Worth It All(91)

“Hey! What’s with the traffic jam?” Tony ushered his kids in ahead of him, forcing JT to sidestep with Paige still wrapped up in his arms.

“Hey, man. Surprise.” Tony slapped his back.

More people crowded into his mother’s kitchen, but his sole focus was on Paige.

Paige pulled back to meet his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

He pressed a kiss to her lips. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, so much, but you know I’m coming back in two days.”

To pack. To say goodbye and he wouldn’t have tried to persuade her to stay in California. But now he wouldn’t have to. “We need to talk about that.”

“Yes, we do.” Something passed through her eyes, regret maybe. Sadness.

He pressed another kiss to her lips, then took her hand. “Sorry, Dad. You know I love you, but we have plans.”

“I get it.” His father winked.

“What about Casey?” Paige asked.

“She’ll be fine,” his mother said. Abby and Hannah echoed the same.

Good thing because he was already pulling Paige out the door to the grins and teasing looks behind him. He wasn’t in the mood to waste time, but he did pause before opening the passenger door for her. He slipped his fingers through her hair and kissed her until they were both breathless.

When he lifted his head, she gave him a questioning look. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

His answer was simple. “You’re here.”

Her teeth scraped across her bottom lip, making him crazy, and her expression changed to uncertainty. She had no idea how much he loved her.

“What are the plans?”

“Dinner. To start.” He kissed her once more quickly, then loaded her into the car and forced himself to concentrate on the road. Twenty minutes later, he pulled up to a small boutique hotel on the beach.

Paige slid him a look. “You said dinner.”

“Yep. Among other things.” If this went well, there would be several other things.

Desire flared in her eyes, tempting him to change plans. But no, he was going to do this right.

With her hand in his, he led her through the ornate lobby to the restaurant.

“Jake.” She pulled him to a stop. “Are you sure I’m dressed for this?”

“You’re perfect,” he said, giving her a long, appreciative look.

They continued through to check in and then followed the host out and onto a secluded deck with only one table. It was covered in a white cloth with a cluster of white candles in the center. More candles set in deep glass holders lined the weathered rail, their flames dancing in the ocean breeze.

Paige stopped short. “Jake?”

He squeezed her hand. “It’s dinner.”

She smiled, taking in the scene, obviously delighted. “It’s beautiful.”

Once seated, they ordered steak and lobster and a tableful of sides. Anything she wanted and even things she wasn’t sure about. He got it all.

“You’re feeding me again,” she said, taking another bite of a creamy seafood dish.

“Yes.” And he planned to do it many more times.

She picked up her glass of wine. “Aren’t you hungry?”

“Yes.” Realizing his hands had stilled and he was staring, he forced another bite of steak. It was damn hard to eat with Paige sitting beside him. So damn beautiful with her face glowing in the candlelight and her hair lifting gently on the wind.

For the next few minutes, Paige regaled him with tales of Casey and the horses and all that they’d both learned. “She loves it here, but…”

“But what?”

“But I’m not staying. I’m going to tell Hannah tomorrow.” Her smile fell away and her chin dropped.

“What? I thought it was going so well. I thought you loved it.” And after a lengthy discussion with Simon and Lynn, he’d gone before the board and announced his plans.

“I did. I do, but…it’s really far away and I thought, if we want to see where this goes, that maybe I should stay in California. If you want me to.”

“If I want you?” He took her hand and laid it against his cheek. then pressed a kiss to the center of her palm. “Paige, I’d never ask you to give up what you wanted.”

“I know that. And you’re not. I had a plan before this. If I stick to that, I’ll get where I want to go eventually.”

So she’d go back to the plan that had her stressed and tired all the time. And she’d do it for him.

“I love it here, but I love you more. I need you more.”

His heart nearly burst hearing her say the words. He brought her fingers to his lips and closed his eyes for a second, unable to speak. He hadn’t thought he could love her any more than he already did. This strong, beautiful, hardworking woman loved him, and when given the choice, she’d take the more difficult path to be with him. He thanked God again as he gazed into her eyes. “How about this for a new plan? We all live here.”