Page 119 of See You at the Finish Line

With the exception of Liam, everyone welcomes me warmly, bringing me into conversations and making me feel at home in their family dynamic. Jake and I bond over our mutual love of yoga.

The face Adam makes when his family finds out he went to a class with me is priceless. The teasing is relentless—and I love every second of it.

It’s been just me and Leah, and even before it was the two of us with Mom. While we could get loud and rowdy, it was nothinglike three brothers and a sister and their partners. I bring a drink to Maggie and sit with her on the uneven deck as the siblings begin competing with each other.

As soon as I sit, she rests her hand on my arm.

“Thank you,” she says quietly.

“For what?”

“For bringing so much light back to him.”

The wave of emotion I feel is so strong because that’s what I feel Adam has done for me, not the other way around.

“I should be thanking you for raising such an incredible son,” I tell her sincerely.

She smiles. “Out of all my boys, I worry about Adam the most. Not because of what you might think.” She turns to me with a knowing look of sadness in her eyes. “I worried that he wouldn’t be able to find someone to match his relentless spirit. I was worried he’d find someone who tied him down, instead of flying with him.”

I mull over her words as I watch Adam lift Isabel onto his back and his niece over his shoulders, carrying them. They’re playing football, and Isabel had tried to tackle him while the four-year-old carried the ball. It’s absurd, of course. I love all of it.

“Sometimes we marry people who are our exact opposites because we need what we don’t have. Like me and my husband. I could never have married anyone like me—I would’ve floated away completely. But Thomas grounds me, and that works for us.

“Adam is so much like me, but he doesn’t need grounding like I do. He does have some of his dad in him. He won’t float away but he needs to soar. And you, dear, you make him soar.”

Emotion clogs my throat so all I can do is smile at her.

A few minutes later Adam looks over to us, a huge smile on his face, and before I know it he’s charging towards me. He picks me up, flinging me over his shoulders, and carries me down to the grass, laughing with my face against his back.

“Okay,” he says, placing me on my feet but keeping an arm around my waist. “It’s time to race.”

I’m so fucking happyI may burst. I knew everyone was going to love Paige, and even Liam is warming up to her. That may have more to do with the fact that she beat Simon in a foot race and laughed while she did it.

God, I love her.

Even though we’re enjoying ourselves, with everyone happy and getting along, I can’t shake the underlying current of dread. My dad was in court this morning, so I knew he was going to be late. Not that he told me himself—my mom informed me.

I keep glancing at the door, waiting for him to appear. I so badly want to enjoy this time with Paige and my siblings, but I keep getting distracted.

Paige’s hand slips into mine, bringing my attention back to her. It’s never far from her anyway so it’s not hard to adjust. The way she effortlessly fit right into everyone’s hearts is more than I could have asked for.

“Hi,” I say. Her perfect eyes are bright.

“Hi.”

“Are you having fun?”

“I am. Your family is wonderful, Adam.”

My brows shoot up. “Even Liam?”

She laughs. “Even Liam.” She leans her head against my bicep and takes a deep breath. She’s quiet. I can feel her thinking.

“Nothing can replace your mom, your family, sweetheart.” I place a kiss on the top of her head because I can’t help myself. And because we’re together and I finally get to do things like smack her ass when she bends over in the kitchen and kiss her forehead whenever I want.

She looks up at me, her eyes shining. “How did you know what I was thinking?”

I shrug, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, and run my fingers through her dark ponytail.

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