Hello beautiful readers... Thank you so much for your comments and your support, for following this fic and make it one of your favorites.
Ok, I have 3 things to say:
1. We are just a few chapters from the end, which means...
2. I already know how this story is going to end, I already have some pieces written, which means...
3. It's not going to take too long for the next update (I hope)
There's A Snake In My Boot, Till-I-Met-U and EvilDisco; this one goes to you guys, thank you so much for being out there.
I leave you a new chapter now... Enjoy
Spread the love. No Hate. No Cyberbullying. Just McHastings' love.
"Paige, come on… are we really fighting over this?" Spencer asked in a desperate attempt to make Paige stop
"No, Spencer… we're fighting because YOU lie to me about your husband sending you flowers on your birthday. That's why we're fighting for" Paige took her keys from the table on the hall and opened the door to leave, finding Melisa on her way out
"Paigy… how's everything going?" she asked excited
"Ask your sister…" Paige reply coldly before leaving the house
"What the hell…?" Melisa was concern about Paige's behavior. She walked around the house looking for her sister; maybe Spencer could give her some kind of explanation.
"Spence?" She walked into the kitchen founding her sister there "What happened?"
Spencer was sitting on one of the chairs, her face hide behind her hands; she was still in shock about what just happened. When she heard Melisa calling her, she looked up at her sister; her eyes full of tears "Paige just left" she sighed heavily
"I know. I saw her in her way out. She looked pretty upset" Melisa was already concerned about the situation and seeing her sister in such state was only confirming that something was going on
"We… we got into a pretty ugly argument" Spencer sobbed
"What? What for…?" 'Argument' wasn't exactly the word Melisa was expecting to hear. After all, everything was planned to make that day THE perfect day.
"Wren…" Spencer blurted out
Melisa frowned at her sister "What the hell does Wren has to do with this?"
"He sent me flowers for my birthday" Spencer pointed at the gift
Melisa looked at the bouquet of roses that was now on the floor. On a brief moment of rage, Spencer took the flowers and threw them to the floor.
"Ugh…! That guy surely knows how to ruin everything" Melisa sat next to her sister, she took Spencer's hands between hers; giving them a small encouraged squeeze "don't worry sis, I'm sure Paige will realize this was just a stupid thing"
"Well…" Spencer continued "the flowers were not exactly the problem. I… when I saw who they were from, I panicked and I told Paige they were from my boss"
"You lied to her?"
"I… I didn't mean to but when I saw the card, I knew she would get upset and I didn't want to ruin our day, at that moment I felt it was my only choice" Spencer said with a tone of regret in her voice
"That's the lamest excuse ever, Spencer… Paige has been nothing but honest with you the whole time, why would you think that lying to her would be the solution?" Melisa asked clearly upset
"I know, ok. I know I screw it up but I got scared and…"
"And everything became a mess… Yeah, I think I get the rest of the story now"
"A little harsh but yeah, that's exactly what happened… everything became a mess"
Melisa just sighed heavily at her sister's words, she was conscious about Spencer's fears, after all; she had been witness of all the effort their parents put on making Spencer feel insecure about her and the decisions she wanted to make.
"Look, I know that not everything that happens is your fault. I know you still got some scars from the past but you have to start thinking about yourself, Spencer. You have to think on your future and all the things that are waiting for you; you found a wonderful woman who loves you deeply and takes care of you no matter what. She even stood up against our parents for Christ sake… It's not fair to her or to you to hold on a pass that is only hurting you. One day you're ok and the next one; Wren, our parents or even that Emily girl appears and tear apart everything you've built so far. Come on! Be brave and make a decision already" Spencer ducked her head trying to avoid her sister's eyes but Melisa got close to her, holding her chin so she could have her full attention "What do you want, Spencer? What do you want for your future? Who do you see sharing your life with?"
Spencer sobbed softly "Paige. Of course is Paige. She is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, the one I want to have a family with. I… I just want to be happy, you know"
Melisa embraced her sister, trying to hold her as close as she could "I know Pency, I know but words are not enough sometimes, you have to go look for her and show her how you feel. She loves you like crazy and I've been a witness of that. Even when you two are too handy-gross for my liking, I'm really happy you're together"
"You are?" Spencer asked numbly after so much crying
"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course, I am. Have you seen yourself on a mirror lately? You can see that glow on your face from blocks away. She makes you happy and that's all that matters to me"
"Thank you…" Spencer squeezed Melisa a little tighter against her body "I love you so much, you're a great sister"
"Yeah, yeah. I know" Spencer huffed happily against Melisa's shoulder. The older Hastings put a final peck on her sister's forehead before breaking the embrace "So...?"
