Good night! :) I'm glad you're still willing to read another chapter of the story after my long absence. It felt really good and I really appreciate it. ;) Anyway, here's another update. I hope you like it. ;) Have a nice week, you all! :)

MariCG: I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks!

siophiefandom: I know you all were expecting Paige's dad to attack Emily, that's why I focused on showing a supportive parent. Thank you so much for your nice words!

naiel2017: Thank you! Alison will be in this chapter, so you'll figure it out soon enough. :D

Sheirome: Thanks! I guess you all want to know what the hell Alison wants after a few years with no contact at all. xD I hope I meet your expectations regarding this encounter. :D

warrior29: Thank you so much for your support. I'm glad my writing makes someone happy, even if I've been missing for such a long time. I really appreciate it. :)

Guest #1: I didn't abandon you. I just went through a lot of things and I didn't have time for this. Anyway, I have the intention of finishing it, so don't worry about that. Thanks! :)

MJ: Thank you so much! It's really nice that you didn't forget about me. ;) I always finish my stories, I don't like doing things by halves, I'm that perfectionist, even if I have no clue when I will be able to finish this one. Anyway, I hope I don't let you down with these last chapters. The conversation was a little bit awkward, that was totally intentional and I enjoyed writing that. :D Have a good week you too! ;)

Guest #2: Thank you so much! :)

Enjoy the chapter, guys!

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE

: Chapter 31 – Home Sweet Home:

Only 30 minutes before arriving at the airport, I look at Emily and my dad. They're both sleeping, but I took a look a lot of times during the flight and everything looked okay. They were laughing and even though I noticed Em was a little bit nervous, I know she handled it like a pro. I slept for about four hours and I feel rested, so I decide to take my ebook from my purse and read until we land. I'm glad it's Friday and I got all weekend to rest and sleep properly before going back to the office on Monday. Besides, I guess I will have to meet Alison, 'cause I've been delaying to see her and I know she's getting angry. It's been a long time since the last time we saw each other and I actually am dying to see her. I already told Em about it and I know she doesn't like the idea although she said I should do it. However, I've been meaning to talk to her about it. I guess she will be tired and suffering from jet-lag just like me, so I think tomorrow will be a better day to do so. I don't want to have that conversation if the both of us are exhausted, 'cause I know that would probably turn into a disaster.

The landing occurs earlier than I thought, probably because I am enjoying the book I'm reading so much that I feel like time flies. When the aircraft's lights turn on, people start slowly waking up, the majority of them showing sleepy eyes. The first person I look at is Em. She's yawning and she suddenly turns her head to look at me, our eyes meet and she winks at me while she shows her adorable smile. She couldn't be cuter.

When I finally get to leave the plane, get my purse from the luggage compartment and start walking towards the exit. The moment I take a step I feel that my legs are really weak. I follow Emily, eager to know how the conversation with my dad was. However, my dad and my girlfriend walk next to each other, giving me no chance to have a personal conversation with her. I know that's a good sign, they're smiling at each other, so I just walk behind them. I guess we will talk about it later. It looks really good, and that's the most important think at this moment. Once we get into the hall, I see Spencer standing right in front of us. She waves at her friend and then smiles at me. I didn't know she was going to pick her up. She approaches Emily and hugs her tightly.

"What are you doing here?" So Emily didn't know she was coming either. I don't know Spencer a lot, but I know that she can be that thoughtful because Emily told me so. She's lucky to have such a good friend. "How did you know when I was getting here?"

"Internet, 21st century, you know," she teases her. I laugh.

I look at my dad and I see he's looking at me and then gazes at the cab stop. That's his way of telling me he wants to get home. He looks exhausted, he has huge bags under his eyes.

"I guess we should get going," I tell him. He nods at me.

"See you guys on Monday. It was a pleasure," my dad adds, looking at Jason and Emily.

"Likewise," they both respond. He makes his way to the exit gate. I nod at him and he quickly understands what I'm trying to say, even if I didn't use any words, just a facial expression. I approach Emily. Spencer realizes my intentions and she gets the luggage and leaves, leaving the two of us alone.

"I will share a cab with my dad, okay? I will call you when I get home." She nods at me. I squeeze her hand, I kiss her on the cheek and then smile at her. I say goodbye to Spencer and Jason and I follow my dad.

"So?" my dad says, once we're inside the cab.

"I'm really tired, dad. It's not that I don't want to talk to you, but my neurons are barely moving," I joke. He laughs.

"It's okay, honey. How about you come home and we have lunch on Saturday or Sunday?"

"Sunday is fine. I have plans for tomorrow." He grins at me. He obviously knows those plans involve Emily.

"Deal!" he excitedly adds. He is really tired, I can see it, but he is making a huge effort to look like he's not wrecked.

