Page 33 of And Everything In Between

The admission cost her something. And he pulled her close and placed a kiss to her forehead giving her a little of it back to her.

Giovanni stepped back and nodded once, “Then I’m staying.”

“But you have things to do,” she protested weakly. “Your shop, your life.”

“My shop runs fine without me,” he interrupted. “And it’s Sunday. Right now, this is exactly where I want to be.”

He stood then, closing the distance between them. His hands found her shoulders; he massaged them softly loosening the tension in her neck.

“Thank you,” she said, the words feeling insufficient. “I don’t…I’m not good at this. Letting people help.”

“I noticed,” Giovanni said, but there was no judgment in his tone. His tone said he understood, and she appreciated that. “Luckily, I don’t need you to be good at it, in order to do it.”

Giovanni was right. She’d spent so long handling everything alone that she’d forgotten how to let someone else carry part of the load.

The doctor would come soon. There would be decisions to make, forms to sign, worries to shoulder. But for now, in this moment of strange, suspended time, Paige closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel a moment of relief.

Not because her father was okay, though he was, for now.

Not because her problems were solved, they weren’t, not by a long shot.

But today she wasn’t facing them alone. And she’d be glad and rejoice in that.

She still wasn’t sold on Giovanni’s intentions. People on the outside could say what they wanted, but old habits died hard. Relying on people meant giving them the power to let you down.

Alone, she knew the rules. Alone, she could brace for the fallout. Alone, she controlled the ending. But with Giovanni, that control slipped. And the walls she’d built, although solid, high, and necessary, were starting to crack. And through those very cracks, something unexpected, seeped in.

Trust.

Two hours passed in a blur. Paige had managed to relax for a little while. Giovanni had stayed close but never clinging or crowding her space. But eventually, he did need to go. Andhe hated that he couldn’t stand guard all night to make sure she didn’t go without anything.

He stood in the doorway, keys in hand, watching her with an unreadable look she was starting to crave more than she should.

“I’m gonna slide.” He stood, gathering his things. “I know how you are about your space.”

Paige looked up, biting back the part of her that wanted to ask him to stay. It was too soon for that. Too soft.

Giovanni stepped closer, pressed a kiss to her temple. “Call me when you’re ready,” he said. “For whatever.”

And like that, he was gone.

She sat there a little too long after the door closed, annoyed at how much she already missed his presence. She prayed this wasn’t the kind of thing that demanded more than it gave. She hoped it was the kind of thing that lingered even after it left. Still, she couldn’t believe she’d let him weasel his way in this easily. That realization pissed her off. How was he calling shots? How had she listened?

It hadn’t even been a full damn day.

He had to be working a root. Had to be. Because no way she was this caught up already. As she was mentally cussing herself out, the door cracked back open. Giovanni stepped in, holding a carryout bag and peach lemonade.

“Almost forgot to feed you,” he said, calmly before heading back out. He had dribbled the ball and left it on her side of the court. She was stuck. She hated how much she smiled when he was around. And she loved it even more. What had she gotten herself into?

Chapter 10

Another Saturday rolled around, and things had finally slowed down enough for Paige to breathe. Her dad was back home, still recovering, but no longer a daily crisis. Work had been chaotic, with Ashton deep in her nesting era before maternity leave. Paige was happy for her friend, but it meant her own plate stayed full.

Still, today was for comfort. A cozy night under her throw blanket, something to binge that didn’t require brainpower, and the right snacks to carry her through.

“I already watched that one. I need something else. What you watching?” Paige asked Taylor, who was keeping her company while she strolled through the snack aisle.

“I’m watchingTheHandmaid’s Tale,but you’re not into that.”

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