AllFreeNovel
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“I tried to do that,” I hedge.
“Ugh, fine.” Evan reaches into the cooler for a soda, then pulls up a chair next to me with Eden still sleeping in the carrier on his chest.
Allie comes over with a wide cake platter and sets it down on the long table. “Look at you two,” she coos to the babies.
“Yes, I know. Aren’t Preston and I adorable?” Evan teases as she swats him playfully on his arm.
“You did good, Ev. Look at them,” she says softly, leaning down.
“Thanks,” he says. “Beth did the hard part.”
“Where is she?” she asks, looking around.
“I’m right here,” Beth says, coming back to her chair.
“Where’s Paige?” I ask without thinking. I immediately regret it when all eyes turn to me, and I realize I sounded a little too interested. “I mean, just wondering where Theo might be.”
“She’s getting Theo ready for his party.” Beth grins. “She got matching bandannas for all the dogs. Even a little one for Pancake.”
“Why don’t you go check on her?” Allie asks me as she reaches down to take the baby from my arms. I nod and stand and head off to find her.
I quietly jog up the stairs to the loft in the garden shed, and before I get to the stop, I hear her talking to Theo. Of course she’s talking to my dog. Weirdo. The door’s wide open, so I peek in.
“Let’s make a wish today,” she says, brushing Theo. “A birthday wish that this year I find love and happiness. Because we all deserve that, right, Theo?”
A sharp pang hits me in the chest. I want her to be happy. And I wish I could tell her that I like her. I like her a lot. How can I be good enough for someone like Paige? I start to wonder if we’ve taken this enemies thing too far.
“Twenty-eight is going to be my best year yet, Theo. Thank you for celebrating this for me. You’re a good sport, boy,” she says, kissing his head.
It’s her birthday. Why didn’t she just say so? Then it hits me. Paige isn’t one to draw attention to herself, and she takes care of everyone around her. A guilty pang hits me in my chest, because I know that’s what I do, too.
She ties a rainbow bandanna around Theo’s neck, and he barks, seeing me at the door. She looks over at me. “What are you doing, creep?” she asks, then turns back to Theo and finishes straightening his bandanna before he darts to me, excited for all the attention he’s getting. Paige stares at me, waiting for me to answer.
“I just came to check onmy dog,” I say, even though I want us to drop our weapons and be normal. Not that either of us knows how. “Where’s your birthday bandanna, Paige?”
She looks at me in surprise, then ignores the question. “He’s fine. He’s getting ready for his party.”
“So, it’s reallyyourbirthday,” I challenge, raising an eyebrow.
“How do you know that?” Her eyebrows arch.
“Because you just confirmed it for me.”
She sighs. “Fine, but today we’re celebrating Theo. And if you tell anyone the truth, I’ll be mad at you.”
“Oh no,” I bring a hand to my chest. “You? Mad at me?” I drawl, sarcastically. “Like that isn’t already happening daily. I breathe, and you’re mad at me.”
“Just drop it, Preston,” she says softly.
“Fine,” I say quietly. I want her birthday to be a good one. “What do you need help with?” I’m surprised at her vulnerability and that she so easily backed down.
Her eyes soften. “Go have a good time with two little boys who are very excited to have a party for Theo. We all need some fun and happiness,” she says, heading down the stairs with Theo as I follow. “Let’s go get Pancake ready with his matching bandanna.”
She stops at the table at the bottom of the stairs, where linens are folded in a tall stack. “Oh, by the way, I liked your suit yesterday. Nice choice. Usually, you’re all GQ in your black and gray and navy suits. But this one? It was nice.” A rush of pink stains her cheeks.
I stop in front of her and lean in, putting my hands on the table behind her, caging her in. Her breath hitches, and her cheeks turn pink. Her bright green eyes are bright and sparkling.
“Oh, did you, Paige? You liked my suit?” I pull her closer to me, and our bodies are almost touching.
