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“The girl that you love’s…one more thing she didn’t tell you, the baby she lost was a girl. Paige won’t admit it, but she always wonders what she’d look like now and seeing how big Nicole’s gotten is going to hit her, especially if something happened to her.”
“In other words be prepared to catch her when she falls?” Joel said before easing himself after her.
“You got it,” Jesse agreed.
Chapter 18
“Take a break Paige,” Joel insisted hours later as they reached a wider ledge and the air cleared momentarily.
“I’m fine,” she argued as her lungs burned from breathing in the smoke filled air.
“He’s right Paige,” Jesse stated handing her the canteen of water. “We’re going to need the oxygen later so the more fresh air we can get the better.”
She knew they were right, but she was anxious. The longer it took them to get down meant Tami and Nicole were alone, possibly hurt, and she needed to find them.
They resumed their climb and she had to admit that Joel wasn’t missing a beat. He was in perfect shape. She already knew his body was but seeing him like this made it hard to resist him. They’d climbed enough together growing up to develop a sixth sense regarding the other and it seemed that hadn’t lessened in the ten years since they’d parted.
The sun was gone but she refused to stop. The light and heat from the fire now felt welcomed and she thought of the irony in that statement.
“Come on Paige, we should stop here for the night,” Jesse said as they found a small cave that would provide shelter from the fire and anything else that crept upon them.
She wanted to argue but decided to hedge her battles for now. The sooner they boys fell asleep the faster she’d be able to slip away and continue on without their hindrances. It might not sound like the best plan but sitting around the dark hole wasn’t going to provide her with any answers. She took off her pack and sank down onto the ground before stretching her arms out along the length of her legs to release the tension in her back.
She sat back up seeing the questioning glances from the two men who knew entirely too much about her. “What?”
“Nothing…I was just expecting more of an argument from you,” Jesse answered.
“What’s the point? It’s the two of you against me and it’s getting darker out there. We stay here, get some rest and we’ll be good to go at dawn.”
“Uh huh…then you won’t mind taking your shoes off and letting me hold onto them, will you?” Joel said glancing at her feet.
“You’re kidding right? You know how cold my feet get and I don’t think Jesse would appreciate the way you typically warm them up,” she said letting her gaze travel down the length of his body.
“Okay there will be none of that. You two can cuddle together but all clothes are to stay on is that understood?” Jesse said sending her a wink.
“But we like having an audience don’t we Joel?” she teased as he settled down beside her.
“An exhibitionist you’re not…I can’t even kiss you in front of our friends without bracing myself for the whiplash of your glare afterwards,” he said pulling her up against his side surprised when she rested her head against his shoulder.
“Mmm well what can I say they’re all expecting us to walk down the aisle any day and that’s not going to happen. So why bother having to explain that while we get along well enough in the bedroom outside of it, we generally tend to be on opposing sides of the situation?”
“Really, you’re going to have this discussion now? I am sitting just feet away you know,” Jesse said pretending to be uninterested.
“Yeah, I’m sure you just have nothing to add. Come on Jess, I know you and you’re just dying to say something,” she sighed.
“Alright, I think you’re being an idiot here Paige. Did you or did you not finally get what you wanted? For them to actually listen to you, to see what you’re capable of, so why are you being so stinking stubborn? Fine, they lied to you, manipulated you and things didn’t work out well but aren’t you the one who’s always said you can’t live in the past? So why are you?”
“I’m not I’m just being realistic. Once the mine’s fully operational again and the new additions are finished what else will they need me for? I’ll be pushed back to the outside and when that happens, I’ll be leaving, oh I might come back for visits this time but I’m not needed there.”
“Bull, we all need you Paige,” Joel said grasping her chin, so she was forced to look at him. “When the hell are you going to get it through your head, without you we’re just a bunch of people working together. Do you honestly think that breakfast was thrown together for us? I can tell you it wasn’t. We’ve had some minor problems before, guys getting stuck when a ceiling punctures or something and the moment they’re out everyone rushes home. It took the guys less than five minutes to know you were in charge and to ensure no one went against you.”
“It’s always been that way Paige,” Jesse added. “Everywhere you go you leave a trail of broken hearts and admirers who would gladly lay down across a puddle to keep you from getting wet in it. You are this unbelievable mixture of strength and vulnerability that tempts even the sanest man to try and unravel your mysteries.”
“It’s been that way as long as I can remember. You were such a tomboy growing up but there was no denying you were a girl, Paige. You’d be running around in dresses, climbing over fences faster than anyone else and there was this freeness about you that was and is breathtaking. Do you have any idea why I stayed away so much during breaks my first year of college?”
“You were having too much fun with the girls there?” she said remembering Sam’s comments about needing a rotating door for their dorm room.
“Alright I was a bit desperate because I was trying to keep my hands off of you. You were fifteen Paige and you’d blossomed into a woman, but you still had that freeness about you and I couldn’t risk it. I stayed away because I knew if I didn’t, I’d do something stupid like kissing you before you were ready.”
