Chapter 36

With the early morning sunlight streaming through the windows, Paige sat at the piano, caressing the keys beneath her fingertips. She loved mornings like this. Mornings when the silence gave her the perfect opportunity to think and breathe. Mornings when she felt untouchable simply for having the perfect woman by her side. Mornings when life was good. Paige would admit that she had become used to those mornings, and rightfully so. Only now, she appreciated them far more than she once had. Paige appreciated life in general these days.

It was so easy to settle into a routine, expecting everything to work out perfectly. But Paige now knew a different side to daily life. She knew that the potential to lose everything was never far away. Would she allow those thoughts to take over her life? Absolutely not. But she would make every moment count.

Juliet's phone started to ring on the kitchen island, stilling Paige's movements at the piano. Juliet had been waiting for a call from Andi for the last three days, but Paige wasn't getting her hopes up. As much as she loved the pictures she had seen of the house they planned to view, she hadn't expected it to cost so much. She would have been happy with a small three-bed semi- detached house. But not Juliet. No, she preferred to go all in with most things in life. "Babe! Phone's ringing!"

Juliet rushed out of the bathroom and grabbed her phone before the call ended. She stared back at Paige with those loving eyes, her makeup half-finished. "Hello?" A smile spread on Juliet's lips. It had to be Andi. "Hi. Yes." Juliet nodded, one hand braced against the island. "Of course. Today would be great. What time?" She winked in Paige's direction as she nodded. "Perfect. We'll see you then. Bye, Andi."

Paige rose to her feet as she closed the lid on her piano and moved towards Juliet where she stood in the kitchen. She couldn't quite gauge what the plan was, but her fiancée seemed happy with the call. "What's going on?"

"Viewing at the house today. 2 p.m." Juliet leaned in and kissed Paige's cheek. "I guess I'd better finish getting ready."

Juliet turned to leave, but Paige held her in place. "Babe, are you sure this is the house for us?"

"Well, I don't know. We have to view it first." Juliet smiled into a kiss, her arms wrapped around Paige's waist. "Are you excited? I'm excited!"

"I mean, I guess I will be when we get there. I'm just worried this house is too expensive. I don't have the kind of money you do. The mortgage is going to cost a fortune."

"Mortgage." Juliet snorted. "There will be no mortgage, Paige."

"Okay, but that still leaves me with the same issue about it. It's expensive, and I don't have that kind of money."

"This place will cover half of it, and I've been sitting on the cash from the sale of my mum's house for a while now. Trust me when I tell you that we can afford it."

Paige sighed. She didn't want Juliet to pay out that kind of cash when she didn't really have anything to contribute. It didn't seem fair. "Babe, it's a lot."

"And I'll cover it. Don't worry." Juliet lifted a hand to Paige's cheek, feathering her fingertips against her skin. "I know how you feel about it, and I appreciate that you want to contribute, but I'm doing this for us. Not me. I'm doing it for our family."

Our family . Paige smiled at that. She still couldn't believe they were going to try to get pregnant. Paige just hoped she didn't let Juliet down when it came to kids. Still, they'd had that discussion—what would happen if things weren't working as they should be—and Juliet had told Paige they could figure things out as they happened. "You definitely want to do this with me? The house and the family?"

"Oh, I want your babies, Paige." Juliet draped her arms over Paige's shoulders, those eyes shining with total honesty. "I want it all with you. Our new home is just the beginning."

"If you're sure about this house when we've viewed it, then okay." Paige nodded slowly, understanding that Juliet was in a better position than she was. That was naturally going to happen, given the age difference and Juliet's career. Paige couldn't change that, but she could admire Juliet for wanting to do this for them. "I just hope you love it as much by the end of the day. I think you have your heart set on this particular house, and I don't want you to be disappointed when we go inside."

"Maybe I will be, and maybe I won't be." Juliet took a step back as she lifted a shoulder. "But I'll still come back here with you this evening and that's what matters."

God, Paige couldn't love this woman any more than she already did.

"And when we do come home this evening, I'll hold you just as I always do. I'll kiss you goodnight as I always do. And I'll wake up in your arms tomorrow, happy either way."

Paige looked around the apartment, a hint of sadness sitting in her chest. "I'm going to miss this place. It's where it all began for us."

"It is, and I agree. But I'm ready to make new memories with you, Paige. I'm ready to build our own dream home while remembering exactly how we came to be there together. Life is moving forward for us, and I couldn't ask for anything more with you by my side."

"I'll always be by your side. No matter what." Paige stared back at Juliet, briefly reminding herself of the last few months. "Always, babe."

"You've already proven that to me, Paige." Juliet took Paige by the hand and guided her towards the bedroom. "And now it's time to get ready for the next step in our lives."

Juliet grinned as she exited her car, her breath stolen as she looked around the expansive driveway. She felt Paige approaching to the side of her, also lost for words, as they stared ahead of them. Andi was waiting on the steps and close to the front door, a smile of her own plastered on her mouth. Oh, this is perfect.

