Chapter 14
Sage
SITTING ON THE side of the bed, I rub my hands down my face then turn and let my eyes wander over Kim when she shifts behind me. Carefully sliding a piece of hair off her forehead behind her ear, my heart squeezes in my chest when she moves toward my touch, even in sleep.
Last night, we didn’t talk about her illness. Honestly, I’m scared as fuck to find out what it all means. The idea of losing her isn’t something I want to even consider, but I need to know what’s in store for her and for us. Meaning: I’m going to have to get over my shit and talk to her about it. I know she said she has a long life ahead of her, but what will that life entail?
Pulling in a deep breath, I stand from the bed and grab my duffle from the floor on the way to the bathroom attached to the room. I close the door quietly behind me and open my bag to put on a pair of shorts and a tee then quickly take care of business, brushing my teeth before leaving the bedroom. Stepping out into the hall, I walk slowly toward the kitchen. I didn’t get a good look at the house last night when I came in. Even when I went out to get my bag, I did it quickly, but seeing it now, I can tell both Don and Pattie are proud of their daughter.
Covering the wall in the hallway are pictures of Kim and her parents, Kim with family and friends, and others with just Kim by herself. I stop to look at one of them more closely and smile. Kim looks like she’s probably ten years old, and she’s smiling so brightly I can actually feel her happiness through the picture. Leaning in to get a better look at the grainy black-and-white image, I notice the older woman in the photo with her isn’t kissing her cheek like I thought she was. She’s whispering in Kim’s ear as Kim stirs something in a mixing bowl.
“That was my mom.” Turning to look at Donald when he speaks, I find him standing a few feet away with sorrow-filled eyes. “She died not long after that photo was taken. Kim was her baby, and her only grandchild.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Long time ago.” He takes a step closer. “But the pain of losing a parent always cuts deep. It didn’t help that after we lost my mom, we lost my dad. He died two weeks after her from heart failure. Really, I think he couldn’t live in this world without the woman he loved,” he confides, coming toward me then pointing at another picture; this one of an older gentleman, with Kim sitting on his lap holding a newspaper open and smiling up at him as he smiles down at her. “My parents were against Pattie and me adopting,” he says, catching me off guard.
I look at the man in the photo, trying to see if I missed something, but all I see is happiness in his eyes as he smiles down at a five-year-old Kim.
“They thought that if Pattie and I were meant to have a child, we would have a child. They grew up in a different time. Things like infertility and adoption weren’t talked about.” He shakes his head then a smile twitches his lips. “That all changed the moment we came home with Kim wrapped tight in a pink blanket with only her chubby little face out. The second they saw her, she became a piece of them. She was their world, and no one could tell them different.”
“I’m glad she had that and felt that from them, and you guys.”
“Me, too.” He lets out a breath then looks at the photos once more before meeting my gaze. “We need to talk. How about we get a cup of coffee then head out back by the pool where it’s quiet?” he suggests, and I lift my chin then follow him down the hall, through a sitting room with two well used recliners and a TV, and into a large, updated, eat-in kitchen. On the opposite side, there are sliding glass doors that look out over a small patch of grass and the pool.
Getting a cup of coffee, I follow him out the back door and around the side of the house to a covered patio, where I take a seat across from him on one of the wicker chairs around a short glass table. Looking around, I can’t imagine growing up here. Houses are lined up one after another, front-to-back, and even with the wrought iron fence that surrounds the yard, there is still no real sense of privacy.
Pulling my attention from the yard when Donald clears his throat, I notice he’s set a small black box on the table between us. “Are you going to marry my girl?” he asks.
I sit forward in my chair and set my cup of coffee on the table before I answer. “I am.” My elbows drop to my knees and I lean in, dropping my voice. “I hope we have your blessing. If not, I’m sorry, but I’m still going to marry her,” I state, and he smiles before hiding it by taking a sip of coffee.
“You have my blessing, but I want a favor,” he inserts, and I hold his stare. “I know it’s a lot to ask a man like you, but I’m going to ask all the same.” Keeping my eyes on his, I wait for him to speak, and then watch as he reaches forward to nudge the black box toward me. “That was my mom’s. I don’t have a son to pass it down to, and honestly, even if I did, what’s in that box has always been Kim’s. Please, open it.”
Picking up the small velvet box, I flip the lid and study the ring inside. It’s beautiful and unusual, not something you would find at a jewelry store today. The band is made of thick white gold filigree work, and it has one large deep blue sapphire stone set into the middle of the ring, with much smaller diamond chips around the outside.
