When she smiled, it was full of emotion. And a touch of naughtiness too. "I've never made love in my office before."
He kissed her hard. "I want to be your first. Your only."
"You are. You always have been." This moment between them was potent with meaning--and with joy. So much joy that it was perfectly natural, instinctive to tease. "I can't stop fantasizing about having you ravish me with my clothes on. Like we're doing something totally illicit." And so beautiful her heart swelled with it.
"Paige." He murmured her name into the vee of her neckline, licking her skin. "I love how you're not afraid to make love fun. To play, even as you make me hotter than anything or anyone ever has."
"Play with me," she urged him.
On a lust-filled curse, he rolled her beneath him on the couch. She felt so soft, so sexy beneath his hard, heated muscles.
He bunched the material of her skirt in his hands and tugged it up slowly. "You made me crazy when I first walked in here. This pencil skirt and silk blouse you're wearing. They're sexy as hell. I could barely restrain myself from ripping them off you."
"I wanted to rip your suit off too."
He stopped a moment, his features serious again as he braced himself above her. "Don't ever stop being exactly the way you are. Don't ever stop making me laugh, making me crazy. My sweet, sexy, wild, perfect Paige."
Her heart contracted, and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. No one had ever wanted her just the way she was. She'd lived her whole life in her sister's shadow.
But Evan loved her just as she was.
"I am sweet," she said softly. "And sexy." That came out louder, firmer. She was already rolling them over so she could straddle his hips as she said, "And wild for you."
He pulled her down and gave her a sizzling, openmouthed kiss, tasting her with his tongue, filling her. "You forgot one," he said when he finally let her come up for air. "Perfect." He threaded his hands into her hair. "My every dream, every hope, every prayer, come true."
"Then love me now," she whispered, looking down into his beautiful face, her gaze caressing his lips.
The next thing she knew, zippers were unzipped, buttons were unbuttoned, and fabric was pulled out of the way so that they could come together.
They made love to each other with lips, hands, hearts. Joy, pleasure, love--there were no boundaries anymore. No more shadows. Only the wild, perfect rhythm of their lovemaking, their sounds of pleasure, their whispered words of love.
And when they fell, they fell as one.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Paige sat in the passenger seat of Evan's Tesla the following night as they zipped along to Modesto. He'd asked her to come with him to see his family. He'd said they were as much hers as they were his, that they would love her as much as he did. Even now, it made her tear up.
"I'm so proud of you for taking this step. I know how hard it is."
Evan picked up her hand to kiss her knuckles. It was such a beautiful gesture, one she could never have imagined a month ago. But she'd dreamed of it a million times.
"With you by my side, it's not hard." He twined his fingers with hers on the console. "I want to know my brother and sister better. And it's time to reconnect with my mother. I'm ready to start a new life with a new family." He gave her the look that melted her heart every single time...and heated her straight through. "And with you. Especially with you."
She knew her heart was shining in her eyes. "I wonder what everyone will say about us being together."
"They'll ask why it took so long. Especially Susan. I'm pretty sure if we didn't get our act together soon, she was going to lock us in a bedroom and not let us out until we found our happily ever after."
"She didn't just adopt you and the other Mavericks," Paige said in a soft voice. "She adopted me too, a fully grown woman who was desperate for a family. For a home." Paige lifted her eyes back to Evan's. "Our family is going to be as happy as theirs."
"It is. Because we've learned from the best."
He pulled over to the curb a few moments later where all three members of the Collins family were outside waiting by the short hedge around the small lawn in front of Theresa's house. A flower box edged the porch, ready for spring flowers in a few months.
Paige and Evan were received with smiles all around and hugs from Tony and Kelsey, then they all trooped inside.
"Have you eaten dinner?" Theresa had obviously wanted to hug Evan too, but she'd held herself back.
"We have," Evan said. "But I brought dessert." He set a pink bakery box on the kitchen table. "Mrs. M's trifle is legendary."
"How lovely. I've put coffee on."
