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Author's Note: This chapter comes with a companion piece, titled Head Canon
At the request of Ren McCullers, it's a look into Nick McCullers thoughts after Paige comes out. If anyone is interested in my take on what he's thinking, or feeling, check it out, let me know what you think.
Chapter
A late night with too many cups of coffee, conversation and laughter lead to a late morning.
They'd sat around the living room, playing cards until almost midnight. She wasn't sure how the first game came about. She'd gone into the kitchen to get a refill, and by the time she came back, her dad was riffling around in the side table for his deck. She'd shot a glance at her mother, who shrugged, equally confused, despite having been in the room the whole time.
Apparently, when he and Paige got together, they were an unstoppable, somewhat baffling force. Emily had just shrugged her shoulders and gone with it. They both seemed so eager, neither she nor her mother had the heart to try and dissuade them.
They'd spent hours playing; poker, euchre and even a couple hands of crazy eights. Emily had folded a few rounds ago, content to lounge sleepily in the armchair, watching her girlfriend play Texas Hold 'Em with her father, poker face like a pro, and gambling like a shark. Even if they were just playing for pretzels and peanuts, she had wiped the floor with Emily's father.
By the time she'd finally dragged herself to bed, after a prolonged goodbye with Paige on the front porch, she was both exhausted and wired, feeling like she had enough energy to run around the block several times, even though her head was a little fuzzy and her limbs heavy and uncoordinated.
She was feeling pretty much the same the next morning, nearly afternoon, when she dragged herself out of bed. Luckily, her mom had called the school, excusing her from her morning classes, and the three of them had lingered over a brunch of pancakes and eggs.
She didn't feel much like going to school, but she'd already missed a day, and she had practice that afternoon anyway. So she'd hurried out to door with a kiss to her parents, and a promise to be home as soon as practice was over to help them set up for the party.
She made it to school a few minutes before the lunch period started. She didn't know why she was surprised to find Paige waiting for her by her locker when she went to drop off her bag and her jacket. It was just the sort of thing Paige would do, especially after Emily had texted her to let her know she'd be there. But, she still felt a delighted smile forming on her face and a wave of affection wash over her when she spotted Paige sprawled on the floor in front of her locker, a text book spread across her lap. She glanced up as Emily approached, and scrambled to her feet, a huge smile lighting up her face.
She surprised Emily once again by drawing her into a tight hug. A welcome surprise, but still something she wasn't expecting. It took Emily a moment to respond, her arms hanging limply at her sides for a long moment as her brain struggled to process the fact that Paige was showing physical affection, in public, when people were around to see them. The hallways wasn't very crowded, but it wasn't deserted either. And it was just a hug, it's not like she'd pinned Emily against a locker and started making out with her or anything. And, it's not like Paige hadn't hugged her a few times in public already, but after so long of Paige being so afraid of people catching on to their secret, it was strange to now have her act with such abandon. It was something Emily was still working on getting used to. In a good way, of course, but it was going to take some adjusting before she stopped being surprised.
And, this wasn't just any old hug. This was a full bodied bear hug. There were absolutely no signs of tension in her body, her grip was firm, but her muscles felt loose. She even went so far as to press a kiss to Emily's temple as she pulled back. It was light, and it was brief, but it was also unmistakable.
"Hey, Em," she said as she pulled back, that grin still fixed firmly on her face. She didn't go far, letting one arm drop, but keeping the other slung around Emily's shoulder, turning to stand side by side with her as they started a slow stroll down the hallway.
"Paige."
Emily was still somewhat taken aback by Paige's one-eighty, but she wasn't about to let an opportunity go to waste. She wrapped her arm around Paige's lower back, her hand resting easily on the curve of her hip.
"Not that I'm complaining," she began, after a moment of debating whether or not to even bring it up. "But, what's this? I thought we were being discrete?"
"Oh. Sorry." Paige started to slip her arm from around Emily's shoulders and step away, but reached up with her free hand and returned her arm to its place.