“What’s this?” I pull my eyes from the ring, wondering what to say to him.
“Kim loved that ring. When she was growing up, my mom used to tell her stories about the women in our family who once wore that ring, and through each of those stories, she fell a little more in love with it. She made me promise her that one day, when she got married, that ring would be hers. I know it goes against tradition, but—”
“I’ll give her the ring,” I rumble, trying to keep the emotion out of my voice. “It means something to you, and it means something to her. I’ll give it to her.”
“Pattie and I got lucky,” he says, and my head jerks back. But he leans forward, getting close and wrapping his hand around the back of my neck the way my dad does when he wants me to hear what he’s saying—really hear what he’s saying to me. “All any parent wants for their child is happiness. You’re a good man, the kind of man who will take care of her, the kind who will find a way to make her happy and keep her that way. She found that in you, which means we can live the rest of our days not worrying about the type of man she will end up with. Because we already know he’s exactly the kind of man we would have chosen for her. That’s rare, which means we’re lucky.”
Holding his eyes, feeling those words wash over me, I nod then lean in and touch my forehead to his. Him telling me that I’m good enough for his daughter, good enough for his family, means everything to me, and I will work hard every day for the rest of my life to make sure I never let him or Pattie down.
“Thank you,” I murmur, and his hand squeezes before he lets me go. I sit back, closing the lid on the box and putting it in my pocket.
“I was looking for you two. Did you guys want breakfast?” Pattie asks, coming around the corner, and I pick up my coffee and stand when Donald does.
“Are you making eggs benedict?” Donald asks, kissing the side of her head.
“Is that a request for me to make eggs benedict?” She raises a brow.
“It’s Kim’s favorite.” Donald smiles down at her, shrugging.
“It’s your favorite.” She smacks his chest. “Don’t you think I’ve caught onto that trick by now?” She shakes her head at him then looks at me. “Is Kim up?”
“She wasn’t, but I’m heading that way now.”
“Tell her I need her help making breakfast.”
“Will do,” I agree before I head inside, dropping my empty cup in the sink. I move toward the bedroom and open the door, finding Kim up and sitting on the side of the bed. She’s looking at her phone, with her fingers moving quickly over the screen.
“Morning.” She lifts her head and smiles at me as I shut the door, and then her phone dings and her eyes drop back down to it. Shaking her head at whatever she’s reading, she starts typing once more.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“Chris is mad at me.” Taking a seat next to her, I rest my lips to her bare shoulder, watching her type and having no clue what the hell the two of them are talking about, because none of it makes sense to me. Something about a horse and carriage and an ugly, pink, poufy dress. “Have you been up a while?” she asks when she stops typing once more and her eyes come to me over her shoulder.
“Not long, but your mom said she needs your help making breakfast.”
“Is she making eggs benedict?”
“She is. Your dad said it’s your favorite.”
“It’s his favorite, but because it’s so bad for him, my mom only makes it when I’m home.” She smiles, but then her phone dings again and she sighs, ignoring it. “I told Chris that everything worked out, but he’s still pissed I didn’t listen to him when he told me not to leave town.”
“You shouldn’t have left town,” I agree, and she pouts her bottom lip. Dropping my eyes to her mouth, I lean forward, kiss the pout away, and then pick her up, moving her to straddle my lap.
“Sage,” she whimpers, pressing her tits into my chest as I smooth my hands up the warm skin of her back under her tank. As my tongue slips into her mouth, I slide one hand around her waist to cup her breast. “Oh,” she breathes as I skim my thumb over her erect nipple. Her hips grind hard into mine, and I fight back a curse. “Ignore it,” she pants against my mouth as her phone starts to ding in rapid succession.
“Perfect.” I cup both her breasts and she rocks against me, moaning into my mouth. But then she whimpers when I pull back as her phone starts ringing. Seeing it’s Chris calling, I pick it up and put it to my ear. “You’re gonna have to fight with Kim when she gets back to town,” I growl in frustration.
“Right,” he mutters, and then continues, “but let her know that next time, she’s out of the running for my best woman.”
“I’ll let her know,” I agree before hanging up and pulling Kim’s mouth back down toward mine. Then I stand with her wrapped around me as I hold onto her ass.
“What did he say?” she asks, kissing and licking my neck as I toss her phone to the bed behind me.
“He said next time, you’re out of the running to be his best woman.”