Kelsey flipped open the bakery box. "Oh my God. It looks like a billion calories." She laughed. "I'll just have to run an extra five miles tomorrow, because I'm not missing this."
"Need some help, Mom?" Tony asked, then automatically helped her get down the mugs, setting them on a plastic tray.
The house wasn't large, with an L-shape for dining, kitchen, and family room. There was no formal living room, but Paige thought rooms that didn't get used except on formal occasions were a waste of space anyway. Everything was neat and clean, the tile counter sparkling, though it had a couple of cracks in it. The appliances were older, but who cared as long as everything worked? The place was homey, and that was the most important thing.
Tony carried the tray of mugs, bowls, a cow-shaped creamer jug, and a sugar pot into the family room, setting it on the coffee table. Theresa brought the coffee carafe, and Kelsey followed up with the trifle.
"Would you like to do the honors, Evan, since you brought the dessert?" Theresa held out a big serving spoon.
"You go ahead, Mom."
She faltered, her hand trembling as she looked at him in shock. Then with joy. Her eyes shone with moisture as she smiled and said, "All right, dear. Big piece or little?"
"Huge," he said. "We're celebrating." He grinned at Kelsey. "All the calories are free tonight."
Sitting next to him on the sofa, Kelsey leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, big brother." Paige knew the show of affection had nothing to do with the cake and everything to do with their mother.
After Tony had poured coffee and passed around the cream and sugar, Evan held up his mug. "I'd like to make a toast." They all raised their mugs as he said, "First, to our mother. You did a fabulous job of raising your children."
"Oh Evan." A tear slid down Theresa's cheek. "I didn't raise you."
"You did for nine years. Then you let me stay with Susan and Bob, who finished the job. I will be forever grateful for that opportunity to become the man I am." Theresa swiped at the tears streaming down her face, and then he reached for her hand. "I know now that you did the absolute best you could in difficult circumstances and that you made the only choice you felt you could at the time. I don't want you to feel guilty about that anymore. I had a great life with Bob and Susan, and I'm looking forward to an even better life going forward, with you in it, along with my brother and sister."
Paige was so proud of Evan that her heart felt close to bursting with love.
He raised his mug again. "To Tony and Kelsey. I'm honored to have you as my brother and sister, and I want to get to know you both much better."
They clinked their mugs with his, and Paige thought Kelsey might start crying too. Even Tony's eyes had grown shiny.
"Thanks for not kicking us out the day we showed up at your house uninvited." Tony grinned and lifted his mug higher. "To family."
Evan's grin was a mirror to his brother's. "To family."
They all cheered.
"One more toast." He turned and faced her. "To Paige. The woman I love with all my heart. You have been my friend, my best friend, for years. I'm damned glad that by the time I finally woke up and realized I couldn't live without you, I hadn't lost you. Because you're everything to me. Everything."
Paige didn't think twice--she simply leaned over and kissed him right there in front of his family.
"It's about time," Kelsey said, as if she'd known they belonged together that very first day she'd met them.
"I'm so happy for you both." Theresa squeezed Paige's hand.
"Me too." Tony's grin was even wider now as he held his cup aloft in another toast.
"You're all as lucky as I am to have her." Evan looked at Paige with all his emotions in his gaze.
Pretty soon, she'd be crying buckets too.
Then Evan reached into his pocket, and when his hand reappeared, Paige recognized the plastic T-Rex on his palm. And her tears fell for this big, beautiful, wonderful, forgiving man.
"You remember this little guy, Mom?" He handed the trinket to her.
"Oh Evan," she whispered, grabbing a napkin to blot her eyes as she held the dinosaur close to her heart. "You kept it?"
"I've never been able to let it go," Evan said as he reached for Paige's hand.
"The Field Museum in Chicago," his mother told Kelsey and Tony. "We went to see the dinosaurs."
"It was the best day ever," he said, punctuating the words with a squeeze of Paige's hand. "We're going to have a lot more of them from now on."
