Page 56 of The Hideout

Juliet puffed out her cheeks, her brows lifting. “I certainly hope so. For my sake.”

“Anyway, today is about us. Not all the dickheads we seem to have in our lives. So, I don’t want to talk about anyone else until we’re at least heading back to the city.”

“Fine by me.”

“Do you come out here often?” Paige peered out the windscreen, taken aback by the gorgeous lake ahead of them. The area Juliet was pulling up in was secluded, surrounded by trees, not a house or another car in sight. “Please tell me you used to come here when you needed time to yourself.”

“Time to myself?” Juliet cut the engine and turned in her seat, a look of shock on her face. “What’s that?”

“Har-har!”

“I’m serious. You’re the first person I’ve brought here in years. And by years, I’m talking at least fifteen. I didn’t have time to breathe, let alone enjoy picnics by a lake.”

“Then we should make sure you can have that time in the future. It’s important that you look after yourself. Nobody else will do it for you.”

“Not even you?” Juliet stuck her bottom lip out.

Paige grinned. It would be an honour to look after Juliet if things went well for them. It really would. “You know I will. That’s not something you ever have to wonder.”

“That’s an odd feeling for me,” Juliet explained, unfastening her seatbelt. Paige did the same, waiting until Juliet wanted to expand on that comment. “I’ve never had someone to spend time with. To share my home with. Someone to enjoy dinner with and conversations like this.”

“I hate that.”

“It is what it is. I focused on my career for far too long. But look what I have now.” Juliet reached a hand across the console, squeezing Paige’s knee. “I think it was worth the wait.”

Paige dipped her head, her cheeks heating rapidly. “You’re going to make me cry. Stop.”

“This is very much the unknown for us both. Life at home wasn’t happy for you, and I know just by the look in your eyes when we’re together like this that it’s foreign to you, too.”

Wow. Paige had no idea Juliet could read her so well. “You’re right. This is all new for me, too. We didn’t do anything like this. There was never a day out or any excitement.”

“I’m sorry you had to put yourself through a marriage to make other people comfortable.”

Paige lifted a shoulder. “Like you say, it is what it is.”

“Come on. Let’s have a closer look at the lake.” Juliet opened her door, smiling over her shoulder at Paige. “Maybe we could take our first selfie together.”

Every time Juliet said something like that, Paige wanted to melt in her arms. She grabbed her phone from the side of the door and rushed around the front of the car. Her arm landed around Juliet’s waist as she pulled her closer, no worries on her mind for once. That was another weird feeling. Not worrying. But being with Juliet meant Paige rarely worried.

“Hey!” Paige lifted her phone and snapped a photo as she caught Juliet off guard with a kiss. She brought up the picture and smiled. “I think that is the perfect first picture, don’t you?”

Juliet took Paige’s phone, studying the image. And then she sighed, handing it back as they slowly approached the edge of the water. “It really is.”

“The number of times I sat at home, across the room from him…just wishing I wasn’t stuck, you know?” Paige shoved her phone in the pocket of her shorts, raking a hand through her hair. “I’ve never complained, I’ve never asked for anything, but being stuck there and knowing that coming out would probably mean the end of my life…I’d never felt so alone. It’s a horrible feeling.”

Juliet turned to Paige, wrapping her up in her arms. Paige pressed the side of her face to Juliet’s chest, allowing the embrace to really make her feel.

“The thought of you being there and miserable hurts my heart, Paige.” Juliet kissed Paige’s hair, holding her close. “And I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you’re safe and that you never have to worry about him again.”

Paige lifted her head, her gaze piercing Juliet. “I really hope this can work out for us.”

“Tell me what you want. What you see in your future…”

“Honestly, nothing too grand.” And that was the truth. Paige just wanted to be comfortable in her own skin while loving someone unconditionally. “A calm home. To be comfortable financially. To not worry about what people think of me. And to have great sex. That’s about it. I’ve missed out on so much great sex that it actually pains me to think about it. Like, imagine if I died tomorrow. I’d have spent all of my twenties having the worst sex of my life. But at least I’d be leaving this shitty earth knowing I’d had the chance to touch you, and taste you, and be with you.”

Juliet’s eyes filled with tears. “You’re not going to die tomorrow. But you will be having some great sex before then. I can promise you that.”

“Oh, yeah?” Paige quirked a brow, knowing that Juliet was easy to tease. “Then you’d better control yourself until we get back later.”

---