“I’m so sure,” she hisses, lifting her mouth from my skin. “No one else would be able to deal with him.”
“You two can sort that out when you get back.” I nip her bottom lip then set her on the vanity in the bathroom.
“You’re right.” Her eyes darken and her hands push my shirt up my chest then over my head. “When are we going back?”
“I leave tomorrow.”
“You have to leave tomorrow?” She frowns, looking up at me, and I rest my hand around the side of her neck and lower my face toward hers.
“I have to get back to work, so I need to catch a flight tomorrow evening. I know it’s not a long visit, but this trip wasn’t planned, baby.”
“Right.” She nods, tightening her legs around my hips. “I’ll change my fight and go back with you.” Studying her for a long moment, I wonder how selfish I should be. Part of me wants to take her back with me, but I know her parents miss her and they don’t get to see her often enough.
“You should stay and finish your visit.”
“I’m ready to go home.” Her hands on the back of my neck pull my face down toward hers.
“Home,” I murmur. Liking the sound of that, I brush my lips over hers, seeing her face soften. “When we get back, I’ll talk to the guys and we’ll get you moved out of your place and into the lake house.”
“But—”
“No buts, baby.” I give her neck a squeeze and use my other hand to pull her hips tighter against mine. “We’re starting our life together. I don’t want to hear you think it’s too soon for you to move in with me.”
“I wasn’t going to say that,” she grumbles, dropping her head back.
I smile. “Yeah? Then what were you going to say?”
“I don’t know,” she lies, and my smile turns into a grin.
Running my thumb under her chin, I touch my mouth to hers then pull back, keeping our eyes locked. “I’m willing to wait for you to take my last name. But I won’t wait on this. I want you with me, in my bed, under my roof, and in my life in every way possible.”
“Okay,” she whispers.
“Okay,” I state, and I kiss her forehead then take her mouth before I force her to release me so she can get ready.
Kim
“CHRIST,” SAGE RUMBLES as I pull my dress off over my head and drop it to the sand at my feet, leaving me in nothing but my bikini.
Moving my eyes over his shirtless torso, I feel my mouth go dry. He’s always beautiful, but with the warm Florida sun shining down on him and the ocean behind him, making his eyes stand out even more, he’s gorgeous.
He told me when we were having breakfast with my parents that he had never been to the beach, so I made a decision to rectify that. I told my parents I was sorry for cutting my trip short but that Sage and I were going to head to Miami to spend the day at the beach before catching our flight back to Tennessee tomorrow afternoon. My mom was bummed, but she promised she would talk Dad into coming to Tennessee in a few weeks, and my dad was surprisingly okay with the new change of plans.
“Do you really expect me to keep my hands off you?” Sage asks, breaking into my thoughts, and I realize then that he’s no longer a few feet away. He’s in front of me, with his fingers curved possessively around my hip and his eyes burning into every inch of my exposed skin.
“There are a lot of people here,” I point out, and his fingers dig in as his eyes move to look around us before coming back to mine. “So you don’t have to keep your hands off me. You just have to keep things PG.” His eyes narrow like he’s not happy about that idea. Knowing that if I’m not careful, things will get out of hand between us, I take his hand. “Come on.” I lead him down to the water and smile as the ocean skims across my feet, only to shriek a moment later when he scoops me up in his arms and carries me out into the waves until he’s waist-deep. “Sage!”
“What?” He grins, sliding me down his chest, and my legs wrap around his hips as my arms lock around his shoulders. “I don’t need everyone seeing my hard-on, so you’re going to help me hide it.”
“I’m not sure me being wrapped around you is going to help with that,” I tell him truthfully as my core pulses at the feel of his erection against my clit. I’ve been on edge since the moment he showed up at my parents’, and every second with him is making my need for him grow.
“Then I guess we’ll be out here a while.” He kisses me, and my head tips to the side to deepen it. I press closer against him, as close as I can get, as his tongue tangles with mine. He tastes like the ocean, sun, and Sage, and I realize instantly it’s a taste I don’t just like. It’s something I love and want much, much more of. Feeling him pull back, I blink my eyes open. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” I whisper, moving my fingers up the column of his throat to the underside of his jaw, watching his face go softer than I’ve ever seen it. “What?” I ask, but he doesn’t answer. He takes my hand in his, and then my whole world stops and tears fill my eyes as he slides the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen onto my finger.
“Baby,” he whispers, pulling me closer, and a sob I can’t control climbs up my throat. Dropping my head to his shoulder, I hold on to him with every part of me.
