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)
“Regardless, Rosemary will be my home because it’s where you and our baby will be living. So, if you’re pushing me away, thinking it’s going to send me back to Dallas, you can think again. Because I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” Paige says with tears in her eyes. “If you quit your job at Bradford, how will you pay your bills?”
“I have plenty of savings, and I’ll find another job. Hell, maybe Kingston has a position for me.” I smirk. “I heard they’re a good company to work for.”
“That’s not funny,” Paige chides. “I’m being serious, and you’re—”
“Also being dead serious.” I get up and move from the couch to the love seat next to her. “I’m not going anywhere, Princess. While I appreciate you thinking you’re looking out for me by pushing me away so I’ll go back to Dallas, it’s not happening. I already spoke to my dad and brothers. I’m going to be working remotely while I show Dustin the ropes.”
“He doesn’t want to be CEO,” she points out.
“Why do you say that?”
I know Dustin isn’t keen on the idea, but I don’t know when he would’ve told Paige that.
“Because he likes finance,” she mumbles, looking down.
“We’ll handle it.”
“Which wouldn’t be necessary if you stayed in Dallas.”
“It’s not happening,” I say, trying to keep my tone even.
Paige is hormonal and emotional, and everything she’s saying is coming from a good place. She met my family and likes them, and she doesn’t want me to lose them to be with her. And if I were to guess, it has something to do with her insecurities. She can’t make me her priority because she did that with her ex and he hurt her. She’s been hurt by her dad. She lost her mom. Paige is scared. She can’t move to Dallas and risk having her heart broken again, so I’m going to have to show her that her heart is safe with me.
“Everything will work out,” I tell her, framing the sides of her face. “You just have to let me in.”
“I think you’re making a big mistake,” she whispers. “And if you want to move here, I can’t stop you, but I’m not asking you to, and I don’t want to be the reason.”
She lifts her chin stubbornly, and I swear I fall even harder for her. She thinks she’s pushing me away, but her caring this much about me walking away from my job and family only shows just how much she cares.
“That’s okay,” I tell her as I stand. “I have all the time in the world to convince you to be with me.” I lean down and kiss her cheek. “I love you, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Except to my hotel because there’s no way Paige is going to let me spend the night here tonight. Not while she’s on a mission to push my ass back to Dallas.
“…if there are no other questions, I think that about wraps it up.” Paige grins at everyone in the conference room, waiting to see if anyone has anything to add, and when they don’t, she nods. “Okay, have a good weekend and rest up because we have a busy few months ahead of us.”
She winks playfully, and everyone chuckles, knowing that while she’s half joking, she’s also serious. It’s been a busy week, but we’ve managed to finalize the Kingston-Bradford partnership. Contracts have been signed, and we’ve hammered out the details. Now starts the hard part for the marketing teams. It’s one thing to come up with the ideas, but it’s a whole other to put them into motion. This is the part where Carmine will take over, and his team will handle Bradford’s part from Dallas while Kingston’s team will handle theirs from here.
It’s also the time when I’d be heading back home, only I have no intention of leaving despite Paige completely shutting me out.
I’ve asked her to dinner every night this week, and she’s turned me down, giving me every excuse under the sun. But I’m not going to give up, and once she sees I’m not going anywhere, she’s going to give in.
“Hey, Paige,” I say once everyone has filed out. “Any plans this weekend?”
“Just catching up on some work and sleep,” she says cautiously. “You?”
“Same. Any chance I can convince you to go to dinner with me tonight or tomorrow night?”
“Sorry, I can’t,” she says, not even bothering to come up with an excuse.
“All right, well, I’ll be around if you change your mind.”
I give her arm a squeeze and then head out, trying to figure out a way to get her to spend some time with me since I’ll no longer have a reason to hang around the office after today.
I’m racking my brain with ideas when I spot Ana sauntering through the office, and a thought comes to me.