"So?" Spencer repeated the question, not really following her sister
"Are you just going to stay there or are you going to do something about it?"
"I don't think Paige wants to see me right now"
"So, that's it? This is how you want to spend your birthday? Come on, Spencer this is an important day for you and for us as a family. Are you really going to let things go this way?"
Spencer looked at her sister, Melisa's words getting directly into her heart "No, no, you're right. I'll go get her"
"That's my sister. Ok, do you know where to find her?"
"I…" Spencer thought for a couple of seconds before she answers "yeah. Yeah, I actually know where she is" she stood up from the chair and walked into the hall, taking her car keys on her way out.
"Good luck…" was the last thing she heard from Melisa
While she was driving, all Spencer could think about was Paige and the way she could apologize to her, but now that she was in front of the house, her fears were coming back again, only this time it was the kind of fear that settles on your heart when you feel you're about to lose something or someone you really care about, the fear of not having that important person with you anymore, the fear of being alone again.
She stayed there, sitting in her car for a couple of minutes, thinking about her sister's words. She knew Melisa was right; she needed to do something to change the way things were. If she really wanted to be with Paige, the least she could do was to fight for her. Finally, after taking some courage, she got out of the car and walked into the house's porch; she rang the bell and waited for someone to open the door. After a few seconds of waiting, Rachel appeared in front of her.
"Spencer…" Rachel had that characteristic smile plaster on her face but Spencer could see the surprise and concern in her eyes "hey, it's good to see you" although Rachel's words were low, she sounded sincere
"Hi, Rachel…" Spencer couldn't deny she was feeling a little nervous now "I'm sorry to show up like this but… I wanted to know if… Is Paige here?"
"Uhm…" Rachel hesitated for a second "yeah, she is here"
"Can I talk to her, please?"
"Spencer, I… I don't know if…"
"Please, Rachel. I know you're probably aware of what happened this morning and I… I screwed everything up and I'm truly sorry for it. I just want to talk to her and apologize. Please, I can't let things go this way, just give me a few minutes and if she doesn't want to hear me then I'll go, I promise"
Rachel looked at her and feeling the sincerity in Spencer's voice she decided to give her a chance
"Ok… come in"
Spencer smiled at her "thank you, I really appreciate it"
"Don't thank me yet, if Erick finds out that…" but Rachel's words were cut out by Erick who in that moment was walking into the living room
"Rachel? Who is it?" he asked before he got the chance to realize who it was
Once in the living room, Erick looked at her with a sadness Spencer was able to see easily. The guy had started to grown fond of her, after all; Spencer is the woman her sister chose to spend her life with but knowing that that woman was capable of loving and hurting her sister in the same measure was scaring and worrying him.
"Hi, Erick" Spencer's heart was pounding hard in her chest. She never thought she would ever be in front of such situation; in front of her girlfriend's family trying to explain how stupid she was. After all, her first relationship was a complete failure and with Wren, she never cared enough to get worried about his family.
"Hello Spencer…" Erick answered coldly.
But even with that attitude, Spencer felt kind of relieved. She would rather deal with Erick's coldness than his anger; the last thing she needed was for Erick to throw her out of his house without seeing Paige
"I… I was thanking Rachel… uhm, I'm sorry for showing up like this. I…" Spencer couldn't help herself from rumbling. It was hard for her to be standing there, in front of Paige's brother, giving him explanations when the only person she wanted to talk to was Paige
Erick was staring at her now, not missing a single word or gesture from her. After a couple of seconds in complete silence, Erick decide to talk
"Sweety…" he turned to look at his wife "could you bring us something to drink, please?" Both Spencer and Rachel looked at him curiously; none of them were expecting such response
Rachel hesitated at first but concealed with her husband's wish "Sure, I'll be right back" She looked at them one last time before finally leaving the room
Spencer gulped loudly when she was left alone with Erick. She knew that what was coming next was a very serious conversation
"Please Spencer, sit down" Erick pointed out at the sofa behind Spencer. She did as she was told and waited for Erick to do the same "look Spencer…" Erick sighed deeply; thinking carefully about his next words "to be honest, I don't know why Paige came here in the first place. I didn't ask because I know I have no right to interfere in my sister's life. I know we're getting our relationship back but I also know there are a lot of things I still need to work out with her, that's why I didn't push her to tell me what happened, but… that doesn't mean I don't care about my sister and I have this feeling that whatever happened, it has to do with you... Am I wrong?"
