Chapter 32

Paige strode around the apartment, feeling like an entirely different person. Dinner last night had been quite intense but in all the best ways possible. Juliet…wanted kids. While it was true that Paige didn't see it as a deal breaker—it couldn't possibly be—she had no idea how much it would change their relationship. They'd only discussed it briefly, but everything did feel different.

She held her coffee cup in both hands, stopping at the window. It was raining today, it had been since the middle of the night, but she didn't care. Nothing could bring her mood down, and if she had her way, it would mean a day spent curled up with Juliet. Those were the days she always wished for. No interruptions, time alone with one another…and love. Monumental amounts of love.

"Good morning," Juliet spoke from behind Paige, her voice soft and warm. "Is there any coffee left?"

Paige turned and smiled. "When do I ever not make enough, babe?"

"True. You always look after me and my coffee needs." Juliet crossed the space between the bedroom and the kitchen and helped herself to a cup. As she moved towards Paige, stopping beside her, she sighed. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Great, why?"

"We didn't speak much once we got home last night. At least, not about what we'd discussed over dinner."

"I'm just going with it. We have a lot on right now, so we can focus on that until we have time to set aside everything else and talk more." Paige turned to Juliet, studying that beautiful face. "We don't have to rush anything."

"I know." Juliet sipped her coffee, staring back at Paige over the rim of her cup. "I can't believe you even said what you did last night. Part of me is waiting for you to tell me it was a joke."

"A joke…about having kids?" Who in their right mind would ever do that to another person? "No, babe. Never. I meant what I said to you."

"I just…we've never once discussed having kids. I was thrown completely."

Paige understood that. But after everything that had happened recently, it was time to speak out about what they wanted. Tomorrow was never promised. "I think I threw myself, too. But I still meant it."

Juliet lowered her cup to a side table and then took Paige's from her. Once she had set that down, she held Paige in her arms. "You have no idea how incredibly lucky I feel to have met you, Paige."

Just two years ago, Paige was living with an abusive husband, wondering if she would survive to see her future. There had been moments when she wondered if she deserved what James did to her whenever the mood struck him. There had been times she had wanted to run and never look back, only to feel weak whenever those thoughts came to mind. But getting on that train to Liverpool was the best decision she had ever made. Nothing in life would trump that. "You saved me . You offered me a life I'd always wanted but never thought I deserved. You are my luck, Juliet."

"The thought of never meeting you physically hurts. If the events leading up to you being here had never happened, we wouldn't be standing together right now. I hate everything you went through; it hurts my heart to remember that day I found you at the hotel…but there will never be a day when I don't save you if that's what you need from me." Juliet looked out at the river, sighing as she closed her eyes. "My mum would have loved you."

Paige lifted a brow. "You think?"

"Oh, I know so." Juliet lifted her coffee again and sipped. "She was forever asking me when I was going to find myself a ‘good woman' I could settle down with. She had desperately wanted grandchildren. I only wish I could have met you before she died."

"I know you would have told me by now, but…you don't have any siblings?"

"Not living, no." Juliet gazed out of the window, silence settling between them. Paige didn't want to push, but she would always want to know every little detail about Juliet's life. "I'm a twin. Was a twin."

"O-oh." Paige hadn't expected that, nor did she anticipate the sadness in Juliet's eyes as she glanced in her direction briefly.

"Scarlett only lived for a few hours. She was quite poorly when she was born."

"Oh, I'm sorry, babe." Paige placed a hand on the small of Juliet's back.

"I don't think my parents wanted any more children after that. Mum went through a lot of trauma giving birth. Maybe that's why I was given everything I could ever need. You know, making up for it, kind of thing?"

Paige nodded slowly.

"I can't complain. They loved me so much." Juliet guided Paige towards the couch, sighing when they settled down with one another. "I never wanted for anything. They were proud of everything I did. Then, when it was just Mum, I tried to be the best daughter I could be. I know I had to work a lot, but she understood that."

"Your dad?"

"Dad died when he was in his forties. Accident at work. I was six months into my law degree when I got the call."

Paige couldn't believe she was only just learning about these things. But she was a firm believer in people speaking what they wanted to say. Anything else was their private business. "That had to be tough for you."

