Mason narrates:
It has been a week during which I have seen Paige every day, bringing her a little something each day to win her back. I know the details she loves because I know her better than I know myself.
I truly regret everything I have done in my life. If I could turn back time, I would have left Peyton earlier and focused on falling in love and following the feelings that were growing for my then-wife.
They say you learn from your mistakes, and I think I had a hard fall to understand that I didn't love Peyton. I only loved the image she projected, and my true love is Paige.
In the end, she decided to stay at Sarah's house, and I don't blame her. As she told me, "that households too many memories that I don't know if I'm ready to face."
She's absolutely right, which is why I invited her to dinner. I want to create new moments and memories in her mind. I want us to build a new story filled with beautiful memories, as if we were just starting out.
I have planned a dinner at home, in what was and will always be our home. I have brought Simba back to make it feel like before.
I'm waiting for her to leave Sarah's house. My friend has been my accomplice in this and helped me buy some time with Paige so that I could have everything ready.
Every time I see her, my heart beats faster, and I feel a flutter in my stomach as if it were the first time, I'm seeing her in my life. I feel this way every time I'm in front of her.
I take her home, and when she sees where we are, she loses her smile. That scares me, and I tell her, taking her hand.
"I want to create new memories in this home. I want you to forget the past and cherish only these moments we will have from now on for the future," I say, and she looks at me in silence. "If you feel you're not ready, we can have dinner somewhere else. I don't want to pressure you in any way," I say, stopping the car at the entrance.
"Let's have dinner in what used to be our house," she says, trying to smile.
"This is our house, and it will always be. I will never let anyone else, but you live here. It's not for sale because the best years of my life are the ones I had with you, and I will never regret that. I want to make you fall in love again. I want us to form a family together in the future. I want to spend the rest of my life by your side because you're the only woman I have truly loved, and you will always be the love of my life," I say, pouring my heart into those words.
"I'm sorry, but for now, I can't respond to that," she nervously replies.
"I don't want you to respond to anything. Just let me be by your side as friends and let's see what happens in the future," I ask, smiling.
We enter our house, and as she sees everything decorated, she brings her hands to her mouth. I have scented candles all around the house, a table set for two, and Simba's dish next to where she sits, where she has always sat. That excites her, and I don't need to say it. I can see it in her eyes.
We have dinner amidst laughter, remembering Simba's mischiefs, the things he did at home, and all the time he spent with us.
Paige narrates.
I have to admit that I felt happy during the dinner I had with Mason. It felt like when we were married. I didn't even want to leave. I wanted to go upstairs, sleep in what used to be my room with Simba, and just live happily by his side. Forgetting the past and moving forward is what we all want, but sometimes it's not easy to let go of the hurt and healing takes time.
I love Mason, I can't deny that. I haven't stopped loving him. But my priority is myself, and I want to be alone for a while. I want to think and heal the wounds so that when I'm ready, I can start something new with him.
I talk to Sarah and Riley. Riley looks very happy since she started dating Lucas. They both have that sparkle in their eyes that reveals the love they have for each other despite the years and pain they've experienced. Riley tells me,
"Friend, you can't close yourself off to starting something with Mason. It's illogical. Everyone knows you love each other. Just take it slow, and time will tell," she says, as she always does whenever she sees me.
"I know we love each other. I feel like so much has happened between us, and my hormones are messing with my emotions. We've talked, and I know that making mistakes is human. I also know that I wasn't a saint when I was with him. However, I did keep the agreement of not falling in love with other people while our marriage lasted. Maybe that's what hurts and is hard for me to leave behind," I confess to my friends.
"Sarah is right. You have to consider everything. By that, I mean that just as you say so much has happened between you, it may mean that if you get back together, your relationship will be stronger than before. You could try it when you feel ready," Riley insists.
"I'll think about it..."
That's all I say. Sometimes it exhausts me to think so much about this. I know I want to be by his side, but I don't feel ready. It wouldn't be fair to him to tell him that we should try it if I'm not completely sure I can overcome the past. It's a mistake I don't want to make. I don't want our second chance to be damaged by my fears and insecurities.