Spencer looked at the floor, trying to avoid Erick's intense gaze. She only looked back at him when she heard him talk again
"I know you're a great woman Spencer, I know you are what my sister needs and I know how much you love her. I'm not here trying to give you the big brother talk or trying to scare you so you could be more careful with Paige. Like I said, I have no right to do that. She told me about all the things you two had to face to be together and I wish I was there to help you but I wasn't and I'm not going to pretend that I'm the best brother because I'm not. It's just… seeing my sister hurt, it hurts me too"
Spencer saw the sorrow in Erick's eyes; she knew the guy was sincere about his words and she knew how much he cares about Paige, even after all that happened between them. It was painful enough to know that she hurt the woman she loves but to know that with that she also hurt the people around her was giving Spencer an extra weight to carry, and extra weight she didn't need at that moment.
"I'm sorry" Erick looked up as soon as he heard Spencer's voice "I never meant to hurt Paige in the first place" Spencer made a short pause trying to accommodate her ideas "It's just… everything has been amazing so far and Paige has been so great that I forgot for a second that I'm carrying a huge weight over my shoulders. I know you're aware of my past and my history, and I don't blame you for being worried about Paige but I promise you Erick that I love your sister with all my heart. It was difficult at the beginning, it's difficult now and I bet it would be difficult in the future but I'm really trying to make things right, for mine and Paige's sake"
Erick stared at her for a couple of seconds, analyzing Spencer's words. Spencer just waited there until he saw Erick nodding at her.
"I believe you. Like I said; I know you love my sister, I have no doubt about it and I know every relationship has its ups and downs, believe me I've been there myself" He smiled at her and Spencer smiled back, feeling a little more relax "I just want for you two to be happy and if you can avoid 'the hurting' part then it'd be great"
Spencer let out a soft laugh "I'll do my best"
"I know…" Erick stood up and waited for Spencer to do the same, once she did he took the opportunity to hug her "Now, go…" he broke the embrace "she is upstairs. Second door to the right"
"Thank you" Spencer hugged him again before going upstairs
Once she reached the second floor, she went directly to the door Erick mentioned before; she stood up in front of it and waited a few seconds before knocking
"I'm ok, Rachel. I don't need anything, thank you" Spencer heard Paige's words coming from the other side of the door and her heart broke a little when she heard the sadness in it
"Paige… it's me" there was a silence at the other side, Spencer waited patiently outside the room, hoping for Paige to open the door. She was just standing there, staring at door until she heard a noise getting closer to her. A couple of minutes later Paige was standing in front of her; her eyes were red and her cheeks were still wet from the tears
"What are you doing here?" Paige's expression was cold; her hand was holding the knob so hard that her knuckles were starting to get white
"Hey… I need to talk to you"
"I don't think is a good time…" Paige was about to close the door again but Spencer stopped her in time
"Paige, please… give me just a couple of minutes, after that you can throw me out if you want but please, please listen to me"
Paige looked at her intently for a moment before giving a step away from the door letting Spencer in
"Thank you" Spencer said to call Paige's attention but all she got was a shrug. She sighed heavily and waited for Paige to sit on the bed, once she did Spencer move carefully next to her, not too close to invade her personal space and not too far so she could see every single gesture on her girlfriend's face "Paige, I'm really sorry…" Spencer started "I didn't want to lie to you" Paige let out a sound between a huff and a sarcastic smile "I know it sounds stupid but is true, I just panicked in front of the situation and I thought it would be the best thing to do but now I regret that stupid mistake. I should've told you the truth since the beginning…"
"Why didn't you?" Paige asked with anger "why did you try to hide that from me?"
"I… it was a stupid thing; I thought you would get upset about it"
"Why would I? Spencer I trust you enough to tell you the truth about everything; Katy, Emily, my divorce. I thought you were feeling the same way"
"I do, I swear I do"
"Well, it doesn't look like that"
"Paige..." Spencer sighed in resignation "ok... you want the truth, then here's the truth: I'm tired. I'm tired of people getting in the middle of our relationship; I'm tired of getting into stupid fights with you because someone came in the middle of our day telling us God knows what about each other. We have a past Paige, there are people behind that are still attach to us and that's something we can't avoid" Spencer's voice was starting to rise
"That's exactly my point Spencer. Don't you see...? WE are the ones who let other people get in our way. First Emily, then your parents and now Wren, don't you see if we don't put a stop at this they will keep doing it for as long as they want it to?"
