Rose moved to sit on the arm of the chair beside him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “Sadie is a practical woman and doesn’t need jewelry as a symbol of your love. If she cares for you the way you do for her, she will find a way for you to be together.”
“I don’t even know if she loves me.”
Ben’s brows furrowed. “She didn’t say it back?”
Garrett winced. “I didn’t exactly tell her.”
Ben cursed and Rose swatted him on the back of the head.
“I know, I know!” Garrett pushed to his feet and began to pace. “I’m going to tell her. I have an idea, but I need some help.”
“Whatever you need,” Rose said.
Ben nodded. “How can we help?”
“What are the odds we can find a flower seller open today?”
Chapter 13
Sadieshudderedandpulledher scarf tighter around her neck to fend off the raw night air. The clouds had cleared to reveal a starry sky, and she paused for a moment to take in the sight. She wasn’t eager to return to the firehouse, but Rose had stopped by her apartment with supper and asked if she would help organize the distribution of the pamphlets she and Garrett had printed.
It felt like a lifetime since they’d worked side by side as the storm raged. How little time had passed while everything changed. She’d thought herself content in her simple existence, fulfilled by her job and surrounded by friends, even if she held them at a distance. Only by breaking through the proverbial ice with Garrett had she realized how superficial the relationships in her life were. How she’d been guarding herself against the abandonment she expected from those she cared for.
The stars blurred, and she blinked away the building tears. There was no room for excess emotions when there was change to be made. She side-stepped a heap of snow, its glistening white already gray and melting, the beauty all but gone. How like her time with Garrett, the pristine and magical joy of their budding relationship sullied by the reality of their disparate lives. He’d promised to return, begged her not to worry, but what else was she to do? The two nights in the firehouse had shown her what she’d been missing, what was possible if she opened her heart and gave it to another’s care.
Garrett had given her a reason to hope, a reason to share a piece of her heart—hell,allof her heart. She would wait a lifetime if she had to.
She paused as the suffrage society’s headquarters came into view. While the gaslights along the street blazed, the windows remained mostly dark, a warm glow humming from within. As she drew nearer, she saw that the broken window was replaced, the sidewalk and steps cleared of snow and ice. The broom had been restored to its place beside the door.
Sadie kept her head down as she mounted the stairs, kicking her boots against the step to remove any lingering dirt, and stepped inside.
Her heart stopped. The massive entry of the firehouse glowed, illuminated by candles of varying size covering every available surface. Her knees trembled as she walked forward, her steps echoing in the vast space. A towering vase stuffed with red amaryllis blossoms sat between the candles on her worktable, and as she approached, she saw a pamphlet she did not recognize.
She turned it to read the headline beneath the familiarBrooklyn Women’s Monthlymasthead.
I LOVE YOU
The sound she made was almost a cry, partially a laugh, and she pressed her hand over her mouth to contain it. She spun around, searching with teary eyes, but, seeing no one, looked back to the pamphlet. He’d used too much ink, and she’d have to teach him how to orient the letters properly so the kerning was even, but oh,oh, it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
“Sadie?”
She turned and he was there, coming out of the kitchen and drying his hands on a towel. He dropped the length of cloth to the floor when he saw her, his full lips parting as he pulled in a breath.
“What is all this?” she managed.
A nervous smile tugged at his mouth. “I should have given you all of this before. Warmth.” He gestured to the candles, their flickering light reflecting in his hazel eyes and turning them to gold. “Flowers.” He plucked an amaryllis from the vase and tucked it behind her ear before gesturing to the pamphlet she clutched in trembling hands. “Words for how I feel about you.”
Her heart was bubbling, blooming, near to bursting. “You love me?”
“Without a doubt.” He pulled in a shuddering breath and exhaled in a huff. “I was a coward for not telling you before.” He took her hands and kissed both palms before placing them over his heart. “I love you, Sadie.”
Lingering fear held her heart in a cage, and she was determined to set it free. “Then why did you leave this morning? Why did I have to wait?”
His expression darkened. “I hadn’t told you something important. I left my job with JP Morgan a week ago, but I didn’t tell you.”
Her lips parted on a gasp. “Why?”
“I was unhappy. I was spending so much time making the wealthy even wealthier, and every day I’d leave drained, like I’d given nothing of real value to the world.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then the tip of her nose. “Then I’d come here to work beside you, and I felt like I could continue doing so forever, all night if you needed me. You were the best part of my life, and I couldn’t waste another minute with something that kept me away from you.”
