“I guess.” I wasn’t sure how to answer. “Is it wrong not to want to know?” Raising my eyes to hers, I wasn’t sure if I was expecting to find judgment, but there wasn’t any.
“Nothing is wrong. Your life is your own, Sage. If knowing the past would help you with your future or settle things, then you should find out more. But it isn’t wrong to be happy with your life the way it is.” She gave me an extra squeeze. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We lingered a moment longer, the garden's peace wrapping around us like a blanket, before the others tumbled outside all at once, Fish in the lead with Opal hot on his heels.
“No weird vibes lately?" Wade asked, nudging me with his shoulder.
Another subtle check, wrapped in casual concern. I nodded, cookie midway to my mouth. "All quiet. Feels... normal."
Normal, but that faint prickle was still there, like eyes on my back even now. But surrounded by my family, it was easy to dismiss.
Rhodes
Driving back from Maggie’s, the truck was filled with the comfortable silence that came after good food and good company. My headlights cut an easy path on the darkened roads as I drove, and I tried to pay attention for any wildlife that might dart out. Sure, I was used to the city, but out here you had to be ready for all sorts of shit.
Opal was passed out in the back seat, her breaths making her lips puff out in little snores. She’d had an absolute blast chasing Fish in the back garden and being carried everywhere by Kipp, Wade, and East. They’d either put her on their shoulders or zing her around like she was an airplane and didn’t weigh forty pounds. She’d shown off videos of Cheese on my phone while everyone oohed and ahhed over him chasing his tail and bringing back the acorn cap.
All of it had been a perfect distraction for Sage and the worry that had been rippling through the entire Holt clan for the last month and a half. They masked it well, but I knew they all wondered when the next shoe would drop. They were protective and fierce in their love. That didn’t make me admire them evenmore. Seeing them fold my daughter and me into their little clan. Well, that just hit me in the feels.
I held Sage’s hand under mine while we drove, savoring the way her palm fit there. I still wanted to touch base with her about everything. In no way did I want to take for granted that Catherine’s bullshit hadn’t dented the shields she had up.
Apparently, more drastic measures were going to be necessary to get my ex-wife out of the area. All the reports I’d been hearing were about her reckless behavior, but this was the first time she’d approached Sage. That meant she was sticking around for a reason, so I clearly needed to do something, but hell if I knew what.
I squeezed her hand to draw a small smile from her. She still looked wrung out from talking to Maggie in the back garden. I guessed it hadn’t gone exactly as she’d hoped. The files showed no indication that the Holts had ever known about the home invasion. Sage seemed reluctant to broach the topic with me or even with Hattie to get more information about her childhood, and I wasn’t sure she wanted to remember.
The gate loomed in the dark as we pulled up. I rested my hand on the pad, entered the code, then continued down the driveway. When I’d first taken on this property, I’d been overwhelmed by its size and the project list, but now that we’d been here a few months, there was a sense of peace. It was contentment in having found a place for Opal and me, knowing I’d made the right decision.
Leaving Redhawk was an adjustment, but I was juggling things with Briggs, who was handling the operations side. It was working out okay, but he’d need help if I couldn’t go to Seattlemore often. Parrish might be an excellent addition to the leadership team. I’d have to think it over.
"You grab the leftovers? I'll get the kid.”
"Deal. She’s a little heavy for me when she’s crashed out so hard. All that excitement with Fish.” Sage glanced back at her, giving a little smile.
After unbuckling her, I scooped my daughter up against me and held her weight easily against my chest. She was a little sticky from all her running with the dog through the grass and still sweaty, but it meant she’d played hard. Cradling her head with one hand, I balanced her weight and didn’t jostle her too much as we climbed the stairs. She mumbled against me about dogs and faeries, nuzzling into my neck. Sage followed, turning on the light and putting the Tupperware on the counter.
We’d been getting into a routine these last few weeks, and she got Opal’s pajamas out for me with the unicorns with tiaras that she liked.
“Love you the mostest, Daddy.” Her eyes were half-open as I eased her arms through the sleeves and tucked her in. Cheese curled up against her with a contented purr.
“Love you more than all the unicorns.” I pushed her hair back and gave her forehead a soft kiss, turning down the light, lingering just a moment to watch her.
Downstairs, Sage had curled up on the couch, her legs tucked under her as she clicked through her emails on her phone. She looked every bit the woman who had upended my ideas about including someone in my future. Her cutoffs had ridden up all the way to the flesh of her thighs, and her faded tee clung toher curves in that way that had my blood singing. But if I were honest, everything about her made me hot.
“Today was rough,” I began as I sat with her.
She scooted closer to me, leaning into my side until I tucked an arm around her. She gave a contented sigh. This was one of the things that I enjoyed about our relationship. She found comfort in my presence as much as I did in hers.
“You have a past with Catherine, but she’s not going to ruin what we have.” She looped her legs over mine, biting her lip in a way that made my dick harden. “I won’t let her.”
“Me neither. I wish she’d go back to Seattle, but I’m not sure I can do anything about it.” My palm spread wider and caressed the curve of her knee. “Apparently, she’s been getting drunk and partying it up a few towns over. I offered to pay for her to go to treatment, but she wasn’t interested.”
“There isn’t much you can do about it if she doesn’t want help.” Sage’s hand soothed my neck as if trying to ease the tension gathering there.
“I guess.” I didn’t like it, or the way she was hovering around the edges of our lives. Sage curled against me as I trailed my hands along her ankles and calves, testing the soft flesh there.
I moved my hand further up her thighs, and her eyes hooded as she moved to straddle me, grinding against me as she tangled her hands behind my neck. Pulling her t-shirt off, I moaned when I saw the delicate, shell pink bra that somehow held up her glorious tits. By now, I was well acquainted with her lingerie choices, and somehow, they still took my breath away. It did something to me to look over at her, bent over the flower beds inher overalls, knowing she was wearing the most delicate lingerie imaginable.
