It took every ounce of his core strength to keep them fromtoppling over onto the grass. After sharing a lengthy kiss, he slipped the ring on her finger.
Paige smiled as she studied her hand. “It fits like it was made for me.”
“For some reason, I’m not surprised.”
He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I can't promise life won't be a little rocky, or that I'll always put you first as my mom's health fails, but I promise to do my best to make you happy."
CHAPTER 24
Paige’s stomach grew tight as she and Gabe walked hand in hand into the house. The euphoria of a few minutes ago swallowed up by the discomfort of facing Marisol and admitting her part in this charade.
Gabe’s mother beamed at them, her smile so big her cheeks would likely ache later. Grace’s expression was both cheerful and quizzical. She searched first Gabe’s face, then Paige’s, no doubt trying to decide if what she just witnessed in the backyard was real or not.
Gabe pulled Paige to the loveseat where she sat beside him. “Mom, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“No need. I saw.” Tears glistened in Marisol’s eyes as she clapped her hands. “I’m so happy for you both.”
“Thank you, but that’s not what I need to confess.” His grip on Paige’s hand tightened as he sucked in a deep breath. “I lied to you. Paige isn’t—wasn’t…” He shook his head. “My girlfriend.”
Marisol’s brows dipped. “I don’t understand.”
"We’ve been lying to you from the beginning. We never dated prior to him bringing me to meet you two weeks ago.” Paige expected Marisol's face to fill with anger or even shock and disappointment,but she almost looked like she fought a smile. "Please don't be upset with Gabe. He really is a good guy. He had the best of intentions when he lied to you about having a girlfriend."
"I know he did, Mija." Marisol leaned over and patted her knee.
Paige's heart stalled as the air whooshed from her lungs. Her surprise over Marisol’s use of the endearment was eclipsed by the revelation that Gabe’s mother knew all along they’d been lying.
"Wait. Youknewit was all a lie?" Gabe found his voice before she did.
Marisol gave Gabe a patient smile. "You’ve always been very open with me, so I knew it wasn't true. The day you told me you had a serious girlfriend was the day I received my diagnosis. It was a very emotional day for us all. You saw how upset I was over not getting to see you and Grace married, which wasn’t fair of me.” Her remorseful look quickly morphed to a smile. “But you did what you do best. You went into ‘fix-it’ mode.”
Her gaze shifted to Paige. “When he told me he was seeing someone, I peppered him with questions, thinking he’d give in and admit it wasn’t true, but…” Marisol pointed a finger in the air. “When he said his girlfriend had the prettiest blue eyes and that her smile lit up the room, I could tell he was interested in someone."
Paige thought back to when Gabe would have told his mom he had a girlfriend. Had he been talking about her the whole time? She quirked an eyebrow at him.
Pinkness infused his tan complexion. “Guilty.”
“Was that whole conversation at PT with Luke about you needing a fake girlfriend staged?”
“No way. The kid is lucky I didn’t wring his neck.” Then he grinned. “But I suppose I should thank him.”
"I called Gabe’s bluff,” Marisol said. “I insisted on meeting you. I'll admit I was surprised when he actually produced a girlfriend. But right off the bat, I could see there was something special between you two. So, I continued to prod."
"Prod?" Paige's mind scrambled to process Marisol’s words.
"I figured asking you to call me Mom and referring to you as themother of my grandchildren would either push you away or bring you closer. Either way, I hoped it would be the wake-up call Gabe needed." Marisol sighed as her gaze returned to Gabe. "Ever since Harper left you at the altar, you’ve guarded your heart. You needed a push. A big one. That's why I gave you my mother's rings. I figured it would either make you face your feelings or scare Paige away for good.” Her lips split into a grin. “I’m glad it wasn’t the latter."
Paige was speechless. Gabe's mom had orchestrated her and Gabe's relationship to an extent.
"You apologized for lying to me, but I don't think you did." Marisol’s expression turned smug.
"But Gabe and I were just doing each other a favor,” Paige said, still reeling from Marisol’s revelation.
"It may have started with false pretenses, but the first time I met you, I could see the chemistry there. So, you can't tell me it was all a lie." She leaned forward and locked gazes with Paige. "I don't believe you would have let him put my mother's ring on your finger if you weren't in love with him."
"I am in love with him,” Paige said fervently, “but it’s not that simple.”
“What do you mean?” Marisol’s brow furrowed as she frowned.