"Yes. We will." His mother sniffed and used the napkin to dry her eyes, her gaze finally bright and alive.
Paige's heart bloomed with love. She was so proud of Evan. He'd banished his shadows, and in doing so, he'd banished his mother's too.
"I've been thinking," Evan said, looking at his mother, his arm anchoring Paige to him. "Modesto is too far out. Would you consider a job closer to the Bay Area?"
"You want me closer?" She looked like she'd just been given yet another of the greatest gifts in the world.
"I do. Very much. Although, I understand that you feel a great loyalty to your employer's company since he was such a help to you."
"You've said it's just not the same since Hugh died," Kelsey reminded her. "It would be great if you lived closer to Tony and me."
"My friends would love to meet you," Evan said gently. "You'd like them all. And I'd be there every step of the way with you, finding you a great job, helping you sell this house, or rent it out, if that's what you'd like to do."
Evan would take care of everything, Paige knew. And leaving Modesto would also help get Theresa away from any temptation to let Greg back in her life.
"Why don't you take some time to think about it?" Evan said, obviously working hard to let her come to it in her own time.
But Tony wasn't afraid to push. "It's time, Mom. You stayed there because you liked working with Hugh, but he's gone."
"I know," she said. "But adjusting to a new company..." Theresa didn't have to finish the thought. Change was frightening.
"We'll all help you find the right fit," Kelsey said. "I bet Evan has a million contacts. You could even live with me, if you'd like."
Theresa looked at them all, and her arms moved as if she wanted to throw them around her entire family. And when Evan moved into them, Paige felt his forgiveness envelope his mother, final and complete.
It was all she could ever have hoped for him.
And for herself, to be loved by this beautiful man.
*
They gobbled the trifle down to the bare bowl and finished the carafe of coffee. Peace settled over Evan as he surveyed his new family.
Pure love for--and from--Paige had melted his icy heart.
"I've got a present for you, to say thank you for all you did for us." Kelsey reached down beside the sofa to produce a flat box. She leaned over to lay the gift on his lap. "I hope you like it."
The box was fairly heavy, and he tore off the paper. He hadn't needed anything in return for what he'd done to chase off Theresa's abuser, but the offering warmed him.
He lifted the lid to reveal a collage photo frame filled with pictures. He gaped at Kelsey. "Where did you get all these?"
"I told Susan what I wanted to do, and we went through her photo books when you left for the hotel after Yahtzee."
"What a beautiful idea." Paige leaned over to look, her scent weaving magic around him. "You guys sure were hotties even back then."
Front and center was a photo of the Mavericks taken shortly before they'd all left Chicago. Their hair was longer, and he and Matt weren't nearly as well built yet, but they'd just made their pact and were ready to take the world by storm.
The other pictures were in a satellite around the center, including one of the Spencers--Bob, Susan, Daniel, and Lyssa--and a photo of Susan and Bob on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary just a couple of years ago. Kelsey had also included a shot of herself and Tony when they were about ten. His hair was longer than he wore it now, hers shorter. Right below was a photo of Susan and Theresa from the past weekend, the two women who had helped shape him.
"Thank you." He was beyond touched. "You couldn't have given me anything better."
"It was Tony's idea. But I collected the photos. It's a family portrait. All your family." Kelsey's words showed her understanding of how important the Maverick clan was to him, while also bringing to light his future. His brother, sister, and mother weren't eclipsing anything, they were extending.
Then he saw the photo in the upper right. Paige was seated next to him on Susan's sofa, the Yahtzee dice in her hand. She was laughing at something he'd said, her gaze on him, her love for him written in her smile, her laughter.
Just as his love for her--the love he'd thought he needed to keep secret, even from himself--was written on his face.
Kelsey had obviously seen it too, capturing the moment with her cell phone.
Paige traced the edge of the picture. "That's a nice one," she said softly. Her voice and her touch, the heat of her body beside him, the slight lift of her gaze to his, showed she also recognized the emotions shining through.