"I know…!" Spencer's demeanor decrease; she knew Paige was right "I know you're right, it's just… I've been feeling so safe and so happy with you that I forgot about everything and everyone. I thought if I wished with all my heart for every problem to disappear then it will, but it didn't and now I realized that"
Paige turned to look at Spencer and saw the sadness in her eyes, at that moment there was nothing she could want more than to hold her girlfriend in her arms "I know what you mean... I feel the same way; I've been living a dream so far and I don't want for that to end but we have to deal with our issues too. When we started this, we agreed we were probably moving too fast, then we realized our love was too strong to be away from each other, then you moved out with me and everything has been a bless since then but we made the huge mistake of ignoring the problems outside our bubble and it's time for us to address those issues so we can fix them, otherwise this will haunt us forever" Paige moved a little so she was now facing Spencer, she hold her hands between hers, caressing the back with her thumbs. The action made Spencer raised her head, looking at Paige directly in the eyes, founding the already known feeling of security in them "we knew this wouldn't be easy but we're in this together, remember?"
Spencer nodded at her "yeah, I know" she answered softly before moving her right hand to place it over Paige's cheek; she caressed the zone with tenderness and saw how Paige leaned into the touch. Spencer move forward to kiss Paige's lips "I love you" she said when the kiss was broken
"I love you too" Paige leaned forward, resting her forehead against Spencer's
"I'm really sorry about this morning" Spencer apologized one more time
"I know. I just want you to trust me, ok?"
Spencer backed away a little to look at Paige in the eyes "I do, I trust you with my life" she said sincerely
Paige held Spencer's intense gaze "I love you so much" she said before leaning forward to claim Spencer's lips eagerly
Spencer responded with the same eagerness until the kiss started to decrease its intensity, ending with a few soft pecks
"I hate when we fight" Spencer whined
"I hate it too, let's not do that again" Paige joked, gaining a soft laugh from Spencer
"Deal" Spencer pecked Paige's lips one more time "now... what if we go home and continue with our perfect day, everything has been great so far and I want to keep it that way besides, there's a beautiful lady waiting for us to pick her up"
"As you wish..." Paige smiled at her "Have you thought about what to do after lunch?"
"Well, since is my birthday all I want to do is to spend time with my family"
"Well, Melisa is with us and..."
"I'm talking about you and Katy, genius" Spencer clarified and Paige looked at her confused at first but took the hint almost immediately
"Oh... oooh... so we're your family, ha?" Paige grinned at Spencer
"Of course you are" Spencer tucked lovingly a lock of hair behind Paige's ear "You two are the people I love the most in this world"
"What about your sister?"
"Ok, her too. Just... don't tell her I said that" Paige laughed at Spencer's words
"Well, just so you know... we love you too" she kissed Spencer's lips softly. At that moment Paige's phone chimed; it was a new text from Melisa
-Ok, I know you're mad and yes Spencer could be a bit... dumb, sometimes but I promise you she wouldn't do anything to hurt you or your relationship, just please make amends with her... I want to party tonight, come on McCullers!-
Paige was trying to hold the smile that was threatening to show up, the best she could
"Who is it?" Spencer asked concern when she saw Paige staring at her phone
"Uhm... it's... Emily" Paige answered immediately; she didn't want to ruin the surprise she got prepare for Spencer "letting me know Katy is with Carol waiting for us to pick her up" she tried to sound convincing, and for the look in Spencer's eyes it looked like it worked
"Let's go then, I don't want for our princess to wait for too long"
Paige looked at Spencer with adoration; she was still amazed about how her life changed so drastically; of course, in the most amazing way. This was it; the woman she wanted to spend the rest of her life with was sitting in front of her and as soon as her marriage is over she would make that dream come true.
"Ok, let's go" Paige took Spencer's hand and guided her outside the room
Once in the living room, Spencer explained to Rachel and Erick that everything was just a stupid misunderstand and thanked them for letting her in into their house. Paige on the other hand, assured them that everything was alright and also apologized to them for get into their house so abruptly, though they assured her she was welcome any time she needs it to. They talked a bit more before they exchanged good byes and left the house to go and picked up Katy
After lunch, Paige was starting to feel a little anxious. Her plan was to take Spencer to have lunch with her and Katy and then convince her to go to her office so she would have time to finish with the rest of the organization but at that point Spencer was so content spending time with Paige and Katy that she didn't want to go to work, so Paige had to come up with a new plan.
