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He turned and looked at the little black velvet box sitting on his dresser. Should he pack the engagement ring? September had turned into October, and the housing market had slowed a little.
Sage had taken time off from the salon, and Ty felt like everything rode on this weekend. He’d thought that about the Heritage Festival too, and that had been an absolute magical Saturday afternoon, evening, and night. He and Sage had been dating for almost eight months now, and Ty picked up the ring box.
“I love her,” he said aloud to his mostly-packed bag and his two dogs. He turned and looked at the canines on his bed. “Do you think she’ll say yes?”
Neither of them answered, and Ty tucked the box into his bag. He might as well take it, right?
His cell chimed again, and he sank onto the bed beside his dogs to see what Sage had said. She’d sent a picture of her and Lauren’s baby, Daisy, who was now two weeks old.
She’s so perfectcame in next, and Ty loved the light of happiness in his girlfriend’s eyes.I miss my grandbaby.
Maybe we should go to Santa Fe for our next weekend trip together,he said.I’d love to meet your daughter and your other son.
That would be amazing, Sage said, though it would probably take them another eight months to leave Hilton Head again.
He stood up and walked into the kitchen with long strides, trying to reason through how tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday would go. How theyshouldgo. How they could go.
He wanted to ask her to marry him, but he should probably have a conversation with her about his feelings first. Or at least find out if she would ever get married again. Ty felt like he’d entered this endless loop, and one wrong step or one errant question would send him off the path he wanted to be on.
I’m going to get sandwiches and bring the dogs over to run, he sent to her.Okay?
See you soon, Sage said, and Ty paced back to his bedroom to get his hounds. “Come on, guys,” he said. “Let’s go see Gypsy, okay?”
He cast his packed bag one more glance, didn’t remove the ring, and headed to his girlfriend’s house.
* * *
Ty grippedthe steering wheel as the skyline of Charleston came into view. “Did you know that they don’t build skyscrapers in Charleston?” he asked, his nerves bubbling near the top of his eyeballs.
“Is that right?” Sage asked. “Why’s that?”
“Probably lots of city zoning laws and whatever, but the rumor is that no building can be taller than the church steeple at St. Philip’s Church.” He smiled over to her, the questions and conversation he really wanted to have nowhere near this one.
He wasn’t sure how much more he could take. Every nerve felt like snapping, and Ty wanted to yell out his tension and pound the steering wheel. “Sage,” he said, and her name came out with too much force.
She turned toward him, surprise on her face. “Yeah?”
“I need to know what tonight looks like.”
“Tonight?”
The inclination to yell didn’t diminish. “Yes, tonight.” He nodded. “We have one room, sweetheart. Let me be plain. Are we sleeping together or in separate beds? I don’t care either way. Well, I do, but I’m fine either way. I just need to know.”
Sage remained silent for several heartbeats, because he’d just laid a lot out there. Now that his tongue had started to wag, words likeI love you, andDo you think you’ll ever want to get married again?ran through his mind and up his throat.
He coughed to shove everything back down, wondering how long it would stay there.
“I thought we’d use both beds,” Sage said, her voice on the hoarse side.
“Okay.” Ty could finally release his breath. “This…don’t you think this feels like a big step for us, Sage?” He glanced over to her. “We’re spending the weekend together in a hotel. I’m taking you to meet my parents.”
“It’s a big step,” she admitted.
More relief filled him. “Okay, I just want to add a few more things to this conversation.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want to ruin the weekend, so if at any point, you don’t like what I’m saying, just hold up your hand.”
“Ty.” She shook her head, her beautiful smile appearing. “We can talk about anything.”
Oh, how he wanted that to be true. “Sage, I’m in love with you.”
