Paige stood and walked over to them. “I told your mother I’d make lunch,” she said to Andrew. “But I’ll need some things from the store. Do you mind running out?”
Andrew shook his head. “No. Just give me a list and I’ll go get it.”
“Thanks.” She kissed him, then went back to the couch to join his mother.
Andrew didn’t miss the way his brothers exchanged knowing looks with each other before they turned back to him. He glanced at Connor, then Damon, and then back at Connor again. “We’re taking it slow,” he admitted.
Connor clasped Andrew’s back. “Keep telling yourself that, bruh.”
Later, they all had lunch in the family room while watching a Marvel movie. Paige had made homemade pizza, which his mother couldn’t stop raving about. Mom rarely ate other people’s cooking, so it had shocked him and his brothers that she’d been so complimentary.
“Can I borrow your phone?” Paige asked, drawing his attention from the movie. She set her iPad down.
He frowned. “Is everything okay?”
She nodded, but he suspected it was only because other people were in the room. Because everything was definitelynotokay. Without questioning her further, he unlocked his phone and handed it to her. When she went into the adjoining living room, he turned to his mother, who was watching him with a curious look in her eyes.
“I like you with her,” his mom said. “And don’t tell me nothing is going on because I see it.”
“I wasn’t going to say that,” he told her.
“Good.”
Andrew heard a gasp from the other room, and hurried to Paige. They locked gazes for a moment, before she turned away from him. With one arm folded across her chest, she told whoever was on the phone, “I don’t care what you have to do. Fix it.”
She tapped the screen of his phone—hard—and handed it to him. “Thanks,” she said, her voice shaky.
“What happened?” He squeezed her shoulder. “Tell me.”
“I can’t believe this,” she said. He couldn’t figure out if she was talking to him, or to herself. But when she looked at him, she said, “That sorry asshole filed a lawsuit against me for breach of contract.”
* * *
Paige sucked in the cold October air. It felt good to be outside, to breathe in fresh air. She’d almost had a panic attack after she’d talked to her personal attorney, Michelle Lars, on the phone. Andrew had promptly whisked her out of the house, and away from his family, so she could calm down.
As they strolled down his mother’s block, she couldn’t help but feel a bit hopeless. The little slice of happiness she’d had today—being with Andrew and his family—had been eclipsed by her ex-husband’s behavior.
Filing the lawsuit was just the latest behavior in a string of spiteful moves by Julius. It seemed as though her ex-husband had started a new full-time job as a rep for Let’s Fuck With Paige, Inc.
“I can’t believe he’s doing this,” she murmured.
“I can.” Andrew shrugged. “He’s desperate. He needs your money.”
Paige knew that, but it still didn’t make her feel better. She’d worked hard for her money. She saved, she invested, and she gave back. If she had to fork over a large sum to Julius because of a judge’s order, she’d be livid.
“But I didn’t breach any contract. In his motion, he said that it was a verbal agreement between us that I would star in his last movie.”
The filing stated that because Paige didn’t follow the agreement, he couldn’t find a studio to back the film. As a result, the movie was dead in the water, with no hope of getting made.
Andrew shoved his hands in his pockets, but Paige wished she could just hold his hand. She wished that she could draw some strength from him. “What did Michelle say?” he asked.
“She told me not to panic, but I . . .”How the hell am I supposed to not panic? “It’s just one thing after another with him.”
“I’ll contact Michelle when we get back to the house. We can work together on this.”
“No.” She stopped and turned to him. “We’re here to spend time with your mother. I already feel bad enough that we’re out here when you should be with your family.”
“They’ll be fine. We’re just taking a walk.” They started their slow stroll again. “See that over there?” He pointed to the tree on the right side of the street.
