Page 34 of Love Legacy

But it was as if she dropped off the face of the earth. No one could track her down, and there was no record of her death either. Not only was it costly for Melody and Ken to fight this in court, it took forever too. By the time the judge finally agreed to terminate her rights in her absence, I had aged out of the foster system.

The Davises never treated me differently though. They always saw me as their daughter, regardless of my foster status. I’m named right alongside Theia in all their legal documents, even their wills.” Sage sits next to me, leaning into my side, playing with the ring on her middle finger.

“Is that ring from the Davises?” I ask. Sage wears that class ring on a daily basis, it’s clearly weathered and discolored, so I knew it wasn’t hers. Hearing how important the Davises are to her, I assume it’s one of theirs.

She shakes her head. “Actually, it was my dad’s. When I was removed from my mom’s care, I took it, along with a few photos and his dog tags. I was surprised she hadn’t pawned it yet, like she did her wedding rings, so I took with me before she could.

Melody and Ken got it resized for me for my eighteenth birthday so I could actually wear it instead of just keeping it onthe chain with my dad’s dog tags. I never got to meet him, so this is my way of keeping him close.”

I give her another tight hug, pressing my lips to the top of her head. “I’m so sorry that you’ve gone through all this, Sage.”

She gives me a soft smile and a small shrug. “Now you know why Kappa Theta Alpha means the world to me. These girls,my sisters, they’re the family I always wanted.”

Noticing that the sun’s begun to set, I pull away from Sage, relieving some of the tension of the moment. “I think we should probably head back to the car. Before we get stuck out here in the dark.”

She nods, standing up to help me clean up our mess and blanket. We head back to the car in silence, walking hand in hand. Sage offers to drive me back home but I decline, telling her I’ll just meet Alex at work.

“Thanks for listening to me, Naomi. It was…cathartic,” she says softly, leaning back and leaning against the driver’s door of her car.

I give her hand a light squeeze, smiling up at her. “I’m glad I got a chance to know the real you.”

Sage looks down at my face, at my lips, and I feel a sudden surge, the same one I felt the night of the Kappa Halloween party. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, I follow that urge, stepping close to press my lips to Sage’s.

This kiss has none of the urgency of the last one and yet more passion. My lips part slightly and she takes that as invitation, deepening the kiss, pulling my body into hers. We mold together, breathing in sync, the outside world disappearing as we get lost in the emotion shared between us.

If I had any uncertainty before, it’s gone now. I’m positive. I’m falling for Sage Carpenter and falling fast.

13

Naomi

“Maeve! I need your help!” I call out from my bedroom. I was supposed to be going on a second date with Elijah tonight, but if I can’t figure out what to wear, I’m never going to make it out of the house. I have been standing in front of my closet for the last thirty minutes or so, and the reject pile is close to having more clothes than my closet. I might be overthinking this date, but he’s cute, and he’s planning to take me to a nice restaurant a little bit away from campus. Much less casual than our first date.

Maeve pokes her head into the room. “You’re still not dressed yet? Isn’t he going to be here in…fifteen minutes?” she asks, checking her watch.

I nod, turning toward her and gesturing to the growing pile of clothing on my bed. “And now you see my dilemma. I can’t figure out what to wear. This place is nice. Like really nice. And it’s chilly tonight. I can’t just wear a sundress and call it a day.”

Entering the room, Maeve signals for me to move from the closet before she starts rifling through my closet. “Do you have nice pants?”

I shake my head. “Not that I can think of. I only have that pair of floral pants that I wore for my pinning and then the leather pants Alex convinced me to buy for the drag show. I don’t know if leather pants are appropriate for fine dining.”

She hums, trying to come up with an idea. “Do you have dark tights?”

“Yes? I have pantyhose, sheer black tights, and a pair of opaque black tights.”

Maeve reaches into my closet, pulling out a black satin wrap skirt of mine and a pale pink, off-the-shoulder sweater. “Wear these. French tuck the sweater into the waistband of your skirt and you can borrow my black leather booties,” she says, handing me the outfit.

“Maeve, you’re absolutely a lifesaver. Thank you!” I say, hugging her tight.

She waves me off. “Yeah, yeah. Go get dressed. Eli will be here any minute for you. I’ll have the boots for you in the front hallway,” she says, leaving my room. I change into the outfit, taking my hair out of its bun, and fluffing my curls up. I touch up my lip gloss before grabbing my small black purse and leaving my bedroom.

I head into the living room to see Maeve chatting with Elijah. She must’ve buzzed him in because I forgot my phone in thekitchen. I grab the device off the counter, tucking it into my purse, before taking the shoes from Maeve. “Hi, Elijah, sorry I was having a bit of a wardrobe emergency.”

He gives me one of his signature grins. “It’s okay, Naomi. It was well worth the wait, you look amazing.” He holds out an arm to stabilize me as I put the booties on.

“Thank you. For the compliment and for the assistance with these boots.” I stand, finally taking Elijah in.This man is so handsome. Elijah was dressed in dark jeans, a white button-down with the top couple buttons undone, a black suit jacket and dark grey boat shoes. His blond hair was styled, slicked, back on the sides, loose and wavy on top. He looks just like an Abercrombie model in the best way possible.

He smirks, catching me checking him out. “Like what you see?”

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