"I said it wasn't a complaint." She flexed her fingers around Paige's hip, tightening her grip. "I was just curious, because I thought you said you wanted to wait until after the meet."
"Right. That." Paige rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged. "I forgot?"
"You forgot?" Emily couldn't help but laugh. And the pout Paige shot her didn't make it any easier to stop.
"For a moment, yeah, I guess. I saw you coming down the hall towards me and the only thing on my mind was, hey, there's my girlfriend. I want to give her a hug." She shrugged again. "Maybe it's dumb, but I'm finally in a place where I really don't care if other people know, or what they think and I just wanted to…I thought…" She ducked her head, blushing.
"Hey, no, it's not dumb." Emily gave her a light squeeze. "I think it's sweet."
"Yeah?" She chanced a glance over at Emily.
"Yeah. And, I'm glad you're in that place. I really am. And, by no means am I discouraging you from greeting me however you want."
"However?" Paige's eyebrow went up, a suggestive smirk playing on her features.
Emily shook her head, laughing. "Yeah, however." She didn't believe for a moment that Paige would ever follow through on her bold teasing, so she was caught off guard when, as they turned the corner, Paige suddenly pushed her up against the bank of lockers next to them. Her back hit the cool metal with a clang, and she let out a soft gasp, taken aback by the motion, but intrigued as to just how far Paige would take this. Her heart hammered in her chest as she raised her gaze to meet Paige's, swallowing hard at the intensity she found there. Paige leaned bodily against her, pushing her back against the firm surface. Emily's breath caught in her throat as she waited, only for Paige to blink at her, expression shifting to one of uncertainty, as if, now that she'd gotten Emily there, she didn't know what to do with her. She cast a glance around them, the hallway was deserted except for a couple of guys sitting against a row of lockers a little further down, papers and texts spread out on the floor around them. They hadn't gained their attention yet, though Emily doubted it would be long before one of them glanced up, or someone else turned the corner and stumbled upon them.
As proud as she was of Paige for how far she'd come, and as much as she herself didn't care if people knew about their relationship, she also had no interest in being the subject of rumours and speculation because she'd been caught making out in the hallway with Paige. They still had the meet this weekend to think about, after all. Emily didn't want to do anything that would hurt their chances of being able to room together.
"Okay, you've made your point." She patted Paige on the cheek lightly, only to have Paige shake her head.
"Not yet," she said, leaning in, her breath a whisper against Emily's lips moment before they were captured into a slow, sweet kiss. It was brief, and chaste, and over before she knew it, with Paige backing away and tugging at her hand, pulling her away from the lockers and in her wake.
"Come on, Em. The others are waiting. They're going to think I whisked you way into a supply closet to have my way with your, or something."
Emily pulled back on the hand guiding her along, stopping Paige in her tracks and making her spin around, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
"Is that an option?" she asked, backing up, and trying to bring Paige with her. "Because, we passed one just a few doors back. And, y'know, lunch can wait. I had a really big breakfast."
"Contain yourself, Fields. You're desperation is embarrassing.
Emily scoffed, "My desperation? Who just had who pressed up against the lockers?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Emily huffed, making Paige laugh.
"You better watch your back, McCulles."
"Oh yeah, why's that?"
"Well, you know what they say about revenge, right?"
"That it's bad for the soul?"
Emily scoffed. "Hardly. That it's best served cold. One day, when you least expect it, I'll get you back."
"Is that a promise?" Paige sounded entirely too pleased by the prospect.
"It's a guarantee."
"Well, I look forward to seeing you try." Paige shot her a cocky grin. All Emily could do was roll her eyes and shake her head as they entered the cafeteria. She spotted their friends in their usual spot, and using their still joined hands, guided Paige through the maze of tables towards them.
"Hey, guys," she said, dropping down into the empty seat at the end of the table. Paige slid into place across from her, immediately stretching her legs out in front of her, her foot brushing against Emily's.
"Hey, how's your dad?" Aria asked, as the others all nodded, or waved in her and Paige's direction.
