Page 73 of And Everything In Between

“You did,” Paige mumbled through a grin. “It’s like the softest, healthiest obsession.”

Paige closed her eyes, thinking of him.

“It’s scary. But it’s...good scary.”

“See what happens when you stop tryin’ to be everybody’s everything and let somebody be something to you?” Blake teased.

Paige opened her eyes, emotion bubbling behind her lashes. “I feel like I’m in a fairytale. Floating.”

Blake got to work on Paige’s hair first. She wanted to do something soft, since the dress was already bold. They talked of course like girl cousins did throughout their time together. Paige gushed about the last few months with Giovanni, in how even with the distance sometimes she felt closer to him than she ever felt with anyone else. They understood each other on another level.

Blake finished her hair in no time, giving her soft, cascading curls to one side.

Paige reached for her phone and snapped a quick pic of herself. She looked the fuck good.

“Come on you can use the guest room to get ready.”

She helped her slip into the burgundy dress, and when Paige stepped in front of the mirror, she nearly gasped. The woman staring back was the Paige who’d survived some shit, made peace with herself, and stepped into her soft era without apology. Power and femininity lived in the curve of her smile andthe way her hips filled out her dress. Gold accents sparkled on her skin, and her glow was unmatched.

“I’m proud of you,” Blake said softly from behind her. “Not for this promotion. But for choosing this version of yourself and trusting yourself.”

“Me too,” Paige whispered. “I didn’t even know she was still in here.”

Blake handed her the matching gold heels and waved her toward the door. “Now go. He’s waiting.”

The driver reappeared like magic, and this time, when Paige stepped back into the SUV, she did so like a woman who knew her worth. She sat back, legs crossed, hand resting on her knee. She didn’t know what Giovanni had planned next, but she was walking into it with no hesitation.

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Paige had no idea how she changed the beat of Giovanni’s heart. What she had given him mentally. She hadn’t asked for anything, hadn’t demanded he prove a thing, and that only made him want to give her more. All she did was show up, be herself, and still, she made him want to build something he’d never had before.

That’s why today mattered.

That’s why he rented out the space, cleared the bay, and worked his fingers to the bone to get this surprise done for her. Not because he needed to flex, but because he needed her to see herself through his eyes. This was more than a gift. It was proof of what he could create when he was centered, focused, and loved correctly.

The warehouse was quiet when he arrived. Big, industrial doors were drawn shut, and the lights were already low except for the spots above the covered car in the middle of the floor. She had no clue what she was walking into. He made sure of that. The final touches had been completed hours ago. The custompaint job dried to perfection, gold Forgiato rims mounted, and every stitch of the crushed velvet interior hand-selected for the Monte Carlo. No detail was missed. The car was sleek, deep purple, with gold metallic flakes that caught the light like cinnamon dust. He thought she was crazy for that color combo, but he got it. The curves were exactly what she’d inspired him to sketch. This would be his first major build for the show, and it was hers in every way that mattered. It was why the network had him fucked up wanting to scrap it.

He checked his phone, they were five minutes out, then took a breath and adjusted his shirt, nerves buzzed low in his stomach as he wondered if she would like it. Truthfully, it wasn’t that. He knew she would love it. His nerves came from the feeling underneath. The need for her to see how serious he was. He needed her to feel the same. Because if she uttered the words, those three small but powerful words, he would move heaven and earth to build a life for her that encompassed nothing but love, support, and commitment. There’d be nothing that got to her that didn’t come through him.

The sound of tires crunching gravel made him turn.

A sleek black Escalade rolled up to the bay. He didn’t move right away, he let his heart catch up. He saw the door open, then a flash of oiled legs. When she stepped around the door, that burgundy dress hugged curves he’d memorized in the early mornings and the latest of late nights. She stepped into the light, hair cascading to one side, with a walk that made him clear his throat and adjust himself. He knew, just like the first night she walked across the lot, that this was it. There wasn’t another soul on this earth for him. He was gone. And he’d be that way for the foreseeable future.

Paige smiled, stepping toward him slowly, unsure, her eyes scanning the warehouse. She wanted to run to him, he’d given her a perfect day, but her heart was beating rapidly fromexcitement, this was the best she could give him in fear of passing out. “What is all of this? You’ve been cutting up all day.”

Giovanni paused before answering. He took her hand, pulled her in close, and kissed her temple, then her forehead. That was his thing, and she loved it.

“I wanted to show you what you did. What you inspired. But first we eat, slow dance, and celebrate you doing big shit. Us doing big shit. But especially you.”

“That sounds perfect.”

He led her over to the small candlelit table, pulled out her seat. She took a seat and looked up at him with so much love that he couldn’t help but grab the sides of her face and kiss her perfectly painted lips. She was gorgeous. A light that couldn’t be dimmed. He’d put anyone six feet under who tried to snuff it out.

“I’m in love with you. Paige. And I was trying to hold on to that until later, but you looking at me like that, it… I needed to say it.”

Tears pooled in Paige’s eyes as she looked away. This day had been a lot; she’d got the job she wanted, had the man, a what a man he was. And he was in love with her. Her emotions couldn’t handle much more, or she’d be bawling over dinner.

“You did it baby. How does it feel?” he asked, sitting down across from her. He needed to put some distance between them before the agenda got scrapped. She smelled good enough to eat.

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