“Her mom, my ex … Let’s just say after I left my retirement – being married to a former player wasn’t her idea of the good life. She left us and didn’t look back.”
“Oh, Nick.” Paige laid a hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
Nick shook his head. “Don’t be. She had me fooled, and when the band-aid was ripped off it was rough. But, I’d rather know the truth than live a lie with someone who wasn’t really there for us.”
Paige nodded, silently commiserating.
Nick looked back toward his daughter, and rubbed his jaw, before saying, “I knew she and Katie were polar opposites, but I still thought she cared enough to be a part of her life. I guess she didn’t plan on having a daughter, who didn’t share her passion for the finer things in life. Katie had grown up with me on the field and shared my passion for football, but her mom, Ariana, loved fashion, makeup, and herself more than she did her daughter.”
“Where is Ariana now?” Paige’s heart broke for Katie.
“She’s remarried, to another NFL player. He got traded, so they moved to California. That area suites her better anyway. Needless to say, I got full custody, and Ariana only reaches out on birthdays and holidays.”
“I had no idea. I guess I’m not the only one with a nasty divorce behind me.”
“Nope.” Nick noticed her phrasing and was about to comment on it - when he saw a stray piece of hay lodged in her loose ringlets. He reached to pull it free, before handing it back to her.
“Oh!” She lifted her free hand to sort through her hair. “I was sifting hay along the floor earlier this afternoon, and Sam dumped some on my head. I guess I didn’t get them all.”
Visions of pulling her down to embrace her in the hay played through his mind. Something she could only describe as desire flashed through his eyes, as he stepped toward her. He was about to comment on the imagery that was flashing through his mind when he noticed Katie
from across the room.
Her curious looks stopped him short of coming any closer, but it didn’t keep him from sending Paige another
look from behind his draped eyelids. And seeing the color her cheeks took on, gave him the boldness to approach the subject that had him up at nights.
Softly, he pulled a stray strand away from her face and almost whispered, “So did you mean it?”
Paige felt her face radiate and struggled to focus on his words and not how close he was standing.
“Mean what?” She blinked.
“You said ‘I guess I’m not the only one with a nasty divorce behind me’. Do you mean it? Is yours behind you?” Nick grabbed for her hand. “Mine is - and I’m ready to move forward.”
Paige licked her lips, feeling like she did when they stood in the bus tunnel all those years ago. Except this time, Nick wasn’t holding anything back.
“It is … behind me. And even though I never intended to - I might be ready to move on.” She barely got out before she felt a set of arms wrap around her from behind. She sent Nick an apologetic look for the interruption, as her mother embraced her.
Paige turned to greet her parents, hoping the disappointment flooding through her didn’t show. Her mother’s timing never failed.
“It’s so good to see you.” Serena pulled her daughter in for a hug, wondering why she looked so perplexed.
As Nick quietly dropped Paige’s hand, he knew the momentum he’d been building up to was gone. He made eye contact with Frank and reached to shake his hand in greeting.
“Good to see you, sir.” He nodded.
“Same to you. Is Katie here?” Frank decided small talk was best, as it was obvious he and his wife had interrupted something private between the two of them.
“Yes, sir. In fact, I’d better check in with Sam to see what they need me to do.” Nick sent a sweet look toward Paige and said, “We’ll talk soon.”
Paige shyly grinned in return, and said, “Yeah, I’m needed in the kitchen. See you guys.”
As the two walked in opposite directions, Serena turned to her husband with a knowing look.
“You think the two of them …” She raised her eyebrows.
“I do.” Frank watched Nick lean down to kiss his daughter’s cheek, before walking over to greet Sam. He had a good feeling about this one and hoped his daughter did too.
Chapter 18
Paige awoke after a full night of tossing and turning. Every time she closed her eyes, the image of Nick’s smoldering eyes would appear as he closed in. Then the feel of his breath on her neck sent her over the edge, as he slid his lips over her neck.
She stared at the ceiling and let out a frustrated breath, knowing she was in unchartered waters. Her entire adult life, she’d been married to someone who was cool under pressure. She never had to wonder what was behind his eyes or think too hard about his intentions. With Nick, she could get lost in his eyes, as they held endless possibilities. Although he made his intentions known, there was still so much mystery to him, that Paige wasn’t sure what to expect.
She rolled over, punched her pillow, and sat up, scanning her room for her running shoes. She donned her running bra and pants, and grabbed a light jacket before heading for the door. Although there was a small storm that was passing over, she was intent on a morning run to clear her head.
As she started her descent down her driveway, last night’s conversation replayed in her mind. The fact that Nick wanted to know if her divorce was behind her was monumental - not just because he cared but because she could honestly answer that it was. She felt she’d turned
a corner, and knew Nick had played a part in that.
At the end of her street, two roads presented themselves. The one to the left would loop around and bring her back home. The path to the right would lead her further away, but toward Nick’s home. In a split decision, Paige turned right and smiled as she ran toward his house, hoping she could catch a glimpse of him.
Within minutes, she saw it on the horizon. As she approached, her heart was racing like she’d run a marathon. She casually glanced over her shoulder, hoping not to appear too obvious when she saw a very forlorn Katie, who sat on the porch with her head hung in her arms.
