Page 89 of Any Kind of Life

“Babe, we’ve been there for one another. Don’t ever think you haven’t been here. I know I can talk to you if I need to. I know that you’d never dismiss how I felt. I’m okay. I’ve…been okay. Until we walked in here today, I was managing.”

“I don’t want you to manage, Paige. I want you to say anything you need to say to me.” Juliet would never forget the care Paige had taken recently. She could never thank her for sticking this out and being whatever Juliet needed. “I want you to talk to me.”

Paige eyed the same spot on the floor that she had focused on when they arrived. “That’s where I held you. Right there, in front of the piano.” She sniffled and shook her head. “When the paramedics came in, they told me I had to let go of you. That they needed to work on you to stabilise you so they could put you in the ambulance.”

Juliet listened intently, choosing not to respond but rather give Paige the opportunity to say anything that came to mind.

“I didn’t want to let you go. If you died, I didn’t want you to die on a cold floor while I watched on. I wanted you to go knowing how much I loved you. I…wanted you to go being held. I couldn’t do anything else, I was useless, but I needed to be sure that if you died, you would have gone knowing I was with you.”

God, that was far more powerful than Juliet expected it to be. Of all the things they’d been through together since they met, this had just overtaken it all.

Paige looked to a different area. A corner that now had a table in it. “Henry sat there. I’ve never seen a grown man looking so…devastated. Before you’d lost consciousness again, you asked him to take care of me. He tried not to show it, but I saw the look in his eyes.”

“What look?” Juliet asked, guiding Paige towards the bar so they could sit down.

“The same look I had. Fear, the thought of losing you, the…idea that you wouldn’t make it.”

Juliet held Paige’s chin gently. “But I did. Because of you.”

“There was so much blood, Juliet.” Paige’s bottom lip trembled, her voice breaking as she said that. “I don’t know how you lived because there was so much blood. I didn’t realise there could be so much.” Paige’s hands shook as she relayed everything to Juliet. “When the paramedic came over here to see me, I thought she would say you had died. Because how could you have possibly survived?”

“Your love,” Juliet said, dipping her head towards Paige’s ear as she held her close once again. “I survived because of your love.”

Paige broke down, sobbing in Juliet’s arms where she held her close to the bar counter. Everything around them was perfectly in place, but Juliet felt Paige crumbling with every strangled breath she took.

“Hey, come on.” Juliet soothed Paige with a palm up and down her back. “I’m okay. We’re amazing. I can’t wait for the rest of my life with you.”

She felt Paige begin to relax, her breathing not as erratic as it had been, and then Paige drew back and held Juliet’s face in her hands. “I love you.”

“I know.” Juliet closed her eyes, enjoying those soft palms against her skin. “I love you, too.”

“And you’re right. You’re okay. Everything is okay now.” Paige’s eyes softened as she took a deep breath. “So, now we should get this place sorted out for Edie’s party. She’s going to be beside herself when Hannah and Caz bring her here.”

“I’m thinking maybe…some kind of red carpet. Make it all glitzy for her.”

Juliet wanted the night to be perfect for Edie. Hannah and Caz did so much for her that Juliet and Paige had to be involved. It only seemed fair since they’d taken on the role of aunties.

“Sounds perfect. Edie is going to scream when she sees it all.”

Juliet took one last glance around the bar and then smiled. “Time to move on with our life together, baby. No point looking back.”

Chapter 31

Juliet scanned the restaurant as she stepped inside, hoping Paige wouldn’t be much longer. She had decided to take herself to the salon today for a haircut, and she had texted Juliet ten minutes ago to let her know she was running a little bit late. Juliet had slept through the night again last night, and as she stood there feeling calm and relaxed, she was amazed by what a good sleep could do for the body. She didn’t feel permanently tired anymore, and with the bar still being closed, she could nap in the day if she wished to. That was something she had thoroughly enjoyed today after lunch. It wasn’t something she would make a habit, but she did understand that her body was still recovering.

“Hi. May I help you?” A server stepped towards her, frowning. “Oh! You’re…that woman.”

Huh. That woman. Charming. Juliet sighed. “What woman?”

“The one who was in the paper. The one from the bar.”

“Yes. The one who was…gutted, was it?” Juliet rolled her eyes and checked her watch. “I have a table booked. Two people. Surname is Saunders.”

“R-right. Yes. Follow me.” The server took two menus from the holder attached to the wall and weaved through the tables. Juliet followed, aware that people were staring at her. Couldn’t she enjoy dinner outside of the apartment without eyes on her? God, she hoped this wouldn’t last long. “Here. I’ll give you a few minutes to get seated.”

“I’m waiting for my fiancée. She’s running late.”

The server smiled. “That’s fine. I’ll direct her over when she arrives.”

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