"Paige," Juliet whispered. "I think I've already fallen in love with it."

"M-me too." Paige's eyes shone as Juliet chanced a look in her direction. All she ever wanted was to see Paige looking as happy as she did in this moment. "Fuck, babe. I thought the pictures did it justice, but they really don't."

"Shall we take a look inside?" Juliet placed a hand to the small on Paige's back, urging her towards Andi. "I'm dying to see the entire thing."

"Yes. Absolutely."

They crossed the driveway. The manicured lawn was the greenest Juliet had ever come across. Her mum had always been a keen gardener and proud of her lawn, but this was on another level to anything Juliet had known. Perhaps it was living in the city for so long, but she didn't believe it was. No, this place was just stunning.

"I'm very happy to see the look on your faces right now." Andi cocked her head towards the open front door and invited them inside. "I was going to do the walk around with you, but I think you'd appreciate it more without me in your ear giving you details. Anything you want to know or anything you need to ask, we can sort that out once you've finished the viewing. If you need me, I'll be out in the garden."

Juliet squeezed Andi's hand as she stepped past her. "Thank you, Andi."

Paige followed, and then the footsteps stopped once they were in the hallway. Juliet turned around to a shocked looking Paige.

"Are you okay?"

Paige shook her head, her bottom lip quivering. "I…I don't think I've ever been in a house like this. It's out of this world, Juliet."

"And it could be ours if we decide we love it once we've had a look around." Juliet held out a hand, relieved when Paige took it. For a moment, she thought she may have been doing this viewing alone. "Let's start upstairs and work our way down."

They took the huge staircase central to the hallway. Juliet glanced around, adoring every little feature she came across, and stopped when they reached the top of the stairs. Paige remained silent, but she suspected that her fiancée was taking everything in. It was hard to find words, in all honesty. Juliet had never seen anything so beautiful.

They both took their time inspecting each room, gasps and grins galore as they found more and more behind each door. The roll top bath in the main bathroom certainly caught Juliet's attention, the idea of relaxing in it with Paige firmly on her mind.

"Have you seen the size of the back garden?" Paige suddenly interrupted Juliet's delicious thoughts. "You could fit another house out there and still have room to entertain people!"

"We should go down and take a closer look. I'm happy with everything I see up here, and I'm sure I won't be disappointed with the rest of the house."

Paige visibly swallowed when Juliet turned to her. "Babe, is this really happening? Could this be our new home?"

"Do you want it to be our new home?"

Paige smiled as she lowered her eyes. "This sort of thing doesn't happen to me. I never thought I'd find the courage to come out, let alone find a woman who wants to give me this life and marry me."

"You deserve this life, Paige. You deserve anything you want."

"It never used to feel that way." Paige stepped closer and took Juliet's hands. "I'm so madly in love with you, Juliet. I don't know what I'm doing half of the time because all I think about is you, but if you really want this life with me…if I can be blessed to have this life with you , then I swear I'll never let you down, and I'll never hurt you."

"Oh, baby. I know you wouldn't." Juliet regarded Paige with a gentle smile.

"You saved me. You showed me what it was to be loved. All I want is to have a beautiful life with you, and I don't care how that happens." Paige leaned in and kissed Juliet. "If that is in this house or a cardboard box, I don't care. So long as I have you, I have everything ."

Juliet grinned. "But this house would certainly be a nice addition, don't you think?"

Paige scanned the huge landing, her own smile mirroring Juliet's. "Yeah. It would."

"Then I guess it's time to speak to Andi and find out what needs to be done before someone else snaps it up." Juliet took Paige's hand as they turned for the staircase. "I'm not letting this place go."

"Did you get the same feeling I did when you walked inside?" Paige asked as they reached the hallway.

Juliet knew exactly what feeling she was talking about. Warmth and love. They were the constant overriding feelings here. "I did."

"Then I think it's meant to be."

Juliet held Paige's chin and drew her into a kiss. The beginning of a new normal was very appealing in Juliet's mind.

"What do you think?" Andi came through the open bi-folding doors with that ever-present smile waiting for them.

"Well, we're certainly in love with it." Juliet wrapped an arm around Paige's waist, gazing out at the garden behind Andi. "Did you mention our offer to the owners?"

Andi nodded as she guided them to the outdoor furniture. "I did."

"And…" Paige bounced her leg up and down.

"And they're happy to accept it."

Juliet's eyes widened. While she knew it was wise to get a viewing in before it had been advertised, she hadn't expected it to be so easy. "You're fucking with us."

"I'm really not. The owners are ready to proceed if you and Paige are."

Juliet looked to Paige with a brow lifted. "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready whenever you are, babe."

With the greatest sense of love sitting firm in her chest, Juliet squeezed Paige's hand and turned back to Andi. "Tell them we're ready to go."