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“Thank you,” I cry. “That would be wonderful.” I’ve been stressing about the house not being ready for the baby, dreading going back and having to face it alone.
After I give Nate several kisses goodbye, promising to call as soon as we land, Joanne and I take off to Houston. Since I left my car at the airport when we flew to Dallas, it’s still there—along with a hefty parking bill.
I call Nate to let him know we’ve arrived and then order dinner for Joanne and me.
As she bustles around the nursery, gathering the baby’s clothes to wash them, I try to picture the nursery again, but I still can’t.
I thought being away would help me see my home with fresh eyes, but it’s only made me realize something: It’s not the house that makes it a home. It’s the people inside it, and Nate is my home. Whether we’re here in Rosemary or with his family in Dallas, as long as we’re together, that’s what’s important.
“You’ve been standing here for a while,” Joanne sayswith a soft smile. “Are you envisioning the nursery?”
“Actually, no,” I admit. “I was thinking about how I can’t picture the nursery, and I finally know why. The baby doesn’t belong here, and neither do I.”
Joanne’s eyes go wide. “Paige, what are you saying?”
“I thought by being independent, I was saving myself from being heartbroken again. But what I didn’t realize is that my heart has been safe all along because it’s in Nate’s hands and he loves me too much to ever break it. This is just a house, a dwelling with four walls. But it’s no longer my home, and my heart doesn’t belong here.”
“And where does your heart belong?” Joanne asks, hopefulness laced in her words.
“In Dallas…with our family.”
chapter thirty-three
NATE
“I knowthis isn’t ideal, but I can’t be here,” I say, scrubbing my hands over my face. “I missed her doctor’s appointment, and I get that she said it was fine, but it’s not. The baby can come anytime in the next several weeks, and I can’t be here when it happens.”
“I get it,” Dustin says with a smirk. “But how about we focus on these numbers, and we can discuss this later?”
Carmine chuckles, and I glare at my brothers, who don’t seem to give a shit that I’m being pulled in a million different directions and the only one I want to be pulled in is where Paige is. I appreciate her supporting me taking over as temporary CEO, but this isn’t where I should be. I should be with her, in Rosemary?—
My thoughts are cut off when there’s a knock on the door, followed by Paige walking into the office. Since she’s supposed to be in Rosemary, I shake my head, wondering if I’m seeing shit, but, nope, she’s here, dressed in a beautiful maroon wraparound dressthat shows off her belly.
“Hey,” I say, pulling her into my arms.
I don’t know why the hell she’s here, but I’m so glad she is.
“We were just talking about you,” Dustin says. “Nate was about two seconds away from getting on a plane and going to you.”
Paige laughs, and the melodic sound hits me straight in my chest. I love this woman so much, and I can’t go another month without seeing her. FaceTime and texting aren’t enough.
“You’re not going anywhere,” she says, taking my hand and threading our fingers together. “This is your home, and it’s where you belong.”
“No.” I shake my head, confused as fuck. “My home is with you.”
“Then, you’re going to have to stay,” she says, her eyes filled with love. “Because this is my home now too.”
“Wh-what?” I stammer because she can’t possibly mean…
“I love you.” She lifts her other hand to the side of my face. “And I love your family.”
“I know,” I tell her. “But they understand that you want to live in Rosemary.”
“But I don’t.” She shakes her head. “While I was fighting to keep my house, to remain in Rosemary, to hold on to my job, I didn’t realize that I was fighting for all the wrong things. When, the entire time, what I was craving was the magic that I’d felt when my momwas alive. It had disappeared when she passed away, and I couldn’t seem to find it again until I met you.
“I thought you’d helped me find it again, but what I didn’t understand at the time was that the magic wasn’t London. It’s not the house or the job or the location. It’s the person. It was my mom…and now, it’s you.
“And that magic, it’s not actually magic. It’s the feeling of love…ofbeingloved. It’s in the way you care about me and take care of me. The way you always put my wants and needs first. And now, it’s my turn to do the same for you.”