Page 2 of Happily Ever After

This afternoon, she’d be sitting down with Cece to share the truth. To tell the story of what Peter had actually done to her and to their daughter, Randi.

It was time.

But before that, it was time for something else. Her workout. If Paige didn’t do something to release all this pent-up energy and emotion, she’d end up driving her golf cart to Darcy’s place and having words.

Paige glanced toward the hallway, where her gym bag rested near the door, her sneakers beside it. The fitness center wasn’t just her routine or about her health. It was where she thought best. Where working her body in a physical way helped her untangle her thoughts and return a sense of control to her life.

Today, it would most likely also keep her from making a scene.

She picked up her phone to slip it into the bag and saw the Queen Bees thread light up. She exhaled when she saw it was just Essie sharing a photo of Maple sprawled across the couch and looking cute, followed by one of Althea’s dry observations about dogs being better judges of character than most people.

Some of the tension eased from Paige’s body as she smiled.

This was what Darcy didn’t understand. This group wasn’t about exclusivity or influence. It was about loyalty. And real friendship. About women who knew each other’s histories. Women who chose to be real with each other. Who cried and laughed and shared together.

Even when it came to uncomfortable truths.

Paige got her sneakers on, zipped the gym bag, and slung it over her shoulder. She’d spent years being careful with the story of her marriage for her sake and for Randi’s. But Randi was grown up and Paige was done feeling like she hadn’t been enough for Peter. His choices were his decisions, made for his reasons. Not because of who she was.

Or who she’d been. Yes, she’d kept her silence because the truth of her past was deeply personal.

But Darcy had mistaken that silence for weakness. She was about to find out that Paige was anything but. She adjusted the straps of her bag.

Paige knew, with a clarity that surprised her, that telling the truth would strip Darcy of whatever leverage she thought she had. There would be no more mystery to exploit. No whispers to trade in. Just facts, spoken loud and clear. Without apology.

She went out the front door and turned to lock it. She wasn’t afraid of the truth anymore. Hadn’t been for a long time.

Having the Queen Bees and Graham in her life helped a lot.

Graham didn’t try to fix things for her. He listened. He believed her. He offered advice when she asked. He was there for her. And when she talked about the past, he never looked at her like she was damaged or fragile.

He was exactly the kind of man she’d always dreamed of but had never found. And now that she had him, she wasn’t about to let him go.

Just thinking about him put a smile on her face.

As she went toward her golf cart, the morning air was warm, the sky a clear, untroubled blue. Her thoughts were clearer already and her resolve very much intact.

She wasn’t going to react to Darcy Lane.

She was going to outlast her.

Chapter Two

Blaise loved the beach at this hour, loved being out here with Beau and Brick. Despite there being other people around, it felt untouched, in a way. The waves had polished away most of the footprints, making it almost seem like this was the first time anyone had walked here.

Besides the pristine sand, the sun was low, the light slanting across the water and turning it into rippled silver rather than blinding blue. The air was cooler than it would be later, although still warm. The sand was firm beneath their feet, packed smooth by the outgoing tide.

Beau trotted a few feet ahead, nose down, tail up, clearly convinced that something interesting had happened here very recently and it was his job to investigate.

Brick walked beside her at an easy pace, hands tucked into the pockets of his shorts, gaze scanning the shoreline. He was a morning person in a way Blaise deeply admired. Former Marine habits died hard, apparently.

They’d started walking the beach nearly every morning together and it was fast becoming something she looked forward to.

“How’s Holland doing?” she asked, breaking the quiet.

Brick didn’t hesitate, which she took as a happy sign. “Good,” he said. “Really good, actually. Physical therapy’s going better than expected. He’s frustrated. He wants to be done with it already, but that’s Holland. Always has been.”

Blaise smiled. She’d only met Holland a handful of times, but she’d learned enough to picture him chafing at limitations, eager to reclaim ground. “I can’t imagine where he gets that impatience from.”