Page 34 of For Your Heart
The frown she gives me almost makes me flinch. “Sage isn’t married, Whitaker. He’s never been married. He’s not seeing this woman anymore but apparently, she’s not willing to accept that. Aren’t you two friends?”
We are but apparently, we aren’t the kind of friends that share that information. Then again, it’s not like I’ve shared anything personal like that about my life.
Giving Carly a nod, I turn toward the room where Sage is. He’s not looking my way but as he always does, he glances toward me. He’s not expecting me to be heading for him or looking at him so he gives a double take and then breaks out in a grin.
My stomach flips at the sight. He’s a beautiful man. I can’t wait to tie him up again. “Hey,” he says when I get close enough. His voice is low, though he’s bouncing on the balls of his feet. “That’s my favorite color on you.”
As soon as the words are out of his mouth, his cheeks flush and he starts to babble again. I let him for just a second because it’s fucking adorable. He still hasn’t stopped that. I love every time it happens.
After a minute, I take pity on him and touch his arm. “Thank you.” Then my smile fades. “Your wife is at the front door.”
His confusion is evident as he stares at me. “My… wife?”
I nod. Hovering my hand at about her height, I say, “Blonde business woman? Says she’s here to see you, her husband.”
“But I don’t…” The moment the situation registers, his gaze moves beyond me to the door and his face turns red. But not the cute embarrassment I’m used to.
I’ve never seen Sage Rossi mad until now. He kind of looks scary. I’m totally here for this. He looks back at me. “Come with me?”
“Sure,” I say and follow him to the front.
He doesn’t look at anyone except the woman outside. She’s smiling hugely at him, apparently blind and oblivious to his anger. Sage pushes open the door and stares at her.
“What are you doing here? At my place of work!”
She hesitates before taking a step backwards. “Honey”—she glances behind him at Carly and me—“are you going to introduce me to your friends?”
“No. You’re going to leave and stop telling people we’re married.”
“But we’re engaged.”
My heart sinks. The reaction is visceral enough that I feel my brother shift his attention to me.
“We haven’t been in any kind of relationship for over a year, Sammy. I told you already, I’m gay and that’s not changing. Go away.”
“But Sage, I can help you—”
My anger flares again and I step forward before Carly reaches for me and shakes her head. “Not your business, sweetheart,” she murmurs.
“Go away!” Sage yells, startling this Sammy girl and the patron on the machine closest to the door. “If you don’t stay away, I will file a restraining order. Don’t ever come to my place of work again.”
He pulls the door shut, making sure it latches, and storms off. I watch, a little dumbfounded, as he disappears into the back. I turn my attention to the girl, Sammy, now in tears and on her phone acting all dramatic as she cries into it. She meets my eyes and freezes. Her eyes widen and she backs away again before turning and hurrying through the parking lot—whatever look she saw on my face discouraged her from sticking around.
I leave Sage alone. I’m not sure what he needs, but I don’t want to make it worse. It isn’t until the end of the day when I see that he’s still completely unlike the man I’ve come to know that I decide that maybe he needs someone after all. Not everyone likes to deal with things that upset them on their own.
But since I’m still unsure what he needs, I don’t say anything at work. Or in the parking lot. I follow him home, instead. Unsure what I’ll find. But curiously enough, I want to be the one to be there for him. For whatever he needs right now.
That’s… new.
Twelve
SAGE
I’ve lived mostof my life doing as my mother wanted of me. That included pretending I’m not gay until just over a year ago. That means twenty-eight years of being something I’m not, just to please my mother.
It was never enough. I began to see that in high school when an A- was enough to have her disappointed in me. When I didn’t win any individual awards for a team sport. When the kind of girl I hid my sexuality behind wasn’t the kind of girl she liked.
In an effort to make my mother proud of me, I told her to pick my girlfriend. She chose Sammy. There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with her. She was sweet, tiny, smart. My mother doted on her, giving her praise and affection that she’d never shown me since the moment I agreed to go out with this girl.