"Good. He's asking after all of you. He can't wait to see you at the party tonight. And, he can't wait to meet you," she added, turning to Caleb.
"What?" He squeaked, sitting upright in his chair. "How does he even know about me?"
"Hannah's one of my best friends. You're her boyfriend. Of course he knows about you."
Caleb gulped, his eyes growing comically wide. "Is this going to be one of those, you hurt her, I hurt you conversations?"
"What? No." Emily couldn't help but laugh at the thought, though Caleb ignored her and turned to Paige.
"You met him. Is he like…" Instead of continuing he puffed out his chest and flexed his arms down, his face contorting into an exaggerated grimace.
"Dude, he's a Colonel. In the army. What do you think?"
Caleb's face fell, and he slumped forward in his seat.
"Would you stop?" Emily kicked Paige under the table before turning to Caleb. "My dad's not like that at all. You have nothing to worry about."
"Oh, thank god." Caleb breathed a sigh of relief, only to suck in a breath a moment later when he caught Paige shaking her head back and forth, miming cutting a knife across her throat.
"You're horrible." She kicked Paige again, biting back a laugh. It was only yesterday that Paige had been terrified to meet her father, and now here she was, winding Caleb up over the same thing. "Ignore Paige. Guys, back me up here?" she glanced around the table at her friends, who all suddenly found their lunch trays or the table fascinating. She shook her head, "You all are ridiculous." She turned her attention back to Caleb. "Ignore all of them. "My dad's going to love you," she assured him.
He nodded, looking dubious. Emily resisted the urge to throw her hands up in defeat. She didn't understand why people insisted on being terrified of her father just because he served in the military. He wasn't that kind of guy.
"Why aren't you nervous?" Caleb asked, Toby, who was sitting across the table from him.
"Why would I be nervous?" He asked with shrug." I've known the Fields most of my life."
"But, have you seen Colonel Fields since you started dating Spencer?"
Toby's arm paused in mid-motion. "No," he said slowly. "I haven't seen him since…" The fork full of macaroni fell back onto his place with a clatter as his grip relaxed.
"Not you too. Tobes, you know my dad likes you."
"He didn't like me so much when we were fourteen."
Emily stared at him, confused as to what he was talking about, only to laugh when memory struck her. "That? I don't think he's going to hold that against you."
"What happened when you were fourteen?" Spencer asked.
"Okay, so this is going to sound really bad," she said, glancing first at her girlfriend, then over at her best friend. They both looked more curious than concerned. She only hoped that they would remain like that. "So, the summer we were fourteen, my mom hired Toby to come over and do some yard work."
He had come over and mowed the lawn, weeded the gardens and did a bit of landscaping in the back. The kind of work she and her mom never seemed to have time for.
"My dad came home on leave a few weeks before school started. And, he found me and Toby in the backward…..hugging…."
Paige and Spencer exchanged glances, looking confused as to why this was something that was going to sound bad.
"Without our shirts on," she added in a lower tone, ducking her head to avoid the looks she could feel being sent her way.
"It wasn't anything like that," she hastened to reassure both her friend and her girlfriend. "Toby was outside working, and I'd just come home from a run. I was in a sports bra. It was just after his mom had died and we were talking and it just…" She trailed off, giving them both a helpless look.
They both stared back at her, speechless. The others watched them, waiting for their reaction. And then Spencer cracked up. Paige followed suit a moment later.
"Dude, I can't believe that you got to second base with my girlfriend before I did," Paige said, reaching across the table to slug Toby in the arm. The casual way in which she referenced their relationship not lost on Emily, and it made her smile.
"So, you and my boyfriend, Em?" Spencer leaned in, bumping her shoulder lightly. "Should I be worried?"
Emily rolled her eyes, thankful that neither of them seemed upset by what had happened, the event so far in the past, and so inconsequential that Emily had forgotten all about it. Though, now that she thought about, that should have cleared up her confusion about her sexuality right away. Toby had been built, even back then. And, hugging him hadn't affected her at all. Not even the faintest of tingles.
