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He placed his hand on her neck, brushing her hair aside. His fingers sent chills down her spine. Slowly, as if he half expected her to pull away, Ethan lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to hers.

Gradually Sage’s eyes drifted closed as she leaned in to his kiss. Then his arms were around her and hers around him. One kiss wasn’t enough. He kissed her again, deepening the contact. Before she knew what she was doing, Sage kissed him back.

She opened to him, moaning softly as warmth spread throughout her body. Although she stood in the December cold, she felt as if she were sitting in front of a fireplace, cozy and comfortable. Nothing had ever seemed more right. It felt as if she was meant to be in Ethan’s arms.

When he released her, it was all she could do to keep from reaching for him. She didn’t want to be separated, not when it felt so incredible to be held like this.

“That was…” He paused, as if he couldn’t find the right words.

“Amazing,” she offered.

He pressed his forehead against hers so that their breaths mingled in the chilly air, emitting smoky clouds in the cold.

“I’ve never made it a secret how strongly I felt about you,” Ethan reminded her.

“The promotion…”

“Whatever happens, I want to believe we’ll be fine.”

Sage wanted desperately to believe that, and at the same time wondered how she would deal with the disappointment if Mowrey chose Ethan over her and Troy.

Before Ethan could respond, the front door opened and Walt stepped onto the porch. “Rafaelle, come here and look,” he shouted. “See the two of them, standing on the street like a couple teenagers, holding on to each other. I told you Sage was more than a friend. No one ever listens to me.”

Chapter Eleven

Sage woke the following morning and was instantly swamped with happiness. It’d been a long time since she’d felt this good. The evening with Ethan and his family had felt fantastic. Wrapped in the joy of the season, she’d been caught up in the fun and laughter. She’d enjoyed every minute, especially during game time, and smiled at the memory.

“Auntie Sage?”

Ricky’s whispered voice broke through her thoughts. Sage rolled over and sat up to find her nephew standing in the doorway of her bedroom.

“I’m hungry,” he announced.

“I bet you are.” Sage wiped the sleep out of her eyes. Normally she slept in on Saturdays. Ever since Ricky’s arrival, spending a lazy morning in bed was a luxury. “What sounds good to you?” she asked, reviewing what she had available that he’d find acceptable.

“Not Eggos, okay?”

“Sure.” She’d quickly learned toaster waffles were not to his liking.

“How about yogurt and a granola bar?” she suggested.

He nodded eagerly.

Before Sage tossed aside the covers and went to get his breakfast, Ricky bounced onto her bed. “Michael and Lilly are going ice-skating today. Can we go, too?”

“Ah…Let me think on that.” She hated to disappoint Ricky. If he went skating, he’d expect her to get on the ice with him. From experience, she knew that would be a disaster.

“Ethan would be happy to take me. Can you ask him?” His big brown eyes pleaded with her. Before she could answer one way or the other, he added, “I took ice-skating lessons last year, and I did really good.”

“I don’t do well on the ice,” she said, recalling that a good portion of the lesson time had been spent on her backside.

“That’s okay. I’ll teach you everything you need to know. I can even skate backward.” Ricky must take after Saffron, who’d been a whiz on the ice. Unlike Sage, her sister had picked it up during their very first lesson.

Ricky was excited to go, and Sage struggled to find a valid argument to make it impossible. Unfortunately, she didn’t have anything special planned for the day. “No one mentioned this to me,” she said. “We would need an invitation.”

“Lilly invited me,” he assured her.

Refusing him was getting even more difficult. “Let’s eat breakfast and talk more about this.”