Page 8 of Cursed to Love (Cursed to Love #1)

CHAPTER EIGHT

I t was time to face the fire. She took a deep breath and turned around.

He didn’t seem angry, but she wasn’t sure what he felt. Pity, maybe? If it was, she didn’t want that either. She had no idea where she and Emmie would go. They could stay in a hotel for a few nights, since she had some money. But staying for too long would deplete everything she’d managed to save that didn’t have to go toward debt. Then, she’d be back in the same position she was in now. Homeless, but without even a strip mall to stay in.

Paige nodded and followed Blake toward the sauna room where her boxes were stacked. She’d felt shame at her failure from the moment she made the decision to move her and Emmie into the strip mall. All her poor decisions seemed stacked up on top of each other, glaring at her brighter than the bare overhead bulb. It didn’t matter that she’d left Craig and was trying to forge ahead. Forcing her child to live in an empty strip mall, combined with all her other failures, outranked any pride she’d felt from finally being independent.

Even with all the shame and guilt on her shoulders, it was nothing compared to how she’d felt when Blake looked in all the rooms and figured out she and Emmie were living there.

“We can load all these into the bed of my truck and anything else you’ll need for tonight,” Blake said. “I’ve got plenty of room to store them in my garage. Tomorrow I can come back for your daughter’s bed and dresser.”

Paige nodded again, and then his words sunk in and her head shot up. “Garage? What are you talking about?”

“You can’t stay here, Paige.”

“No shit.” Her shame fell to the back burner as her anger took over. “You think I like having my daughter living in a strip mall?” She realized how loud her voice had become, and lowered it, hissing the rest of the words at him. “I left a bad situation and I’m doing the best I can. Are you going to report me to my boss? Is keeping my things in your garage your way of easing your guilt when I lose my job?”

“What?” Blake’s shock seemed genuine. “I’m not going to tell your boss. I’m doing this because you and your daughter are moving in with me.”

“No, we aren’t.” Her protest was automatic after finally having learned to stand up for herself.

What she really wanted to say was “Okay, and thank you for helping,” but that was a slippery path to go down. Once she accepted Blake’s help and lived with him, it wouldn’t be long before she’d start to lose her independence. After all, he demanded that she move in with him. How long would it take before he was demanding other things, like she quit her job so she could cook and clean for him? Then, would he start finding fault with everything she did? She had already lived on constant edge, afraid of doing something wrong, she wouldn’t do it again.

The logical part of her brain knew she was projecting Craig’s behavior onto Blake, but she also knew no one was without faults. He had just acted like Craig, telling her to move in with him, without asking her what she wanted. Maybe he wasn’t the same Blake she remembered.

“Bab—uh, Paige. Please, be reasonable. I have?—”

“Reasonable?” she hissed again, hating herself for it, but she was too afraid that if she didn’t, she would yell and wake up Emmie. “You think I’m being unreasonable because I won’t let you come in here and tell me where I’ll be living, without even asking me what I want to do?”

He held up his hands as if to fend her off. “No, I think you’re being unreasonable because I have enough room for you and your daughter, and instead of accepting my offer, you’re letting your pride rule you.”

Paige felt like he’d slapped her in the face. For so long, her pride had been non-existent. It had taken a tearful walk through a grocery store for her to find some pride and self-worth. It felt like Blake was trying to wipe it all away with only a few words, but she wouldn’t let that happen.

“You don’t know anything about what I’ve been through,” she spat at him. “Don’t you dare judge me.”

Blake scrubbed his face with his hands, a gesture he used to do when he was trying to rein in his frustration. Back when they’d been together, the frustration usually hadn’t been aimed at her.

He dropped his hands and looked at her, his expression softer. “I’m going about this all wrong. I’m not trying to tell you what to do. I want to help you out, and I have the means. No strings, okay? Use my spare rooms for as long as you need. I won’t get in your way, but I’ll be there to help you out however you need.”

The offer was too good to be true. He was offering her everything she wanted—someone to lean on and help her. Maybe even love her. No . He hadn’t offered her that, but the possibility was there to love him again. It could come at the risk of giving up her independence. She couldn’t become reliant on him, even if letting him take some of the weight off her shoulders would feel like heaven.

If it was only about her, she would refuse and tell him all her stuff would be moved out the next day, and he didn’t need to know where. But it wasn’t only about her.

She swallowed, not an easy feat as her pride threatened to get stuck in her throat. “Thank you, Blake. It’s a generous offer and I accept.”

He nodded at her and turned.

“Wait.” She lunged forward and grabbed his arm, forcing him to face her. “This is until I can get back on my feet. You won’t try to control me or tell me what to do.” Even though she had a history with him, she still had to be cautious as to his motives.

Blake frowned. “No. You’re an adult.” He looked around the space once before looking back at her. “Like you said, I don’t know what you’ve been through, but I was a friend once. Let me help you out until you’re on your feet.”

Years of manipulation had formed Paige’s responses, and even recognizing the fact wouldn’t make them go away overnight. She feared Blake had ulterior motives. Did he need a maid or a companion? The sex between them had been combustible from day one. Was that what he wanted, and he saw an easy way to get it whenever he needed it and maybe a maid and cook too?

It dawned on her she might not be the only woman living in his house. During their infrequent coffee dates, his mom had told her that he dated a lot. “You live alone?”

“I do. And I don’t have a girlfriend.”

