Twenty-Four
Sager
When she finally comes out of the room, I feel like I can’t breathe.
Her blonde hair is in curls that flow down her back, and she’s wearing a dress that fits her body like a glove. Even the heels she has on are sexy as hell, and when she walks toward me, I forget how to breathe.
The smell of her perfume hits me, and she smooths out her dress as she stands in front of me, but I’m too stuck on stupid to even speak.
“Does this work?” She looks at me shyly and fuck she has no reason to feel self-conscious at all.
“You look amazing.” I reach out and wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her body into mine. My hand automatically goes to her stomach, and I wait to see if I feel the baby kick again, but I don’t.
“So where are you taking me?” she asks, looking up at me.
“Don’t worry about a thing. I have a plan.” I grin at her, and she gives me a look that tells me that she doesn’t trust what I have up my sleeve.
“I feel overdressed.” I look down at my jeans and button-up shirt. She has known all this time that I am not a suit and tie type of guy and I never will be.
“Trust me, you won’t be overdressed. If anything, I’ll be underdressed, and that’s fine with me.”
She rolls her eyes at me and shakes her head. “I’ve only gotten to see you in a tux once, and it was hot.” I can’t help but laugh at that.
“It was Jenner’s, and it’s the only time you’ll see me in one.”
“Did you go to that party just to see me?”
I shrug, not wanting to really give away all my secrets.
“You did. You dressed up just to see me.”
“It was so damn worth it.” I kiss her neck and lead her toward the door.
The drive to the restaurant is short, and as much as I don’t want the banter between us to end, it does when she sees the restaurant we arrive at.
“Sager, this is way too much. You don’t have to spend money on me for me to be happy with you.” Although I knew she would say something along the lines of this, I still brought her here.
“Cameo, nothing is too much for you. I love you, and I want to spend the money on you. Think of this as our first date. I’m wining and dining you, just hoping that I’ll get lucky at the end of it.” I wink at her and get out of the car, moving around to open her door.
“All you had to do was ask.” My hand rests on her ass as I shut the door and lead her toward the front of the restaurant.
Once the hostess seats us, water is brought to our table and Cameo is looking around the place almost like she thinks Alec is going to appear magically to ruin this for us.
As I stare at her, I can’t help but grin when I see what is around her neck. I had no idea that she even had it still after she left him, but there it is. The necklace I bought her four months ago.
I still remember how terrified she was when I met her and how since then she’s become so comfortable with me. That girl belongs with me, and there is nothing that I would change in our lives except maybe Alec possibly being the baby’s father.
“Stop thinking about him.”
My eyes snap to her face, and she’s got a knowing look spread over her features. “You don’t know if he’s the father or not. The more we dwell on it, the more it hurts us. I just want to focus on us for a while.”
I reach across the table and take hold of her hand. “You have my attention.” She grins at me as the waitress comes over.
“Welcome, can I get you something other than water? A beer? A soda?”
Cameo looks up at her and shakes her head no before replying, “No, water is good for me.” Her hand goes to her stomach and rubs it slightly before the waitress turns to look at me.
“Water is good for me,” I answer looking back at Cam.
“Do you need another minute to look over the menu or are you ready to order?”
Cam asks for a few more minutes, and the waitress smiles before heading off to another table.
“She was checking you out.”
This time it’s me rolling my eyes at her. “Babe, not everyone wants me.”
“You are kind of irresistible, I mean look at you.” She smirks at me, and I want to reach over and pull her mouth to mine, but I refrain.
“The difference is I wanted you and wasn’t about to let you get away.” I shrug, “I had to get you while I had the chance.”
“Well, now that you have me, what do you want?” I look at her from across the table, and I grin. She has no clue the things I want from her.
“Well, for starters, I want you to be the mother of my child. But I think we already have that one down.” She shakes her head laughing but lets me continue. “Second, I want to always be your safe haven. The one you know you can run to no matter what happens.”
“I already know that one,” she grins.
“And third, I want you to be my better half.” She gives me a questioning look, and I don’t say anything else.
“What are you trying to say, Sager?” She has the hint of a grin on her lips. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
I grab the ring out of my pocket and stand. Her eyes widen, and I kneel in front of her. “I know that we have been anything but normal, and I don’t regret a minute of it. You are the air I breathe, and I want nothing more than for you to be the only woman I ever wake up next to for the rest of our lives. Marry me.”
