Page 23 of Rough Love

"I know it is but at least we're here and not there," he replied as he gently brushed the tears from her face. She was sad and completely heartbroken but Sage was right, at least they had gotten out of the house before either of them was really injured.

"Thank you for saving me," she said.

"There's no need to thank me. There was no way I would have left you behind," he replied.

The love Mia had for Sage grew even more in her heart, and she knew without a doubt that the man that stood before her was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

"I love you," she said. She knew in her heart that it was as good a time as any to finally say it back to him. He proved to her over and over again that he would do right by her and that was all she ever wanted. Sage stood still beside her, his eyes wide as the words sunk in.

"You don't know how good it is to hear those words come out of your mouth," he replied as he quickly leaned in and kissed her. It was a wonderful moment that broke them away from the negative which helped relax them a bit. It was a truly vulnerable moment. They had both been through so much and lost so much but they had done it together which definitely made them feel closer.

They began to walk through the woods and away from their house. Mia felt as though saying goodbye to their home was like closing a bad chapter of their lives. Of course, it was sad but she felt positive that the worst was over and soon they could start fresh. She knew in her heart that as long as she had Sage by her side, she had no reason to be afraid of anything anymore. Life would never be perfect and she realized that while she was working with the Screaming Demons, it would never be anywhere near perfect but she had found Sage because of them and she didn't regret that.

The woods were dark as they walked. Both of them were a bit nervous about what could be in front of them. They knew that there were snakes, spiders and wild animals in the woods that could come out at any point but they didn't have much of a choice other than continuing to walk forward. Their eyes slowly adjusted to their surroundings until it became a little easier to see around them.

"Do you think it'll get easier from here on out?" Mia asked as they walked. They both stepped carefully as they walked, terrified that they would stand on anything that could potentially injure them. They didn’t need to injure themselves after managing to get out of a burning house.

"I honestly don't know. I know for a fact that we'll need to get hold of Fiona as soon as possible so she can hear what's happened but after that, I don't know what will happen," he replied. Sage was right. There was no knowing what would happen next. For all they knew, the Omens could have another attack planned. It was a horrible thought that brought a shiver over Mia. If they had something bigger planned, who knew what it would involve. She was grateful that she didn’t have much in Florida that could be destroyed, and she also didn’t have any family that the Omens could hold hostage which was definitely good. It was scary to think that if she had been with her family instead of Sage she wouldn’t have been able to get out of the house alive. A part of her was happy that she didn’t have a close relationship with her family anymore. She would’ve hated herself for getting them involved in anything that involved the Omens.

The one thing she knew she would always be grateful for was the fact that Sage had been the one she had been trapped with. She imagined if she had been by herself, and the thought didn’t sit well with her. She knew she would spend the rest of her life making Sage know how much he meant to her, there wouldn’t be a day that would go by where she wouldn’t tell him that she loved him.