"Do you really think your dad even remembers that?" Aria asked.
Emily nodded. "Oh yeah, unfortunately, he still remembers."
"How do you know?"
"Well, it was the reason he cited against me being gay. When I came out. I told him, and he got quiet for a minute and then he said, 'but, what about that one time when I caught you with the Cavanaugh boy?"
"He did not." Hannah looked delighted by this new piece of information.
"He did." Emily confirmed with a nod. Luckily, that had been the only thing he'd said, countering her confession, before he realized his daughter was telling the truth, and acceptance had set in, and he'd been his normal, supportive self.
"Oh, my God," Spencer wheezed through her laughter. 'Why have I never heard this story before?"
"Because it's embarrassing," Toby chimed in for the first time. "Her dad pulled me inside and gave me the sex talk. Do you have any idea how mortifying that was?"
By now, the entire table had cracked up, Emily and Toby included.
Paige was the first one who sobered. "Do you think you're dad's going to try and give me the sex talk?"
Emily shook her head. "No. I don't think so." She paused a moment, considering. "I mean, maybe? It's possible."
Paige's eyes widened.
"But, probably not?" Emily floundered back and forth between possibilities. "I mean, my dad's pretty protective of me. But, we've already had 'the talk;" she said, putting air quotes around the word.
"Did he have 'the talk' with Maya?" Paige asked, still looking alarmed.
"No. But then, he was overseas the whole time we were dating. They only ever chatted on Skype a few times."
"So, I'm the first girlfriend of yours that he's met? Great."
"Oh, come on. Even if he does, is it really that bad?"
"How would you feel if my dad wanted to talk to you about our sex life?"
"Okay. Point taken." It was one thing to be open with your own parent about stuff like that, but other peoples? Especially the person you were dating? Awkward. "Look, I'll make sure he doesn't bring it up, okay?"
"You can't do that. Then, he'll know that I asked you to ask him not to."
"Fine. I won't say anything. But, if he pulls you into his study at the party tonight, you're on your own."
Paige looked panicked for a moment, then gave a resigned sigh, and nodded. "Okay. Fine."
Slowly, the conversation picked back up, the others getting back to whatever they'd been talking about before Paige and Emily had joined them. She tried to focus on the conversation going on around her, but her attention was being pulled by the feeling of Paige's foot sliding slowly up and down the back of her leg.
She shot a glance over at her girlfriend, expression questioning what thought she was doing, but Paige was turned away from her, listening to Aria. Though, from the smile playing on her lips, Emily knew she was aware of the gaze on her. After a moment, Emily shook her head, and returned the favor, the two of them playing footsie under the table as they talked with their friends.
When the lunch bell rang, they rose from their seats and shuffled out into the hallway, where they would part ways. This time, when Paige hugged her goodbye, Emily wasn't surprised in the least. She returned the hug eagerly, lingering in Paige's embrace for a long moment, before parting, and heading off towards her math class with Hannah.
The afternoon dragged on. Emily's attention in class focused on the clock, and the passage of time more than the lessons. She was eager to be done with her lessons, and go home. Not just to help her parents set up for the party, but to be near her dad. They never knew how long his time with them would be, and she wanted to soak up every minute of it.
After classes came practice. And, Emily was lucky that Coach, at this point in the season, was concerned about overtraining, and after about an hour of putting them through their paces, focusing more on conditioning than speed, let them go.
She was the first out of the pool, a rarity. And the first out of the locker room, not even bothering with showering. Barely even taking the time to change and comb out her hair. She could still feel the dampness clinging to her skin as she climbed into her car and headed towards home.
Paige's car was parked in the driveway when she got there. She inched up beside it, hopefully leaving enough room behind her for guests to park, and headed inside. She found Paige and her father in the living room, setting up the buffet table. Her mom, and Paige's had prepared an assortment of finger foods for the guests to eat, figuring it would be easier for everyone to have a chance to eat and mingle that way than try and arrange some kind of sit down dinner.
