Page 52 of And Everything In Between

“My dad made it onto the transplant list,” she said, surprising even herself by how fast the shift came. “He’s officially eligible. There’s still a wait, but... it’s progress. I won’t get my hopes up.”

Giovanni reached for her hand without hesitation, cradling it between both of his. “That’s big. I need to go see him. We should celebrate that.”

She squeezed his fingers, grateful for how he didn’t minimize the significance. “It is. But it’s also a reminder. I can’t waste time on things that don’t serve me. I’ve done the hiding, the settling, and ignoring my own needs for everybody else. I can’t do that anymore.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” he said, his thumb tracing patterns on her palm. “Not with me.”

“I want this too,” she admitted, her voice dropping to match the intimacy of the moment, “but I need to know that you don’t want me to solely focus all my life on you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m here, but I still need to be here for me and my dreams too.”

Giovanni looked at her, no blink, no hesitation. “I respect that. I’ll be here to support you and those dreams. They matter to me, the same way you do. A woman with goals is exactly what I want. I’ll never make you choose between me and them.”

She nodded, eyes softer now, something inside her easing.

“So,” he said, sitting back as their plates were placed in front of them, the aroma of fresh herbs and seafood rising between them, “now that we know what it is… what’s next?”

Paige smiled, spearing a shrimp with her fork. “Next? You keep feeding me like this. And we keep being honest.”

“Food and honesty, huh?” He grinned. “That’s it?”

“And one little other thing too. That’s it for now.” Her eyes sparkled.

Giovanni raised his glass. “Then here’s to for now.”

Paige clinked hers against his. “And making it beautiful as we go.”

They finished the night with more wine, more conversation, and a shared piece of cheesecake that had them fighting playfully over the last bite. Of course, he let her have it. Giovanni was a lost cause. He’d never been one to get distracted by the way someone ate food, but watching Paige lick her spoon, slurp up her noodles, and moan softly when the lemon sauce hit her tongue had him shifting in his seat. Every little sound she made drove him crazy, had him thinking about their night at his place and how soon he could hear those sounds again.

They didn’t say much on the ride back. Only thing passing between them was shared small looks, soft smiles, the easy kind of quiet that only came when two people knew they’d cleared a hurdle and found themselves on the same side.

When they finally pulled up to her place, Paige unlocked her door, heels dangling from his hand as they made their way inside. Giovanni followed her into her home, her scent enveloping him immediately - vanilla, coconut oil, it was uniquely her. She didn’t offer a grand tour. He didn’t ask. Instead, she tossed her purse on the entry table and led him straight to the balcony.

“Give me a sec,” she said, slipping out the sliding glass door. “I need some air.”

Giovanni followed behind her, hands in his pockets, leaning against the rail.

“I saw the video,” Paige said finally, voice softer now. “The car show clip. That moment when you stopped traffic… when you stepped out of the car… that’s why I reached out.”

Giovanni turned to her, interest piqued. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “I knew you had eyes on me, but when I saw it from that angle… I felt like you were lookin’ for me and maybe you didn’t even notice.”

He laughed. “I was. Earlier my folks were on my ass and I don’t know when I left I felt like something big was going to happen. ”

Paige smirked.

“You were one of the best parts of that whole night.”

They locked eyes again. Giovanni pulled her out of the chair by her hand, closing the space between them as they swayed. No music was playing, none needed. He knew she liked to slow dance, and he’d be cheesier than all of Wisconsin for her. He was going to win her heart, marry her, give her babies, happiness, help, safety, and peace.

After their impromptu dance ended, they settled back into the balcony chairs. Paige lit a blunt, the smoke curling into the night air between them. Giovanni sat low in the chair beside her, arm draped casually over the back of her seat. He wasn’t smoking, but he didn’t flinch when she did. He sat there with that same calm stillness he always brought, being around her was its own kind of peace.

“This is crazy, you know? We did everything backwards. Now we talking about ‘what’s next.’ That’s some backwards shit.”

He laughed low. “Way backwards. I don’t even know your favorite color. You could be a serial killer or have a mean left hook, and I wouldn’t know until it was too late.”

She side-eyed him, lips curved. “It’s cinnamon, by the way. My favorite color.”

“Girl what? That ain’t even a color. That’s a spice.”

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