Page 17 of Reckless Abandon
“Sage, wait.” I demanded, jumping out of my seat and rounding the truck hood.
He turned to stare at me with a far off look in his eye, as if he heard me but wasn’t really present.
I walked toward him slowly – to avoid startling him – and held open my arms. Before he could protest, I pulled him into me and squeezed him tightly.
We’d shared bro hugs in the past, but never one of this magnitude. I wanted him to really and truly know I was there for him. That I loved him, even if I couldn’t necessarily say it out loud.
“We’re here for you, man. Always. No matter what…”
The rest of that sentence died on my lips. I couldn’t bear to say them. The implication that he could lose the trial and be given a prison sentence was too heavy of a reality. A weight that could easily bury us in the coming months. Or years.
We had to find a way to keep Sage’s spirits up.
To help him live his life fully in the event the worst possible outcome occurred, and our world would be turned inside out and upside down.
Chapter 11
Present Day
The partygoers began to dwindle and clear out around four a.m.
I roll over on the bed and gaze down over London’s sleeping body, her hands formed in a prayer position near her cheek against the pillow. Her blonde hair spills out and I can’t stop myself from petting the silky locks. It brings back a flood of memories – her hair in pigtails when she was six. Her tight, dancer bun when she danced a solo in her ballet recital at twelve. Her cascading waves that fell over her shoulder as she straddled me and road me naked at eighteen.
So many moments, many of which we reminisced about last night.
After Sage departed upstairs, London and I’d hung out by the pool for an hour or so, catching up over a few beers, as people came and went, watching us with a mild curiosity. We didn’t quite fit the rock and roll scene, both of us dressed far more conservatively than the others. But I didn’t care about any of those people. It was just nice to sit and catch-up with London.
I hadn’t realized how much I’d truly missed what we had once shared.
Over the last ten years, I’d seen and done so much, lived a thousand lives. But nothing – with the exception of the birth of my own son – made me feel as whole and complete as I did when I was with London.
My heart felt fuller. My burdens lighter. My smile bigger when she was around. She just had a way of bringing that out in me.
Or maybe it was also knowing that Sage was in our presence. That the three of us were together once again – at least under the same roof – it lifted my spirits and comforted me with some kind of peace.
I shake my head at my own sentimental stupidity as I quietly roll to the side of the bed, careful not to wake London. We’d only gotten a few hours of sleep, and I wanted her to continue resting because last night took its toll on her. I could see the sadness in her eyes, even when she tried to pretend it was all good. Sage’s behavior hurt her.
Slipping on my jeans, I leave them unbuttoned and quietly open the door into the hallway, seeking out the nearest bathroom. The house looked different in the morning light, brighter and sunnier, with the rays of morning sun slipping through the cracks of the closed bedroom doors.
Seeing nobody around, I close the door behind me with a softclickand turn to head downstairs, the same direction we came up last night when I bump into someone.
“Sorry,” I begin to say, but lose my train of thought when I lift my eyes to see that it’s Sage.
His nostrils flare as he takes in my shirtless torso and he takes a step back as if avoiding a venomous snake. He runs a hand through his messy bedhead hair.
“Morning. I was just coming to find you two.” His voice sounds gravely and thick like he swallowed rocks. “I wasn’t sure if you took me up on my offer and stayed the night.”
I lift a shoulder and watch his eyes track the movement.
I have never been attracted to another man in my life. I enjoyed women. But something about Sage – some unique element of his being – always attracted me to him. The way I felt about him scared andscarredme. It made me doubt who I was. Who I was with him and without him.
And it was for that reason that I did what I did to him.
Clearing my throat, I nod. “Yeah, we found a room. She’s still asleep.”
Sage’s eyes land on the door and then reconnect with mine, the dark brown simmering with curiosity. He lifts an eyebrow skyward.
“Did you fuck her? Make up for lost time?”
