Page 37 of And Everything In Between (Love By Any Means #3)

She didn’t have to raise her voice. “That’s enough.” And it was.

In that simple touch lay forgiveness for two decades of absence, understanding for choices made in grief, and acceptance of the broken, beautiful bond between them.

Neither of them was perfect, but they were family.

And today, somehow, in a parking lot outside Giovanni’s shop, she felt blessed that her family was growing.

She started the car, letting her father’s words settle over her.

“Seatbelt,” she murmured, putting the car into drive.

Old folks always acted brand new about seatbelts; this was her small way of still taking care of him.

As they pulled away, Paige glanced in the rearview mirror, catching Giovanni watching them leave.

The man who’d helped make this moment possible without even knowing it.

Giovanni watched them pull away, smiling to himself.

His phone buzzed with a text:

Paige: Thank you for today. For everything. You keep showing me what love looks like in action.

Giovanni: That’s the only way I know how to love, Cinny. See you tonight.

He tucked his phone away and turned back to the shop. There was still work to do, cars to fix, and a business to run. But his mind was already at home, waiting for Paige to walk through the door.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. By the time Giovanni showered and locked up the shop, stars had already claimed the sky. He moved through the evening traffic with ease, mind already settled into that quiet space that only came when he was heading to her.

Giovanni’s code could be heard from the front a little after six thirty. The scent of vanilla and jasmine greeted him as he stepped inside. Her candles were lit, which meant she was still in a soft mood. He rubbed his hands together. He loved her all warm and tender.

“In here,” Paige called from the kitchen like a siren.

He found her stirring something on the stove, barefoot in one of his t-shirts, hair wrapped in a silk scarf. The sight of her made him grow bashful. No matter what the day brought, coming home to this, to her, made everything worth it.

“Hey, bae.”

“I don’t know why you won’t move in. How you beat me here?”

“I dropped Perry off, got him settled, and burned rubber. And you know why I won’t move in. I don’t condone live in boyfriends. No shade. But buy the whole muthafuckin cow or get out of the auction,” She finished giving him a wink.

“Heard. What you cooking?” he asked, moving behind her to wrap his arms around her waist. He pressed a kiss to the spot where her neck met her shoulder. And he had heard her loud and clear, which would make the next conversation a lot easier.

“Just some Dirty rice. Nothing fancy.” She rested back into his chest. “How was the rest of your day?”

“Good. Got that Camaro sold. I was sick of looking at it. But the whole time I kept thinking about your daddy.”

She turned in his arms, wooden spoon still in hand. “Yeah? And speaking of, thank you again for today. I appreciate you for picking him up, hanging with him, and making his day.”

Giovanni took the spoon, set it down, and pulled her closer. “He reminds me of my pops in some ways. It was my pleasure.”

“That’s high praise, coming from you.” She gave him a small smile.

“He said something that stuck with me, though.”

Paige raised an eyebrow, waiting.

“He asked if I loved you. Straight up no chaser.”

“And what’d you say?” She tried to keep her voice light, but her eyes gave her away. She knew he loved her he’d made that more than clear but hearing what he told her father mattered.

“What do you think I said?” Giovanni’s thumb traced the outline of her jaw. “I told him the truth. That I do.”

She nodded, swallowing. “And?”

“And he told me he could tell I’d be his son-in-law.”

Paige’s cheeks flushed. “He mentioned that to me, too. Sorry. He was being extra today. He had me crying in the car.”

Giovanni’s laugh was low. “You think that bothered me? I like how he thinks.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t elaborate, kissed her forehead and reached around her to turn down the heat on the stove. “Food’s about to burn.”

As she turned back to the pot, he rested his weight against the counter, watching her move with the ease of someone who belonged there. Her mailing address hadn’t caught up yet—but her energy had. This was their home now.

“How would you feel about that?” he asked finally, voice casual but eyes saying what his intent was. “Being my wife someday?”

Paige peeked over her shoulder, a small smile playing at her lips. “I’d feel like the luckiest woman alive. Why?”

Giovanni nodded once, satisfaction settling in his bones. He didn’t need to say more. The seed was planted. When the time came, and it would come, she’d be ready to make him the happiest man alive. They both would.

“Let me set the table.” He kissed her temple as he passed, reaching for the plates.

“No, not so fast. I owe you something, remember.” Paige turned the stove off and dropped to her knees, her movements natural.

This wasn’t for show; this was them. She never had to be perfect in front of him.