-She's not going to her office. Could you take care of everything while I keep her away from the house? - Paige sent a text to Melisa, luckily for her Spencer and Katy were playing far enough for Spencer to suspect a thing
-Sure thing, Paigy. Don't worry, I got this- Of course Melisa was more than glad they solved their issues so they could finally continue with the dinner as it was planned from the beginning.
Paige sighed in relief, knowing that she could trust Melisa to make this dinner party a success.
Finally, after spending almost the whole afternoon hanging out, Paige decided it was time to get Katy home so she could travel with her mother to Rosewood as it was planned.
"I'm gonna miss you, princess"
"I'm gonna miss you too Spence, but mommy P. said we could celebrate your birthday as soon as I come back, so wait for me, ok?"
"I will, I promise"
They said their final good byes, before they walked Katy into her house.
"Ok, where'd you want to go now?" Paige asked once they were back in the car
"I would love to go back home if you don't mind. It's been wonderful so far but I would love to spend some time alone with my girlfriend" Spencer close the gap between them kissing Paige's lips sexily, biting them softly
Paige gulped loudly at the idea of having Spencer all to herself but she knew they would have enough time to enjoy each other, for now she would give Spencer the birthday she deserves
"Ok, we can go home now but first you have to come with me"
"Where?" Spencer asked curiously
"Just... be with me on this, ok?"
"I go wherever you want me to" Spencer looked at Paige's eyes lovingly before Paige moved forward to kiss Spencer's lips one last time, then she moved her gaze to the road and start the engine to continue
Once outside, Spencer looked at the place with surprise "A bakery?"
"It's not a birthday without a cake, right?" Paige smiled at her
"Babe, you don't have to. Besides it'll be only you and me"
"And Melisa..." Paige shrugged
"Right! Melisa is there... can we throw her out just for tonight?" Spencer whined, making Paige laughs
"Come on! Don't be so hard on her, she loves you and I'm glad she is here to celebrate with us... just let me do this for you, please...?" Paige made her best puppy face
"Ugh... that's not fair!" Spencer complained "there's no way I can deny anything to you if you put that face"
"I know..." Paige grinned cockily "Come on, we have to choose the perfect birthday cake" Paige smiled at Spencer before taking her hand to guide her into the bakery.
Once inside; Spencer took her time to make the right choice; there's been a while since she had actually the energy, or the mood, to celebrate her birthday, which means she had been avoiding the topic as much as she could, until now of course.
-Going home now, get ready...- Paige warned Melisa once they could actually pick up a cake
-I was born ready- was Melisa's response, which made Paige laughs; action that this time was caught by Spencer
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing... Melisa sent me a text, asking me if we run away from her to... 'enjoy ourselves'" Paige made the air quotes so Spencer could follow the joke
"Ok, there has to be a way to make Melisa understand that we're not a couple of hormonal teenagers, doing it all the time"
"Are you sure about that?" Paige closed the gap between them, placing one hand on Spencer's lower back and kissing her lips sensually; soft but definitely with a hidden intention; a dirty and hot intention
They kept with the PDA until they heard someone coughing loudly next to them. It was the employee from the bakery, who has their cake ready to go.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but your order is ready" the guy's cheeks were red from embarrassment
"Uhm... thank you" Paige spoke first "and I'm sorry for the free show" she laughed nervously
"Not need to apologize... It's actually comforting to see such a beautiful married couple being so in love. It makes me believe I could find someone to be happy too" the guy smiled at them, now feeling more relax about what happened just minutes ago
"Well, thank you" Spencer intervene this time "and believe me, you're definitely going to find the right person for you. It might not be easy at first; it took us a lot to be where we are right now, but at the end you'll find out that is totally worth it" she said looking at Paige, who looked back at her with adoration
Once they got their order, they thanked the guy for her service and went back to the car, finally taking the road again to head home. When they got there, Spencer was surprised to find everything in darkness, she thought Melisa would be waiting for them but for the look of it, the house was empty.
