Chapter 45

Paige struggled to think of what happened, but she couldn't remember any additional details. She finished her breakfast with Nathaniel deep in thought.

"Paige, my darling! How are you this morning? You look better!" Mrs. Donovan exclaimed as she burst through the dining room doors. Paige visibly jumped upon her entry.

"Mother, you that you have your own residence on the property and it does have a kitchen, right?" Nathaniel said, holding back laughter.

"I do, but you may recall, my dear son, that I am hosting dinner tomorrow on your behalf for our family and I wanted to review the menu with the chef and go over preparations with Arthur," Mrs. Donovan said with a smile.

"Of course, mother. I apologize for not recognizing your efforts. Paige, are you feeling up to going as my date?" Nathaniel asked, clutching her hand. Paige looked at Nathaniel and smiled.

"Yes, I can be your date. What should I wear?" Paige asked. She heard Mrs. Donovan squeal with delight.

"Oh, Paige, my darling, I'm simply ecstatic that you're feeling well enough to attend. I can take you shopping today if you'd like?" Mrs. Donovan asked. Paige looked at her and blinked.

"I think that you should go, Paige. I'll have security escort you. Arthur can call the store and have it closed for you for additional privacy," Nathaniel said simply. Paige just looked at him. 'Close the store? As if this was totally normal,' she thought.

"I don't think it's necessary to close a store to shop—-" Paige started.

"Nate, that would be good. It's safer for Paige and we can be uninterrupted," Mrs. Donovan said, encouraging Nathaniel. Nathaniel pulled out his phone and texted someone. Paige presumed it was Arthur.

"Can I go for a run first?" Paige asked. Mrs. Donovan smiled.

"Of course, dear. We'll go this afternoon. Is that alright with you, Nate? Or did you have something scheduled with Paige?" Mrs. Donovan said, eyeing her son.

"That works with my schedule. Shall we say, 2 pm? I need to ensure that Paige eats a healthy lunch," Nathaniel suggested.

"You make it sound like you're accompanying us," Mrs. Donovan said with a smirk.

"I am accompanying you, mother. I want to ensure that Paige doesn't get overtaxed," Nathaniel said, smirking back.

"Sensible. I'll allow it," Mrs. Donovan said with a smile. Nathaniel suddenly got up from his chair and picked Paige up, throwing her over his shoulder. Paige squeaked with surprise and then blushed as Mrs. Donovan looked slightly shocked.

"We're going for a run, mother," Nathaniel said as he carried Paige out. Mrs. Donovan shook her head and laughed as they left the room.

"Nathan, put me down. The idea of me running is that I use my legs," Paige whined. Nathaniel chuckled.

"You're so cute and tiny, though. I love that I can just pick you up," he teased.

"You'd be able to pick up 2 and a half of me with how much I saw you lifting in the gym the other day," Paige grumbled. Nathaniel was tall and very strong. Normally, this appealed to Paige, but not when he just picked her up like she was nothing more than a plushie.

"You're pretty strong, too. You're tiny but mighty," Nathaniel teased and he walked to their current rooms. "Go get changed. Then we'll run."

Nathaniel placed Paige down and she walked into her room. She went to the closet and picked out her workout clothes and running shoes. She wore all white sneakers with matching socks, forest green leggings with flowers on them, a matching sports bra and a white running hoodie. She tied her hair into a ponytail so that it was out of her face.

Paige grabbed her phone and headphones and zipped it in her pocket. She headed into the hallway and waited for Nathaniel to come from the opposite direction. When she saw him approaching, she hurried down the stairs. She did not want him picking her up again.

Nathaniel followed Paige down the stairs with a smirk. He had never felt playful or mischievous with anybody besides his friends before, so this was refreshing. He liked that he could joke and tease Paige. Their relationship could be lighthearted as well as serious. He had never thought to include that in a list of expectations for his romantic relationships, partially because he hadn't really had one, but he decided that it was absolutely vital.

He quickly met Paige at the bottom of the stairs and offered his hand to her. Paige accepted it.

"Show me the route that I can take for a run, please," Paige said with a smile. Nathaniel looked at her and grinned.

"Well, it's a rather large property. The grounds are 20 acres. I do have paved roads and pathways that you can take as a route. Everything that's fenced in is safe, though, so you can basically go wherever you want," he said as they walked outside.

"How many miles does your usual route take you?" Paige asked.

"A lap around the mansion is 2 miles," he said, still grinning.

"Ok, I'll start with that," Paige said. She didn't want to overdo it today, having been in the hospital. She knew she needed to listen to her body and ensure that she wasn't exercising so strenuously to where it caused her harm.

"Did you just say you're going to start with 2 miles?" Nathaniel said, looking at her incredulously. Paige smiled.

"I wouldn't consider myself a fast runner, but I've built up stamina over the years," Paige said simply.

"I wasn't going to do cardio today but I feel like I need to watch you so that you don't overdo it," Nathaniel said with concern. Paige laughed.

"I won't stop you from joining you. You'll have a nice view of my back," Paige said, walking onto the path that led around the mansion. She stopped and looked back at Nathaniel who was approaching her.

"I'm pretty fast, baby. You might eat your words," Nathaniel said as he stood next to her. Paige smiled and then promptly started running down the path.

She could hear Nathaniel behind her. Paige wasn't running at her fastest pace. She followed the pathway through the mansion's gardens and enjoyed the scenery as she ran. She hadn't even bothered putting in her earbuds to listen to music due to Nathaniel joining her. She heard him running beside her.

"How are you feeling, baby?" Nathaniel asked her as they ran along the path. The path had turned them to the left side of the building.

"I feel great. I missed this," Paige said, looking at him with a quick smile before focusing on her surroundings. The path wasn't the normal concrete that she usually ran on around her apartment, so she needed to be diligent. The path winded to the left again and they were running behind the mansion.

Paige didn't feel tired at all. She felt energized and picked up her pace slightly. Nathaniel also picked up his pace.

"Are you a runner, Nathaniel?" Paige questioned.

"Only because I have to do some form of cardio. It's not my favorite," Nathaniel said dismissively.

"That's too bad. I love running," Paige said sadly as they turned to the next side of the mansion.

"Do you want to race?" Nathaniel asked. He wanted to see how fast she was and also he wanted to improve her mood.

"Okay, when we round the next corner, we'll race to the front door. First one to touch the doorknob wins," Paige decided.

"Sounds good to me," he said.

They rounded the corner and Paige began sprinting. She saw the front door and followed the path to get there. Nathaniel was still beside her. They actually ended up reaching the door at the same time.

Paige pouted. "When I'm not concerned about just having been in the hospital, we're racing for real," she demanded.

Nathaniel grinned. "Of course. I might actually like running if I get to admire your cute behind as I go," he teased.

Paige shook her head as they stepped inside. She wanted to shower and get ready for the day. She didn't know what shopping with Nathaniel and his mother would entail, but she wanted to be prepared for it.