Paige did a quick 180-degree turn and jogged back toward their house. She hesitated before she closed the gap to the porch, unsure if she should approach. Only a few feet away, she softly cleared her throat.
Katie pushed her hoodie from her head to reveal puffy red eyes. As soon as she saw Paige, she softly smiled and waved her over to sit down.
Paige promptly took her position next to her, thinking that this wasn’t the desired outcome of her run past Nick’s home, but if Katie were in need of a shoulder, she’d gladly oblige. She felt protective of this young girl, especially since she’d learned how her mother had abandoned her.
Within a few seconds, the light rain changed to an open downpour, as if the sky broke open. Paige looked to Katie’s covered porch, never more grateful for the timing of her arrival and the shelter Katie provided.
“Well, that’s fitting.” She pouted.
“Everything okay?” Paige searched her sad eyes.
Katie shrugged. “I guess.”
Paige kept quiet, unable to think of anything comforting to say.
Katie lifted her chin, struggling not to cry. “Next week’s my birthday.”
Paige laid a hand on her arm. “Happy early birthday.”
“You’d think, huh?” She wiped her face dry with the cuffs of her sweatshirt and huffed. “It’ll be my sixteenth. Sweet sixteen. Yea…” She raised her hands in the air and facetiously smiled.
Paige sadly smiled to herself, recalling her sweet sixteen and how happy she was, wishing nothing less than the same for Katie.
“Well, my mom was supposed to fly me out for a huge celebration. She and I were supposed to have a girls weekend. She promised me I’d have her for three whole days.” Katie’s voice broke. “She promised.”
Paige clamped her lips and waited.
“But …�
� Katie paused. “Her new husband is taking her to Tahiti instead. She just called and broke the news to me.”
Paige saw another tear escape and instinctively reached to pull Katie toward her.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. That has to be rough.” She couldn’t imagine how a mother could reject her daughter at all – let alone on her birthday.
Katie laid her head on Paige’s shoulder and let out a half laugh, before saying, “She said she’d make it up to me, but how do you skip your daughter’s birthday and expect that to be okay?”
Paige shook her head, determined to help. Even though she had no children of her own, the mother in her ached to bring joy to Katie’s life.
Katie sighed. “I know I have my dad – so I won’t be alone but …” Katie dropped her head once more into her arms and continued. “I was hoping for something more ... your sixteenth should be special.”
Paige stroked her hair, as her mind was running through different scenarios of how she could make Katie’s birthday better. “Hey. I know nothing could make up for your mother not being there, but I have an idea.”
She leaned back and turned toward an expectant set of eyes.
“How about – we have a girls day? I could take you to dinner and a movie or whatever you want … my treat. Would that be okay?”
A small part of Katie’s heart filled with hope. She smiled and grabbed Paige full-force.
Paige almost choked with the impact of Katie’s hug.
“Would it be okay?” Katie was grinning from ear to ear as she pulled back to look Paige in the eyes. “No one has ever offered to do something that nice for me before – I mean, other than dad.”
“Well, of course. He’s a great dad.” Paige’s heart warmed, at how much Katie’s spirits had lifted. A small part of her fell harder for Katie than she knew was possible.
Just then, the rumble of Nick’s engine cut through the rain and their conversation.
“Speak of your dad.” She grinned and watched Nick’s face light up with surprise as he stepped from his truck. He ran to the porch for cover, as the last round of the storm was showering down around him.
“Hey, stranger.” Nick’s joy soon turned to confusion, as he looked from Paige to his daughter.
“Everything okay, Katie-pie?” Nick asked, using a childhood nickname. He quickly stepped up the porch, to sit next to her. He lightly stroked her face and searched her eyes.
“Mom called.”
Nick’s eyes knowing eyes beckoned.
Katie shrugged her shoulders. “The trip is off.”
“What?” Nick tried hard to hold in the outburst that was threatening to overtake him.
Feeling as if she was intruding, Paige lifted from the step and sent them a small wave.
“Hey, I’m off. Katie, it was nice running into you.”
Katie half-laughed at her pun. “You too. Thank you. You really helped a lot.”
“So we’re on for dinner?” She raised her eyebrows, as she turned back toward them taking a step down closer to the rain behind her.
Katie grinned. “And a movie. I’ll get your number from dad.”
“Your dad doesn’t have my number.” Paige sent Nick a mischevious grin.
Nick, who was curiously watching the exchange, waved her back up the steps to hand her his phone.
“You don’t have to go. It’s still raining out there.”
Although he wanted to get down to the details of his ex’s latest drama, he equally was invested in spending more time with Paige.
She punched her number into his phone and called herself, before slowly handing it back to him. She held his intense gaze, wishing they were alone and blinked before diverting her attention back to his daughter.
“Katie, call me - and we’ll set up your birthday.”
Katie rose to hug her once more. “Thank you.”
Nick watched the two of them and cleared his throat. To see Katie have a female role model in her life like Paige meant the world to him.
“When will I see you again?” He whispered in her ear, out of shot from his daughter.