His feelings had been there all along, deep inside. He'd lost his way for a very long time. But now he was found.
In front of his family, he declared himself again. "I love you, Paige."
As she said the words back against his lips, he kissed her, and his family cheered beside them. He would say it, think it, feel it every day for the rest of his life. He would thank God or the universe or whatever power was in charge for allowing him to finally see how much he needed her.
And he would be forever thankful that he hadn't been able to resist the sweet, sexy, wild woman who tempted him so.
Because they were meant to be.
Epilogue
Daniel picked up a champagne glass from the tray Mrs. M was handing around for the Valentine's Day toasts.
"We're going to turn the formal living room into a library," Evan told the group filling the room under discussion.
The new library would be small compared to the one in Evan's old Atherton house. But this place fit Paige and Evan better than his previous residence would have.
"Here's to a great new home for you both," Will toasted, all fat and happy after six weeks of marriage. All right, he wasn't fat, but he was damn happy. And Harper was beaming like a thousand watts of joy.
Everyone raised their glasses in salute and drank.
"Here's to your new life together." Tony Collins held his glass high, and everyone cheered with him.
That Evan had a brother and sister, twins no less, had taken some getting used to. Hell, Evan could have been Tony's twin they were so much alike. While Kelsey resembled him, she was also a very beautiful young woman.
The photo montage of the family that she and Tony had made for Evan had been an inspiration. It showed an understanding that seemed far beyond their years. They were both good people, smart, funny, and terribly protective of their mother.
Still, Daniel wasn't sure what to make of Theresa Collins. Her life had been hard, and the years had taken their toll. She was his mom's age, but she looked five years older. Evan had forgiven her for leaving him, but Daniel wondered when he'd get there himself.
He'd seen the bruises Evan's dad had left on him. Sometimes it was harder to forgive the things done to your
friends than it was the things people did to you. Especially when Daniel had grown up with the best parents possible. He simply couldn't understand beating your kid or ditching him to save yourself. But his mother counseled forgiveness, so Daniel was working on that.
"Here's to finding family and discovering the love of your life in the process," his mother toasted.
She wore a beautiful smile for the happy reunion, but there was also a special gleam in her eye, as if she'd known all along that Evan would come to his senses and finally recognize the woman of his dreams had been right beside him all along.
Hell, they'd all known Paige was the sister Evan should have married long before he figured it out. He was a wiz with numbers, investments, and cash flow--but the guy was definitely slow on the uptake where matters of the heart were concerned.
At least he got there eventually. Just like Will and Sebastian and Matt had. It was about time that Evan found happiness. He'd never looked more relaxed, less serious, even close to carefree. And Paige had never looked more beautiful. She wore a celebratory red dress, and Evan had matching hearts in his eyes.
Yeah, his friend had found a jewel, which was a rarity in this world when the majority of women Daniel met wanted his money first and him second. Or third, after his connections.
But not Paige.
Evan had paid cash for the house so they could make the move in time to host a Valentine's party. Daniel, though he had no Valentine sweetheart--and didn't need one, thank you very much--had come stag, as usual.
After the toasts, everyone explored the house and property. The house itself, located in the Los Altos Hills--was far more modest than the Atherton behemoth, not more than five thousand square feet. But it had home offices for both Paige and Evan, a couple of extra bedrooms for family to stay, and a granny suite over the garage for the Mortimers, who of course, had come to the new place. There was also a garden out back and a yard that would easily fit the playsets and soccer games for the children Daniel hoped his friends would soon have.
The home suited Paige perfectly. And Paige suited Evan. He'd never laughed as hard, never smiled as big.
Daniel's parents had flown in from Chicago--though Lyssa hadn't been able to make it, due to the job she still needed to dump. Jeremy had come with Harper and Will, but Noah had commandeered him, along with Jorge, the son of Ari's friend Rosie, dragging them both into the dining room, where they were seated around the table building some mysterious creation out of Lego blocks.