Page 50 of The Handy Men
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Paige was jittering with excitement when she drove up to their home on the island. This was the first time she would see it from the inside. It had either been shuttered up tight or it had been rented out. After parking in the driveway, she went up to the door and knocked. But there wasn't an answer.
"Are you looking for the handymen?" One of their neighbors poked her head out of her window.
"Yes," Paige said.
"They're over at the Sabatino house." She pointed to a big Colonial at the end of the cul-de-sac.
"Thanks." That had to be Stephanie's house.
She got back in and took the short drive over. It was just after ten and she wasn't sure if she should knock or what—Paige didn't want to wake Stephanie's son.
Dean's son.
She put her hand on the door knob and it swung open.
What if she walked in and Stephanie, Dean, and Jack were having sex?
Paige cringed and had a flashback of seeing Barbie and Fred in that swanky hotel room.
What if she walked into a similar scene tonight?
Paige's breathing became too fast, and for a moment she thought she was going to pass out. Bracing herself on the door frame, she forced herself to walk in the house. She was going to be brave, even if it broke her heart. She wasn't that person anymore. Dean and Jack were expecting her. They would never treat her the way Fred had. She was looking forward to seeing them again. Even though she had been busy, she missed them, too.
Following the sound of voices, she passed by a kitchen made for a gourmet chef and walked down the hall. Stephanie, fully clothed, stood up from the chair she had been slouched on in front of the television set.
Jack was fast asleep with a two-year-old boy on his chest.
Dean stretched as he got up from the couch, careful not to wake up either Jack or the baby.
"Hey, sorry we weren't home." He kissed her on the mouth and then hugged her for a good five minutes.
There wasn't any awkwardness. It was like that awful scene in the pavilion had never happened.
Paige pulled away before she started bawling again and looked over at Stephanie. "I'm sorry for barging in. The door was unlocked and I didn't want to ring the bell."
"That's all right. I should have locked it. It's just habit not to around here."
"We should get going." Dean slung his arm around Paige. "If you grab Brendon,” he said to Stephanie, “I'll wake Sleeping Beauty."
"Sure," Stephanie smiled and gently extracted her son. "Good night." She left the room, carrying Brendon in her arms.
"Night," Paige said. This was all very surreal.
Dean nudged Jack with his foot. "Get up or spend all night on the floor while I'm making love with my wife."
"Wife?" Paige said. Her heart stopped and then started beating loud enough it drowned out everything else.
"Yeah," Dean said. "Will you marry me?"
"Will you marry us?" Jack said sleepily from the floor.
"I thought we were taking a break," Paige said.
I thought it was over and we were just friends.
"The break was only supposed to be just until your parents left," Dean said.
