Paige - One month later

 

I STOOD IN the middle of the flower shop and looked around. Everything was coming along faster than I’d dreamed it would. The interior brick walls had been painted a creamy white. Lucas had measured out how long I wanted the counter and was making it out of reclaimed barn wood he’d found on one of the job sites he was working on with his father.

With a paintbrush in hand, I stared at the antique desk in front of me. It came from the storage unit filled with antique furniture that had been Millie’s. I had asked my grandfather if anyone in the family would like to look at the furniture, as well. A few cousins of mine had come and picked out a few pieces. Some Lucas and I brought back to the house, some would be displayed here in the flower shop, and the rest would remain in storage until I figured out what to do. The thought of selling any of the pieces wasn’t even an option. The small wooden crib that had been in the house for my father was currently in the flower shop, waiting for a coat of paint. I envisioned filling it with blankets and pillows.

The door chimed, and I turned to see my father. “Daddy, what brings you here?”

He made his way over to me, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

“I ran into Linda May Hacker.”

With a roll of my eyes, I replied, “Oh Lord, what did she have to say?”

“Nothing worth repeating. The woman is vile. No wonder your momma couldn’t stand her.”

“Daddy, be nice.” I warned, pointing the paintbrush at him. “Even momma didn’t talk ill of her.”

“Ha. You just never heard it. And besides, I’m only speaking the truth.”

With a smile, I dipped the brush into the can and then started to paint. “Have you talked to Lucas?”

He let out a grunt and picked up a brush, joining in. My father hadn’t been all that pleased to find out Lucas and I were engaged. He was still harboring bad feelings about how we had broken up. We’d told him, Tom, Kate, Carl, and Lynn about a month ago at dinner. Lynn, of course, already knew. Carl was happy. My father, yeah, he was still having a hard time with it. Tom and Kate weren’t the least bit surprised. Callie and Tom Jr hadn’t been there, so we had told them a few days later. The only thing they cared about was being a part of the wedding, which we promised them.

I stopped painting and looked at him. “Daddy, I love him.”

“He hurt you. Broke up with you for a stupid-ass reason and then never came back to Johnson City. Took up with some model and traveled all over with her. Why couldn’t he have done that with you?”

“It’s in the past. I’ve left it there, why can’t you?”

Giving me a hard stare, he shook his head. “Because I’m your father, Paige. I swore on the day you were born I would never let anyone hurt you. And he hurt you, deeply. I hate that he just walked back into your life and you let him without a fuss.”

I was positive my jaw dropped to the floor. “Without a fuss? Dad, you don’t know what happened between me and Lucas. And I won’t apologize for loving him. Yes, he hurt me, but I never stopped loving him. I’m almost positive that if I settled down with someone else, a good portion of my heart would still belong to Lucas until the day I died. A love like that doesn’t come along often.”

He scoffed. “He doesn’t deserve you.”

With a sigh, I closed my eyes. I could feel my heartbeat pick up. I hated that I had to defend Lucas. I knew I couldn’t have my father hating Lucas for the rest of our lives. It would make everything more difficult. I drew in a few deep breaths and was ready to tell him he had to talk to Lucas and come to some sort of truce. When I opened my eyes again, my father was staring at me. The corner of his mouth rose the slightest bit, and he nodded.

“I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him, sweetheart,” he said softly, then gave me a slight smile.

“Thank you, Daddy. It would mean a lot to me if you forgave him.”

“I know. But if he ever hurts you again, I’m having his legs broken. Slowly.”

I tried not to smile, but I lost. “Deal.”

“Did you ever find what William wanted the two of you to find?” he asked after a few minutes of us painting in silence. I froze, and he noticed.

“I’ll take that as a yes. What was it?”

“Well, it was… um…”

I cursed inwardly. Lucas and I had never come up with a plan on how or what to tell people that we’d found. Lou already knew the truth. So did Carl and Lynn. But my father, as far as I could tell, didn’t know.

He frowned as he looked at me. A heavy feeling settled over my chest, and I my hand trembled slightly. Why had I not been prepared for this?

“We…did…find something. He pretty much just wanted us to get our heads out of our asses and get back together.”

Daddy narrowed his eyes at me. “Okay. That’s what you’re going with?”

“It’s the truth,” I said in a defensive tone.

“Right. You’re about as naïve as William, Paige, if you really think I don’t know the truth.”

I swallowed hard. Good Lord. Does everyone in this town know?

Clearing my throat, I said, “I don’t know what you mean.”

