Page 103 of Any Kind of Life

“Absolutely. They’re looking for a quick sale because they’re moving abroad and don’t plan to come back to the UK unless they absolutely have to.”

“You see,” Juliet said as she leaned in towards Paige. “Could be perfectly timed.”

“I’ll call them in the morning. Would you both be available to view it if they’re interested in your offer? I’m sure they’d like to get everything done and dusted sooner rather than later. They’ve already started packing up as it is.”

“We can be available whenever they are. That’s no problem.” Juliet may be getting ahead of herself here, but this house landing in their laps this evening felt as though it was meant to be. Could Juliet see herself running around after a toddler in that very garden? Oh, she could see it so vividly it almost seemed real. “Right, baby?”

Paige smiled weakly. “It is beautiful. It’s definitely the kind of place I had in mind when you decided to sell the apartment.”

“We, Paige. When we decided to sell the apartment.”

“R-right. Yeah.”

Juliet had been over this with Paige several times now. It didn’t matter if Paige had moved into a place Juliet already owned. They came as a pair these days, and that extended to houses and cars. “So, you want to view it?”

Paige grinned. “I want to view it.”

“Perfect.” Juliet felt that excitement for life building in the pit of her stomach again. It had been a long time coming. Something seemed to get in the way more often than not, but not this time. Juliet was determined to go after anything she wanted. “Will you call me and let me know what the owners say? We’re ready to get the ball rolling if this house turns out to be our dream home.”

Andi smiled. “I’ll get your number before the end of the night.”

Well, then that was that. A wedding booked, a potential new home on the horizon, and the woman of her dreams by her side. Juliet couldn’t want for anything more in life, and as she sat here looking around the table, she knew just how blessed she was to be alive.

Chapter 36

With the early morning sunlight streaming through the windows, Paige sat at the piano, caressing the keys beneath her fingertips. She loved mornings like this. Mornings when the silence gave her the perfect opportunity to think and breathe. Mornings when she felt untouchable simply for having the perfect woman by her side. Mornings when life was good. Paige would admit that she had become used to those mornings, and rightfully so. Only now, she appreciated them far more than she once had. Paige appreciated life in general these days.

It was so easy to settle into a routine, expecting everything to work out perfectly. But Paige now knew a different side to daily life. She knew that the potential to lose everything was never far away. Would she allow those thoughts to take over her life? Absolutely not. But she would make every moment count.

Juliet’s phone started to ring on the kitchen island, stilling Paige’s movements at the piano. Juliet had been waiting for a call from Andi for the last three days, but Paige wasn’t getting her hopes up. As much as she loved the pictures she had seen of the house they planned to view, she hadn’t expected it to cost so much. She would have been happy with a small three-bed semi-detached house. But not Juliet. No, she preferred to go all in with most things in life. “Babe! Phone’s ringing!”

Juliet rushed out of the bathroom and grabbed her phone before the call ended. She stared back at Paige with those loving eyes, her makeup half-finished. “Hello?” A smile spread on Juliet’s lips. It had to be Andi. “Hi. Yes.” Juliet nodded, one hand braced against the island. “Of course. Today would be great. What time?” She winked in Paige’s direction as she nodded. “Perfect. We’ll see you then. Bye, Andi.”

Paige rose to her feet as she closed the lid on her piano and moved towards Juliet where she stood in the kitchen. She couldn’t quite gauge what the plan was, but her fiancée seemed happy with the call. “What’s going on?”

“Viewing at the house today. 2 p.m.” Juliet leaned in and kissed Paige’s cheek. “I guess I’d better finish getting ready.”

Juliet turned to leave, but Paige held her in place. “Babe, are you sure this is the house for us?”

“Well, I don’t know. We have to view it first.” Juliet smiled into a kiss, her arms wrapped around Paige’s waist. “Are you excited? I’m excited!”

“I mean, I guess I will be when we get there. I’m just worried this house is too expensive. I don’t have the kind of money you do. The mortgage is going to cost a fortune.”

“Mortgage.” Juliet snorted. “There will be no mortgage, Paige.”

“Okay, but that still leaves me with the same issue about it. It’s expensive, and I don’t have that kind of money.”

“This place will cover half of it, and I’ve been sitting on the cash from the sale of my mum’s house for a while now. Trust me when I tell you that we can afford it.”

Paige sighed. She didn’t want Juliet to pay out that kind of cash when she didn’t really have anything to contribute. It didn’t seem fair. “Babe, it’s a lot.”

“And I’ll cover it. Don’t worry.” Juliet lifted a hand to Paige’s cheek, feathering her fingertips against her skin. “I know how you feel about it, and I appreciate that you want to contribute, but I’m doing this for us. Not me. I’m doing it for our family.”

Our family. Paige smiled at that. She still couldn’t believe they were going to try to get pregnant. Paige just hoped she didn’t let Juliet down when it came to kids. Still, they’d had that discussion—what would happen if things weren’t working as they should be—and Juliet had told Paige they could figure things out as they happened. “You definitely want to do this with me? The house and the family?”

“Oh, I want your babies, Paige.” Juliet draped her arms over Paige’s shoulders, those eyes shining with total honesty. “I want it all with you. Our new home is just the beginning.”

“If you’re sure about this house when we’ve viewed it, then okay.” Paige nodded slowly, understanding that Juliet was in a better position than she was. That was naturally going to happen, given the age difference and Juliet’s career. Paige couldn’t change that, but she could admire Juliet for wanting to do this for them. “I just hope you love it as much by the end of the day. I think you have your heart set on this particular house, and I don’t want you to be disappointed when we go inside.”

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