Page 78 of And Everything In Between

She pressed into him and grabbed the back of his head to bring him down to her level. “Imma swallow that pretty muthafucka whole tonight. I’ll meet you at your house.”

Giovanni bit his lip before slapping her on the ass. She took off with a giggle.

When Paige made it to the car, her father looked at her.

“What?” she asked with a twisted face. “Do I have something on my face?”

Her face grew flushed thinking that maybe her dad saw that exchange.

“That’s my son-in-law. I can tell.”

“Relax. Oh my god,” Paige muttered, cheeks burning. “You like him for real?”

“Yeah.” Perry didn’t hesitate to answer. Giovanni was the man he always hoped she’d find. Somebody with more self-control and brains than he had. “That’s a solid man right there. Gotta be, to deal with you and get you to soften up. Watching y’all, it’s like... it makes me think of ya momma.”

“Daddy,” she groaned, rolling her eyes and laughing at the same time. “Don’t make me start crying out here in this parking lot.”

“You’d be alright if you did. Happy tears are a good thing.”

“What’s gotten into you, old man?” Paige hadn’t expected this when she picked him up. But she should have known that Giovanni would win her heart over even more through her daddy. Giovanna was cut from a different cloth and good people.

“I left you to carry weight I should’ve held,” he said quietly. “And for that… I’m sorry.”

Paige stiffened, the words catching her off guard. Her fingers gripped the steering wheel as she tried to keep the tears at bay.

“No, we’re not doing this,” she said quickly. “Not today.”

“Yes, we are.” His voice was firmer now, but not unkind. “I fucked up in more ways than I can count. I left you. Not only physically, but emotionally. And you stepped up. You didn’t have a choice.”

He looked over at her then, eyes softer than she’d seen in years.

“It’s okay to be mad at me. To be conflicted. I know I earned that. But I need you to know something, I am proud of you. Proud of the woman you became in spite of me. I see how you move now, Paige. I see you living. And it humbles me. It makes me grateful for the time I do have with you, even if it ain’t long.”

She didn’t speak, just reached across the console and grabbed his hand. Squeezing them once.

She didn’t have to raise her voice. “That’s enough.” And it was.

In that simple touch lay forgiveness for two decades of absence, understanding for choices made in grief, and acceptance of the broken, beautiful bond between them. Neither of them was perfect, but they were family. And today, somehow, in a parking lot outside Giovanni’s shop, she felt blessed that her family was growing.

She started the car, letting her father’s words settle over her.

“Seatbelt,” she murmured, putting the car into drive. Old folks always acted brand new about seatbelts; this was her small way of still taking care of him. As they pulled away, Paige glanced in the rearview mirror, catching Giovanni watchingthem leave. The man who’d helped make this moment possible without even knowing it.

Giovanni watched them pull away, smiling to himself.

His phone buzzed with a text:

Paige:Thank you for today. For everything. You keep showing me what love looks like in action.

Giovanni:That’s the only way I know how to love, Cinny. See you tonight.

He tucked his phone away and turned back to the shop. There was still work to do, cars to fix, and a business to run. But his mind was already at home, waiting for Paige to walk through the door.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. By the time Giovanni showered and locked up the shop, stars had already claimed the sky. He moved through the evening traffic with ease, mind already settled into that quiet space that only came when he was heading to her.

Giovanni’s code could be heard from the front a little after six thirty. The scent of vanilla and jasmine greeted him as he stepped inside. Her candles were lit, which meant she was still in a soft mood. He rubbed his hands together. He loved her all warm and tender.

“In here,” Paige called from the kitchen like a siren.

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