eye trained on our table.
"Paige Reynolds," he begins, his voice thick with emotion. "From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I knew you were something special. Even when we were at each other's throats, even when I was driving you crazy and you were making me question my sanity...I knew."
He takes my hand, his fingers trembling slightly as he gazes up at me. "I knew that you were it for me. My perfect match, my other half, my forever."
Tears are streaming down my face now, my heart pounding so hard I'm sure the whole restaurant can hear it. "Alex, what are you...?"
He smiles, soft and tender. "What I'm doing, Paige Reynolds, is asking you to be my wife. To spend the rest of your life with me, bickering and bantering and building a future together."
He opens the box, revealing a stunning diamond ring that sparkles like a promise in the candlelight. "I love you, Paige. More than code, more than coffee, more than anything in this world. And I want nothing more than to be yours, forever and ever.”
I'm full-on crying now, my vision blurred with tears of joy and disbelief. "You big, sappy nerd," I manage to choke out, laughing even as I sniffle. "You really had to go and one-up my toast, huh?"
He grins, unrepentant. "Go big or go home, baby. You know how I do."
I shake my head, my heart so full it feels like it might burst. "You're ridiculous. And I love you so fucking much, I can't stand it sometimes."
His grin widens, hope and anticipation shining in his eyes. "Is that a yes?"
I laugh, grabbing his face and pulling him into a searing kiss. "Yes," I murmur against his lips, pouring every ounce of love and certainty I possess into the word. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes."
The restaurant erupts into applause as he slides the ring onto my finger, both of us laughing and crying and clinging to each other like the lovesick fools we are.
"You're stuck with me now, Reynolds," he murmurs, peppering my face with kisses. "No take-backs."
I grin, my cheeks aching from the force of my joy. "Wouldn't dream of it, Spencer. You're mine, forever and ever.”
We stay like that for a long moment, wrapped up in each other, the rest of the world fading away until it's just us, just this perfect, shining moment of love and laughter and happily ever after.
And then Alex's phone buzzes in his pocket, the sound jarring us back to reality.
"Shit, sorry," he mutters, fishing it out and glancing at the screen. "It's the dog sitter. I need to...wait. Dog sitter?"
I frown, confused. "Alex, we don't have a dog."
He looks up at me, his expression a mix of sheepish and excited. "Actually...we kind of do. Surprise?"
My jaw drops, my eyes widening. "Excuse me? When did we get a dog?"
He grins, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, today? I was going to tell you after dinner, but...surprise!"
I stare at him, torn between shock and exasperation. "Alex. We live in an apartment. With a cat. A very territorial, very grumpy cat."
He nods, his eyes pleading. "I know, I know. But Paige...she's perfect. A little golden retriever puppy, all wiggly and cute and so damn sweet. I couldn't resist."
I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Of course you couldn't. You're a total softie, underneath all that charm and swagger."
He grins, unrepentant. "Guilty as charged. But come on, babe. Think about it. A puppy! We can take her on walks, and teach her tricks, and snuggle with her on the couch..."
I can feel my resolve weakening, the mental image of Alex with a puppy tugging at my heartstrings. "What's her name?" I ask, trying to sound stern and failing miserably.
His grin widens, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Boolean."
I blink, sure I must have misheard. "I'm sorry, did you just say...Boolean?"
He nods, looking far too pleased with himself. "Yep. Boolean, like the data type. But we can call her BooBoo for short."
I stare at him for a long moment, torn between groaning and laughing. "You named our dog...after a coding term."
He shrugs, still grinning. "It seemed appropriate! And come on, you have to admit it's cute. Little BooBoo, with her waggly tail and her big puppy eyes..."
I shake my head, a reluctant smile tugging at my lips. "You're impossible. You know that, right?"
He leans in, pressing a quick, smacking kiss to my cheek. "Impossibly charming, you mean. And you love me for it."
I sigh, my heart melting in my chest. "God help me, I really do. Fine, the puppy can stay. But you're the one explaining it to Byte."
Alex winces, no doubt imagining the hissy fit our feline overlord is going to throw when he meets his new canine sister. "Deal. He loves me, he'll come around."
I snort, taking his hand and tugging him towards the door. "Keep telling yourself that, buddy. Now come on, let's go get our dog before the sitter decides to keep her."
He laughs, letting me lead him out of the restaurant and into the warm summer night. And as we walk with hands clasped, my ring glittering on my finger and our future stretching out bright and beautiful before us, I can't help but marvel at how far we've come.
From rivals to lovers, from coworkers to partners in every sense of the word. It hasn't been easy, and I know we still have a lot to learn, a lot of growing to do.
But I also know that there's no one else I'd rather do it with. No one else I'd rather build a life with, byte by byte and puppy by puppy.
Because Alex? He's my perfect match. My other half, my forever love.
And I can't wait to see what comes next.