The day had been swallowed whole by boxes and tape. Every corner seemed stripped bare, the house echoing with the absence of furniture. Sage had made sandwiches—David was always hungry, and she didn't want a hangry teenager on her hands. With nothing left to sit on, they camped on the kitchenfloor, unwrapping foil packets and drinking from mismatched mugs. It finally turned into a competition between Euan and David over who could demolish the most sandwiches.
"You're going down," David announced, grabbing another triangle like it was a shotgun pickup. "I've got cracked aim today."
Euan raised an eyebrow, stuffing half a sandwich into his mouth in one go. "Lad, I've got full shield. You don't stand a chance."
"That's cap," David shot back, grinning as he reached for another. "You're moving like a bot. Watch me get this Victory Royale."
Euan pretended to choke dramatically, then pounded his chest. "You're sweating harder than Tilted Towers on day one."
David laughed so hard he nearly dropped his food. "Please, you wouldn't last two minutes in Tilted. You'd be boxed like a fish."
"Oh, yeah?" Euan leaned forward, lowering his voice with mock seriousness. "I'd crank ninety-nines so fast your head would spin."
"Crank nineties," David corrected through his laughter. "See, you don't even know the lingo. Such a boomer."
"Boomer? Who are you calling a boomer?" Euan repeated, feigning outrage.
Something eased in Sage's chest as she watched them—how her son's bright eyes lit up, his laughter spilling into the empty kitchen, and how Euan leaning in, grinning like he had won the lottery. It felt like the fragile start of something new.
An offer on the house had already gone through, but Sage had asked Ronin to stop by and pick out whatever pieces of furniture he wanted. He had walked the rooms slowly, sadness in the lines of his face, before finally settling on a handful of things, including his old study bureau.
She had tried, more than once, to get Euan to open up about why he was here, but he'd been evasive, deflecting with quiet smiles and vague answers.
By nightfall, exhaustion settled over them like a heavy fall of snow. The plan was to sleep here one last time, finish moving tomorrow, and close the door behind them for good. David had gone upstairs, rolling out a travel mattress on the floor of his empty room. Before disappearing, he had tugged Sage aside, his voice a conspiratorial whisper. "I like Euan," he confessed. "He's cool. He was trying to be sneaky, but he kept asking about you."
Sage blinked, surprised, then broke into a smile. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"
David nodded, his eyes earnest. "Yeah. He makes you happy, and that makes me happy.” He said kissing the top of her head. “Goodnight, Mum."
Her chest felt full, but she only kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, love."
When she went back downstairs, Euan was waiting, leaning against the doorway as though he'd been rooted there the whole time. Without a word, he reached for her hand.
"No more stalling," she said, her voice low, steady. "Spill."
His thumb brushed over her knuckles. "You're looking better," he said softly. "Happier."
"I am." She met his gaze, a flicker of warmth stirring in her chest. "Thank you for those letters."
Ten of them, over the last three months. Ten pieces of him she had read and reread until the pages grew soft at the edges. Ten reminders that, even as everything else was falling apart, someone had been reaching for her.
Chapter 39
Euan sat back, his fingers loosely interlaced with Sage's. A rough finger traced the fine veins on the back of her hand.
"Blair finally came tae the table," he said at last. "She started therapy. She's finally admitted that maybe...just maybe"—he smiled ironically to himself—"her behaviour wisnae healthy."
His voice was steady, but there was a rawness underneath as he continued in an introspective tone, "For the longest time, I let her dae this. Because I was her family, an' I guess I wanted tae make it up tae her for losin' everyone at such a young age. But I'm no' goin' tae be able tae dae that, am I? So, the therapist agrees the distance is goin' tae be good for her. She's moved in wi' her boyfriend, and she knows I'm just a phone call away."
Sage searched his face, unsure of what to say.
He gave a crooked smile. "I've rented ma place out to Fergus, though he might turn it into a personal harem. He calls it his future playboy mansion, he does. I'm shiftin' base tae Bristol 'cause I work from home—everyone in ma company does." His gaze held hers, unblinking. "An' more importantly, I've justfound you. I'm no' givin' you up. Not getting any younger. Don’t wanna be chasing you in my walker."
Her chest squeezed, a dozen emotions colliding. All she could manage was a small, breathless, "Yeah." Then, quieter, almost shyly. "Where are you staying?"
"At a hotel for the moment," he said, getting up. "An' I'd better be goin' now."
She walked him to the door, unwilling to let him go.
