Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Not long ago, my entire world revolved around work. My only goal was to become CEO of my family’s company. But the moment Paige stumbled into my life—literally—my priorities shifted. I’d forgotten what it was like to connect with someone on a deeper level. To laugh and joke and be intimate with them. And now that I have it, I won’t do anything that will put me at risk of losing it—of losing her.
“Why are you staring at me?” Paige asks, her voice raspy from sleep.
“Just trying to figure out how the hell I got so lucky to call you mine,” I tell her honestly.
She smiles lazily, only half of her mouth quirking up. “That’s so damn cheesy, but I love it.” She fists the front of my shirt and pulls me down to her. “What are the chances of me convincing you to give me an orgasm before we have to go?”
“That depends…can you be quick? Because we need to leave in about twenty minutes.”
“What?” Paige shrieks, pushing me back and sitting up. “Why would you let me sleep that long?”
“I didn’t even know you were asleep,” I say with a laugh.
“Ugh!” She groans, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. “I didn’t mean to, but your bed was too comfy.”
“Look at the bright side. After dinner, you can come right back to my comfy bed, where I can spend the next twelve hours making you come as many times as you want.”
I smirk, and Paige blushes.
“You can’t say things like that or I’ll be begging you to cancel dinner. I’m already worried about meeting your entire family.”
“Not my entire family,” I remind her. “Only my parents, brothers, and their wives. Tomorrow, you’ll meet the rest of my family, including my adorable niece and nephew.”
“You’re not helping,” she mutters as she closes the bathroom door behind her.
I know she’s nervous about meeting my family, especially since she’s not close with the only family she has left—her dad—but my family isn’t judgmental, and I have no doubt that once she gets to know them, she’ll realize her worry is for nothing.
“What do you mean, you haven’t seen your father in almost ten years?” Mom stares at Paige in horror. “What parent lets a child go that long without seeing them?”
“Well, in his defense, he used to ask me to go home…” Paige murmurs.
“No,” Mom says, “that doesn’t defend him. You were obviously upset, and he should’ve come to you. He should’ve tried harder. You already lost your mother…”
Mom pulls Paige into a hug since she’s sitting next to her at the dinner table. “You’re so strong,” she coos. “Losing your mother and then your father. You went to college and then got your MBA all on your own. You should be so proud of yourself.”
“Thank you,” Paige says.
“I know you’re independent and used to going through life alone, but you have us now,” Mom tells her matter-of-factly. “We’re your family. Anything you need—and I mean, anything—you just ask.”
“Thank you,” Paige whispers as Mom continues to hug her.
I can’t tell if she’s annoyed or sad or now regretting coming to dinner since I’m sitting on the other side of her and her face is tucked into my mom’s chest, but my answer is given when the hug ends and Paige turns to me, and with a small smile on her face, she says, “I really like your family.”
“Good, because they really like you,” I murmur so only she can hear.
Dinner was spent with everyone getting to know Paige. They didn’t ask her anything to make her feel uncomfortable, keeping it about the baby and how she likes living in Rosemary. Carmine talked to her about the Kingston-Bradford partnership since he’s supposed to be the point of contact, and they hit it off immediately, talking about marketing through half the meal.
Then, Paige shocked me when she started asking the questions. It’s not that I don’t think she’s social, but I wasn’t sure how it would go since there’s only one of her and so many of us, so I’d imagine it could be a bit intimidating. But she was comfortable enough to ask Carmine and Penny about their kids, which stemmed into a conversation about parenting, which unfortunately led to Paige admitting she lost her parents years ago in different ways.
“I’m glad you convinced me to come,” she says with a smile.
“Me too.” I lean over and kiss the corner of her mouth.
“And I’m really glad this will be our baby’s family.”
Her words cause my heart to both warm and squeeze in my chest. The former because I love that she’s so accepting of them, and the latter because even though she’s so accepting of them, her home is four hours away from them, which means so is mine.
And with that thought, it hits me—I’m going to need to move to Rosemary if I want a future with Paige. And I do, more than anything else in this world.