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Gage lifted his head, looking into her shining hazel eyes and confessed, “The way we feel, I’m thinking there might be.” He chuckled. “Cause even I’m getting sick of us.” He tipped his lips up on one side and winked at her.
She looked at the fountains when the crowd did a collective inhale of awe, the light spray of water misting around them. She’d remember this moment. How happy she was, how right her life felt. How she’d found the man she needed even when she didn’t realize she did. Her voice was laced with pain, because before they could start their story, they had to end their old ones. “Have you thought about how we’re going to tell them?”
The lighthearted happiness left Gage’s body, replacing it with the ache at the thought of hurting everyone. He looked to the light show and spoke, “Scarlett is going skiing with Rachelle’s family at the end of the week, I’m going to tell Heather then. Sit her down and…” Gage stopped saying the words because the hurt was turning into a pain too intense.
Tilly studied Gage’s face, saw the pain and understood it. She squeezed his hand. “It doesn’t seem right to be so happy, knowing our happiness causes pain to others.” She felt her eyes burn, looked away and added, “I suppose to know true happiness, you have to know real pain too.” And it hurt. Breaking up a family, putting all those memories away, boxing them up and moving on. It sounded easy, but it was anything but.
Gage squeezed her hand back in comfort and asked, “What about you?” He kept his eyes to the fountain, didn’t want to see the pain he knew Tilly held behind her eyes.
Tilly had been thinking about that, had thought of little else. “I’m just going to sit him down and tell him. It’s funny because he’s been absent for so long, but lately, it’s like he’s a different man. Breaks my heart that he’s finally coming around, but…” She looked up at Gage and he brought his attention to her. She wanted him to see her resolve. “It’s too late. My heart belongs to another.”
He knew exactly what she was going through. He failed to tell her that Heather had been more present in their marriage than ever. For the past week, Scarlett had been home, spending the nights curled on the couch with her mom, either talking or watching a movie. And when Gage was there, he’d join them. Seeing that, pulled at Gage’s heart, because he would miss it. Miss watching his daughter grow into a woman with her mother by her side. He swallowed that admission down and whispered, “Me too.” The holiday cheer around them hadn’t helped the inside turmoil both were experiencing. Trying to pull them from their own thoughts, Gage asked, “Wanna grab lunch now?”
Her heart was heavy, the magnitude of what they were doing, the reality that once it was done, there would be no going back. When she smiled, though, it was genuine because it would hurt at first, just thinking about the impact on her kids, on Scarlet, the pain was unbearable, but they would figure it out. In the end, they would make it good for everyone. She wanted to say as much, but that was for tomorrow. Today, she wanted to focus on why they were willing to put everyone through the pain. The answer was simple. Love. She pressed into his side and wiped the wet from her eyes. He was worth it. “Yeah, I could eat.”
It was after bowls of stew were consumed at the small cafe adjacent to the hotel. Gage held Tilly’s eyes as he rocked into her, slow steady thrusts inside her body. She lifted her hand from the grip she had on his bicep and cupped his cheek. He tilted his head, pressing into the silent comfort she was offering. With nothing more than heavy breathing, Gage and Tilly made love that afternoon. Hoping to ease the pain the other felt knowing what their actions were going to do to the ones they loved. It didn’t work, and for the first time in a long time, when they said goodbye, Tilly shed tears.
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Gage exited his truck, the snow that started as a sprinkle was now heavy flakes, coating over the layers of snow on the ground. He jogged to the spot Tilly had just pulled into. Hands in his pockets, he bounced from one foot to the other, trying to shake the cold damp air from his bones. Tilly shut her car off, Gage removed a hand, rubbing his beanie covered head before opening the driver’s side door. “Sorry, baby, but I had to see you one more time before the shit hits the fan.”
She folded out of the car, bundled in her wool coat, a beige scarf wrapped around her neck, leather gloves on her hands, all finished with a hat tight on her head. She was shaking, both from the drive and from the reality that she needed to see him as much as he needed to see her. She said nothing, just stepped into him, her arms going around his waist. His scent blended with the leather of his coat. She inhaled deeply. “I needed this too.”
He held her tightly, leaned back, placed a firm kiss to cool lips and told her, “Get in my truck.” She stepped back, taking no time at all to obey, and started for his truck. Gage smacked her ass with a smile on his face. “Hurry woman.”
Her laugh rang out. The man was impatient. “I’m going.” She said, looking back at him with a grin.
Both in the truck, Gage didn’t waste time as he cranked the heat up. “Fuck,” He muttered, leaning forward to peek at the sky from the windshield. “This came in a fuck of a lot faster than they said.” He looked to Tilly who was rubbing her hands together. “Any troubles getting here?” He looked back out the windshield to the park they had first met in, the area covered in white.
“The roads were slick,” she said, turning in her seat to more fully look at him. There were snowflakes on his jacket and the ones clinging to his hat were melting. Every little detail she took in. She did whenever they were together, missing nothing and savoring everything. “So as much as I’d like to spend hours with you, I can’t. The roads aren’t going to be drivable if we stay too long.”
“I know,” he said as he backed out of the spot and started for the road. “Well just go down, grab a coffee and come back, okay?” He asked as he pulled up to the road and stopped.
Wipers going, but doing nothing as snow provided a constant coating on the windshield. The visibility next to nothing as the heavy white flakes caused a blanket in the air.
She touched his arm, wanting that connection. “Yes.” She breathed in excitement. “I hope they have the cinnamon caramel blend that they had last week.” She moved her hand off his arm and placed it on his thigh.
Gage looked to Tilly, saw the smile on her face, smiled back and told her, “I love you.”
Her grin was soft when she whispered, “I love you.”
Gage pulled out onto the road, never saw the truck coming from the opposite direction. The sound of tires screeching wailed before he felt the jolt of being hit. He pressed on the brake, jerking the wheel. But with the layer of ice coating the road, nothing helped as the truck spiraled out of control and across the intersection. A horn blared right before Tilly screamed.
Then it all went black.
_______________
Gage woke to the sound of beeping. His body jolted, eyes blinking quickly, but the bright light had him closing them. He went to sit up, but the aches caused him to fall back into the bed with a groan.
“Don’t move,” he heard a familiar voice say.
Opening his eyes, blinking the fuzz away, he saw Heather and Scarlett standing at the end of the hospital bed. His voice was thick and raspy when he said, “Tilly.”
Heather took a deep breath, her expression steady and hard, when she told him, “She’s fine, a few bumps and bruises is all.”
His eyes drifted to his daughter. Hers were directed to the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks, dropping to the linoleum floor at her feet. “Letty, come here,” Gage whispered.
Her head lifted, the pain behind her soft blue eyes hit him harder than the truck had. She slowly shook her head, disgust written all over her beautiful features, as she turned and walked from the room.
