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“Lord, we will be forever grateful to You for blessing us with Lily’s return. Heavenly Father, thank You for listening to our fervent prayers to be reunited with our precious girl. You have answered our prayers and made our family whole again. Amen.”
Beulah insisted on Sage staying at the family home so they could all exist under one roof as it should have been since the day she was born. Sage didn’t have the heart to say no. Knowing she was providing such joy after such a long period of grief and sadness made her happy.
When she’d returned to the inn to collect her belongings, Trudy had been kind and a bit quieter than usual. She told Sage how delighted she was about her ties to the North family. Sage sensed there was a little bit of a wall between them due to Hank. She’d hurt Hank deeply, and knowing how much Trudy adored her son, Sage suspected there must be lingering feelings of anger toward her.
Sage didn’t blame Trudy for being upset. Frankly, she was angry at herself. She should have found a way to tell Hank truth before it imploded on her. And it had been cruel to withhold the information from her birth family. Knowing what she knew now, things could have been handled in such a different manner. Sh
e had tried to handle the situation in the best way possible in order to protect her father, but it had all blown up in her face big-time.
Hank wanted nothing to do with her. And the worst part was he thought she’d been using him to get information about the North family, which was the furthest thing from the truth. In actuality she had tried to keep her distance from him ever since she’d discovered he was law enforcement. But her feelings for him hadn’t allowed her to stay away from him for very long.
She loved Hank. It shocked her to her very core to realize she had fallen so deeply and completely in love with him in such a short time. When had he crept into her heart? All this time the feelings had been growing and growing until now her heart was full almost to overflowing. It didn’t matter though. Not really. Hank would never allow himself to fall for a woman who’d withheld her identity and lied to his face.
When he’d told her all about his past with Theresa, Hank had revealed so much about himself and the manner in which she’d betrayed him. Sage’s actions had caused him to relive that situation all over again. She wasn’t sure she could forgive herself for hurting the man she loved. People always said truly loving a person meant you wanted the best for them, wishing them happiness even if it meant it wasn’t with you. That’s exactly what she felt for Hank.
The sound of footsteps alerted her to someone coming toward the living room. She blinked a few times at the sight of Eric Duncan standing a few feet away from her in the doorway. At six foot two, with salt-and-pepper-colored hair and a lean frame, he looked as distinguished as ever.
“Daddy!” Sage cried out. She ran toward him and threw herself against his chest.
“Sweetness!” Being cradled in her father’s arms felt like a refuge. Everything in her world was so confusing right now, but she’d always been comforted by this man. He was solid and dependable. And loyal to a fault. Even though he wasn’t her birth father, Sage would always consider him one of her two fathers. She was doubly blessed!
“What are you doing here? I can’t believe you came all this way.”
He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Sweetheart, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. The Norths called me a few days ago. They told me what happened and invited me to come stay for a bit.” He swept his hand across her cheek. “I’m sure you already know it, but they’re wonderful people. They said they thought you might need me. I hopped on the next available flight.”
Sage knew her father didn’t like to fly, so it was amazing that he’d dropped everything to support her. It was one of the many reasons she adored him.
“I almost thought you were a mirage. No one said a word. And I do need you. I feel like I’ve been whipped around by a tornado. I just want a small measure of peace now that everyone knows the truth.”
“Why do you look so sad? It seems as if everything has been settled. The Norths assured me I’m not going to be prosecuted since we talked at length and they trust that I had nothing to do with the kidnapping. And you’ve been reunited with your birth family.”
She squeezed her father’s hand. “I know, Daddy. It’s a real blessing. I’m so happy about it.” Keeping her father safe had been her main goal this whole time. Her prayers had been answered.
He frowned at her. “What are you not telling me?”
Despite her intention to stay strong, she began to cry. She was pretty certain her huge sobs reverberated throughout the large family home. For so long she’d been hiding her feelings and her heartbreak. But now something had cracked wide open inside her and she could no longer hold back these emotions.
“There there,” Eric soothed, patting her on her back. “Tell me what’s causing my darling girl to shed all these tears.”
She spit out everything about meeting Hank on the ferry, developing a rapport with him and then being rejected by him when the truth about her identity came out.
“He’s so angry at me, Daddy. He’s made it clear he thinks I’m a big fat liar for withholding the truth. He doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. It’s breaking my heart.”
He reached out and tilted her chin up so they were looking directly into each other’s eyes. “Aaah. You’re in love with him, Sage. I can see it shining in your eyes.”
She nodded her head, unable to speak. If her father could see it so clearly, why couldn’t Hank?
“It’s the first time you’ve ever been in love.” He scowled. “I’m not sure this Hank Crawford is worth all this heartache. If he’s this unforgiving and intractable, perhaps he isn’t the man for you.”
“Daddy, you’re wrong. Hank is the most amazing man I’ve ever known. The fault isn’t with him. He lives by a code of honor and finds what I did unacceptable. He’s been hurt in the past by lies and deception. I can’t blame him for how he feels.”
“You really have it bad, don’t you?” he asked with a low chuckle. “In my experience, love isn’t something any of us can afford to give up on.”
“Love can’t be one-sided.” It hurt to acknowledge it, but at this moment all she had were her own strong feelings for Hank. Evidently, he didn’t feel the same way.
“You’re right about that, sweetness.”
He held her in his arms for quite a long time, wiping away her tears and whispering reassuring words to her. Suddenly she felt like the middle school version of herself who hadn’t been invited to the homecoming dance.
