Page 24 of And Everything In Between (Love By Any Means #3)

Pedro was back on his usual bullshit, leaning against the porch post, broom in hand, pretending to sweep but not even trying. She’d told him she was going on a date, and he was making it his mission to confirm his favorite neighbor was making smart choices. His words.

Paige adjusted her earrings in the mirror by the door and glanced out the front window. Sure enough, there he was, clocking everything.

It had been almost a week since she spent the night with Giovanni.

Since she slid into his lap, rode him into silence, and then curled up on his chest. They’d talked late into the night about what they wanted, what they needed, and how they’d navigate this thing between them.

She’d been amazed at how easy it was to say what she meant and wanted with and to him.

He’d built a safe space around them where her usual guardedness wasn’t necessary.

He told her flat out he’d always be an ally.

They'd been stuck like glue since. Giovanni texted, called, sent her food like he'd promised. And he’d promised her one other thing, ‘Next time I see you, it’s not just in my house. I’m taking you out, somewhere nice.’

And now here he was. Right on time. Ready to take her out on the town. She’d checked in on her dad, talked to her momma, cleaned her house, and had an overall dope day. She was doing her part in finding balance. Not overthinking. Handling what only she could and praying about the rest.

Paige stepped out onto her porch as Giovanni’s car slowed to a stop at the curb. She didn’t have to wonder if Pedro saw him; the man could clock the sound of the foreign car before it even turned the corner.

“Damn, girl,” Pedro called out, eyebrows raised, “this the leftovers from the other night?”

She smirked, not missing a beat. “Hell no. You lookin’ at a full course meal, fine, smart, and paid. And he’s good with his hands. We STAN!”

“That’s what I like to hear. We don’t let just anyone eat off the plate.”

She shook her head but smiled. “Trust me. He licked the plate clean.”

The car door opened, and Giovanni stepped out, in a fitted short-sleeve button-down, fresh beard, gold chain catching the light from the sun setting. Everything about him said grown and sexy.

He glanced over at Pedro, gave a slight nod. Pedro pretended to faint, and Paige looked at him sideways, he was so dramatic.

She met Giovanni halfway, the click of her heels soft and even against the pavement, dress hugging her perfectly.

“You look amazing,” he said, eyes dragging from her face to her hips and back. “These are for you.”

He’d grabbed her some flowers, red roses that looked good against the black dress she wore. She looked so sophisticated and sexy. The black strappy heel sandals completed her outfit and he couldn’t help but get excited about eventually removing all this shit later on.

“Thank you, bae. Where are we headed?”

Giovanni’s hand found her lower back, as he guided her to the passenger side. “You’ll see. We got reservations and privacy.”

The ride downtown took twenty minutes. Giovanni's hand rested on her thigh whenever he wasn't shifting gears, his cologne mixed with the night air that flowed through the cracked windows.

Paige shifted closer, letting her hand cover his, savoring the warmth of his palm touching her skin.

They talked about everything and nothing, his trip to Los Angeles, her promotion progress, a funny story about his sister, and how her dad had been asking about him.

By the time they pulled up to Vincetto’s Italian Bistro, she knew Blake must’ve had something to do with this.

The restaurant was their favorite place when they wanted to get fancy and spend some money.

And her cousin couldn’t mind her business if she tried.

They loved the restaurant because it was low-key, upscale, but the food was to die for, and she loved pasta.

Giovanni handed his keys to the valet with a generous tip and offered Paige his arm.

“You ready?” he asked, eyes only for her despite the crowd milling around the entrance.

Paige smiled, sliding her arm through his, the weight of the week’s stress melting away under his unchanging gaze.

“Been ready,” she replied, and meant it in more ways than one.

They were seated on the balcony of Vincetto’s dim lighting, white tablecloth, and candles flickering. It was the perfect night for dinner outside. Giovanni had requested the balcony, low traffic, high intimacy. He didn’t want any interruptions.

Paige sat back, chin up, legs crossed, and sipped slowly.

She could feel him watching because he wasn’t trying to be subtle about it.

He wasn’t saying much either, but he didn’t have to.

Didn’t want too. He simply wanted to watch her, appreciate the curve of her lips, stare into her brown eyes and get lost in them.

“You good?” she asked, catching him staring.

“I’m great,” he said, not even pretending. “You make it easy to forget everything else.”

“What do you need to forget?”

“I don’t know if I wanna go that far into it with you tonight. I don’t want to run you off.”