"That's weird; I thought Melisa would be here" Spencer said turning on the lights from the hall
"I thought that too, maybe she is on her way so, why don't we take this to the garden and wait for her there?" Paige suggested
"Yeah, sure"
They walked into the darkness of the other rooms until they headed to the garden's door, once there Paige asked Spencer to open the door so she could carried the cake to the table. Spencer did as she was told and once outside, the lights immediately turned on, revealing a group of people standing there
"Surprise!" everybody yelled when they saw Spencer standing there
Spencer was freeze on her spot, the whole situation took her by surprise, of course, but that wasn't the only thing she was feeling at that moment. There was a mix of happiness, excitement, joy and love for seeing all the people she cares about there, next to her on such important day.
"Oh my God!" she was finally able to said
"Happy birthday" Paige smiled at her, satisfied everything turned out as she wanted to
"All of this is for me?" Spencer asked Paige, still shock by the surprise
"My whole life is for you" Paige kissed Spencer softly, gaining some whistles from the audience
"Ok, ok... that's enough, please remember there are people here" Melisa get close to them and took the opportunity to hug her sister
"Happy birthday Pency"
"Thank you..." she hugged Melisa back "I can't believe... wait! Is this what you've been hiding this past week?"
"Well... I needed help to get everything done so who could've been better option than your sister"
"I have to admit it... we make a great a couple, Paigy" Melisa said, gaining a look of disapproval from her sister "I mean... a great duo, sis. Jeez, there's no need to get jealous"
"I'm not jealous..." Spencer fought back
"Yeah... sure..." Melisa added sarcastically "the point is that we made it. Good job, Paigy" she held her hand in the air waiting for Paige to give her a high five
But Paige instead of giving her the high five Melisa was waiting for, decided to hug her "Thank you for your help, Mel"
"Nothing to thank me for, I would do anything for my baby sis" Melisa looked at Spencer "Now, what if we enjoy the night, there's people here who wants to congratulate you too" Melisa pointed at the people waiting to get close to them. She left Paige and Spencer there, excusing herself to got to the kitchen
Spencer looked at the back, surprised by all the faces she was seeing now; Aria was waiting patiently to get close to her friend so she could hug her too, Erick and his family were also there but there was one person in particular that she was not only surprised but also extremely happy to see
"Katy?" Spencer asked, when the little girl run into her arms hugging her tightly "Oh my God..."
"I wouldn't miss you birthday for anything in this world, Spence"
"But I thought..."
"Mommy P told me this would be the only time I'll be allow to hide something" Katy whisper in Spencer's ear, though people around them were still able to hear her
"I needed to make this as real as possible and that was the only idea I came up with to make you believe it would be just you and me" Paige explained to her
"Well, it totally worked... I thought you would be in Rosewood by now" Spencer directed her attention to Katy this time
"Mommy E. went there to visit Mama and Papa Field; I insisted that I wanted to stay this time"
"I'm so glad you did" Spencer hugged the little girl again
"Can I congratulate the birthday girl too?" Spencer turned to look at Aria standing next to them now
"Of course you can, Aria" Katy said, taking a few steps back so Aria could hug Spencer
"Wait you two already know each other?" Spencer asked, looking at Aria and Katy
"Yes... Aria is my new friend" Katy said excited
"True. This little girl over here stole my heart in a matter of seconds. It was friendship at first sight" Aria smiled at Katy
"What about me?" Spencer tried to fake jealousy
"Don't worry, Spence" Katy got close to Spencer, whispering in her ear "you'll always be my favorite besides; you're going to be my new mommy someday so that give you extra points"
Spencer laughed softly at Katy's words "Ok, I feel better now"
Katy smiled at them and excused herself too, going to the kitchen to 'help' Melisa. Aria congratulated her friend and stood there, waiting for Spencer to make the respective introduction
"Have you already met?" Spencer asked looking at Paige and Aria
"No we didn't, it was actually Melisa who invited Aria. I didn't know how to contact her so…"
"Yeah, it's the first time I got to meet Paige"
"Well, now you can meet each other properly. Aria this is Paige, my girlfriend" Spencer said proudly, looking at Aria first and then turning to look at Paige "Paige, this is my best friend Aria"
"Nice to meet you, Aria" Paige said politely
"It's so nice to finally put a face to the name my best friend over here can't stop talking about" Aria said, mocking at Spencer
"Why does everybody keep saying that? I'm not that bad!" Spencer whined
"Oh yes you are" Melisa appeared next to them carrying a tray with glasses on it "Paige is the only thing you talk about"
"True" Aria added, making Paige blush and Spencer groan
The reunion was a total success; the fact that there were only close friends and family was helping the girls to be good hostesses and share with each of their guests.
