Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 134

CHAPTER 84-2

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ou won’t survive it.” She said and I smiled and kept chopping.

Every few minutes, somebody wandered into the kitchen, stole something from a plate, and

disappeared again. The first culprit was Mason.

“Don’t touch that.” Emma warned.

“I wasn’t.” Mason said.

“You were literally touching it.” Emma said.

“I was checking it.” Mason said.

“You were eating it.” Emma said and Mason looked at me.

“See what I deal with?” Mason asked and I nodded solemnly.

“Tragic.” I said as he grabbed another piece and Emma smacked his hand.

“Out.” Emma ordered and he laughed and escaped.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had spent a Sunday like this. There was no pressure to be anywhere else, no reason to keep my guard up, and no expectation that I needed to prove myself.

I was just cooking dinner. I was laughing with people. I was helping because I wanted to.

By the afternoon all we had to do was cook the food that was already prepared and when the food

was finally ready, everyone gathered around the long outdoor table. Plates were passed from one

person to another, glasses were filled and the kids argued over who had the biggest serving.

Jace sat beside me and his knee brushed mine beneath the table as he glanced at me.

“You okay?” He asked and I smiled.

“I’m good.” I said.

“You sure?” He asked and I nodded.

“I’m actually good.” I said and his expression softened.

“Good.” He said.

I looked around the table and Mason was telling a ridiculous story that Derek kept interrupting, Emma was trying to keep the younger kids from stealing food from each other’s plates, and Sophia was laughing so hard that she nearly spilled her drink.

Someone made a joke about Derek’s terrible cooking, and Derek immediately defended himself.

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CHAPTER 84 2

“I can cook.” Derek said.

“No, you can’t.” Emma said.

“I can.” Derek said.

“You burned toast.” Emma said.

“That was one time.” Derek said.

“It was last week.” Emma said.

“It was complicated.” Derek said.

I laughed so hard that I had to put my fork down and Derek pointed at me.

“You think this is funny?” Derek asked.

“Very.” I said.

“You’ll regret that.” He said.

“You’ve been threatening me all day.” I said.

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“I’m starting to understand why everyone calls you terrifying.” Mason added and I threw a napkin at

him.

He ducked, and everyone started laughing again.

For a moment, I simply sat there and watched them. This wasn’t just Jace’s family. It wasn’t just

the club. Somehow, without me realizing it, they had become mine too.

The thought settled inside me quietly, and it didn’t scare me. Instead, it felt warm.

I had spent so long believing I needed to stand on my own because depending on people meant eventually losing them, but sitting at that table made me realize something I hadn’t wanted to

admit.

I wasn’t alone anymore. Jace reached beneath the table and took my hand and I squeezed his

fingers.

He didn’t say anything, and neither did I, because somehow he understood exactly what was going through my head.

After dinner, the kids returned to the yard, and the adults started clearing plates.

I carried dishes inside with Emma and Sophia while Mason and Derek dealt with the leftovers.

When I returned outside, the football was already flying again. One of the kids kicked it toward me

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CHAPTER 84 2

and I caught it against my chest.

“Pass it!” One of the kids yelled and I grinned.

“Come and get it.” I said.

Claims

The kids immediately chased me across the grass, and I ran until they were all yelling and laughing

behind me.

Jace stood near the porch watching and when I finally kicked the ball toward Mason, he caught it

“She’s officially one of us now!” Mason said and Derek folded his arms.

“She was already one of us.” Derek said.

The words stopped me for half a second and I looked at him. He shrugged as if it wasn’t

important. But it was. It meant more than he probably knew.

As the sun began dropping lower, everyone slowly settled down and I sat on the porch beside Jace

with a glass of water.

My body was tired, but it was the good kind of tired. The kind that came from laughing, working, eating too much and spending an entire day surrounded by people who made me feel safe so Jace

leaned closer.

“You’ve gone quiet.” He said.

“I’m thinking.” I said.

“That’s dangerous.” He said and I elbowed him gently.

“I’m thinking that I belong here.” I said and his smile was small, but it reached his eyes.

“You do.” He said as I rested my head against his shoulder.

For the first time in a long time, I believed it. Then Sarah appeared at the edge of the porch.

She wasn’t smiling and she looked directly at me, and something in her expression made the

warmth disappear from my chest.

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