Page 168
Sage watched Rowan watch him.
Oh no…
It was only a flicker — there and then deliberately tucked away, like Rowan had closed a door on it. She looked back at Sage almost immediately, composed once more.
But Sage had seen it.
Fuck.
“Umm, Rowan… Cal—”
“I want you to know,” Rowan said quietly, interrupting her. Her voice dropped, careful and measured. “When you first came into my clinic… I knew then.”
Sage stilled.
“I don’t talk about patients,” Rowan continued, “and I’m not going to. But tonight… seeing you like this, seeing you here… is one of the most extraordinary things I’ve ever witnessed.” She paused, then whispered words that clearly cost her something: “You… are one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.”
Sage’s throat tightened.
“Rowan—”
“You don’t have to say anything.” Rowan reached out and gently squeezed her hand. “I just needed you to know.” She glanced at Cal one last time — quick, private — then back to Sage. Her smile was small, real, and carried something bittersweet at the edges.
“I know you’ll both be so happy,” she said, voice trembling just slightly. “I really do.”
Sage held her gaze for a long moment, seeing the composure, the warmth, and the quiet ache underneath. She thought about the exam room. About the things Rowan had said about Cal.
I’m so stupid. How did I not see it?
She squeezed Rowan’s hand back. For a moment they just stood there, both of them understanding. Rowan’s eyes held a flicker of longing before she gently let go.
“Come find me later,” Sage said softly. “I… want to dance with you.”
Surprise flashed across Rowan’s face, followed by something warm and sweet. “Okay,” she said, almost shyly. “I think I’d like that too.”
Sage smiled, then turned and moved back into the swirl of the party, her mind quietly turning over this new understanding. She’d come back to it later. Carefully. When the time was right.
She danced with Isabelle to a fast, upbeat country song the band had cranked up, the two of them absolutely terrible in the most perfect way possible. Isabelle kept doing some wild arm movement that definitely wasn’t human, while Sage kept losing the beat and stepping on Isabelle’s feet. They were both laughing so hard they could barely stay upright.
“You’re a brat,” Isabelle informed her, breathless.
“You started it!” Sage shot back.
“I’m an excellent dancer—”
“Isabelle, that move you just did is not something humans do—”
“It’s called the—”
“Please don’t name it!”
They collapsed into each other, giggling helplessly as the band eased into something slower and sweeter. Sage glanced up and caught Cal across the room, watching her with that dark, hungry look that turned her knees to liquid and made her instantly wet in the same breath. She bit her lip hard.
How does he keep doing that?
He raised his mug of hot chocolate to his mouth, eyes still locked on hers. Sage decided two could play at this game. She gave him her sweetest, most innocent, angelic smile… and held his gaze for one deliberate beat.
Then, slowly, she lifted her hand to her cheek and poked her tongue against the inside, bulging it out in a blatant, unmistakable imitation of something very much not PG.
