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She’d turned around at a rest stop and headed back home.
When she’d arrived, both kids were asleep. TJ had rushed out the front door. When he saw the sleeping children, he’d pressed his lips tight in silence and lifted Eli into his arms.
Sage carted Heidi up to her room. The little girl had barely stirred while Sage slipped her into a nightgown and tucked her into bed.
Then Sage had steeled herself to make an apology. The best thing for everyone was to get back to an even keel. For Eli’s and Heidi’s sakes, she’d bury her feelings for TJ.
She’d have to stop sleeping with him. She couldn’t do friends with benefits, certainly not with TJ. It would be heartbreaking to hold him in her arms and know his love was still with Lauren. She couldn’t bring herself to do that.
But she could do everything else. And she would.
She made her way downstairs. It took a few minutes to find him sitting on the deck outside the family room. Her stomach fluttered, and her heart pounded in trepidation, but she forced herself forward.
“Hi,” she said in a tentative voice, coming out on the deck.
He looked up quickly, as if she’d startled him.
He seemed to take in her appearance.
“I’m sorry,” she said, perching on the edge of the chair next to his, gripping the armrests to steady herself. “I shouldn’t have left like that.”
“I tried to call,” he said.
“My phone was off.”
He gave a nod.
She pressed forward. “You were right. I overreacted. I mean, I reacted. I mean, I shouldn’t have been surprised—”
“I didn’t think you were coming back.” His expression was grim.
“Like I said, I overreacted. I just needed some time, a few miles I guess, to get my head on straight.” She sat up. “We had a deal, TJ. I’m prepared to honor it.”
He gave a ghost of a self-deprecating smile. “To be my wife?”
“Yes. And Eli and Heidi’s mother. It’s better if we’re together, no matter…” She cleared her throat. “It’s better that we stay together.”
Unexpectedly, he reached out and took her hand, stroking his thumb across her knuckles.
She wanted to snatch it away. It was just too painful to have him touch her.
“I can’t—” Her voice cracked. And then all she could manage was a whisper. “I don’t think we should keep sleeping together.”
His thumb stilled.
“That was a mistake.” She forced herself to rush on. “I know it was my idea, but it was a mistake to think it wouldn’t get too complicated.”
She fell to silence, and the waves below echoed in the night.
“I thought your logic was impeccable,” he said.
She had too, at the time. But that was before she let her heart get in the way. She’d risked her heart, and she’d lost her heart. She was numb now, but she knew she had some very painful days ahead while she tried to get over her feelings for TJ.
“Can I show you something?” he asked.
The question took her by surprise. “Uh, sure. What is it?”
He came to his feet, centering his hold on her hand. “This way.”
“Are we leaving? Is Kristy here?”
“Kristy’s not here. And we’re not leaving.” He led her across the family room and the living room to the hallway and started down.
She stopped dead. “TJ, no. I can’t.”
There was no way she could go back into his bedroom.
“It’ll be okay. I promise.”
She shook her head, trying to pull her hand from his. “It won’t be okay.”
He turned to face her. “Sage.” He brushed her cheek. “Trust me. I’m not going to hurt you again.”
“You didn’t—”
He cocked his head with an expression of disbelief.
“It was my fault, not yours,” she said.
“No. It was my fault. Let me make it up to you.”
Sage swallowed against the lump in her throat. Embarrassingly, tears tingled behind her eyes. “I can’t go in there.”
“She’s gone, Sage.”
His words didn’t make any sense. Sage needed to flee. She needed to get away from all this.
“Lauren is gone,” he said. “She’s gone from my room, and she’s gone from my heart.” He gave a tiny smile. “From most of my heart. I’ll always love what she and I had, but it’s in the past. Come and see.”
Emotion swelled in Sage’s chest, making everything ache. How was she ever going to stop loving him?
He took her hands, backing up, drawing her down the hall with him. “You are my present, Sage.”
The light was on, and she saw the cleared room, blinking to take in the enormity of it. “TJ, you didn’t have to…”
