Page 203 of Bend
It came out as a question which is so not how I wanted it to sound. Like I didn't want anyone else invading my inner sanctum with these men.
Luckily, Trace hadn't noticed. "Great—call either me or Lindsey with the time and place. We have a gift for you, and well, it's been a while since we've seen you, you know? I think we need to mend fences, Paige. I know that I want to and I hope that you do as well."
"I do, Trace," I replied. "I just felt like maybe you guys wanted to put me out of your lives…forever."
"You're family," he sighed. "You're stuck with us, and we're stuck with you because that's what being a family means, got it?"
I nodded and squeaked out a "yes."
~~~
It was easier to reach Eli than Cain during working hours, especially around lunch time. I finished my now-cold cup of hot chocolate that I'd bought from the vending machine earlier. That was going to me my lunch after that huge breakfast I'd inhaled.
Eli's office phone rang several times before he picked up.
"Chambers," he answered, using his brusque workplace voice.
"It's me," I said, looking around to see how much privacy I had in my cubicle. Eli had an office, so there were no worries there.
"Hey babe," he greeted, his voice softening. "How's your birthday going?"
"Good so far," I sighed, feeling my belly tingle like it did whenever either one of them used some form of endearment when speaking to me. "But I did get a phone call from Trace."
I explained the conversation to him. Eli had no issue whatsoever with Trace and Lindsey joining us, in fact, he offered to phone Darcy to see if she and Easton wanted to join us as well.
"You don't have to go to all that trouble," I argued. "I don't want everyone making a big deal of my birthday and feeling, well…obligated or anything."
"Hey, no trouble at all, babe," he laughed. "Besides that, with Easton there, we're pretty much guaranteed that he'll pick up the tab."
"Eli, you're so bad," I giggled, swiveling my chair around so that I could toss my empty paper cup into the trash can.
"I know, babe, but you wouldn't have it any other way, would you?"
I felt my cheeks flush as I recalled the delicious, "bad" things he'd done to me last night in our 'family' bed as we had started calling it.
"Would you?" he pressed softly.
"No, Eli. I wouldn't have it any other way," I confirmed.
"Okay, so I'll make the arrangements with Darce, and I'll give Lindsey a holler, so that we're all on the same page for our Paige tonight at La Chaumiere."
"Now that was cheesy," I giggled. "But I love you anyway, especially since we're eating at La Chaumiere."
"Love you," he said. "See you at home later."
"Bye," I said softly into the phone, as I swiveled back around in my chair.
My smile froze when I saw Darin Murphy standing no more than three feet from me, in my cubicle, with a look on his face that told me he'd heard everything. He was just trying to digest it in his own mind.
Men like Darin weren't used to dumping a chick and not having them heartbroken (like Darcy was) about it. At the very least, I'm sure he took offense to the fact that I didn't at least stalk him a bit afterwards; or try to find out who his latest conquest was at the academy. That just wasn't me.
Well…not anymore.
"Excuse me?" I said, clearly irritated that he hadn't made his presence known.
He quirked a brow at me, his eyes narrowing infinitesimally as he spoke. "That explains it all," he said, his lips forming a stiff smile.
"I beg your pardon?" I asked, feeling my blood pressure shooting up at his total disregard for my privacy.
