LOVING DAHLIA ( ᴘᴀɪɢᴇ ʙᴜᴇᴄᴋᴇʀs) (ON HOLD)

Chapter 16: The Surprise Visit

It was a peaceful afternoon in Dahlia’s apartment, with the gentle hum of the TV in the background as Dahlia and Sadie sat on the living room floor, drawing together. Sadie was intently focused on a colorful flower she was creating with crayons, her little brows furrowed in concentration. Dahlia smiled as she watched her daughter, feeling the warmth of their cozy home.

Just as she was about to add a few strokes to her own drawing, her phone started ringing. Without looking at the caller ID, she picked up, expecting it to be Carla. “Hello, Carla, where are—"

“Actually, it’s not Carla,” came the familiar voice from the other end. “It’s Paige.”

Dahlia blinked in surprise, her heart skipping a beat. “Paige? Um, why are you calling? Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready?”

There was a short pause before Paige’s voice came back, a bit hesitant. “Hi, flower. Yeah, about that... I’m outside your apartment complex.”

“What?” Dahlia exclaimed, her voice rising in shock, causing Sadie to startle and drop her crayon. Realizing her mistake, Dahlia quickly apologized, “Sorry, sweetheart.” She then spoke into the phone again, her voice lowered, “Paige, why are you here? How did you get my address?”

“Carla gave it to me when I met her at the coffee shop this morning,” Paige replied, sounding nonchalant. “And... can you let me in? I’m heading towards your apartment. It’s 3B, right?”

Dahlia sighed, feeling a mix of surprise and anticipation. “Okay, I’ll wait for you outside.” She hung up and, after reassuring Sadie, stepped outside the apartment door, scanning the hallway.

Within a minute, she spotted Paige, her familiar blonde hair catching the light as she approached with that trademark grin plastered on her face. When Paige finally reached her, she immediately pulled Dahlia into a warm embrace. “Hey, flower.”

“Hey, Paige,” Dahlia murmured into her shoulder, her surprise melting into amusement. “Why don’t you come in? Sadie’s in the living room.”

Paige nodded, releasing Dahlia as they both stepped inside the cozy apartment. As they walked through, Paige couldn’t help but admire how homey the space felt. The apartment had a soft white and blue theme, making it feel warm and inviting.

As soon as they entered the living room, Paige’s eyes landed on Sadie, who was still on the floor, finishing her drawing of a flower. Paige knelt down beside her, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “Hey, champ.”

Sadie looked up from her drawing, and her face instantly brightened. “Paigey!” she squealed, abandoning her crayons to throw her arms around Paige in an enthusiastic hug, clinging to her like a little monkey.

Dahlia couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “She really likes you.”

Paige smiled up at Dahlia before turning back to Sadie. “Hey, champ, guess what?”

Sadie tilted her head curiously. “What?”

“I got you a special jersey for tonight,” Paige said, her voice brimming with excitement. “It has my last name on it. And I even got one for your mommy. Wanna try it on?”

Sadie’s eyes lit up, and she glanced between Paige and Dahlia, as if asking for permission. Dahlia chuckled and nodded. “Go ahead, sweetheart.”

Sadie let out a little squeal of excitement and darted off to change into the jersey. As she disappeared into her room, Dahlia turned to Paige, her expression soft. “You didn’t have to do that, you know. I could’ve bought our own jerseys.”

Paige shrugged, her smile playful. “Nah, I wanted to give you one of my own. It’s from my own closet. And for Sadie’s, I had to make a special order just for her.” She winked, clearly pleased with herself. “Plus, I thought I’d come and give it to you both personally.”

Dahlia giggled, touched by the gesture. “You’re too sweet.”

Paige’s smile widened. “Why don’t you go change too? We can all head to First Night together.”

With a smile, Dahlia excused herself to her room, slipping into the jersey Paige had given her. When she came back out, she found Paige and Sadie bonding over the drawing Sadie had been working on. But the moment Paige saw Dahlia in her jersey, her breath hitched.

Dahlia noticed Paige’s eyes widening, and when their gazes met, Paige stood up slowly, her eyes filled with admiration. “You... look good with my last name, flower.”

Dahlia blushed, biting her lip to hide her smile. “Stop it,” she said playfully, breaking the tension. “Shall we go? Might as well since you’re already here.”

Paige chuckled, but the intensity in her gaze didn’t fade. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Sadie came out of her room, proudly showing off her mini version of Paige’s jersey. “Look, Mommy! I’m Paigey!”

Dahlia beamed at her daughter. “You look adorable, sweetheart.”

Paige couldn’t stop grinning as they all headed out, Dahlia locking up the apartment behind them. Once they were settled in Paige’s car, Dahlia sat in the front with Paige while Sadie happily chatted from the backseat.

The drive to Gampel Pavillion was filled with laughter, Sadie’s excitement rubbing off on both adults. Paige kept glancing at Dahlia every now and then, a content smile on her face, feeling like everything was falling perfectly into place.

Tonight was going to be a night to remember.

This chapter is not proof read I'm trying to update really fast so I'm gonna try and publish another one honestly.

My plot is going nowhere I'm sorry for this boring book I might delete it soon.

XoXo V 💜💜💜