She doesn’t pull away, instead offering me a soft smile. “Well, I probably won’t be raising any kids here. But I told my sister she should come here during her road trip. Maybe she’d find something worthwhile.”
“And she did, didn’t she?” I ask. The comment about raising kids makes my stomach drop. It sounds like that’s something she’s thought about—obviously another one of those things she begged her ex for, if what she admitted last night held any truth. I hadn’t thought much about having any of my own. It had never seemed like the right time, or I never met the right person.
But I don’t mind the idea now.
Sage’s smile turns sad. “Yeah. She’s living proof that good things happen. She’s got her little boy now. Met a man and married him. She’s so happy.”
“You could have that too, Sage,” I remind her. As I pull her to a stop, she purses her lips, looking away. “I mean it. What do you want more than anything? What is your wildest dream?”
“I want—” She stops herself, biting her bottom lip. The temptation to kiss her hits me so suddenly I can’t stop it. “I want the happy life. The magical wedding, the husband, the house, the babies. Oh, I so badly want to be a mom. I know that’s cliche, but that’s all I ever wanted when I was with Scott.” Her eyes flutter shut as she sucks in a breath and releases it slowly.
For the first time in years, I feel a warmth in my chest I can’t describe, and I know it’s because of her. I want to tell her I can give her everything she wants. I’ll marry her today, throw her the wedding of her dreams, I’ll give her the dream house, and always protect her from the horrors of her past.
And most importantly, I’ll be the father of her children. It’s insane but there’s something right about it that I can’t deny.
I want to say it, and it’s on the tip of my tongue, but before the words can leave my lips, I hear her name being called.
Sage flinches and turns towards the voice while also slowly backing into me. I square my shoulders, wrapping an arm around her protectively as I hold myself back from rolling my eyes.
Scott jogs towards us and only slows once he catches up. “There you are, baby,” he says, as if last night didn’t happen. “I went back to the vet place, but they said you weren’t in.”
Her body goes rigid in my arms, that burning fury only growing hotter in my veins. “Yeah, it’s because it’s her day off,” I say. “And don’t call my wife‘baby’.”
Sage sags a bit in my embrace. I feel her chest heave as she calms her breathing. “What do you want, Scott? I’m not interested, and I don’t want anything to do with you.”
The irritation playing across his face is almost comical. “I—well, I thought?—”
I sigh loudly. “We need to pick up her ring. Don’t make us late.”
Scott’s eyes darken, but he refuses to look at me. He keeps his stare levelled on Sage, who watches him in return. “You really want to be with this controlling asshole, Sage?”
My chest tightens. I open my mouth to respond, but Sage cuts me off with a harsh, broken laugh. “Controlling? Seriously? Theaudacity.” She shakes her head and steps out of my embrace before grabbing my hand. “Leave me the hell alone, Scott. The next time you come near me, I’ll file for a restraining order.”
Before he can get another word in, Sage starts dragging me away. Pride blooms in my chest as I stare down at her.
“That’s it, princess,” I murmur, squeezing her hand, “you’ve got this.”
She releases a shaky breath and glances up at me. “You’re right. I have this.”
I hope she knows she’s got more than she thought.
The courthouse is busierthan expected, but this is the time of year anyone with a winter themed wedding wants to get hitched, and there are documents to be signed, filed, and sent off before they can do that.
“We can come back another day,” Sage murmurs, her nervous ticks becoming far more obvious the more time I spend with her. Other than chewing her bottom lip, she can’t stopwiggling her fingers—even if they’re trapped in mine. Somehow, she manages to match the beat of the Christmas music playing in one of the offices, tapping her fingers in time. “Maybe we need an appointment.”
“Not always,” I reply easily, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “And anyway, I have a friend who works down here, and he let me know we’ll be fine.”
“When did you have time for that?” she asks, turning to me.
“This morning.” I offer her a tight smile as we’re beckoned forward, the line shortening—finally. “We can have all of this done today.”
Sage makes a sound in the back of her throat. “This is going to work,” she whispers, more to herself than me. “It has to.”
It will,I promise her silently, keeping my eyes on her while she closes her own. I can’t imagine the thoughts racing through her head. They’re probably the complete opposite of my own.
Despite everything, I know she’s it. That even after everything, even with my own self-isolation and choosing to hold myself away on the mountain and closing myself off to any chance of having more in life, I actually see a future that’s more than just paperwork and virtual meetings.
I see it all with Sage.
