“OK dont' asnwer me. I dont blame u. That's ok. Ive got a plane.”
Paige snickered. “He's got aplane.Hear that, Irie? We knew Daddy was rich, but we didn't know he wasthatrich.”
It was easier to laugh at his typos than to get her hopes up that he might actually have aplan,let alone a plan that could actually undo all the damage he'd caused …
And then she read the last message.
“Godo nigth. I levo you both.”
“Levous both?” she muttered. “Yes, you certainly didleave-ous both when you turned out to be a huge jerk.”
She refusedto believe that he meant to type some other four-letter word. Maybe he'd meant it for Irie, but not for Paige. At least, he'd certainly never say it if he wasn't wasted. He was probably at a club, on the prowl for his next piece of ass.Ugh,athletes—so typical.
But when her indignant cynicism over his typo washed away, a rawness in her heart, a vulnerability in her soul, was left in its wake. Maybe Emily was right. Maybe hewouldn'tgive up so easily. And yeah, maybe it was too soon to throw that word around, but she knew exactly what he meant by it, didn't she? If she'd learned anything over these past few days, it was that there was an undeniable bond between a man and a woman when they create a life together. She could laugh at his text all she wanted, but she knew in her heart that she had been quickly falling for him, too. Until one small bump in the road had scared her off.
Paige shook her head and set her phone down. She didn't know what to say to Lance yet. Maybe a short, “I'm okay we'll talk later,”would tide him over.
But in the meantime, she had to get Irie ready to head over to Grandma and Grandpa's.
***
Paige's Mom lookedextremelyconfused when she answered the door.
“Paige …? What are you doing here?”
“Hi, Mom,” Paige mumbled. She stepped into her parents' house with her tail between her legs.
“Was that some kind of prank phone call yesterday? Because itwasn'tfunny. You scared me half-to-death.”
“No. It wasn't a prank.” Paige set Irie down, and the child toddled off in a hurry for the living room. They followed her into the living room, where Dad was lounging in his recliner with a newspaper.
“Paige!” he said, sounding equally surprised and confused. “I thought you were …”
Paige cleared her throat and took a seat on the leather sofa. “Moving to Boston. Right. I might have to still. But not yet, not with Lance, anyway.”
Irie rummaged through her toy bin until she dragged out her hockey stick and foam ball. That child was obsessed. And so was Rascal the schnauzer, who jerked his wispy silver-and-gray head into the air and jumped into action, ready to play fetch.
“So, is there something you want tell us?” her Mom asked.
Paige nodded. “I—I haven't been very honest with you guys from the beginning. And I'm really sorry about that.”
“About what?” Dad asked, peering over his reading glasses.
Paige took a deep breath. This was the hardest part, the worst part—working up the nerve. Her heart beat like a war drum and her pulse throbbed in her neck.
“Irie's father,” she said at last. “It's not Adam.”
Her parents' heads turned on a swivel to watch as Irie took a swing at the foam ball.Whack.Into the net. Rascal sprung, pouncing on the ball as if it were a rat, and proudly trotted it right back to her to do it again.
“No kidding,” Paige's Dad said quietly.
“I'm so sorry. I always knew it wasn't Adam, but … you guys just assumed he was. And Iletyou guys believe that, because it was easier than telling you the truth.”
“Why would you lie?” her Mom asked.
“Because the truth made me feel so rotten and shameful.” Paige had started to tear up. She blotted at the corner of her eyes. She didn't want to make a pitiful scene by crying, but all the emotions that were bottled up inside her for the past two years sprung a leak and burst out on their own. “God, I'm sorry, I told myself I wouldn't cry.”
“Whatisthe truth, then?” her Mom asked.