Then glanced up as she strode through the door, and instead of greeting her, Wayne nodded her over, and pressed a package of paper plates into her hand. "Can you take over? Your mom wants me to fire up the grill, and do some vegetable skewers."
Emily accepted her task with a shrug, "Sure. No problem."
"Okay. I'm going to head out into the backyard. Your mom's in the kitchen. Even though I'm leaving you two alone, there will be no funny business, you hear?" He pointed back and forth between the two of them. "Hands to yourself, all right?"
Paige nodded. "Of course, sir."
Emily just rolled her eyes, and gave him a shove. "Get out of here."
He backed up slowly, pointing two fingers towards his eyes, and then at them. Emily shook her head, and turned her back on him, tossing the paper plates onto the table, forgotten for a moment, as she turned to Paige, and wrapped her arms loosely around her waist.
"Hi." She tipped her head and brushed a soft kiss against Paige's lips, frowning softly and pulling away a moment later when she realized that Paige was not responding. "Hey, everything okay?"
"You heard your dad." Paige tried to pull away, but Emily wouldn't let her.
"My dad was joking. He doesn't care if we hug, or kiss."
"But, what about your story this afternoon? About you and Toby?"
"What he walked in on looked much more inappropriate than it actually was. Especially for fourteen."
"So you're saying that if he walked back in here right now, he wouldn't have anything to say about this?"
"Of course he'd have something to say. But, it'd be some kind of joke. You know my dad doesn't have any issue with us being together. And, he doesn't have any problem with us being affectionate."
He hadn't batted an eye when Emily had sat on Paige's lap last night. Of her parents, he was the most easygoing. And even though he was fiercely protective of her, he also trusted her decisions, and most importantly, he trusted Paige. He didn't worry about them doing anything inappropriate, because he knew that anything they did, it was what they both wanted and were ready for. He knew he didn't have to worry that Paige was pressuring her, or taking advantage.
Like her mother, there were certain things he didn't want to see, or bear witness to. Unlike her mother, however, he wasn't uncomfortable with the knowledge that it was taking place.
Paige looked dubious. "I just think we should be careful," she said. "We don't want to upset your parents."
"My parents, or your parents?" she asked gently. "Is this really about my dad, or is it about yours?"
From the way Paige's gaze dropped, Emily knew she'd gotten it right.
"Paige, I know your dad is still struggling to accept you. Us. I'm not going to push him on it. The fact that he's coming, that's a big deal. I don't care if he doesn't say a word, or barely even looks at me."
Paige's gaze shot back up to hers. "I do. That's rude."
Emily chuckled softly. "Yes, it is. But, that's not the point. The point is, I get that your dad isn't as comfortable with us doing this," she said, giving Paige's waist a squeeze to emphasise her words. "As my parents are. So, we won't do this. And, I'll win your dad over the same way you won over my mom. And one day, he will be comfortable with seeing us together."
"I love you, so much," Paige said in response to Emily's words, eyes shining with emotion. Emily felt her own eyes sting with moisture, moved by Paige's words, and the raw intensity in them. She had never met anyone so open, so unguarded with their emotions.
"I love you too," Emily brushed a kiss against Paige's lips. "And, I promise, it'll all be okay."
Paige sank slowly into the kiss, deepening it with a soft sigh, her arms sliding around Emily's waist and pulling her close.
"Don't make me get out the garden hose."
They jumped apart at the sound of Wayne's voice, and spun around to find him leaning in the doorway, camera in one hand, a huge grin on his face. There was a soft click, and Emily was blinded momentarily by a flash. She blinked a few times, and when her vision cleared, she saw him checking the photo he'd just taken.
"If you guys could see your expressions right now," he said, chuckling.
"Daddy."
"Sorry, Emmy. But, I put new batteries in. I had to test them out."
"You better delete that photo."
"What? No way. It's going up on the mantle."