“Don’t tell me you have a crazy number of kids and baby mommas to match.”

“Hell nah, my seed is reserved for my future wife. No bullshit.”

“I think we are past worrying about each other running off. If anything, life is going to come testing us. So, I’d rather you keep it one hundred with me now. Let me decide what I want to deal with.”

The waitress approached to take their order. Paige chose the seafood linguine while Giovanni opted for the lamb ragu. Once she left, he leaned in, forearms resting on the table.

“You’re right,” he said in agreement.

“I know.” She took a sip of her wine, eyes never leaving his. “Let’s talk.”

He took a breath. “I know the night at the house came out of nowhere. And I don’t regret anything about it, but I need you to know. I didn’t bring you there thinking that was it.”

Paige tilted her head. “Okay…”

“I got a lot happening,” he continued. “The show is moving. They greenlit the pilot. So for a little minute I’ll be back and forth out of town.”

“That’s big,” Paige said, and she meant it. “I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you.” His eyes dropped for a second, then lifted again, serious now. “But I’m not tryna be one of those men that disappear and then pop back up when it’s convenient. I want this to work. Us. Even if it means we gotta be intentional with how we move.”

She nodded slowly, the sincerity in his voice disarming. “Okay. That’s fair. But you know I’m here. My schedule is hectic at times, so it’ll give us some space. That’s not a bad thing.”

“I’m not saying I’ll always get it right,” he said, “but I’m not half-steppin’ with you, Paige. I’m all in if you are too.”

Paige took another sip of wine, “Ok, so what’s going to run me off. Because I’m going to be your biggest supporter and hopefully your peace through this process. I support what you are doing, Vanni.”

“Really? I remember you saying you weren’t what I was looking for. You remember that?”

“No need to bring up old shit. I wasn’t speaking from an informed place. Playa’s fuck up.”

Giovanni laughed softly and shook his head, “You funny. But speaking of old shit. My ex has somehow snuck her way back into my life. I’m not ever fucking with her again, but I ain’t want no bullshit coming to you and you be caught off guard.”

“Is she on bullshit?” Paige asked.

“Most likely, I’m not going to lie to you. Sienna is a … Scamela Anderson type female, a swindler. Got me for 30k. I don’t know what the fuck she on.”

“Ohhh she’s that ex. Midwest. Are you still in love with her?”

“No.”

“Well… if she’s bold enough to act out in front of me, I hope she stretches first.”

Giovanni blinked, then broke into a deep laugh.

“I’m serious,” Paige said, shrugging like it wasn’t a threat, it was a fact. “I’m not worried about an ex. I’m not for the games. So don’t have me out here lookin’ stupid. If she’s in the room, that’s cool. Make sure she knows her place in it.”

He reached across the table, thumb brushing over her knuckles, his eyes fixed on hers with that intensity that always made her breath catch.

“She is so irrelevant, she doesn’t have a place in the room.” His voice carried a finality that closed the door on that topic. “But tell me what’s up with you? I don’t think I like going days without seeing you.”

“My dad made it onto the transplant list,” she said, surprising even herself by how fast the shift came. “He’s officially eligible. There’s still a wait, but... it’s progress. I won’t get my hopes up.”

Giovanni reached for her hand without hesitation, cradling it between both of his. “That’s big. I need to go see him. We should celebrate that.”

She squeezed his fingers, grateful for how he didn’t minimize the significance. “It is. But it’s also a reminder. I can’t waste time on things that don’t serve me. I’ve done the hiding, the settling, and ignoring my own needs for everybody else. I can’t do that anymore.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” he said, his thumb tracing patterns on her palm. “Not with me.”

“I want this too,” she admitted, her voice dropping to match the intimacy of the moment, “but I need to know that you don’t want me to solely focus all my life on you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m here, but I still need to be here for me and my dreams too.”

Giovanni looked at her, no blink, no hesitation. “I respect that. I’ll be here to support you and those dreams. They matter to me, the same way you do. A woman with goals is exactly what I want. I’ll never make you choose between me and them.”

She nodded, eyes softer now, something inside her easing.

“So,” he said, sitting back as their plates were placed in front of them, the aroma of fresh herbs and seafood rising between them, “now that we know what it is… what’s next?”

Paige smiled, spearing a shrimp with her fork. “Next? You keep feeding me like this. And we keep being honest.”

“Food and honesty, huh?” He grinned. “That’s it?”