Page 133 of Delicate Storm

“Okay?”

“I believe you, but I still need to look after her moving forward. She can’t be doing as much as she was.”

“My guess is that she wants to. I’ll bet she’ll do anything to keep her life as normal as possible.”

I huff out a laugh. “That’s exactly what she said.”

“Great minds.” Paige smiles and a feeling of comfort takes over me.

“Thank you for being here today. And all the other times you’ve appeared out of nowhere when I needed someone.”

“Funny. I thought you were the one always showing up.”

“Maybe it’s both of us.”

“Either way, I’m glad I could help. I had a lot of fun with Isaac.”

“And he had a lot of fun with you. I heard all about the cookies.”

“Hope you don’t mind him being high on sugar for the next few days. There are plenty left, and I’m not taking them because then I’ll eat them all.”

“As I said, I would have been good with you giving him ice cream for dinner.”

“Thank you.” Paige smiles to herself and it’s a little infectious.

“What are you smiling about?”

“You. Isaac.”

“Yeah?”

“Sometimes you’re so alike, and other times you’re not. But he’s a great kid. And he’s so smart. He’ll get through this. I know it.”

“You’re right. At least about him being smart. He told me something on the phone tonight and I laughed it off. Until now.” Until I realized how stupid and blind I’d been.

“What did he say?” Paige’s smile remains and I find myself drawn to her lips, her face, her eyes. I’m drawn to her. Have been for a while now.

“He told me he loved you,” I say with Isaac’s voice playing in my mind as if he’s saying it again.

Paige swallows and her eyes water. “I heard him,” she rasps.

“Do you know what that tells me?”

“No.”

“It tells me that he saw something in you that he trusted. That he knows how special you are. And it tells me that he’s more observant than I realize. Or maybe observant isn't right; he’smore emotionally aware. Because Paige… it took memonthsto realize I was falling in love with you and he’s already there.”

Paige bites her lip before her eyes lock with mine. “You’re falling in love with me?”

“I am. I can’t get you out of my head. I want to see you all the time. Touch you. Be with you. But it wasn’t until I wanted to let you in that I realized what I was feeling. This is bigger than I meant for it to be.”

“I wasn’t looking for anything more than sex. Actually, I wasn’t even looking for that. But I’m falling in love with you too. With both of you.”

My eyes widen as my heart cracks open. That means more to me than anything else. “And I think I just fell a little more.”

Paige laughs as I grab her face and press my lips to hers, sealing our confessions with a kiss. I still have no idea where we go from here, but I’m going to do anything I can do to fix my life, because I want Paige to be a part of it. And she deserves better.

Pulling away, I grab one of her hands and press another kiss to her fingers. As much as I’d love to take her to my bedroom right now, she was there for me and it’s my turn to be there for her. “Now that I’ve confessed everything, I want to know aboutyou. All of it. The good, the bad, the stuff that makes you want to spend your time with an asshole and his son.”

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