Chapter 33
Sage
“Where is he, Mama?”
I glanced at the clock. “I’m not sure, bud.”
“Maybe the plane ran out of gas?”
I laughed. “I hope that didn’t happen.”
Roman’s face lit up the screen on my phone. “Here he is right now, bud.”
Sam snatched the phone out of my hand and answered it. “Ro, where are you?”
Sam nodded his head and listened.
“Did it run out of gas?”
He plopped down on the couch and crossed his tiny legs. “Oh, bummer. Can we put the trophies together when you get here?”
Sam smiled big. “Awesome. Here’s Mama. Love you!”
He tossed the phone to me and turned back to the TV. Apparently whatever Roman had told him appeased him for the moment.
I rose from the couch and walked into the kitchen. “Um, hey.”
“Baby, I’m so sorry.”
“What happened?” I leaned against the counter and watched Sam.
“My flight got canceled, and I can’t get another one until early tomorrow morning.”
It was only two o’clock. “How are there no other flights available?”
“They’re all booked full. I’m on a waitlist for all of them, but I’m not guaranteed anything.”
I hung my head and sighed. The universe did not want Roman and me to be together.
“I’m not going anywhere. They offered to put me up in a hotel, but I’m staying here in case something opens up.”
“Roman…” I didn’t know what to say.
“Just wait for me, Sage. I’m sorry.”
Again, this wasn’t his fault, but something nagged at me. “I know that, Roman,” I whispered.
“Something’s wrong.”
There was. I had struggled all weekend with what I was feeling, but I knew talking to Roman about it over the phone wasn’t going to fix it. “I’m fine.”
“Sage, don’t lie to me.”
“Please don’t make me do this right now, Roman. I have Sam, and I can’t go and hide.” I couldn’t hide that my heart was breaking.
“Sage, I’m coming back to you. Please don’t let whatever is going on in your head right now make you decide something before I’m even there.”
“I gotta go, Roman.”
“Sage,” he called. “Sage, listen to me. I love you. I love you more than anything in my life. Please.”
“I love you, too,” I whispered. I hung up and hung my head. I couldn’t keep ignoring what my head kept telling me.
My heart loved Roman.
My head wasn’t so sure.
*
Roman
“Trouble in paradise?”
I turned around and glared at Lauren. “What the hell do you want? Last I checked, I gave all the time I needed for this weekend.”
She shrugged and sat down in the chair next to me. “She’s not meant to be with you, Roman. All it took was one look to know that she can’t handle life on the circuit. It takes a certain kind of woman to.” She wrapped her hand around my arm, and I yanked it away.
“Are you serious right now?” Bitch was crazy.
She sat back in her chair and looked down at her nails. “I know it’s hard to hear, but come on, Roman. You can’t sit there and tell me she’s worth all of this. You’re distracted and not focusing like you should.”
“Pretty sure I just won two fucking grand champion trophies.”
“And it should have been three, but you dropped.”
I leaned forward. “Drops fucking happen, Lauren. If you knew anything, you would know that.”
“Not if you train like you should be.”
I stood up and hitched my bag over my shoulder. “Don’t talk like you know me, Lauren. For as much as you try to tell me that everything you say is for the best, I know you’re full of shit.”
“I can destroy you, Roman.”
I shook my head. “Do your worst, Lauren, because I’m pretty sure I can destroy you too. Who knows, I might have already pushed that ball into motion.”
I was over this bullshit.
Sage was the only thing I cared about right now.
*