She advanced on him, attempting to snatch the camera away from him, but he simply held his arm up above his head, using his height as an advantage. Emily refused to jump to reach his hand, and tugging at his elbow to bring his arm down didn't work either. With a sigh, she gave up, resigned to her fate, knowing that while he wouldn't frame and display the photo, he would definitely keep it and pull it out to embarrass her.
"Aren't you supposed to be grilling? What are you trying to do, set the house on fire?"
"From what I hear, that's more Paige's thing than mine."
"Daddy."
He chuckled. "Sorry, Emmy. Couldn't help it. But, yeah, I got to get back out there. Just had to come back in here and check on you. Good thing I did, too," he said with a wink. "Or who knows what might have happened."
"You're so annoying," Emily huffed, giving him a shove back towards the kitchen.
"Get back to work." He said, giving Paige a stern glance over Emily's shoulder. Emily followed his gaze, relieved to find that instead of cowering, or looking contrite, Paige just looked amused. Clearly, their talk had hit home.
"Sir. Yes sir. Paige gave him a mock salute, a smirk playing on her lips. He grinned, nodding his approval and backed out of the room.
"Guess we should actually get this done, huh?" Emily said, nodding towards the table they were supposed to be setting.
"Probably be a good idea," Paige agreed. "Though, if we finish quickly, maybe we'll have enough time to make out in your room for a bit before everyone starts arriving." She opened her eyes wide, and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Emily laughed, and shook her head, ignoring the statement, even though she kind of hoped that they'd get a chance to as well.
They finished setting the table, then headed into the kitchen to see what else Pam needed them to do. The rest of the afternoon was spent performing small tasks for her, little details that she didn't have time for as she finished up with the food preparation, before they were sent out to the store to pick up somethings that she had forgotten. Emily happily accepted the task, she was starting to feel a little run off her feet. It would be nice to have a chance to relax a bit. Not to mention, it would give her some alone time with Paige.
She had discovered, early on in their relationship, before they'd actually had a relationship really, that she liked driving with Paige. There was just something about sitting in the passenger seat and glancing over at her, seeing how comfortable and in control she looked behind the wheel. The first few times she'd ridden in a car with Paige, she'd had to restrain herself from reaching out and taking her hand. Now, however, she didn't think twice about it, as soon as they were settled in their seats, and Paige had pulled out of the driveway, she shifted her grip on the wheel to drive with one hand, and lay the other on the console, palm up, waiting for Emily to slide their fingers together. It was such a small thing, but it had become routine by now. One that Emily took pleasure, and comfort in.
Today was no different. Her hand was soft and warm against Emily's. Her grip firm, but gentle. Their hands fitting perfectly together. Like they were made for each other. There was a small difference about that day, actually. Normally, Paige would drop her hand as soon as they reached their destination, and Emily would instantly feel the loss, her heart twisting a little at her girlfriend's internal struggle. Today, however, when Paige released her grip, Emily knew that it was merely logistical. They couldn't both climb out of the car while still holding hands. She still felt the loss, her hand suddenly cold where Paige's hand had once been. But, she didn't feel that ache inside.
Paige was full of all sorts of surprises today, however. As they fell into step beside each other, heading into the grocery store, she reached out and took Emily's hand once again, lacing their fingers together and giving a soft squeeze.
Emily returned the pressure, glancing over, to find Paige looking back at her, a soft smile on her face. She raised an eyebrow questioningly, and Paige shrugged.
"I've been thinking about it. A lot. Especially since Sunday. Being out with you. And I know we said we were going to wait until next week but I just…can't. I've spent so long hiding and I just… don't want to do it anymore."
Emily nodded. She understood completely that feeling of suddenly being free. Of no longer carrying around that worry and anxiety. It was a wonderful feeling, and she wasn't going to try and rein Paige in. She was more than happy to indulge in some hand holding, if it made Paige feel like she was finally being true to herself.