She never had to try hard. He was easy to love and take care of.

His line of questioning wasn’t off. She’d thought about it after her father mentioned it.

But she left it there, when the moment was right, they’d know. They were tethered like that.

“What did I say I was going to do?”

Giovanni stilled. Plate in one hand, napkins in the other, but his body went stiff. No matter how many times they’d been together, she still hit him like the first time. Every damn time.

“You don’t ow-”

“Shh, I know I don’t.” She looked up at him with those eyes that never lied. “But I want to. That’s the difference.”

He set the plates down carefully, knowing damn well dinner was about to get cold. Some things were worth the wait.

“Do your thing, baby.”

She tugged at his waistband. Paige wasn’t about second-guessing, not anymore. Not with him. “You always take care of me. Today, my daddy. Yesterday, my heart. Let me take care of you.”

Giovanni didn’t say a word. This was Paige speaking her love language, and he wasn’t about to interrupt. She was on her knees, but he was the one humbled. Because this wasn’t about sex. It was about trust. About a woman who’d carried the world finally choosing to let him hold a piece of it.

Her hands worked his belt, unzipped his pants with the familiarity of a woman who knew what was hers. His dick was already thick and ready; it had been that way since he watched her lips form the word “love” through the phone earlier.

She looked up again and kissed the skin above his waist.

She pressed her lips to his skin. “Thank you. For my dad. For showing up. For loving me.”

She freed him from his briefs, her warm palm circling him, stroking twice before her mouth replaced her hand. The heat of her tongue against him made him release a slow hiss. His muscles tightened across his abdomen. Her lips slid over him, taking him in deeper with each pass.

Giovanni’s hand found the back of her head, not pushing, resting there, feeling the gentle bob as she worked him.

The silk of her scarf was smooth under his palm, a contrast to the wet heat of her mouth enveloping him.

He watched, mesmerized, as she hollowed her cheeks, creating a suction that had him seeing stars.

He almost broke then, almost pulled her up to tell her that she didn’t need to thank him for loving her right. That she deserved this and more. But the lump in his throat and the look in her eyes told him to let her have this moment.

“Paige, I ain’t gon make it. You wildin,” he managed to voice through gritted teeth.

Her eyes met his again, mischievous now, and she deliberately ignored his warning.

Instead, she took him deeper, humming around him, the vibration sending shockwaves through his body.

Her hands weren’t idle, one gripped his thigh for balance, nails pressing into his balls enough to remind him who was in control right now.

For a woman who'd spent years guarding her heart, this was surrender. She was choosing him, trusting him, showing in every touch that the walls she'd built now had a door, and he held the only key.

“Paige,” he groaned, the simplicity of her name carrying everything he felt.

She took him to the edge, reading his body with the same precision and calculation she brought to everything else in her life.

When his breathing shifted, when his muscles tensed beneath her hands, she knew.

She didn’t break rhythm, didn’t hesitate, she stayed with him as he coated her tongue with his children.

His legs nearly buckled as release washed over him, but he stayed upright, one hand braced on the counter, the other still cradling her face.

She looked up, wiped her mouth with her thumb, that satisfied smile he loved already curling on her lips.

“I don’t know what the fuck you just did to me…” He laughed, soft and shaky, dragging a hand over his face. “But I ain’t ever had it like that.”

“I can’t believe you almost turned that down.”

He drew in a breath, still pressed to her. Then he lifted her with ease, his voice brushing her ear tickling her skin in the process.

“Come here.”

Dinner? Forgotten.

Now it was his turn to kneel, his turn to worship. Because that’s what they did, they gave each other exactly what they needed, when they needed it, no questions asked.

She was his match. His mirror. His. Point. Blank. Period.

They finally made it to eating hours later, plates warmed and rewarmed, talking about nothing and everything as their legs tangled beneath the table.

Paige laughed at something ridiculous he said, head thrown back, throat exposed, and Giovanni caught himself staring.

Mesmerized. This moment. This woman. The way her eyes crinkled when she was truly happy.

The universe had been preparing him for Paige his entire life, and now that he’d found her, he recognized that this was more than passion, more than compatibility, maybe more than love.

This was his future. His peace. His whole damn heart and soul walking around outside his body. And as she looked over at him, making him feel things he couldn’t name, Giovanni knew without a doubt, this woman would wear his last name, bear his children, and grow old laughing at his jokes.

This was the foundation. The blueprint. The cornerstone of everything he would ever build from this day forward.