Page 32 of Inked Craving

I laughed, set my phone on the center console, and headed to go pick up our dinner and go to Paige’s.

I knew what Andrea and the others at work thought. That Paige and I were together, or at least tiptoeing around it. But we couldn’t be. Paige would be a mom and needed to focus on that part of what her future entailed. I wouldn’t be that part.

I had to let her become who she needed to be. And no matter how much I wanted her, it was the fucking wrong decision.

As it was, her brothers didn’t know we had slept together. And they would never know. I was pretty sure they only let us hang out as much as we did because they thought everything was platonic. Not that Paige would allow her brothers to take over her life, but they weren’t interfering much with anything these days because I was here. I was helping. Or at least, I was pretending.

It was complicated, a mess, and I had no idea what I was doing, but Paige wasn’t mine, and I had to remember that.

I picked up our dinners and told myself I should probably learn a few skills when it came to cooking. Paige was a much superior cook than me, and I needed to be better so I didn’t spend so much time and money picking up food orders. But between work and helping get Paige’s house ready for the new baby, I wasn’t the best person for cooking.

I pulled into Paige’s driveway, then let myself in with the key she had given me. It was probably weird that I had a key, but I wasn’t going to complain. It made things easier.

“Paige? I have dinner.”

“I’m in the nursery. Why is this crib evil?”

I scowled, set our dinner on the kitchen island, and stomped towards the nursery. Paige sat on the floor, pieces of the crib strewn about her, and instructions on her calves. Considering she was nearing the end of her pregnancy and twice as large as she had been even a month ago, I could not believe she had even gotten herself down onto the floor. I wasn’t going to mention that, though, because I liked my balls exactly where they were, thank you very much.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I asked, surprised at the venom in my tone.

Paige’s eyes widened. “I’m putting together my crib. I can do this.”

“I’m sure you can, you’re a Montgomery, and you have builder’s genes, but why the fuck are you on the floor?”

She blushed. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. But now I can’t get up, and I have to pee. So, yes, I need your help. Damn it.”

I scowled and then went behind her, putting my arms under her shoulders, my hands on her hips as I gently boosted her up. She grunted, and I hated that I loved the way she felt against me. There was something seriously wrong with me, considering all I could do was think about bending her over and fucking her, and she was nearly nine months pregnant.

“I hate that I can’t do things on my own.”

I turned her in my arms and cupped her face. “You do everything on your own. You’re damn good at it. Stop.”

“I can’t stop. Colton isn’t coming. He made a decision that he’s going to stay where he is, and here I am. Alone.”

I ignored the fire inside me at those words. Every time Colton called these days, Paige ended up in pain, and I hated the other man. Though I hated him more because he had that connection that I would never have, and it had taken me far too long to realize that. “And what am I? Chopped liver?”

Her eyes filled with tears, and I hated myself. I leaned down and did the one thing that both of us never talked about.

I kissed her.

“I have to pee,” she mumbled against my lips, and I snickered and let her go.

“Don’t put that crib together without me.”

“I just might. Because there’s no way you’re bending down to help. Not with that waddle of yours.”

She flipped me off, then closed the bathroom door behind her. And so, I leaned against the doorjamb, crossing my arms over my chest, and wondered what the hell I was doing.

I had offered to help her through this because we were friends, and I hadn’t known what else to do. But now, there was no going back. Yet, there wouldn’t be any moving forward, either.

Not when it came to Paige or the life we had chosen to live, however tangled, messy, and confusing it was.

ChapterTen

Paige

“I’m so glad that you have a pop of bright color in your theme,” Annabelle stated as she leaned down and kissed the top of my head. I looked up at my sister and shook my head.

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