“We only wanted what was best for her,” Brian says, and I look over at him.
“I know, and I want the same thing. I can’t imagine how helpless you felt,” I say, and I watch him nod silently. I know Brian, and I know how much he loves his family. I also know that a part of him blames himself for what happened to her. That feeling will probably never go away, but it’s time for him to let Sage move past it.
“I love you, too,” Sage blurts out, and when I look back at her she’s got both hands over her mouth and her eyes are round in surprise like she can’t believe she just said it. “I really do,” she whispers behind her fingers and I smile at her.
The feeling is still so foreign to me, but I’ve smiled more this weekend with Sage than I ever have in my life. Her parents told me they knew the moment they met that they were meant to be together and they knew Sage would be the same way. She would look up one day and standing in front of her would be her husband. Now that time has come and I’m ready to be the one.
I pull her hands away from her mouth so I can look at her. “I know.” I give her a cocky smile and she rolls her eyes as I lean down and kiss her quickly.
“Am I just supposed to be okay with this?” Brian asks as he stares at us with a mixture of shock and confusion.
“Yes,” I answer and wrap an arm around Sage. “And then you’re supposed to go after whoever the hell you’ve been hung up on the past few days and figure that shit out.”
I see his jaw clench as he grinds his teeth and he nods silently. I know there’s more going on with him than what he’s telling me and that’s okay. It seems like we’ve both got our secrets right now, but mine are about to be out in the open.
“Be good to her,” he says, looking me straight in the eyes.
“I’ll never let anything happen to her.”
“I’m holding you responsible if it does.”
I nod in understanding. “Fair enough.”
Brian pulls his phone out of his pocket before he walks out of the kitchen and I hear the front door close. It’s then I realize he was still in the same clothes he was wearing last night. What the hell has he gotten himself into?
“Okay, you’re going to have to explain some things to me,” Sage says, poking my chest. “Where have you been?”
I pull her over to the counter and open the bag of food. “You eat while I talk.” I get out all her favorite breakfast foods she told me she loved and the sounds of excitement she’s making let me know I got it right.
“I went to see your parents this morning,” I say as I watch her sit down and take a bite of the cinnamon roll. “I wanted to talk to them and they wanted to talk to me. I guess they saw me pull you into the woods yesterday, but thankfully that was all they saw.”
Her cheeks burn red, and I lean forward and kiss one because I can’t stand it.
“They told me about the accident and what happened to you.” When they explained how she’s been attacked and the kid was mentally unstable, I kept thinking about how much worse it could have been. What if I’d never got the chance to love her? The thought sent me into a rage and I wanted to go run twenty miles, but I couldn’t. I just had to sit there and hear them explain how the woman I love was hurt at the hands of someone else.
“I don’t remember much about it, I just have nightmares once in a while. But I’m okay,” she throws in, and it must be a conditioned response.
“I felt the scars last night,” I say as my fingers trace hers. “I won’t ever let anything touch you again. Do you hear me, Sage?” She nods, and I move closer to her. “You’re mine to protect, mine to cherish, and mine to love. Not just now, but forever.” I reach in my pocket and pull out the ring I bought right before I went to her parents’ house yesterday. I had to make a call to a jeweler to open up for me on the holiday, but I made it worth his while. “I went to talk to your mom and dad this morning because I know how important your family is to you.”
She gasps when I show her the ring box and her eyes are as big as an owl’s.
“I know this is quick, but I’m not a man who does things without thinking them through.” I take her hand in mine as I look at her. “I assess risk and calculate loss. I write programs that ensure mistakes never slip through and I don’t take chances that I know won’t be one hundred percent successful. You aren’t a program, bombshell.” I smile at her and I see the tears form in her eyes. “You are unlike anything I’ve ever had in my life and I don’t know what the future will hold for us. But I know that if I don’t make you mine, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”