Finally, I drag in a breath and open my eyes. “Yeah. I’m glad you’re here.” I gesture toward the coffee maker. “I just brewed a fresh pot. Do you want a cup?”
“Yes, please.”
A few minutes later, we settle at the kitchen counter with our drinks. Sage slides her thumb over the rim of her mug, staring down into it. I can tell her mind is going a mile a minute. “So, how’ve you been?”
“Okay. Rhett’s been great. Honestly? I’m just trying to get through each day as it comes.”
Peeking at me from the corner of her eye, she quietly asks, “Have you said anything to your parents about what happened?”
“By text. I didn’t have the courage for a conversation or the million questions they’d have. But they know I didn’t go to Barbados and that something happened after the wedding. They don’t know I’m here yet. I just need a little more time before facing them.”
“Understandable.” A look of relief washes over her face. “I’m glad you’re communicating. Your mom’s been asking, but I haven’t said much. Just that you were okay. And safe.”
I take a sip of my coffee, letting the warmth slide down my throat. “The reason I haven’t talked to my parents much is because when Rhett heard everything”—I’m quiet for a moment—“it messed him up pretty bad.I don’t want them to place blame on themselves, too.”
“I get that.” Her teeth clench. “Listen, I don’t want to push, but…”
Giving her a half smile, I tip my chin. “Go ahead. It’s fine.” Sage has lived through some shit this year, some of it equally as horrendous as my experience. So I’m not surprised by what comes out of her mouth next.
“You can talk to me; I really mean it. Whatever you’re going through, I’ll understand. If you need a friend, I’ll be here to listen to anything you need me to.”
My heart breaks a little that she was struggling and I knew nothing about it. Pulling her into a hug, I squeeze her tight. And then, I tell her everything.
When I finally finish, Sage looks at me with wet eyes. Somewhere during the retelling, I’d grabbed her hand and held on tight. “I’m so sorry you went through all that. Maybe I should have pushed for more details about what was going on. I should have trusted my gut.”
I shake my head. “Please don’t blame yourself.” All at once, it’s too much. “Can we just leave that where it is? I’ve wasted enough breath on Bradley Hemstock. I just want to move on and have a normal conversation with my bestie.”
“Yeah, we can do that.” Sage’s eyes travel the room and a sly smile lights them. “So, let’s talk about this house.”
A blush stains my cheeks, and I lift my hands to my face, hiding behind them.
“Noah, he built this foryou.You realize that, right?”
“Yeah.”For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m able to be giddy about something with my friend.“It’s the house we always talked about.” Wistfulness overcomes me. “Did you know he was building it?”
“No. I didn’t”—she looks around again with a grin on her face—“but it’s fuckin’ fantastic.”
Unable to stop the smile that’s pulling at the corners of my lips, I nod. “It kinda is, isn’t it?” Right on the heels of that happiness, though, the idea of Rhett here, building our dream home even after I left him, forces regret to bubble to the surface. I don’t know how to process the raw emotions that nearly wipe me out. The vision of him creating a life we once planned, in hopes one day I’d come back nearly destroys me all over again.
Noticing my sudden quiet and internal reflection, Sage’s eyes grow misty. “He knows yousowell.”
I drag in a breath that blisters my lungs before blowing it all back out and admitting the truth. “He always has.”
She jumps off her feet, then holds out a hand to help me from the stool. “Come on. Up. No more moping. Give me a tour of this place.” Her excitement brings me joy.
“Okay, fine.” I laugh, tugging her along with me. Igesture to the drywall in what will be the living area. “Just keep in mind Rhett’s still working on a lot of things.”
“Got it.” Once I give her the grand tour of the main floor, we head upstairs. As we peer into a few unfinished rooms, I can totally tell she has something on her mind. “So… wait. I don’t see any beds yet.” A glint lights her eye.
“Are you trying to ask where we’ve been sleeping?”
“No.” She chuckles. “My thought was that if I’ve stumbled into a romance novel with athere’s only one bedtrope.”
I slap her bicep. “The house is kinda sparsely furnished. So, yes. We’ve been sharing a bed. Rhett said he only stays up here when he’s working on the house, so he hadn’t bothered with more.” Blushing, I add some humor to deflect my embarrassment. “If not for Grandma Jo, we’d probably be sharing a pillow.”
We both fall into a fit of laughter when Sage wiggles her eyebrows. For a moment, it’s nice to just be normal with my best friend.
“So you’re sleeping in the same bed… How’sthatbeen?”