“H… how?” I finally get out, and his hand moves to wrap around the back of my neck, holding me tight.
“Your dad gave it to me.”
Leaning back, I take hold of his face then look at my hand resting against his jaw and the ring sitting on my finger. A ring that was, at one time, my MeMe’s ring. She used to tell me stories about the ring when I was little, but my favorite one was always how she and my papa got together and ended up married.
They only went out two times before they got engaged, and not long after that, he left to go fight in World War II. She promised him before he left that she would wait for him to return and would never take the ring off. Even after friends and family told her that he would probably never come home, she kept her promises. She told me she knew that as long as she was wearing his ring that he would find his way back to her. Thankfully, she had been right. A year and a half after he left, he showed up on her doorstep and they got married right away. They stayed married and happy until they passed away within a few weeks of each other. They loved each other from the moment they met, and I knew even as a little girl how very special and rare that was.
“Tell me you’re happy, baby.”
My eyes meet his and I shake my head, trying to fight back the tears burning up the back of my throat. “I’m happy.” I rest my forehead to his and run my fingers along his cheek. “Thank you for giving this to me. Thank you for giving me everything.”
“If I could give you the world, I would.”
“I don’t need the world. All I need is you.” I kiss him, but he takes over, making it deeper and wetter, only to pull back smiling a moment later when someone yells “Get a room!” in our direction, making me laugh.
“Maybe we should get out of the water,” he suggests, carrying me back to the sand, where we sprawl out on the blanket I brought. Pulling my sunglasses out of my hair, I put them on then grab my bottle of water. I take a drink as Sage grabs his bag and pulls out his phone that’s ringing.
“It’s my mom,” he mutters, kissing my shoulder, and I watch him put the cell to his ear then feel my eyes widen when the first words out of his mouth are, “It’s all good, Mom. Swear. She even agreed to marry me.”
“Oh my God! You did not just tell her like that,” I hiss as I hear Sophie shout out in glee.
“Baby, she’s gonna find out,” he mutters, and I shake my head then grab my phone and dial my own mom. The last thing I need is her finding out from someone else—that someone else being Chris—that Sage and I are getting married.
“Hey, honey. Is everything okay?” she asks as soon as she answers, and I bite my bottom lip, not sure how to go about telling her the news. I know she adores Sage, but I also know Sage and I haven’t been together long. “Honey?”
“Sage asked me to marry him,” I blurt, and then turn to glare at Sage when he chuckles.
“Oh, baby girl….” She goes quiet, and I hear her move as she tells my dad my news. “We are so happy for you.”
“Are you?”
“Yes. Why are you not happy?” she asks, and I hear the concern in her voice and close my eyes.
“I’m so happy it’s scary,” I tell her honestly, feeling Sage’s lips rest against my temple and his arm wrap around me.
“That’s the best kind of happy, honey. Hold on to that.”
“I will,” I promise, leaning into Sage as I stare out at the ocean and the setting sun.
“We’ll come visit soon and get to planning. I can’t imagine Sage is going to give us much time to plan a wedding,” she mutters, and I smile as tears fill my eyes.
“I love you, Mom. Thank you for everything, and I mean everything,” I whisper then clear my throat. “Tell Dad I love him.”
“I will,” she agrees. “Love you. We’ll talk soon.”
“’Kay.”
I hang up and drop my cell, listening to Sage as he finishes up his call with his mom, smiling as he mutters, “You’re gonna have to sort all that out with Kim and her mom. I’m not getting into it.” Turning my smile toward him, he shakes his head then kisses my nose. “Yeah, love you guys, too. Talk to you when we’re back.” He pulls the phone from his ear and drops it to the blanket at his hip. “Mom and Dad want us at dinner when we get back.”
“Sure,” I agree quietly, and his eyes roam over me and heat in a way that makes my skin tingle.
“Are you ready to go back to the hotel?”
“Have you seen enough of the beach?”
“Yeah,” he rumbles, and I breathe a sigh of relief then whimper when the backs of his fingers brush lightly across my nipple through my bikini top. “But I haven’t seen enough of this, and I’m looking forward to exploring every inch.”
“Sage….”
“Let’s get packed up, baby.” His mouth touches mine, then his tongue touches my bottom lip before he stands, pulling me with him.
Shaking with want, I hurry along with him and get us packed up. We rush to the car and back to the hotel, where he spends the rest of the night exploring me, and I return the favor.