Page 56 of Waiting on You

“No,” Mom says, “that doesn’t defend him. You were obviously upset, and he should’ve come to you. He should’ve tried harder. You already lost your mother…”

Mom pulls Paige into a hug since she’s sitting next to her at the dinner table. “You’re so strong,” she coos. “Losing your mother and then your father. You went to college and then got your MBA all on your own. You should be so proud of yourself.”

“Thank you,” Paige says.

“I know you’re independent and used to going through life alone, but you have us now,” Mom tells her matter-of-factly. “We’re your family. Anything you need—and I mean, anything—you just ask.”

“Thank you,” Paige whispers as Mom continues to hug her.

I can’t tell if she’s annoyed or sad or now regretting coming to dinner since I’m sitting on the other side of her and her face is tucked into my mom’s chest, butmy answer is given when the hug ends and Paige turns to me, and with a small smile on her face, she says, “I really like your family.”

“Good, because they really like you,” I murmur so only she can hear.

Dinner was spent with everyone getting to know Paige. They didn’t ask her anything to make her feel uncomfortable, keeping it about the baby and how she likes living in Rosemary. Carmine talked to her about the Kingston-Bradford partnership since he’s supposed to be the point of contact, and they hit it off immediately, talking about marketing through half the meal.

Then, Paige shocked me when she started asking the questions. It’s not that I don’t think she’s social, but I wasn’t sure how it would go since there’s only one of her and so many of us, so I’d imagine it could be a bit intimidating. But she was comfortable enough to ask Carmine and Penny about their kids, which stemmed into a conversation about parenting, which unfortunately led to Paige admitting she lost her parents years ago in different ways.

“I’m glad you convinced me to come,” she says with a smile.

“Me too.” I lean over and kiss the corner of her mouth.

“And I’m really glad this will be our baby’s family.”

Her words cause my heart to both warm and squeeze in my chest. The former because I love that she’s soaccepting of them, and the latter because even though she’s so accepting of them, her home is four hours away from them, which means so is mine.

And with that thought, it hits me—I’m going to need to move to Rosemary if I want a future with Paige. And I do, more than anything else in this world.

And just like that my decision is made—I’m moving to Rosemary.

“I wish my mom were here,”Paige admits, laying her head on my shoulder as we watch the fountains dance to the lights. “She would’ve loved your mom.”

After we had dessert and everyone said good night since we’re going to see them tomorrow at the barbecue, I asked Paige if she’d like to go for a walk with me. Downtown can get busy, but there’s a walkway along the water, where I sometimes go for a run, that’s beautiful at night. She spotted the fountains immediately, so we had a seat on the bench to watch them.

“Do you think she would’ve liked me?” I ask, curious since they were so close.

Paige looks up at me and grins. “She would’ve warned me away from you. Told me you were too good-looking and you would break my heart.”

I know she’s only half joking, but I lean in anyway and speak so she can hear me clearly over the sound of the water. “I would’ve proven her wrong…shown her not to judge a book by its cover because there’s no man who will love her daughter like I will…like I do.”

Paige’s eyes go wide. “L-love? You mean hypothetically, right?”

“No,” I admit truthfully. “I love you, Paige.” I glance up so I can look into her striking green eyes. “I fell in love with you in London, and I told you so, and it’s only grown since then.” I place my hand on her bump and kiss her lips before backing up slightly so I can look at her again. “I’m going to show you every day how much I love you and our little one.”

Paige’s eyes water as she nods in understanding. I don’t expect her to say the words back. Even if she feels them, she’s too scared about our future. But I need her to know how I feel. I love her, and if I have it my way, I’ll get to spend the rest of our lives showing her how much.

“Wow, you have a big family,”Paige says, sitting in a chair I saved for her. “Your mom introduced me to them as her daughter-in-law.”

“Give it time, and she’ll be insisting you call her Ma.”

My mom knows no boundaries. Once you’re part of our family, you’re in it for life. Valerie and Penny are both close with their moms, but it didn’t stop mine from insisting they call her Ma, claiming they were the daughters she never had.

“Oh, she already did,” she says, her eyes glassywith emotion. “Right after she told me she can never replace my mom, but she already loves me like one of her own.” She glances out at everyone laughing and talking and mingling. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be part of a big family.”

“It’s not all rainbows and sunshine,” I tell her. “People disagree, and arguments happen. One Thanksgiving, my aunt Linda stopped talking to my uncle Barry, and the whole ordeal got canceled. Half the family ate at my parents’ while the other half ate at my uncle Barry’s.”

“But they obviously made up since they’re all here now,” Paige points out.

“Yeah, they always make up. That’s what families do. They fight, and they make up.”

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