She pales. “Why… why… I’d never do such a thing.”
“Good to hear it.”
Irma starts to shuffle backwards. “Well, I’d better go. I saw you in the window and just wanted to say hi.”
“Wait. Don’t you want to congratulate my wife on our marriage before you take off?” I ask, just to be a dick.
Her expression goes flat. “Congratulations, Paige. Looks like you got what you always wanted.”
Paige flings her arms around my neck and kisses me. With a huge grin, she looks at her stepmother. “Damn straight I did.”
Fuck, I like this woman.
20
RHETT
As I shoveanother bite of the grilled cheese and pickle sandwich in my mouth, Paige rushes back to the stove. “Who wants another one?”
It’s the second time this week we’ve had grilled cheese, but everyone’s hands pop in the air, including mine, because these are fucking delicious.
She chuckles when she sees that every Walker man at the table wants one. Jace, Beau, Mav, and my boys all seem to be on a quest to down as many as possible.
I watch as she flips them on the grill. Her face is flushed, and a tendril of hair hangs down from her messy bun.
Beau nudges me. “Careful, or you’re gonna fall for your wife.”
No shit.
I ignore my brother’s questioning look. “Paige organized those files you were bitching about.”
Knowing that she has to wade through my mess is sobering. To be fair, my father was not organized, and I never took it upon myself to do things differently. I had a pile system. It worked until it didn’t.
Beau shouts, “Paige, whatever we’re paying you to deal with our office isn’t enough.”
My wife chuckles as she heads over with another platter of sandwiches that are neatly cut in half. “It’s not so bad.”
She scoops gooey slices and places them on my boys’ plates. They start to shove them in their mouths, but I grunt, “What do we say to Paige for making your favorite dinner?”
“Thank you!” they yell.
“I’m lucky y’all like easy meals.” She scruffs Austin’s head, and he smacks his lips and smiles up at her.
Even Gabriel grins at her today.
Life should always be this easy.
I turn to my youngest brother. “Maverick, how long will you be staying with us? Just asking so I can get enough groceries. You eat like a damn horse.” He came for the wedding, but I’ve barely seen him since.
“Just a few more days,” he says around a mouthful of food. “I have a summer school class, so I need to get back to Charming. I’ll train there with the guys.”
“Take it easy on the partying.”
“Okay, Dad,” he says sarcastically, the little shit.
He’s joking, but he’s not. I spent more time with him than our father ever did. “Hey, when you’re a hotshot NFL player, don’t forget who threw you a thousand passes in the backyard.”
“I did,” Beau says.
