Page 96 of And Everything In Between

The Cadillac gleamed in the sunlight, every detail perfect, from the custom paint to the white-walled tires to the interior that matched the one from his memories. On the license plate, a simple message: “POPS.”

Perry moved forward slowly; one hand outstretched like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. When he turned back to Giovanni, tears were on his weathered cheeks.

“Son.” The word hung there, heavy with everything he couldn’t articulate.

Giovanni embraced him without hesitation. “Keys in the ignition. Take it for a spin.”

As Perry climbed into the driver’s seat, looking years younger in an instant, Paige stepped to Giovanni’s side.

“Look at what you did.”

Giovanni squeezed her hand, eyes never leaving the joy on Perry’s face as the engine roared to life. “Look at what we did,” he corrected.

Paige turned slightly, her voice low, just for him. “One more surprise.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him behind the stage, toward his Monte Carlo.

Giovanni followed, confused but grinning. “Baby, you been on me hard lately. I need a break. Shit,” he joked, smacking her ass.

Paige rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh. “Shut up. That’s not what I want… well, not right now,” she added with a pout.

“Okay, okay.” He tickled her side, already softening at that damn lip he could never resist. “What’s up?”

“Look in the window, Giovanni.”

Two tiny pairs of soft-bottom Air Force Ones hung from the rearview mirror.

“P…” the sound catching in his throat. “You serious?”

She nodded, tears in her eyes. “Twins. I found out last week. I wanted to wait until today—it felt like everything aligned.”

It had taken everything in her to hold onto the secret. The cravings had kicked in strong, and the way she’d been feening for Giovanni like he was her personal vice pushed her into a checkup that turned into the biggest news of her life.

Giovanni stared, then turned to her—silent, stunned. The weight of the moment settled between them until he finallywrapped her in a deep embrace, his forehead resting against hers.

“You sure know how to make a man feel like the luckiest on Earth,” he murmured. “I been praying for this.”

Paige laughed through her emotions. “Well… baby, you are. You got me. And we’re lucky to have you already praying for and over us.”

He dropped to kiss her belly twice. It was still flat, but he could already see the future forming there.

“We’re building everything, huh?”

“From the ground up.” So much had changed—and was still changing—but she wasn’t afraid anymore. Life had taken so much from her, but it had given her more than she ever imagined. Every loss, every closed door, every night she’d cried herself to sleep... it all brought her here. It was true what they said—what God removes, He replaces with better. Nothing she’d been through was in vain. Every bruise, every scar had a purpose.

“I got you,” Giovanni promised, his voice low and sure. “All of it. Snacks, foot rubs, late night cravings. Whatever you need.”

“Good.” She smirked against his chest. “I hope it’s two little Gio’s—with your big head and your soft heart.”

Just then, a sharphonk!cut through their bubble. Perry, grinning ear to ear, laid into the Cadillac horn as he eased around the lot. Paige and Giovanni broke into laughter, still wrapped up in each other, slipping out from behind the Monte Carlo to wave. They shared that moment—just the two of them and the world that was watching—tucked in the center of a celebration that finally felt like theirs.

Perry rolled by in a slow circle, head held high, the applause swelling as people cheered him on. Paige leaned into her husband’s side, his arm coming around her shoulders.

Giovanni glanced down at her, then out at the lot like he was taking mental notes of everything. “I meant what I said earlier. We’re building it all. Not just the school or the business stuff…this.”

He placed a hand over her belly. “Us.”

Paige didn’t say anything right away, just leaned into him, letting the weight of that settle. She’d changed his life in a major way.

Giovanni added, “I ain’t never had this before. Ain’t never wanted it like this before. But now that I do, I’m not letting up. We locked in.”

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