"And, I doubt we'll run into anyone we know grocery shopping," she continued, as if she actually needed to sell Emily on the idea of holding her hand in public. "Even if we do, it doesn't mean that it's going to immediately get back to Coach. And, even if it does, who says she's going to believe in some stupid rumor anyway? It's not like she's going to call us out on it. Right?"
Emily should have expected it, really. That, once Paige was comfortable enough in her own skin to be out, that she would want to be out for all the world to see. And she wouldn't want to wait another second for it. She never did things by half measures, so why start now?
"You're probably right," she answered dutifully, even though she hadn't really given it any thought. She supposed Paige had a point though. Coach wasn't one to listen to idle gossip, so even if she did hear a rumour or two that she and Paige were together, she wouldn't necessarily believe it.
"Do you agree, or are you just saying that because you think it's what I want to hear?" Paige turned accusing eyes on her as they entered the store. "Are you even listening to me?"
"Of course I'm listening." Emily wondered if she should be offended that Paige thought she'd tune her out, and then placate her.
Paige narrowed her eyes at her, gauging her answer, then gave a sheepish smile. "I know you are. Sorry."
"It's fine." Emily glanced around and saw that they were alone in their aisle, so she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Paige's cheek. "And, I do actually agree with you. I don't think we have to worry about Coach too much. Especially when we're not even at school. More importantly, I'm glad that you're comfortable enough to want to do this." She gave Paige's hand a gentle squeeze, before tugging her around the corner into the next aisle.
The grocery store they were in didn't have what they were looking for, so they headed a few blocks over to another one, hoping that it would have what they needed, and this wasn't going to turn into some kind of wild goose chance all over town. Luckily, they found it on the second try, and were able to head back home.
Paige's parent's car was parked outside the house when they got back, and Emily's gaze immediately shot to Paige, to see how she was handling it. For her part, she seemed to be okay, her grip on the wheel tightened for a moment, her knuckles turning white, before relaxing, color flooding back into her hand.
"You okay?"
Paige exhaled loudly, and nodded. "I'm okay. You ready for this?"
Emily shrugged one shoulder, not sure it was possible to every, truly be ready for something like this. "As I'll ever be."
"All right, lets' do this." Paige nodded once, firmly, and then slid from the car. Emily followed suit, trailing Paige up the steps, to nearly run into her as she came to an abrupt stop on the front porch. She spun around, eyes wide with panic.
Emily had been waiting for this. She was ready. Paige had been way to calm all afternoon, and she'd known it wouldn't last. She took Paige's hands in hers and squeezed them gently.
"It'll be fine. My parents are in there, charming them right now. Your mom's on our side. Your dad will have no choice to come around."
Paige nodded with her words, but Emily doubted she was really taking them in. Like most things, the anxiety beforehand was almost always worse than what actually happened.
"You're right," Paige agreed, her head bobbing. "You're absolutely right." She turned, and reached for the front door.
"Uh, Paige?"
She spun around once again, one eyebrow raised in question. Emily shot a pointed look down at their still joined hands. Paige followed her gaze, and her eyes went wide, as if she had forgotten they were still doing that.
"You know what," she said, "I don't care. I feel better when your hand is in mine. My dad's just going to have to learn how to deal."
"Paige." Emily started off with her warning, but Paige held a hand up, holding her off.
"Hear me out?"
"Of course."
"I know my dad, how his mind works, how he thinks. And, I know we said we weren't going to push him on this, but, I think we're going to have to. Just a little. Because, if he doesn't have to face it, he won't. He'll stay in denial."
Emily frowned, not sure that was the best course of action.
"I'm not saying we do anything to really rub his face in it. No kissing, or sitting on my lap or anything. Just enough for him to see that we're together. If he doesn't like it, he can look away. But, hopefully, he won't have to look away for too long."
There was a certain logic to Paige's words. And, she knew better her father better than Emily did. It was best to let her handle the situation however she saw fit.
"I'll follow your lead."
"Thank you." Paige smiled widely at her, and leaned in for a soft, sweet kiss, before turning and pulling the front door open, stepping aside and ushering Emily into the house ahead of her.