Paige was here. In the same building where I had just blackmailed her ex-friend into testifying against her ex-husband.
And as Emma bounced toward the door to let her in, I realized that I would do it all again.
Would do far worse if necessary.
Because Paige and Lily were mine now. And I’d be damned if I let anyone take them away from me.
29
WE ARE THE BORING COUPLE
PAIGE
“Paige! Come in, come in!” She pulled me into a hug like we were old friends, and I found myself relaxing despite my confusion about why I was invited. “Everyone’s in the living room. Don’t worry, I know there are a lot of people, but they’re all lovely. And don’t bite. I promise.”
Emma’s mansion was not what I expected at all as I tried to ignore the ‘don’t bite’ part.
Her mansion had soaring ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and enough space to house a small village. What I hadn’t expected was how warm it felt despite its size.
And she wasn’t kidding about ‘a lot of people.’
The massive living room was filled with couples. Some I recognized, most I didn’t. Sean and Chelsea were there, curled up together on one couch. Derek stood near the windows talking to Cillian and another man with dark hair and gray eyes.
“Let me introduce you!” Emma said cheerfully, pulling me close. “You know Sean and Chelsea already. That’s Ivy and Aiden…” She pointed to a tiny woman with long dark hair and striking blue eyes who was tucked under the arm of a tall man. “Aiden’s a therapist.”
“And that’s Mia and James.” She glanced at the woman with brown hair and a warm smile, who waved from where she sat with a handsome man in glasses. “James is an architect. Mia teaches art.”
“Summer and Damon…” Emma gestured to a stunning dark-skinned woman who was a popular model and an actress. I had seen her drama, and she was brilliant in it. She was chatting animatedly with a grumpy-looking blonde man who was nodding along to whatever she said. They seemed cute. “I’m sure you already recognized Summer! And Damon’s my brother. Half-brother actually since I got all the good genes, and he got… leftovers.”
He glanced in our direction with a raised eyebrow. “I’m sure I’d look better if I had long hair like you,” he said in a bland tone.
“Hey!” Summer frowned at her friend. “I don’t diss that grandpa over there you’re dating—sorry, Cillian—but Damon is a lot hotter than?—”
Emma rolled her eyes as I smiled at their banter. “Anyway, that’s Anna, Caleb, and Kyle.”
My eyes widened. Three people? Anna was clearly pregnant, with dark hair falling over her shoulders, flanked by two men on either side as if they were her personal bodyguards. One with tattoos and piercings who looked like a younger, edgier version of Cillian, and another blond with a friendly smile.
“And Katie and Dylan…” A tall woman with short brown hair and hazel eyes sat with a younger man who had dark hair and bright green eyes that watched her with unabashed adoration. She seemed very stoic with her back straight while he looked at her like… he was her puppy?
It was adorable.
“That’s... a lot of names,” I said, feeling overwhelmed.
“Don’t worry,” she said with a small laugh. “You’ll get them, eventually. Come on, dinner’s almost ready!”
Dinner was a little chaotic, but it was lovely. The dining table was massive, but we still somehow ended up elbow-to-elbow, passing dishes and talking over each other and laughing at inside jokes I didn’t understand yet but smiled.
“So wait,” Summer said, pointing her fork at Derek and me. “You two are the same age?”
“Yeah?” I said, confused by her question.
“That’s so weird,” Mia said, grinning. “You’re like... the only normal couple here.”
“Hey!” Ivy said with a soft chuckle.
“Ivy, Aiden’s ten years older than you,” Emma pointed out. “James is twenty years older than Mia. Cillian is twenty years older than me. Sean’s also twenty years older than Chelsea.”
“And Katie’s six years older than Dylan,” Anna added with a smile, glancing at her younger sister.