"Ok, time to open the presents" Melisa yelled from the other side of the garden
Paige put a chair in the middle of the garden so people could get around Spencer to see her open her presents
"Mine first!" Katy got close to Spencer and handled her a pink envelope
"Ow, princess… you didn't have to"
"But is your birthday and I wanted to do something special for you"
"Thank you" Spencer took Katy on her arms hugging her tightly
Once they broke the hug, Spencer opened the envelope and started reading the short letter that was inside
Dear Spencer. Mommy says that we have to be grateful with God for every good thing that happens to us and today I want to thank God for bringing you into my life, he gave me a friend but also a partner to my mommy so she doesn't have to be sad anymore. Thank you for being with us. I love you. Katy
Spencer couldn't hold her tears once she finished reading the little girl's letter
"Why are you crying, you didn't like it?" Katy asked, her little face fill with concern
"I love it, princess. These are happy tears" Spencer hugged Katy again "This is the best present ever, thank you"
Katy smiled at her and gave her a kiss before walking to her mother's side; Paige carried her and placed a soft kiss on her little girl's forehead. Of course she knew what the letter says, she helped Katy to write it after all, though she has to admit it was hard at first since there were some words Katy was learning to write for the very first time, but know seeing Spencer's reaction Paige knew it was totally worth it
The group was clapping excited around them; of course Melisa and Erick were the happiest seeing the beautiful family their sisters were becoming
"Ok…" Melisa spoke first "I dare any of you to beat that beautiful present"
People laughed at the comment and one by one started to handle their gifts to Spencer. Paige had already talked to Melisa about her being the last one to handle her present to Spencer so Melisa wait until Spencer opened the last gift to finally announced Paige's
"And now, the moment we've been waiting for" Melisa announced "Paige decided to keep her present until last because she says is a very special gift for my sister so…" Melisa looked at Paige "Paige, go get it please"
Paige run into the leaving room, where she was hiding Spencer's gift, she checked one last time that everything was ok with it and took her present to the garden. When Spencer looked at it she was surprise to see a big package wrapped in a dark color paper, she had no idea what could that be.
"Happy birthday" Paige handled it to her, leaving a peck on her girlfriend's lips before giving a step back
"Thank you" Spencer smiled at her before she started to open her present. When she finally could see at the content, her mouth fell open and her heart started to beat faster in her chest "Oh my God, it's…"
"Yeah... The painting we saw at the Art exhibition, the one you like so much. I thought it would be perfect since it wasn't only your favorite but it was the day I got the courage to ask you out, though it wasn't a real date at that moment, it was the day I realized there was something different about you, the day I realized my feelings for you were changing into the love I feel for you now"
There was a soft "Aww..." coming from the back
Spencer felt tears running down her face for a second time that night; the surprise party itself, and being surrounded by all the people she loves, had made her feel thrilled and full of joy, but then she got to open Katy's present and now Paige's and her heart was now full of beautiful feelings she couldn't describe with words
"You're amazing..." Spencer stood up, leaving the painting carefully on the table Melisa set next to her so she could place her gifts "Thank you... not only for the painting but for all the happiness you bring into my life. I love you" Spencer kissed Paige's lips lovingly
"I love you too" Paige smiled at her "there's still a little detail inside I want you to see" she pointed at the wrapped paper so Spencer could notice the little card that was still attach to it. Spencer took it and started to read it
I love you, Spencer. I am who I am now because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, every day we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours. And, my darling, you will always be mine.
Spencer was excited beyond words. Paige has certainly done an amazing job as a girlfriend so far, and she wasn't talking about the party and the painting; she was talking about all the feelings the girl in front of her has made her feel since the day they met
"I have no idea what I've done to deserve you but of one thing I'm sure; I'm so glad I run into you that day on that bar" Paige laughed at Spencer words "I love you so much, words can't even start to describe how much"
"I love you more..." Paige answered back, kissing Spencer's lips. As on cue, people started to clap at the scene, making the couple separate from each other immediately, they had to remember there were people with them and that they would have to keep their hands for each other, at least for the time being
As the time was passing by, the guests were starting to say their respective good byes, being Erick the first one to leave since Rebeca was already sound asleep in her mother's lap. Katy was next; the little girl was so exhausted from the excitement of the day that it was easy for Page to tug her in her bed. Aria was the last one; insisting to help Melisa to clean the house before she leaves but Paige convinced her to go home and rest.
