She shook her head. “No. You don’t get to come here and be all nice and caring.”
“So you want me to be a jerk and uncaring? I can’t do that. I love you.”
She swallowed and looked at her hands, twiddling her thumbs. “Then you should trust my judgement. You should trust my feelings.”
“Paige—”
She was right in front of me, but it felt as if she was far away.
“Please leave. Luna will be here soon, and I can’t vouch that she won’t throw whatever she finds at your head.”
I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to hold her in my arms and talk to her until neither of us sputtered nonsense and we focused on the important part: that we loved each other. I’d had my proverbial come-to-Jesus moment sometime since I walked in tonight. Paige knew who she was and what she wanted. But I understood that she needed to process everything, talk things out with her best friend.
“I’ll go. But I’m walking you to the couch first. It’s nonnegotiable.”
She huffed, wiggling her forefinger at me again. “Fine. But no touching me.”
“And no kissing, no eye thingy. Got it.”
I just walked a few steps behind her, and once she was safely on the couch, I left. I had my work cut out for me. Luckily, I had Blake’s instructions.
I fashioned a plan as I left the inn. My first stop would be at the house of Paige’s parents. That wasn’t in Blake’s instructions, but I was adapting it. As a family person myself, I knew how important it was to talk to her parents. I knew they’d be at her house because Paige had commented last week that they had movie night every Sunday. On the way there, I tried to play out in my mind her parents’ reactions, as well as what I’d tell them.
When I arr
ived, I rang the bell and waited with my hands behind my back. Several seconds later, I heard feet shuffling through the door. A second later, a voice called through the house. “Harvey, it’s Will.” After a pause, she added, “Yes, yes, Will.”
I kept my fingers crossed that her dad wouldn’t open the door pointing a gun at me.
When the door finally swung over, I took in Greta and Harvey Lamonica. Her mom had a hand over her chest, looking at me apprehensively. Her dad didn’t have a gun, but looked as if he’d do anything to point one at me.
“What are you doing here?” Harvey asked.
“Will, come on in. Tell us what this is about.”
Her parents reminded me of my parents. My dad had always been something of a hothead, like me, and Mom had been calm and patient, balancing everything out. “I am assuming Paige has talked to you,” I said as I stepped inside.
“Damn right she has,” Harvey growled.
“Harvey,” Greta hissed. “Hear the boy out. Why do you think he’s here? It means he loves our daughter.”
I stared at her. She could tell that... just like that? Women’s intuition had always been a mystery to me.
“Is that right?” Harvey asked.
“Yes, sir. And I know I handled things wrong.”
“And he’s here because he wants to make them right.” Greta clapped her hands, then put them over her chest. “Oh, this is romantic.”
Harvey glared at me, then at his wife. She elbowed him, not too gently. “Oh, don’t pretend like you never screwed up. And I don’t remember you showing up at my parents’ house. Momma would’ve told me.”
That shut Harvey up.
Greta patted his arm. “Let’s go in the backyard and you can tell us what’s on your mind.”
Greta was smiling at me. Harvey at least looked like he wasn’t planning to shoot me anymore.
We sat outside at the wooden table, and I explained my reasoning to both of them, and that I wanted to right things.