Page 29 of Heartstrings & Horizons
Did he just agree to marry me?
“Yes, Sunshine.”
“Cade, I —”
“Baby…” There’s that word again.Baby.He’s used it twice since the call connected and it’s making butterflies dance in my chest. Something about it feels so fundamentallyright.
“I know this is completely insane, but if getting married would bridge the distance between us, I think we owe it to ourselves to see where this goes.”
“What will we tell everyone? Cade, you’re supposed to be the voice of reason. You’re supposed to tell me I’m crazy and hang up on me.”
Cade
“I’m finding I don’t much want to do that,” I tell her honestly. “I kind of like the idea of my ring on your finger.”
There’s a weird sound on the line, then my phone beeps with a video request. I quickly tap accept, and the sight before me has me furrowing my brow. She’s either sobbing into her hands or laughing hysterically. I don't know which option is worse. When she looks up briefly, I can see that it’s the latter.
“You ok there, Sunshine?” I ask with an edge of incredulity.
“Yeah, I’m… processing. This is a lot to take in.”
“This was your idea!” I shout, without a trace of anger in my voice. I take a deep breath, steadying myself. “Paige, do you want to be with me?”
She sighs and I’m not sure if I want to hear what comes next. It’s like we’re standing at the edge of a cliff, and the next word can either pull us back towards solid ground or push us over the edge. She stays silent for what feels like years, but is probably only a few seconds.
“Yes.”
She fucking said yes!She continues,“Ok. So we get engaged and then we… date?”
I chuckle. This is so backwards.
“I guess? I can’t ignore this thing between us anymore. I don’t want to.”
“I don’t want to ignore it either, but...”
“So let’s get married then,” I say with a sense of determination behind my words.
“Ok, listen, I think we both need to take a step back. You go talk to Dean, I’ll go talk to Mags. Maybe they can be the voice of reason, or at the very least, give us a different perspective.”
The suggestion has some merit, but I’m not sure I would consider Dean the “voice of reason” in any scenario. And from what I know of Mags, she’s a bit of a free spirit. Paige might think she’ll talk her off a ledge but I have a sneaking suspicion she just might give her a shove.
Paige
“Am I completely insane, Mags?”
“Well…”
“Oh god, I really have lost my mind.”
“Ok, listen. I don’t think it’s that simple.”
“I’m listening…”
“Are you happy here? In Toronto I mean.” The question catches me off-guard. It’s not at all what I expected her to ask. “And don’t fucking lie to me. I’m your best friend and I’ll know if you’re lying.”
“Yes.” As soon as the word comes out, Mags gives me an irritated look. “Ok, fine.. No.”
“Doesn’t it feel good to admit it?”