This time she nodded. As Blake reminded her, Emmie was more important than her pride; she only hoped she wasn’t dooming her independence.

* * *

Blake didn’t say anything as Paige followed him into the first room, where he picked up a couple of boxes. He’d gone a bit caveman on her, but he’d begun to panic that she was going to refuse his offer. Just the thought of her continuing to live in a less-than-ideal situation without anyone to go to for help had him clenching his teeth in anger. Not at her, but for her.

Keeping as quiet as they could, not wanting to wake up her daughter until the last moment, he carried the boxes to his truck. It took several trips, but if this was everything she owned, it wasn’t much.

He had so many questions flying around in his head, like what had happened, and why her parents hadn’t stepped in to help her. Or her friends. When they’d dated, she hadn’t hung out with a huge posse, but she’d had two or three close friends. Where were they and why she didn’t have friends who would help her? Was she in financial trouble? She had a good job, or at least she seemed to.

Out of all his questions, the thing that concerned him most, even more than her not having a proper home, was her thinking he would control her or tell her what to do. Sure, he was decisive. It made him a good CEO and a lot of people depended on him to make the hard decisions, but he never did it without the input of those around him.

The Paige he used to know hadn’t exactly been a wallflower herself. The night he met her, Paige was the first person he noticed when he and Jake had walked into the house party. Standing on a low coffee table, her long, dark hair hung like a curtain down her back, swaying back and forth as she danced. A friend was dancing on the table with her, but at the time, Blake couldn’t have even said the color of the other girl’s hair, his eyes only on Paige.

She didn’t have much rhythm, something he later teased her about. Paige had been caught up in the moment, enjoying herself. Her happiness had called to him. He’d known right then he wanted to be a part of it—not just to bask in it—but to contribute to and ensure it was never stifled.

“This is the last box,” Paige said, pulling him out of his thoughts. She stood beside him, a box in her arms. Taking it from her, he put it in the back of his truck and closed the tailgate.

“You still good with getting your daughter’s furniture tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

In the glow from the security light over the back door, he could see the hesitant look on her face, like maybe she didn’t trust him.

He was an idiot. Why should she trust him? He hadn’t seen her in years, and then barged into her life and told her to move in with him. Leaning back against his truck to avoid towering over her, he feigned a casualness he didn’t feel. All he wanted was to get Paige and her daughter inside his house where they’d be safe. Hell, maybe the strip mall was safe at night, but he doubted it.

“I should have mentioned I have a kids’ room set up at my house, so your daughter… What did you say her name was?”

“Emmie, short for Emilia.”

“Right. Emmie will have a brand-new bed to sleep in, so when we do come back for hers, we can store it.”

Paige stiffened. “You have kids?”

“No.” He winced, not quite sure how to explain the kids’ bedroom in his house. Telling her about his mom’s obsession for him to get married might not go over well, so he opted for a partial truth. “My mom was dreaming of grandchildren, and one day while I was at work, she decorated my spare room as a children’s nursery, set up for a baby and a toddler.”

When Paige’s eyes widened, he realized he maybe should have told her his mom wanted him to get married.

“It’s neutral colors,” he blurted. Like that would make it better. He felt like an idiot.

“Okay. As long as we’re not putting you out.”

“You’re not.”

It took Paige a few minutes to wake Emmie and get her shoes and coat on. It was almost eleven o’clock, and there was a definite fall chill in the air.

While buckling Emmie into her car seat, Blake took one of the empty boxes leaning against a wall and folded the bottom together. Knowing what his nephew was like with his toys, Blake didn’t want Emmie to be without her favorites.

Realizing he didn’t know which ones to pack, he gathered up all the dolls and books from the bed and loaded them into the box, as well as a few toys that had fallen to the floor. On his way out, he turned off the lights and pulled the door shut, locking it.

Paige was standing beside her car, her arms once more crossed over her body. He wasn’t sure if she was cold or if the position was a form of self-protection. Either way, he didn’t like that she still seemed hesitant.

“I packed up some of Emmie’s toys. You okay to follow me home?”

“Yes.”

Exhaustion was clear on her face, and here he was standing beside his truck holding a box like a dumbass. She probably wanted to get to his place and get Emmie into bed.

“Good.” She got into her vehicle, and he did the same, pushing the box across to the passenger seat.

All the way home, he kept glancing at Paige’s car in the rearview mirror, to make sure they didn’t get separated by a red light. It was about a twenty-minute drive to his place, but while he worried about her and constantly watched her, it felt like much longer.

By the time she pulled into the driveway behind him, he was already out of his truck and waiting to open her door. “I’ll bring everything in after you get her settled.

He followed Paige around to the passenger side of the vehicle. “Will Emmie be okay if I picked her up? You look tired.”

“Sure, that would be nice.” She opened the rear door. Emmie opened her eyes but didn’t really look awake. “Emmie, can Blake pick you up? He’s got a fancy bedroom to show you.” When Emmie gave her mom a sleepy nod, Paige unbuckled the car seat and stood back.

He cradled Emmie against his chest. Her hair, a tangled, bed-headed mess, brushed against his chin, sending her child-sweet scent wafting up to him. Like her mom, Emmie awoke something in him. He was startled by the sudden sense of protectiveness he felt toward this child he’d only just met.

She patted his cheek and then laid her head on his shoulder. He realized then that he was going to have to guard his heart against both mother and daughter.