Page 40 of Happily Ever After

“Hi,” she replied, leaning in and kissing him before either of them could say anything else. It was easy. Natural. The kind of kiss that didn’t need buildup.

Graham smiled as he opened the passenger door for her. “You look like the Maharani herself. Just wonderful..”

“Thank you. You look pretty wonderful yourself.” He did, too, in his olive linen shirt and black linen pants. Very handsome.

They pulled away from the curb and headed toward Beechwood, the evening light starting to soften, the air still warm but with a little more breeze than there had been earlier. The radio played quietly, set to the jazz station he liked.

Paige was filled with happiness for many different reasons. “I want to ask you something.”

Graham glanced over, then back at the road. “All right. I am, as they say, all ears.”

“I’ve been thinking about my TikTok channel,” she said. “About how much I share. And what I don’t.”

He nodded once. “Does that mean me?”

She smiled faintly. “You don’t miss much, do you?”

“I blame the training.” His smile was wry. “Have you changed your mind about things then?”

“You know I wasn’t originally planning on including you, other than that first little video. But yes, I’m reconsidering.”

Graham kept his eyes on the road.

“It wouldn’t be anything over-the-top,” she added. “Just the things that happen in my life that include you. The real things. Like tonight’s dinner. Or you trying to teach me darts. Or this new restaurant. Those kinds of things. I’m not talking about putting you front and center. Just including you. If you’re okay with that.”

He thought about it for a second, his hands steady on the wheel. “I am.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” he said. “As long as you’re doing it because you want to. Not because you feel like you should.”

Paige nodded. “Well, I do feel a little like I should. You’re part of my life. A significant part. And not sharing you feels like I’m hiding something. I don’t want to feel that way again.”

“Because of Darcy?”

“Very much because of her.”

“Then I’m fine with it,” he said. “If it ever stops being fine, I assume we can talk about that, too.”

“Absolutely.” She let out a breath, a new sense of relief filling her. “Thank you.”

Graham smiled. “You didn’t think I’d object, did you?”

“I wasn’t sure,” she said honestly. “But I didn’t want to assume.”

“Fair point,” he said. “For what it’s worth, I rather like that you want to share me.”

Paige reached over and rested her hand briefly on his arm. He covered it with his hand, warm and solid, then returned his hand to the wheel.

The restaurant, Rasa, came into view a moment later, its sign glowing softly against the dimming sky.

Dinner waited, and so did whatever came next.

Chapter Seventeen

Dawn was only just brightening the sky as Brick drove Blaise to the airport, the scent of their travel mugs of coffee filling his truck.

Blaise ruffled Beau’s fur, trying to distract herself from the weird mix of excitement, trepidation, and homesickness she was feeling. “I won’t be gone long, baby. And Brick is going to take good care of you while I’m away.”