Paige dropped her arms from around Katie, and slowly looked up to meet his serious gaze. The way he searched her face sent a shiver down her spine, that she tried to attribute to the weather but knew it wasn’t.
“You have my number now. Call me.” Paige watched Nick’s eyes dilate and slowly smiled for effect. She looked down to Katie and waved, before stepping back out into the elements.
“See you guys!” She yelled over her shoulder.
Nick watched her run away in a stupor. Every time he saw her, she seemed to be getting more and more bold. He loved seeing this side of her, and couldn’t wait until he could spend more time alone. He looked down to his phone and saved her number, before turning back to his daughter.
He pulled Katie into his side, and said, “Now tell me what happened with your mom.”
She blew a puff of air out of the side of her mouth, pushing her dark locks away from her eyes. She groaned and dropped her head back as she came to a conclusion. The burden she’d been lamenting over on the porch slowly released. Although she hurt right now, she had people in her life that cared for her – like her dad and Paige.
“She’s going on a trip and promises to make up for missing my birthday.”
Nick shook his head, holding in the murderous thoughts that crossed his mind.
Katie could feel the tension that ran through his body, and laid her hand on his arm, before saying, “Dad. It’s never going to be okay between her and me. I have to learn to live with that.”
“Katie, that’s not okay with me.”
“It’s not okay with me either. But if I keep getting my hopes up only to keep getting hurt – it does me no good. It’s not fair. And I don’t want to be that person, who holds on to every bitter thought. I won’t do it.” She spun around to face him, grinning. “Besides, Paige is taking me out for my birthday.”
“You’re incredible. You know that?” His heart lifted, as he took in his daughter, who was more mature than he’d ever given her credit for.
“Yup.” Katie smiled and opened their front door.
“And just how did you guys work that out?” Nick followed her in, still not aware of how it all came together.
As she divulged the details, he peeked outside once more catch a glimpse of Paige’s small silhouette vanishing out of sight. He quietly closed his door in time to see the joyous look on his daughter’s face, and silently thanked God for the woman, who was opening both their hearts.
Chapter 19
Veronica dragged her friend by the arm through the parking lot with laser beam focus on the front door of Tight Ends. She couldn’t wait to see Paige’s tortured face, as she finally revealed her identity.
“Will you slow down?” Tanya yanked her arm free. “What’s your rush?”
“I’m hungry.” Veronica cut her eyes down toward her friend. “And I’m dying to see how Davis’ tired and old ex-wife looks in her uniform. I mean … I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard she was working here. Can you imagine? She’s in her forties!”
Both giggled as they reached the door. Tanya pushed it open and held the door, saying, “I know, right?”
“You think she’ll put two and two together?” Veronica stepped through, letting her eyes adjust to the dimly lit lobby. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and scanned the room.
“Hi! Welcome to Tight Ends.” A cute bubbly hostess approached them.
Veronica smirked in her direction. “We’d like to sit in Paige’s section, please.”
“Um, okay.” She scanned her hostess stand, and replied, “Well, Paige doesn’t start for about fifteen minutes.”
Veronica lifted her chin in defiance. “We’ll wait.”
“Would you like to sit in the bar while you wait?”
Tanya nodded and started inside when Veronica pulled her back by the arm. She squinted to read the hostesses’ name tag, and sent her a fake smil
e.
“Jaime, is it?” She waited for the young girl to nod, before finishing, “Can’t we wait in her station? We’ve driven a long time to get here, and we just want to see Paige.”
Jaime looked over her shoulder to an empty booth and contemplated her options. Usually, if she sat someone early, Linley would have her head. However, Linley wasn’t scheduled to be there for another hour, and her assistant manager was a bit less structured.
Jamie grabbed two menus and led them toward the table closest to the bar. “Sure. In the meantime – if you need anything, the bartender can help you.”
Tanya’s eyes gleamed as she watched Veronica in action. Her friend was relentless.
“Thank you.” Veronica slid in the booth, and waited until the hostess walked away before saying, “Now, we wait for her highness to get here.”
Nick watched - or more like heard the commotion in the lobby, as he and his buddy sat in the bar. Once he heard Paige’s name being thrown around, his interest was more than peaked – so much so that he lost track of Tyler’s conversation all together.
When the girls confidently strode by, he gave them the once over wondering who they were and how they fit into Paige’s life. They didn’t look like anyone she would mix with, but he reminded himself she had a whole other life outside of Granite.
“Hey, Granger – hello?” Tyler elbowed his friend and followed his gaze. “If it’s a date you want. I can get you one.”
Nick swung his head back toward Tyler and slyly smiled.
“I’m sure you could. If I ever need help – I’ll let you know.”
Tyler eyeballed the women, who sat only a few feet away, and grinned. He tipped his ball cap to them and turned his attention back to his friend.
“They’re lookers.” He reached for his beer.
Nick thought of Paige again and smiled down into his glass. Ever since she’d come to town, no one else even compared.
Tyler knew that look and angled closer. “So - who is she?”
“What?”
“You heard me. I mention how good looking those girls are over there, and you start grinning like you‘ve got a secret without even a glance to the booth behind us. Who is she?”
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