Flames shot from Paige’s eyes as she looked at Gina. “Give me Martha so I can beat some sense into this man.”
“Whoa. Hold up, little girl.” Austin bit back a smirk as he gently wrapped her in a hug. “I’m sorry. I thought he was propositioning you or… Why did you toss your head back and laugh, then?
“Because he said Elenore was talking to the mayor and wondered if she was asking him the same thing.”
When Gina burst out laughing, Austin simply rolled his eyes.
“Okay, but why did you put ice cream on his nose?”
“Because I was tired of Johnny clinging to me all day like a damn dryer sheet,” she said, tossing her arms in the air. “I thought if I smeared ice cream on him, he’d go away to wash it off and give me five damn minutes to myself.”
Austin wanted to believe her reasons, but he’d believed everything Ginny had told him once upon a time. He simply couldn’t let it go.
“You have a mouth…a real damn sexy one,” he murmured so low only Paige could hear. “You could have told him to fuck off.”
“And what about Grandpa? I didn’t want to—”
“Upset Raymond,” he groused. “Yeah, I know. Instead, you upset me.”
“No.” Paige arched her brows. “You upset yourself. You just let your past determine your future again.”
The truth slapped him in the face and stung like a bitch.
“And you’re not?” he barked, slapping her with the same sting of truth.
Her shoulders sagged as the fire in her eyes snuffed out.
“Paige,” Raymond bellowed from the front door.
“Fuck,” Austin groaned. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“Get your ass out here right now, young lady,” the old man ordered. “You got no business talking to that…heathen.”
“You’re right. I am doing it, too.” Paige’s voice cracked as tears filled her eyes.
As she turned, Austin reached out to stop her but dropped his hand back to his side. “Wait. Don’t go. We need to talk.”
She shook her head, then walked away and out the door with her grandpa.
Fighting the need to start hurling furniture against the walls just to watch them explode like his fucking heart, Austin clenched his jaw.
“Come take a seat. I’ll fix you a shot,” Gina softly cajoled. “You look like you need one, or two. Hell, you might need the whole bottle.”
Austin strolled to the bar, plopped down on a stool, and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know shit about relationships.”
Gina set a shot of whiskey down in front of him, then patted his hand. “I’m no expert on them either. But I know you’d better assassinate that green-eyed monster of yours. Paige is head-over-heels in love with you, and if I’m wrong, correct me, but you’re head-over-heels in love with her, too.
Austin grunted, neither confirming nor denying Gina’s assumption.
“You two just need a little time to cool off. Give her a few days, then talk it out. If you need someplace private, my door is always open. I won’t breathe a word to anyone.”
“You won’t have to. Swat-Team Evelyn will take care of that.”
Paige
Waking to a blinding beam of sunshine streaming from the gap in her curtain, Paige rolled to her side and plucked her cell phone off the nightstand. Sending up a silent prayer, she checked to see if Austin had messaged her. Once again, the universe was either deaf or couldn’t be bothered to answer her prayers.
Ever since their argument in the Hangover four lonely days ago, Austin had been too busy or too tired for her to sneak out to see him in the middle of the night. He replied to her texts, but his answers were always short and felt empty and hollow. Gone were his flirty, dirty innuendos. Paige had no clue how to bridge the chasm between them…especially when he refused to make time to see her.
Like everyone else she’d ever loved, with the exception of Grandpa, Austin was pushing her away. Blinking at the tears stinging her eyes, Paige sat up and crawled out of bed before slapping a hand over her mouth and racing to the bathroom. Dropping to her knees, she threw up…exactly like she had the past three mornings.
When she was done dry heaving, she crossed her arms over the seat, rested her forehead on them, and cried.
Yesterday morning, Paige had checked her calendar and done the math. Then she’d driven to a drug store in Denton and bought two pregnancy tests. Though she hadn’t taken one yet, she had a sinking suspicion she was in big trouble.
When her stomach finally stopped swirling, she brushed her teeth and washed her face. Then she retrieved one of the tests from beneath the sink, opened the box, and sat down on the toilet.
When she was through, she placed the wand on the back of the commode, washed her hands, and set the timer on her cell phone. After donning the robe from the back of the door, she paced from the tub to the door, back and forth, forcing herself not to peek at the test. When her phone chimed, she sucked in a ragged breath, then stared in horror at the bright pink plus sign. After sliding the wand into her pocket, Paige turned on the faucet and grabbed a bath towel. She pressed it to her face to muffle her sobs and sank to the floor.
What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?Like a carousel, the question circled her brain in an endless loop.
“Oh, god,” she wailed into the towel. “If Austin doesn’t want me, he’s definitely not going to want our baby.”