Once every guest headed home, Melisa also said good bye to them and headed to her room, leaving Spencer and Paige to enjoy the rest of the night. Though Spencer and Paige knew what Melisa was referring to, they had to admit they were too tired to go for a 'second party' so the agreement was to spend the night just sleeping.
Melisa woke up in the middle of the night, desperate to get some water. She walked into the kitchen and surprisingly, found Spencer sitting there
"Hey"
"Hey… couldn't sleep either?" Spencer asked when she saw her sister
"Nop..." Melisa confirmed "looks like the Hastings' insomnia is a gift"
"A gift nobody ask for" Spencer replied
"Yeah… talking about gifts, did you enjoy your night?"
"Enjoy? I love it! Paige is amazing" Spencer said dreamily
"Hey! What about me? I helped too"
"Yeah I know and I really appreciate your effort. You know, everything is better when you're around"
"Aww, I know baby sis. It's been too long, ha?"
"Yeah, too long" Spencer answered with a sad tone
"But now I'm here, for anything you want" Melisa tried to cheer her up
"That's so good to hear because I actually need to talk to you about something"
"What is it?"
"I've been thinking… after what happened with Paige this morning, I've decided to let everything clear between Wren and I. Paige got the guts to ask for the divorce and I think is time for me to do the same thing"
"Really?" Melisa asked surprised
"Yeah. I mean... Paige will get the divorce at some point, Katy already knows the truth about us and my marriage with Wren is the only thing that's coming between us, that's the only thing stopping me from being truly happy"
"What about our parents?"
"I'm not afraid of them anymore. I thought they will interfere in my life forever but Paige has demonstrated me that our love is strong enough to deal with anything that comes on our way"
"You have no idea how proud I am right now" Spencer smiled at her sister's antics "I'm serious..." Melisa continued "I've been mad at our parents for everything they've done to you; at first I thought they were making you a favor with the career thing, I thought being a lawyer was your thing but when I found out about the money they gave to the Art school I got really angry at them, I tried to make them reconsider their decision but it didn't work out that's why I left the Firm. But, now I realize I shouldn't have left you alone with them. I'm sorry Spencer... I should've fought harder for you. I should've taken you with me to start over, I should've pushed you to fight for what you wanted and pursue your dreams" Melisa's voice were full of regret and pain
"It's not your fault, Mel. You've taken care of me for so long, I don't blame you for wanting your own space and taking some distance from our parents, I would probably do the same thing if I were you... but that's in the past, you're here now, were together and I'm a completely different person"
"I'm so glad to hear that... and don't worry; I'll take care of your divorce. In fact; I'll go to see the judge tomorrow morning so they could send Wren the notification letter"
"Uhm… Mel, I rather talk to him in person first...?" Spencer suggest, even when she knew Melisa will refuse her proposal
"Pency, I don't think that's a good idea"
"It's the least I can do; after all, he is a victim of our parents too. They used him to get what they wanted"
"Please..." Melisa huffed ironically "you can call Wren whatever you want but victim is not a term I would use here"
"Maybe but I feel this is something I have to do"
"You own him nothing, Spencer. You do know that, right?"
"I know. But I'm finally living the life I dreamed of and I want to start with the right foot, I don't want to leave anything behind to chase me later"
"Fine, if you think is the right thing to do, I have your back but I don't think Paige is going to like it"
"About that… could we keep this between us? I don't want Paige to worry about it"
"I'm sorry Pency but I disagree with you on that. You say you want to do things right but you're keeping secrets from her... again? Haven't we learnt from our mistakes?"
"It's just… she is worried enough, dealing with her divorce and stuff, I don't want to give her another issue to worry about"
"Ok... even when I think is a really bad idea; we're going to keep this between us but… I'm going with you then"
"Mel…" Spencer was starting to complain but Melisa cut her off
"You have to choose Pency; either I go with you or you tell Paige about it"
"Ok, ok. I'll talk to Paige"
"That's better"
Both sisters stayed in the kitchen a little longer before they decided it was time to go to bed. Once in her room, Spencer stood under the door frame admiring a peaceful Paige, sleeping on her side of the bed. After a couple of minutes, she moved to her bed, carefully snuggling next to her girlfriend, holding her in her arms
"Everything will be different from now on, I promise..." Spencer whispered in Paige's ear before leaving a final peck in Paige's temple and let herself go into her tiredness
So...? what do you think? Let me know... See ya!