“That it?” he asked and gestured to the door. “If yes, then I’m going to head out because I’m pretty beat.”
Sage heard, and ignored, the gasp from her audience. “No, that’s not it,” Sage said, forcing steel into her spine. Putting her hands behind her back, she twisted her fingers together.
“I can’t do this anymore.” Sage picked out her words, careful with each one.
Tyce handed her a quick, jerky nod. “Yeah, me neither. Let’s just call it quits before this blows up in our faces.”
Oh, God, oh, Jesus. Sage placed her hand on her stomach as his words smacked into her. He was breaking up with her?
What the hell?
Sage fought the instinct to back away, to agree with him. It would be so easy to smile, to nod, to agree with his assessment of the situation. To allow him to walk away. But that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted a lover, a partner, someone to live her life with, to share the momentous occasions and the ordinary.
She wanted him in her life on an everyday basis.
Sage shook her head. “I’m sorry you feel that way but that wasn’t what I was going to say.”
Tyce frowned. “Sorry?”
“I don’t want to break up, in fact I’d like us to be together. Permanently.”
Tyce just stared at her, shock on his face. Sage didn’t know what else to say, how to express her heart, how to ask for what she wanted. Didn’t he understand that she was willing to risk her stable, constant life for one filled with a lot of passion, a little uncertainty, risk? Didn’t he understand how hard it was for her to be in this position, to love someone so much and be scared of being rejected? Words, pleading, desperate words bubbled in her throat and as they rose they burst apart and all that remained was a bitter taste on her tongue.
But she knew that if she didn’t speak them, if she let them die, if she let him walk out that door without expressing them, she’d lose the moment forever.
Tyce took a step back and, operating on instinct, Sage grabbed the open sides of his leather bomber jacket to hold him in place. He started to pry her hands off but she tightened her grip and shook her head.
“All I’m asking you to do is to stand here and listen to me, just for a minute, maybe two. I know you are angry but you need to hear this. You need to hear me.”
“You’ve got two minutes and that’s it,” Tyce growled.
“Okay, I’ll keep it short.”
Sage pulled in a deep breath and looked for her courage. This was too vital to mess up but her tongue was battling to form the words. Voice croaky, she got the first sentence out. “I love you. I think I fell in love with you the first time I saw you and I’ve loved nobody else, ever. I want you, I want us. You, me, our baby, a family.”
Tyce didn’t react and just stood statue still.
“Be my family, Tyce, within this family. Yeah, my brothers are annoying but you can handle them.”
Still no response. Sage blew out a breath, dropped her hands and stared down at the floor. “If my love isn’t enough, then walk out that door and we’ll communicate about the baby through lawyers.”
It was an ultimatum but she had to know, she couldn’t live with maybes or possibilities. He either loved her or he didn’t, he either wanted a life with her or didn’t. It was actually a fairly simple choice.
Tyce shook his head. His words, when he finally spoke, felt like splashes of acid on her soul. “It won’t work, Sage. I’m sorry.”
“Now it’s your turn to push me away.”
Tyce nodded. “It’s easier to be alone... We both know this.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tate’s hand shoot out to grab Linc’s arm as he stepped forward. Really? Did Linc think that he could force Tyce to stay? Feeling shocked and saddened, Sage watched as Tyce opened the front door with a vicious yank. In the open doorway, he stopped abruptly and Sage couldn’t help the surge of relief, the rush of hope.
Maybe he’d changed his mind; maybe he was prepared to give them a chance.
Instead of moving toward her, Tyce looked at Linc instead. “You should know that, somehow, certain members of the press have information about Lachlyn, about Lach-Ty and about her connection to Connor. Handle it any way you see fit.”