Ride With Me (Paige and Jace) novel Chapter 265

CHAPTER 152-2

There was only music, food, laughter, and the crackling fire.

After dinner, I helped clean the tables while Jace carried empty chairs toward the clubhouse.

When everything was finally organized, we slipped away from the crowd and walked toward the far side of the property.

The fire still illuminated the clearing behind us, but the music had become softer with distance.

Jace sat beneath an old tree, and I settled beside him.

For a few minutes, neither of us spoke. I watched sparks rise into the night sky, disappearing almost as quickly as they appeared.

“This is nice.” I said.

“It is.” He said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had nights like this before.” I said and Jace looked at me.

“What do you mean?” He asked as I folded my hands in my lap.

“When I was younger, home never really felt like home.” I said and he didn’t interrupt.

“My house was just somewhere I slept, and Lawson Customs was somewhere I worked. Even after Uncle Will gave me the garage, I was always worried about losing it.” I added and Jace reached for my hand.

“You don’t have to worry about that anymore.” He said.

“I know.” I said as I looked toward the clubhouse.

“Everyone is there, and they’re laughing, eating, arguing about ghost stories, and pretending they aren’t freezing.” I said.

“Derek is definitely freezing.” Jace said.

“He won’t admit it.” I said.

“He would rather lose a fight than admit he’s cold.” Jace said as I smiled and then I looked back at Jace.

“This feels different.” I said and his thumb moved slowly across my knuckles.

“How?” He asked as I took a breath.

“It feels like I belong somewhere.” I said and his expression softened.

“You belong here.” He said.

“I know.” I said and I leaned against him.

“For the first time, I actually know what home feels like.” He said.

< CHAPTER 155.

Jace wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer.

“I’ve never been happier.” I said and I lifted my head.

“Really?” He asked

“Really.” I said.

Claim

He looked toward the clubhouse, where laughter erupted as another ghost story apparently reached its dramatic ending.

“I spent years thinking happiness was something you found after everything else was settled, but I’ve learned it doesn’t work that way.” He said and I smiled.

“You sound philosophical.” I said.

“Don’t tell Mason.” He said.

“I won’t.” I said and he looked down at me.

“I have the club, I have people I trust, and I have you, but more than anything, I have a life that actually feels like mine.” He said and I rested my head against his chest.

“I never expected any of this.” I said.

“Neither did I.” He said.

For a while, we stayed there without saying anything else, because neither of us needed to fill the silence.

Eventually, I looked toward the fire again.

“Do you think things will ever be completely normal?” I asked as Jace considered the question.

“Probably not.” He said and I laughed softly.

“At least you’re honest.” I said.

“I don’t want normal if normal means losing everything we’ve built.” He said as I squeezed his hand.

“Neither do I.” I said.

We returned to the group when the fire began burning lower, and the children were now wrapped in blankets while the adults continued talking.

Emma handed me a cup of hot chocolate.

“You disappeared.” She said.

“I needed some quiet.” I said and she smiled knowingly.

“With Jace?” She asked.

“With Jace.” I said.

“I figured.” She said.

23

CHAPTERS

Cheer

Across the fire. Jace was talking with Mason while Derek attempted to convince Ben that his ghost story Tad been historically accurate.

I watched them for a moment, and a warmth settled inside me that had nothing to do with the fire.

I had spent so much of my life fighting for a place where I belonged, and somehow I had found it without realizing I had been looking.

Home wasn’t the building where I slept. It wasn’t even Lawson Customs. Home was the people who noticed when I was missing, the people who showed up when things went wrong, and the people who stayed when life became difficult.

I smiled as Jace looked across the fire and caught my eye and then Ethan’s phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, and the relaxed expression disappeared from his face.

“Hello?” He answered.

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