Page 21 of And Everything In Between (Love By Any Means #3)

Giovanni had finally made it back to Coupeville, his home, his peace. Her text and call had made the last three days harder than they needed to be. Business had gotten done, deals moved, contracts in motion, networks impressed, but he’d been distracted the whole damn time.

Now that he was back, his body told him to go straight to his house, take a hot shower, and sleep off the jet lag and the exhaustion of the last few days.

He hated traveling, it was such a hassle.

It drained him, and after shaking hands and smiling for multiple days, his social battery was depleted, but he made a promise.

He moved on autopilot, his heart was already twenty minutes down the road, pulling into the parking lot at Coupeville Federal Bank. He’d promised her that the moment he touched down, he’d be on her. No fluff. No delay. And absolutely no broken promises.

The ride was easy for him. The kind of solo drive that gave him, a conflicted man, time to think. Traffic had thickened on the interstate outside the city, but he didn’t mind it. It gave him room to breathe. Space to reflect.

A lot had changed in a short time. Business was booming, opportunities flying in faster than he could catch them. What felt like the right time to bring Paige into his world was now starting to feel like good intentions colliding with bad timing.

He’d be flying back and forth. Press tours. Filming schedules. Media training. Would she understand that kind of chaos? Could she? Did he want that distance? He was jumping the gun, and he knew that. But he knew him, and if he wanted something, he’d stop at nothing to get it.

But damn, he couldn’t wait to see her.

Scrolling through her Instagram wasn’t cutting it anymore.

Watching her post quotes and thirst trap pictures with her little sarcastic captions was cute, but it wasn’t her.

He missed her voice. Missed the way she said his name.

Missed the way she smelled. That warm vanilla and shea butter that clung to her skin was a love note he’d like to read over and over.

His phone buzzed against the console.

“Hey ma, what’s up?”

“Hey son. What you doing in town? Shouldn’t you be home resting?”

He looked around, trying to figure out where she was hiding to be this deep in his business. He didn’t see her, but he could hear that grin in her voice.

“I got business to handle before I duck off for a minute. How do you know I’m in town anyway?”

“I got eyes. I left the grocery store with ViceAnne not too long ago.”

He closed his eyes. There it was. This is exactly why he moved to Haven Springs, this damn town was too small sometimes.

“Going to see Paige?” she sang.

“Ma. For real. Y’all gotta chill. I didn’t tell you she worked in town.”

“Vicey told me. And I don’t know why you actin’ so damn weird. You’re a grown man, Gio. As long as she got some business about herself and ain’t no thief, you’ll get no issues from me.”

She paused, then laughed. “I only wanted to mess with you. Come see me when you reemerge. I’ll cook for you.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. She knew him too well. He was known to duck off from the world when his soul needed quiet. That’s why he respected Paige’s need for space so much, because he understood it .

“Love you, ma.”

“And you know I love you. Tell her I said hi.”

She couldn’t resist. He smiled, ending the call, and eased his car into a parking spot near the side entrance of the bank, the one not everyone used. Not to mention he didn’t like risking his shit getting hit.

He cut the engine, sat still for a second.

He inhaled deeply, then pulled the mirror down. He adjusted the collar on his Polo, made sure his chain was straight, brushed a hand down his beard, and stepped out.

Inside, the bank was cool, clean, and professional.

And then there was her .

Behind the glass wall that framed her office, Paige was on the phone, nodding, jotting notes, flipping tabs on her screen. Handling shit and looking amazing doing it. She wore a powder blue silk pants set. Her hair was straight today with a part down the middle.

Giovanni slowed his steps, for a moment, and watched. She was breathtaking.

This was different. This wasn’t Sienna with her fake networking and forced laughter, swinging from man to man, hoping one of them was gullible enough to lift her. This was a woman who ran her world .

She didn’t need a seat at the table. She built the damn thing.

She looked up and caught his eye through the glass, her expression shifted. Shock. But soon something in her face brightened, and her cheeks rose. Her lips parted slightly, like she was processing the fact that he did what he said he would.

He gave her a nod and tossed his hands up.

A second later, she buzzed him in.

“I can’t believe you pulled up on me at work,” Paige said, standing as he stepped in.

“I said the second I touched down.” Giovanni closed the door behind him. “And I meant that.”

