They sat on the bench outside, with the late sun slanting across the pavement. Euan leaned on his elbow, watching her eat with an intensity that made her frown.
"What?" she asked, spooning up another bite.
"Keep goin'," he said, his eyes narrowing with mock seriousness.
She kept eating, a little faster out of spite. His look shifted from anticipation to alarm.
"Stop." He held out a hand.
Sage blinked. "What are you doing? That's my ice cream."
"Aye, and the way you were goin', I was worried you'd swallow this." He dug his spoon deep, then pulled out a gooey lump, slick with melted coconut.
"Is that...?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, it's a ring. Not the Haribo version; you are not supposed to eat it," he said, cleaning it with a tissue before crouching on one knee, wincing. "Ouch. That hurts."
In his hand, the gem caught the sun—a sparkling sapphire framed by a halo of twelve brilliant round-cut diamonds. The stone sat proudly on cathedral-tapered shoulders, crafted in gold with an intricate petal-shaped gallery, made to nestle perfectly against a wedding band.
Sage's breath caught, her eyes stinging. The world blurred, except for Euan, kneeling there with the ring that glowed like spring in his palm.
Euan cleared his throat, still wincing a little from the concrete under his knee—he had an old football injury and had a couple of surgeries on that knee. He held the ring between thumb and forefinger, the sapphire catching the last of the sun.
"Right," he began, his voice rough but steady. "I dinnae have a speech written out, though I considered it, swear I did. But then I thought, ach, Sage doesn't need a polished speech. She needs me. Just me, a daft Scotsman, with a big mouth, bigger heart, andsuper sperm."
Sage choked on a laugh, her hand flying to her mouth.
"I know it's mad," he went on, eyes softening, "forty-five and startin' all over again. I know it scares ye, same as it scares me. But Sage...you've given me somethin' I never thought I'd have again. A home. Laughter. Even bloodyFortnitetournaments in the livin' room." He grinned crookedly. "And now this wee miracle in your belly."
Her vision blurred, tears spilling before she could stop them.
He shifted on his knee, wincing again. "I cannae promise I'll always get it right. I burn toast, I make a mess when I cook, and I'll embarrass ye in front of David at least once a week. But Icanpromise ye this...ye'll never be second best wi' me. Not ever. Ye'll be first, always."
He lifted the ring higher, his voice dropping to a playful whisper. "So, what do ye say, Sage? Will ye marry me? Make me the happiest Scot in Britain? Because I really want tae see if our bairn really does come oot gnawin like a hamster."
Sage laughed through her tears, half-choking, half-sobbing, her whole body trembling.
Chapter 47
It had been only a couple of months since she and Euan had become official, and things between them were good—better than good. But Sage still carried a knot of unease whenever Blair's name came up. Their encounters so far had been uncomfortable, leaving Sage feeling defensive long after. Still, she'd surprised herself one night by saying, "Maybe Blair should come over for dinner. With Hamish."
Before she could snatch them back, Euan was smiling, relieved. "Aye, that'd be grand."
And so, the evening came. Blair came with Hamish one evening, a bottle of wine tucked under his arm, both of them smelling faintly of chips and beer after the long drive from the Highlands. Hamish was tall and soft-spoken, with an easy smile that won David over in minutes. Before the plates were cleared, the two of them were already deep in conversation about gaming rigs and football scores, trading jokes like old mates.
Meanwhile, Euan kept flicking nervous glances between Sage and Blair, as though expecting an explosion at any moment.
Blair sat straight-backed at the table, her answers clipped, one word at a time, her fork picking neatly at the lasagna.She really is a striking girl,Sage thought. Not just pretty, but beautiful, with her hair coloured back to a soft natural brown that framed her face in waves. It took Sage a while to realise that the stiffness was nerves.
Trying to break the silence, Sage set down her glass and smiled. "So...how's your hotel management course going?"
Blair's shoulders eased a fraction. "It's grand," she said, a touch of pride softening her voice. "We've got this placement scheme, so I'm working at the resort part-time. Long hours, aye, but it's good experience. I've been learning reception, bookings, even a bit of events management."
"That sounds...full-on," Sage said, her smile a bit stiff before warming again. "But exciting, too."
Blair gave a small shrug. "It keeps me busy. Not many people in my year have had proper front-of-house experience."
Sage nodded quickly, eager to keep the thread alive. "That's impressive. I wouldn't know where to start with that kind of work. I've just started a permanent job at the hospice...admin, mostly. Filing, booking rotas, that kind of thing. I thought it'd be dull, but"—she gave a sheepish laugh—"turns out I'm actually good at it. Organising things, keeping everyone on track. Cracking the whip."
