Page 60 of The Hideout

She wanted to go back to her hometown and get her belongings. To say a final goodbye to the village once and for all. She had nothing there. Why bother holding onto a place that made her miserable? She’d considered not returning at all, but Paige needed to do this. If she didn’t go back and retrieve her things, she would feel as though she was still running. But she didn’t want that anymore. No, she wanted to be here with Juliet. In Liverpool.

“Mm. Good morning,” Juliet said from across the kitchen. Her smile was bright and white, that long dark hair pulled atop her head. “You look radiant.”

“It’ll be the athletics of last night. Orgasms always make my skin look better.” Paige crossed the space, holding Juliet from behind. “You smell good. Did you shower without me?”

“I did. You looked too comfortable sleeping. I didn’t want to wake you.”

Paige pouted, turning Juliet in her arms. When Juliet pinned her with that stare, those dark brown eyes constantly stealing her breath, Paige weakened for this woman. “Do you have a minute while I speak to you about something?”

Juliet pulled back, holding Paige by the elbows. “Sure. What’s up?”

“I’m leaving Liverpool on Saturday for the day. Would you mind if I didn’t work the bar? I’ll speak to Cara, and make sure she’s good with working the shift alone.”

“Of course. Going anywhere nice?”

“I, uh…home. Well, to Kent. To collect my stuff.” It wasn’t home. It never would be.

Juliet’s features changed instantly. Fear clouded her eyes. “Why would you possibly want to go back there?”

“It’s just something I need to do. For my own sanity.”

“Then I’ll come with you.” Juliet straightened herself out, a determination in her eyes. “No point going alone when I can be with you.”

Paige pressed a hand to Juliet’s chest, smiling. “While I really appreciate that, I’d like to go alone. I only plan to be at the house for ten minutes while I shove my stuff into a bag. I’ll mostly spend my time on the train. And if I’m back in time, I’ll come straight to the bar to help you close up.”

“Paige, I really don’t like this.”

“I know, but James won’t even be there. I’ve spoken to Harriet. He’s out of the country this weekend.”

“And if he’s not?” Juliet lifted a brow, one hand squeezing Paige’s hip. “If you go home and he’s there?”

“I’ll know if he’s there before I even make it to the front door. If his car is up the drive, I’ll turn around and come back here. To you.” Paige leaned in, kissing Juliet. They may have only been together for six weeks, but in those six weeks, life had truly flourished. And knowing that James wasn’t hanging around the city anymore, Paige felt far calmer than she had in all her time running away. “Because that’s where I really want to be. With you.”

“Promise me?”

Paige’s brows drew together. “Promise you that I’ll come back?”

“That, and promise me that you’ll be okay. That you won’t step foot in that house if he’s there. I need you to promise me that, baby.”

When Juliet called her that, Paige’s insides swirled. She knew what this was. She was in love with Juliet Saunders, but it wasn’t time to announce that. It was far too soon. And Paige knew that if she did say those words, she couldn’t take them back. She had to be one hundred percent sure. Who am I kidding? I know I’m in love with her. “I promise you that I’ll be back here by Saturday night.”

“I can close the bar. If you want me there with you, I’ll close the bar without a second thought.”

“You won’t. This is your business, and you’ve already closed once for me. I won’t let you do that again.”

“Paige, are you sure this is a good idea? I don’t want to stop you from doing whatever the hell you want to do, but I also want you to be safe.”

“Everything is going to be fine. Maybe I’ll call Harriet once I arrive. See if she wants to meet up for coffee. Trust me, if I thought he would be there, I wouldn’t be going.”

“But you think Harriet is feeding him information, don’t you?”

Paige nodded, aware that Juliet had every right to worry. While Paige was wary of Harriet and any information she shared, she would play it carefully. She didn’t believe her friend was sharing information maliciously, but still, she wouldn’t call Harriet until she had collected her belongings, making it far easier to hop on a train suddenly if Paige felt she needed to. “I do. But he’s not in Kent, so that won’t matter. Because I won’t be there long enough for him to come back and find me at the house. It’s going to be fine, babe. Really, it is.”

Juliet lowered her eyes between them. “Okay. If this is what you want to do.”

“Hey, look at me,” Paige said, lifting Juliet’s chin with the tips of her fingers. “It’s going to be okay. You know I wouldn’t go back there if I knew he’d be around. He’s going to Paris. But this is our day off together. I’d rather be here with you, not thinking about him, so that’s what I’m going to do.”

Juliet’s lips curled into the most beautiful smile. “All day and all night?”

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