"It was. Incredibly tough. But I dealt with it by making sure my mum was okay. She was in a terrible state about it all, and I didn't want her to think she was alone." Juliet scoffed. "But then, by working so much, as she had expected of me, she ended up dying alone."

"Babe, she passed away in her sleep. Nobody could have known that would happen, and I'd hope you wouldn't blame yourself for not being there."

"She just deserved more, you know?"

Paige squeezed Juliet's knee. "I know."

"Then there was me. I'd always wanted the kind of life I'd had with my parents. Someone who looks at you as though you're the entire world in their eyes. Children to dote on. A beautiful family home. Those early Christmas mornings." Juliet's eyes shone with so much love that Paige almost had to catch her breath. "The months passed, then the years, and then I realised it just wasn't meant to be for me. I couldn't even find a woman who was interested in me, let alone imagine children."

"And then we met." Paige shifted closer, almost sitting in Juliet's lap.

Juliet lifted a hand and held it against Paige's cheek. "And then we met."

"Best day of my life, babe."

"Oh, mine too. Without a doubt."

Paige grinned. "Yeah?"

"Absolutely. When you walked down those stairs, I knew I wanted you in that moment. I'd never been so captivated by anyone before. But you? I just knew you were special."

Paige dipped her head at that. She knew Juliet loved and adored her, but it still felt like that butterfly moment all over again. A moment Paige would never forget. "I remember the moment I walked into the bar. I expected to be intimidated by you, I knew who you were, but that never happened. Not even a hint of it."

"People often made up their minds about me without knowing me. That's something I became used to a very long time ago."

"I know the real you, and I think you showed that side of you very early on. From the get-go, I felt as though I could trust you implicitly."

Juliet leaned in and kissed Paige. "And I hope you still feel that way now."

"Of course I do. I trust you with my life."

Juliet smiled. "And I trust you with mine. You've already saved it once."

"Mm. Let's not make that a habit, though, okay?"

"I think once was more than enough." Juliet shifted and lifted her legs into Paige's lap. She lay her head back on the mass of cushions, smiling as she looked up to the ceiling. "Kids, huh. Who'd have thought it?"

"I think I always had it in the back of my mind. Maybe I just never knew when the right moment was to say it." Life had been so hectic for them since they met that Paige hadn't really had much chance to sit and think about what she wanted next with Juliet. All she had known with certainty was that she wanted to spend forever with her. Anything else was a bonus. "But we know now. We've said what we wanted to say. When the time is right, we'll know."

"We will." Juliet shifted to one side, encouraging Paige to lie down beside her. "The rain makes me want to do nothing at all."

"Fine by me. I'm happy to do nothing at all." Paige nuzzled into Juliet, grateful for these little moments. Moments she had almost lost forever very recently. "Maybe I'll cook something nice for us tonight. I'll see if I can be arsed later."

Juliet kissed Paige's hair. "There are plenty of takeout options. Don't worry yourself about it right now."

"Hey, babe?" Paige turned to Juliet, watching her from across the kitchen. "For the wedding, what kind of thing are you thinking of?"

"You mean where should we have it?" Juliet approached Paige and dipped a spoon into the sauce she had made for dinner. God, it was good. A creamy white wine and garlic sauce with mushrooms. Divine. She pointed the spoon at the pan and grinned. "That tastes amazing."

"Thanks. And yes. Where do you want it? How do you want it? Big, intimate?"

Juliet inhaled a deep breath. Over the years, she had dreamt of a huge white wedding, but now? Now, she was happy to go to the registry office and then jet off somewhere hot instead. "I haven't really thought about it. Though for the amount of time I've spent sitting around, I probably could have had the whole thing planned already."

"I want you to have whatever you prefer, okay?" Paige turned her back and finished preparing dinner. "It's all about you."

"I…it's about us, Paige." Juliet hadn't expected Paige to seem so nonchalant about the occasion. It was a huge deal for them both. "Isn't it?"

"Of course. It's just that I've been married before so…" Paige lifted a shoulder. "That went terribly."

"Tell me about your wedding."