I don't know where he gets that energy from after these last days. He's unstoppable. I guess all businessmen are like this. That attitude is the reason why he got to make the company be so successful. I hated him a little bit when I was a child and I barely saw him because he was working non-stop. All my friends spent Sundays playing with their dads in the park or enjoying barbecues with their families. I, on the other side, remember watching TV with my brother and mom or reading books while laying on my bed. Back then, I thought he was a bad dad for that. I know he could have been more present in my life, he admitted it a few months ago when we had a conversation I never thought I'd share with my dad. He told me he regretted he was all day working when my brother and I were younger. That conversation happened the day we were told my mom was in a comma. He was devastated and it was the first time in my life I saw him like a vulnerable person. It felt like he had been hiding all those feelings for a long time and he couldn't bear with that burden. It was sad, but encouraging at the same time. He did something I didn't ever think he would do and I love him even more after that happened. He's a human being after all, even though he sometimes acts like a robot. Bad news, like my mom's comma at that moment, sometimes contribute good things too, and that was a good example of this theory. The thing is he unexpectedly admitted he regretted the amount of time he spent working when he could be having family time. Running a company involves a lot of sacrifice, and he was like that for a long time, but he recently changed a little bit. He doesn't work so many hours now and decided to start delegating responsibilities to his right-hand man. That was not an easy decision for him, but he decided to take a stand and I respect him even more for that. Anyway, his life choices were not the most appropriate back then, but that doesn't make him the worst dad in the world. And after these last days, he has proven to me that I'm so lucky to have him as a dad. I didn't expect I would have such a strong support after my coming out and I'm really grateful for it.

"Thank you, dad." He frowns his eyebrows. He's not used to this kind of reaction. He's not the touchy kind of dad, and I'm not so good with feelings either. We're like aliens compared to the world population. I embrace him tightly and it feels really great.

He keeps hugging me while he caresses my back. "You don't need to thank me. I should be thanking you for being so perfect." A tear runs down my cheek after hearing his words. A happy tear that I won't forget so easily. It would have never crossed my mind the relationship with my dad would be like this after everything we've gone through and I feel like I couldn't be happier.

I pick the phone and I call her. I've slept for ten hours and I feel phenomenal. A raspy voice greets me.

"Hi." I can tell she's still in bed.

"Did I wake you up? You're lazier than I thought, Em," I tease her.

"So funny, Paige. It's Saturday morning and I am exhausted. I was having a nice dream and you spoiled it." I laugh at her.

"Anyway, I want to see you."

"And I need some coffee, but things are not so easy. Life can be hard sometimes."

"You're so funny this morning. What happened to my girlfriend and who are you?" I hear her sexy smile from the other side of the phone.

"Your girlfriend has always been funny."

"Is Spencer working?" I ask.

"Yes, she is. Why? What is going on, Paige?"

"It's nothing. I was just curious." I can't see her face, but I know she must have those sexy frown lines on her forehead.

I get into the elevator and a few seconds later I ring the bell.

"Wait a moment, Paige. Someone's at the door."

I hear the footsteps and I can't help but smirk when she opens the door.

"The lady wanted some coffee, am I right?" I hand her the coffee and the bag with the donuts and she puts them on the table.

She hugs me and then whispers me in the ear. "You're so dork."

"And you love it," I reply. She giggles. She kisses me passionately and leaves me breathless. I can't imagine a better way of starting the day.

"I couldn't wait to taste you. I should have brushed my teeth before kissing you, but you are so irresistible," she says, and smirks at me.

"Your teeth were perfect," I joke.

She grabs my waist and pulls me towards her body, our eyes meet. "It's just you are so clean and you smell so good, and I just.. woke up… and…

"You're always perfect," I reply. I kiss her before she says a word, making her grin at me.

"I thought you came to talk." Her smile is perfect. I peck her on her tasty lips and walk away to sit at the table. She didn't expect that.

"Aren't you hungry?" She nods at me and then follows my steps.

She approaches me and gives me another kiss. "Thank you." I smile at her.

We start eating, we're both hungry after so much sleep.

"Tell me everything," she adds right after taking the last bite of the donut.

"He was really nice, Paige. You don't have to worry about him. You're lucky to have him. I don't know why, but he likes me."

She shakes her head before opening her mouth. "Are you kidding me? Of course he worships you. You're adorable."

"Thank you!" I reply while I caress her knee. "I was nervous though. I feel better now after we had the conversation."

"What about you and Jason?"

She sighs. "He closed his eyes after he took his seat and spent all flight snoring." I burst into laughter.

"Does that mean you made the right choice?" I tease her.

She smiles back at me. "Of course I did. Isn't it obvious?" She points at me and I blush. I get closer to kiss her again. I can't keep my hands off of her.

I pull away from the kiss and look her in the eye. "Em, I wanted to talk to you about something else."

Her face expression suddenly changes. She knows what I'm going to talk about.

"So?"

"I am meeting Alison for lunch." I wait a few seconds, waiting for a response that doesn't happen. "Say something," I insist, but her face doesn't change even a little bit. "I know you are not happy about it, but I want to do it." I have to be honest, even if she gets a little bit jealous.

"It's completely fine. I told you so yesterday. Just go have lunch with your friend." She emphasizes that last word, she's obviously feeling awkward about it. "Just do it, okay?" The tone of her voice is clearly showing the opposite, she can't hide her disappointment.

"Em, please, don't be like that." I caress her face, but she moves away to avoid the contact.

"I have to go. I am going to the gym and I am meeting my friends for lunch. So…" She stands up and she opens the wardrobe. I guess she is looking for an outfit.

"Do you want me to go?"

She looks at her watch. "I don't want to be late."

"Can I see you tonight?" She nods at me. I follow her until we're both staring at each other. She finally gets closer and kisses me.

"Have fun." She's not saying it with an angry tone, but I know she'd prefer if I didn't meet Alison. It's totally understandable, but she is trying to be okay about it and I respect her for that.

"You too," I reply. "I will call you, okay?" I hold her hand and kiss her again. I leave the apartment feeling a little bit weird.

To be continued…

Stay tuned! ;)