She throws her arms around me and pulls me tightly to her.
“Yes,” she whispers in my ear, and I squeeze her.
Pulling back, I take her hand and slide the ring on her finger, and when she looks down at it, I know what she’s thinking.
“You got this one. The one I stared at in the window of the pawn shop the day we bought the crib.”
I nod my head and tears fall down her cheeks.
“You are so amazing, Sager.” A few people around us start to clap, and I can’t express how I feel that she even said yes. Even after everything we’ve been through so far, I know that she’s the one.
“We don’t have to rush into any of this, just know that when you’re ready, I’m ready.”
Just as she’s about to say something his voice echoes through the restaurant. “Oh good, not only did you steal my fiancée and mother of my unborn child but you are now proposing. And here I thought that you couldn’t get any more pathetic.”
The look on Cameo’s face is of pure horror. She hates when things get confrontational, and he always shows up right when we are getting back on track.
“Still jealous she chose me over you? That your money couldn’t buy her love?”
He scoffs at that, and a waiter gets in between us as I stand up.
“I didn’t think you’d be able to afford a place like this.” He looks at my clothes and turns up his nose that they aren’t even fancy enough for the establishment. They aren’t fancy enough for him.
“Alec, please leave us alone.” Cameo’s voice breaks through the conversation, but she still hasn’t risen from her chair.
“Why, because I’m humiliating you? I mean what do you call what you two did behind my back?” I can hear the anger in his voice, but it’s only because he was humiliated himself. His ego was bruised, and now he’s just lashing out like a child.
“We never made a scene.”
He snorts out in laughter, and she just shakes her head. I can see the frustration written all over her face.
“No, you just let him fuck you in the bathroom of the gala and probably all over this damn town.”
The waiter between us is looking at me like he’s afraid I’ll swing and hit him when I go at Alec, but he doesn’t prepare himself for when Cameo gets up.
Very calmly, she walks over to him looks him right in the eye, and slaps him. I watch his head snap to the side, and she says, “At least he never put his hands around my neck and squeezed until I passed out. He’s not perfect by all means, but he’s still a better man than you’ll ever be.”
The waiter looks at me with wide eyes, and I grab her hand and pull her with me.
“Just wait until he finds something better and he cheats on you.” I push past the waiter, not giving him the chance to stop me. My fist lands into his cheekbone and the sound of my fist hitting him echoes through the now silent restaurant.
All eyes are on us, but I could care less. He deserves this and so much more. He’s lucky we are in public, or I’d beat the shit out of him for the shit he’s already said.
When the waiter gets between us again, he pushes me back, and I go willingly. Grabbing Cameo’s hand, we turn and walk toward the door, not bothering to look back at the chaos that is behind us. It’s going to be us against the world, us against that bastard until we find out if he’s the father or not.
When we get to the car, I push her lightly against it and box her in. When she refuses to look at me, I grab her chin and force her to. “Don’t listen to a word he says.” I run the back of my fingers against her jaw, and she gives me a watery grin.
“I’m sorry he ruined our official date.”
She shrugs her shoulders in answer, and I hate that he keeps showing up when I try to sweep her off her feet.
“It isn’t about the date. I don’t care if we get to eat in a fancy restaurant or if you just take me to get a cheeseburger. I just want to be with you, Sager.”
I press my lips to hers and close my eyes. “I would kill for a cheeseburger. Come on, I’ll wine and dine you with a cheeseburger and milkshake.” She giggles against my lips and kisses me softly.
“That sounds amazing. I love you.” The baby kicks as she’s pressed up against me and I cup her jaw.
“I love you more. We will get through all his bullshit, I promise you.”
“We can get through anything.” I kiss her nose and open her door, helping her into the car before shutting the door and making my way over to the driver’s side. Looking back at the restaurant, I see him standing there watching us.
Instead of stooping to his level, I get in and start the car ready to get the fuck out of here and back home with my girl.
Even though I had plans of a fancy dinner with the proposal, I’ll settle for her agreeing to be my wife one day and cheeseburgers instead because I got the most important part, which is her. I’ll get to call her Mrs. Sager Stone one day and that day will be one of the best moments I’ll ever have.