"Mine? I hated it." Paige lowered the sauce and turned back to Juliet. She rested against the counter, a tea towel in her hands. "It was all about me, even though it wasn't. James chose the guest list, and I had three friends there. Harriet and two other people and their partners. But really, they were James' friends. I just knew them through his job."

"I see." Juliet nodded slowly. Paige likely didn't want anything too extravagant because of past experience.

"That was before everything else started to happen. Maybe that should have been the first red flag. But I wasn't too bothered. I preferred him taking care of most of it since I wasn't overjoyed to be marrying him. I kind of didn't want to put my heart and soul into something that didn't mean so much to me."

"I understand that completely. But did you at least have a nice day?"

God, Juliet really hoped Paige had enjoyed herself in some way.

"With my mum, yes." Paige regarded Juliet with a simple smile. They both wished things could have been different before their mothers passed away. "She was so excited, so I had to kind of be excited with her. And she looked gorgeous."

"I'm glad you have that memory with her." Juliet took Paige's hand and pressed her to the counter. "As for what I want…something simple."

"Babe, you and simple do not go together. You deserve something really grand and beautiful. Something that suits you."

"I have everything grand and beautiful already. I have you." Paige rolled her eyes playfully, but Juliet meant it. She didn't need some huge affair to flaunt what she had. The only thing that mattered was their happiness. Not everyone else. "I'm serious, Paige."

"But—"

Juliet silenced Paige with a kiss, smiling against her lips. "But nothing. I'd rather we use the money for a wedding on something far more important. And yes, we can afford to have both, but I think a small and quiet wedding is perfect. And then the searching begins."

"The…searching?" Paige stared back at Juliet, confused.

"Clinics. Doctors. Whatever it is we have to contend with when it comes to starting a family."

"If you're sure."

Juliet was sure. So sure. "So long as you're my wife at the end of whatever day we choose to have, then I'm more than sure."

Paige grinned. "Say that again. The wife part."

"My wife?"

"God, that sounds so strange. I never thought I'd be anyone's wife again, and certainly not yours. But I think we deserve this, don't you? I think we're decent enough people to deserve that happy ending."

"We really do, baby." Juliet brushed Paige's hair from her face and studied her delightful silvery eyes. " You deserve the world."

"Stop saying things like that. We'll never get ‘round to eating dinner otherwise."

Juliet tweaked the tip of Paige's nose as she stepped away. "Maybe you need to learn to control yourself better. It just may help you in situations like this."

As Juliet turned for the dining table, Paige gripped her wrist. "Hey."

"Mm?"

"You're so beautiful."

It seemed it was Juliet's turn to struggle now. She adored the way Paige made her feel in a split second, and she wasn't sure she would ever get used to it. "Thank you."

"Now, sit down, and I'll bring dinner over." Paige shooed Juliet away, almost catching her on the backside with the tea towel. "Wine, babe?"

"Go on. Open that nice bottle of white I picked up in town the other day. It'll go perfectly with dinner." Juliet lowered herself into a seat, sitting back and admiring Paige and every move she made. "I hired the photographer this morning. For Edie's party."

"Oh, that's great. Edie won't know what to do with herself when she gets to the bar."

"I spoke to Hannah and Caz. They're going to tell her they're all dropping in to see you and I before they go for a meal. Hannah is going to get in touch with Edie's friends before then to make sure they're all there before her."

"I'm glad Edie found her friends. I know it was tough for her at one point, there was some bullying going on, but she seems to be fitting into the right crowd now."

"Yeah, she is. And if those bullies so much as breathe near her, Auntie Juliet will be into that school faster than they've had time to blink."

"Mm. I will indeed." Juliet smiled in Paige's direction as she carried two plates to the dining table. "And Auntie Paige will be right behind me."

"Nah. I'll already be at the parents' house asking them if they know how to raise their feral kids."

God, Juliet loved these conversations. Paige had really come into her own since she'd left and divorced James. Most days, it was an entirely different woman standing before Juliet. But it was a woman that she equally loved and adored.

Paige leaned down and kissed Juliet. "Anything else before I join you?"

"No. Just you." Juliet held Paige by the front of her hoodie. "Now sit down. I'm starving."