He laughed, then went back to painting. He remained silent for the longest time until I finally couldn’t take it.

“Did everyone in this town know William was my grandfather?”

His head snapped up, and he stared at me, in complete shock.

Oh. Shit.

My father stood there with a paintbrush full of white paint now dripping down his hand, staring at me like I’d lost my damn mind.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing,” I quickly replied.

“Paige, what made you say that William was your grandfather?”

I rubbed my lips together, trying to think of a way to get out of what I had just said. A part of me wanted to tell him the truth. Carl had known; how could my father not know?

“Is that your phone ringing?” I asked, glancing down to his pocket where he always kept his cell phone.

“No.”

“Lucas went to Paris with Bianca, did I tell you that? The one city I really wanted to go to with him.”

Now my father put the brush down, grabbed a paper towel and wiped off his hands. He folded his arms across his chest and glared at me.

“You’re trying to change the subject, and it won’t work.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and blew out a defeated groan before focusing back on my father.

“We found a marriage certificate. William was married to Millie, your mom. Granddaddy was really your uncle by blood, not your father.”

He looked at me with a blank expression.

“We found the adoption papers. When May came back from England, which is a long story in and of itself, she was pregnant by some earl or duke or something. William and May married quickly, then she had Carl. William adopted Carl legally. So, you see, William felt obligated to leave me half the house and half of it to Lucas. I know this is a load full of information, and well, when you brought up the truth, I figured you knew because Carl knew.”

That made his brow raise even more.

“Oh, I’m making this worse. You didn’t know, did you?”

He rubbed his neck and looked away for a few moments. “I had my suspicions. Heard talk around town when I was younger. Asked William about it once, and he just smiled and placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze, but he never actually answered the question. I found out a couple of years after your momma and I got married that someone had paid off our ranch. Did some digging and all roads pointed to William. Never did ask him about it, though. I figured he had a reason. I knew I looked just like him, a hell of lot more than Carl did.”

I smiled.

“So, to answer your question, I guess I knew, just never admitted it out loud.”

“How was something like that kept such a secret?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Country folks know when to keep certain things private and when not to.”

“Linda May certainly didn’t know.”

Daddy laughed. “No, probably because she moved in so late. The old timers knew.”

“I didn’t know. I had no idea.”

“You had an amazing bond with William. I’m glad.”

With a smile, I replied, “Me too. I’m sorry you didn’t.”

“I did. He was a good friend. I loved your grandfather. He was a good man and loved me fiercely. That was probably one of the reasons I chose not to believe the rumors, even though deep down I guess I knew.”

“I found William’s wedding pictures with Millie. You looked exactly like him when you were younger. Do you want one? I can have some copies made?”

“I’d love one.”

“I’ll get them right away. There’s also a family photo album. I’ll bring it by tomorrow. I wasn’t sure if maybe we had some cousins or something who might like the pictures. Millie and Grandpa were the only two siblings. I haven’t been able to find out if there were any cousins.”

“Daddy never had any other kids, so it’s just me. All his cousins were from the Austin area. He moved here after I was born.”

“To take care of you, because William wasn’t emotionally able to.”

“So, William left you the house because you are his granddaughter. How did Lucas take that?”

I half-shrugged. “Fine. William adopted Carl, so Lucas was his grandson also.”

“He’s not bothered that he isn’t blood-related?”

“Not at all,” I said, giving him a look that asked where he was going with all of this. I placed my hands on my hips and shot him a look that should have bolted him to the floor.

“Do not think for a moment that Lucas is trying to get his hands on the house. Daddy, he asked Lou to bequest his inheritance to me before we even found out.”

“He did what?” my father asked, clearly taken aback.

“He tried to give me the whole house. It’s just as much his as it is mine. We both want to see it fixed up and raise our own family there, just like we talked about when we were younger.”

He walked over to me, pulling me into his arms. “I am happy, sweetheart. I really am. As long as the little prick treats you right and makes you happy, I’m okay with him.”

With a giggle, I kissed him on the cheek. “What were you talking about when you said you knew the truth?”

He laughed. “Hell, mine was so much simpler. That William was trying to get the two of you together. I never dreamed it would be all of that.”

I shook my head. “It was a shock, to say the least. Are you okay, Daddy? Knowing the truth?”

“I am, princess. Like I said, I always knew it deep down.”

With a smile, I motioned back to the desk. “Come on. Let’s finish painting this desk, then you can take me for ice cream.”

“I like the sound of that plan.”