Paige looked him over, and she didn’t try to hide it. Giovanni looked good in his purple Polo shirt, his arms bulged and flexed against the fabric. But the limp in the creased up jeans, made her bite her lip. “You look tired, but you look good. How was your flight? Trip?”

“I am tired, baby real shit.” He cracked a small smile. “But not enough to skip laying eyes on you again. Tell me something good.”

Paige attempted to look unimpressed but couldn’t deny the way her cheeks pulled into a smile.

She stepped around her desk and folded her arms. Like that might keep her from melting too fast. He came closer and wrapped his arms around her, he was happy to see her.

She hugged him back, enjoying the feel of his arms around her. She exhaled while he inhaled.

“Ashton left for maternity leave early,” she explained. “So, I’ve been here solo for the past week.”

“And how did you do?”

“Good, no meltdowns so far. Printer getting on my damn nerves but forget that.” Paige leaned back against the edge of her desk. “Why are you here?”

“I told you. I wanted to see you.” Giovanni stepped closer. “I didn’t wanna wait. And I wanted to see you in your element, too. I needed to see if you earned your spot in the paper.”

“Boy, please, I most certainly did. I can’t believe you saw that,” she said blushing. Her jaws were hurting trying to keep her smiles at bay.

He stepped in closer, and that familiar scent wrapped around him, vanilla, shea, and something floral. He looked around. At the tidy desk, the framed photo of her and Perry, the post-it notes lining the edge of her monitor. All the little signs that this space belonged to her.

“You run this.”

“I do.” She shrugged, but there was pride in her voice.

“You look good doing it. I like work Paige, all dressed up and in charge.”

“You’re just saying that ‘cause you’re tired and delirious.”

“I’m saying it ‘cause it’s true.”

There was a beat of silence between them.

Her aura filled the room. Paige was larger than life in his eyes, and he wanted her to take up as much space as she wanted.

Take up as much of his time as physically possible.

The call was coming from inside the house.

He’d do whatever it took to make Paige his woman.

“Have you eaten?” he asked, finally checking his watch. It was about one in the afternoon, and he spotted two empty Red Bulls on her desk.

“Not yet.”

“Come with me. Let me feed you.”

Paige arched an eyebrow. “I can’t dip out. Lunch will have to be at my desk until Ashton is back. But I wish.”

“You’re the boss, right?”

“I am,” she said, biting her lip to keep from smiling. “But I should finish up a few things first.”

“I get it.” Giovanni nodded. “I need to decompress anyway. Shower. Lay flat for a second.”

She nodded, too, like that was expected. But he didn’t move to leave yet.

He stepped a little closer and shrugged, voice dipping lower. “But if you’re free later, I want you to come through. Nothing crazy. Just food, some music, maybe some silence if you need it. Or something a little louder if that’s where you at.”

Time stretched between them as Paige twiddled her thumbs.

“Only if you want to, though,” he added. “I ain’t here to throw your day off. I want a little more of your time. If you got it.”

Paige didn’t answer right away. He caught the flicker in her eyes. Quick, small, but it was there, the hesitation said she still wasn’t sure what his showing up meant.

“Giovanni, I can’t.” The words came out automatically, her default self-protection.

“Why not? You know you want to.” His eyes held hers, refusing to let her hide from him.

She swallowed, shoulders dropping slightly. “I have to come in early tomorrow. And I should check on my dad after work. And…”

“Excuses. Bullshit. Deny yourself but don’t deny me,” he cut in, his words gentle but leaving no room for argument. “I want your time. And I’d like to not have to beg for it, but I’m not above that.”

Something in his directness broke through her resistance. No games, no manipulation, honest want. It was refreshing. Disarming. Her lips quirked into a smile despite herself.

“Fine, but are you cooking?” she teased, folding her arms.

“I got a chef on standby,” he said with a smirk. “Name’s DoorDash. Michelin star, depending on how fast they get there.”

She shook her head, a smile blooming wide and bright enough to fill the room. She didn’t bother hiding it anymore.

“I’ll let you know when I wrap up.”

“No rush. I’ll be at the crib.”

He moved toward the door, then turned back with one last offer, “Text me what you want to eat tonight. I’ll make sure it’s waiting.”

When Giovanni made it outside, he jogged across the street, eyes scanning the row of small lunch spots and food trucks until he landed on the obvious option: Mexican Soul food.

He wasn’t leaving without feeding her. Not after seeing how hard, she worked.

Not when he could make her day a little easier.