Page 95 of And Everything In Between

Paige smiled.

“They never see it coming until it’s too late.”

Myra handed Paige a bottle of water, cutting in, “Your husband’s looking for you. Please go find him, because I’m going upside his head if he bothers us again.” Us was her and Betsy, who had now become attached to each other at the hip. Pagie and Giovanni loved it; it made everything so much easier.

Outside, the crowd had shown up thick, beyond their expectations. What had started as Giovanni's mission had resonated across the community and beyond. Every 8 minutes, someone new joined the kidney transplant waiting list, a statistic that hit close to home for more families than Paige had realized.

People from neighboring towns had arrived not just to see custom cars but to support a cause that had become deeply personal thanks to the stories Giovanni had shared on his show. Even JT’s mom was at the event. They’d kept it cordial when they crossed each other. JT was long gone from her life; his last letter had been returned to sender months ago. That chapter was closed for good. There was no need for anything else.

Paige made her way to the showcase area, greeting volunteers and answering questions about donor registration. This was new territory for her, not banking and family obligations, but community organizing around a cause that mattered deeply. She loved that Giovanni challenged her and taught her new skills.

Behind the showcase tent, Giovanni stood beside the tarp-covered vehicle, directing his team to keep it covered and keep the kids from touching it or bothering it.

He looked up the moment she approached, like some sixth sense always told him when she was near.

“There she is. Come see this, P.”

Paige stepped closer as he pulled back the edge of the tarp, enough for her to glimpse what lay beneath. She gasped.

“Vanni... it’s perfect.”

The car was a 1967 Cadillac DeVille, Perry’s dream car. He’d mentioned it once, casually, during one of those afternoons when Giovanni had sat with him during treatment. He’d owned one briefly, before prison, before everything had changed. Giovanni had spent the past three months tracking down ashell, restoring it, and transforming it into something that would hopefully leave him speechless.

“You think he’ll like it?” Giovanni asked, uncertainty flashing across his face despite his usual confidence. Paige reached up, cupping his face. Even after months of marriage, her husband still worried about getting things right, still putting others’ joy before his own. It was one of the countless reasons she fell more in love with him every day.

“He’s going to lose his mind,” she assured him. “But you know what else I got approved today? The loan for the school.”

Giovanni’s eyes widened. “For real? Already?”

She nodded, biting back her smile. “Turns out working at the bank has its perks. We can start working on the school next month, like you wanted.”

The emotion on his face said it all—joy, pride, and gratitude. He pulled her close and buried his face in her neck. Giovanni had realized early on that the kids hanging around his garage after school, eager to learn, needed more than a few kind words. They needed structure. Opportunity. A true path forward. The school would be that bridge—taking their curiosity and turning it into career.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “For believing in this. In me. In us.”

“Always.” She melted into his arms.

She still looked at him like he could change the weather.

And he looked at her like she was the calm after every storm.

The moment was interrupted by Spirit’s appearance again. “Sorry to interrupt,” she said, though her knowing smile suggested she wasn’t entirely sorry, “but we’re about to start. Ten minutes till the donor speech, then the reveal.”

As they moved back toward the main event area, Paige spotted familiar faces in the crowd, Blake and Emon with theirchildren, Taylor with Brooks and Denver running circles around them, and even Kennedi, who had come to cover the event for her growing media platform.

Giovanni dropped to one knee, eyes unwavering. “Let’s do this, baby.”

The ceremony began with Paige welcoming everyone, explaining the mission, and introducing donors who’d signed up because of their outreach. When it was time for the reveal, Giovanni led Perry to the center of the gathering.

“Ten months ago,” Giovanni began, his voice carrying across the hushed crowd, “I married the most incredible woman I’ve ever known. And I gained a father-in-law who welcomed me into his family and his life.”

Perry looked confused, eyes darting between Giovanni and Paige.

“During one of our talks,” Giovanni continued, “he told me about the car that made him feel like somebody, even when the world tried to tell him otherwise. Today, I want to give him back a piece of that feeling. And I want to ask all of you to help him get his health back by considering becoming donors or simply by getting tested. We can’t do everything, but everyone can do something.”

He motioned to his crew, and the tarp was pulled back with dramatic flair.

The crowd gasped. Perry’s chest puffed out; he was fighting back tears.

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