AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I so would, Savannah.”
His mother leaned into her, and Sage did the same to her, almost like they were sisters or long-lost friends.
“Ty loves you so much,” his mother said next. “I’ve never seen him like this with anyone. Of course, he’s only ever brought home that awful Gloria, and it was—” She cut off when she caught Sage looking at her openly.
“Well, anyone could tell they weren’t right for each other.”
“And us?” Sage asked. “You think we’re right for each other?”
Savannah ducked her head as she put a handful of silverware in the dishwasher. Sage wasn’t going anywhere though, and she really wanted to know what his mother thought.
“Yes,” Savannah said boldly. “There’s something…magical about you two. I think you belong together, and I’m thrilled my son has finally found someone to love the way he’s always wanted.”
“Yeah,” Sage said almost absently. “The way he’s always wanted.”
“And I don’t need to ask if you love him. I can see you do. I can feel it.” She smiled and nodded like that was that, and they finished up the dishes a few minutes later.
Sage dried her hands as Ty and his father re-entered the kitchen. “Coffee’s ready,” Kenneth said, and Sage looked around to find it. She hadn’t noticed him come into the kitchen to make it, nor could she smell anything remotely related to coffee.
“Momma,” Ty said as he came to Sage’s side and claimed her by pulling her against him. “Did you know Daddy has a hand-built coffee maker in the garage?”
“Oh, that thing,” his momma said with a wave of her hand. “It barely works.”
“It works just fine,” Ty assured her, his smile only growing. “I’m just worried he’s going to burn down the house, starting with the garage.”
“Come on, come on,” Kenneth said, now the one to herd them out of the kitchen instead of into it. “We’ve got everything we need out here.”
Sure enough, a coffee bar had been set up in the living room, and Sage could only mull over Savannah’s words as Ty fixed her a cup and brought it to her. His daddy did the same for his momma, and they raised their mugs to one another in a silent toast.
Sage wasn’t sure what she was saying to Savannah, but she felt certain his momma was saying,Welcome to my family.
Now she just had to decide what that meant. A wedding? Or not?
34
Ty sipped his after-dinner coffee, surprised that his father’s homemade contraption could brew something this rich and delicious. They’d settled in the front living room, and Ty used to love to sit here with his father while they watched sailing or football or the news.
His mother had taken very good care of them tonight, and as Sage leaned into his side even more, he said, “Thank you for dinner, Momma. Sage was right—we won’t eat that good for a while.”
“Until we come visit you again, I’m sure,” Sage said.
He looked at her, the hope that had been blooming inside him since the drive here yesterday expanding again. It grew and grew, accelerating as he watched her smile prettily at his mother.
Ty put his arm around her and kissed her hairline. She smelled like dish soap and cotton, and he wished they were back in the hotel room again. Or maybe not. That place wasn’t exactly romantic, and they danced around one another there.
He didn’t want to ask her to marry him there. He didn’t want to do it in the car, though they’d had some of their best discussions there. He didn’t want to get down on both knees in public, so a restaurant or the beach was out.
Truth be told, he wished they were back at her house, on the back deck, with the dogs running in the side yard or splashing in the water, dinner just over, and just the two of them watching the sun paint pictures over the water.
He shifted, the diamond ring he’d brought along to show to his parents like a boulder in his pants pocket. He hadn’t shown it to his momma or his daddy, because there hadn’t been an appropriate time. Sage had not left the room at all yet, not even to use the restroom.
He glanced at her as the conversation shifted to what his father had done for a living. “Machine repair,” he said.
“Ah, the homemade coffee maker makes so much more sense now,” Sage teased.
“Daddy’s very handy,” Ty said. “I didn’t get that skill from him.”
“Oh, come on, now,” Sage said. “You’ve fixed a few things around the houses you sell. I know you have.”
