shouldn’t deal with that alone.”
“Hank’s parents will be there.”
“I know, but they have each other to lean on. I want you to
feel you can do that with me.”
She finished with her hair and put the comb on the dresser
before she turned to face Grady. “I’d like that. I’ve always been strong, but
going through this shows I’m not all the time. I thought it was hard when my
parents died. I was just a teenager then.”
“What happened to them?”
“My dad killed my mother, then killed himself. He was
abusive and didn’t like the fact she’d left him.”
“That would have been rough.”
“It was, but it also made me want to be a cop so I could
protect other women from suffering the same fate as my mother. I just wish I
could have done that for Macy.”
Grady tugged Sage into his arms with the side of her face
pressed against his chest. She reached up and held on to his cougar head
pendant. Holding it made her feel more connected to him for some reason. A part
of her wanted to take it from him and put it around her neck so she’d have
something of his on her all the time. The old her before her sister’s death
would have told her to smarten her ass up and not be so needy, but this new her
didn’t care if it made her appear weak.
“How about you get dressed, then I’ll take you downstairs
for something to eat. The last thing you ate was the pizza we had last night.”
Sage lifted her head and kissed Grady’s chin. “All right,
though I’m not very hungry. I’ll force myself to eat. I can’t be passing out
from lack of food. Not when I have Josh to think about.” She kissed him again
when he angled his mouth in her direction.
“No, that wouldn’t be good.”
“Thanks for looking after us.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I can help.”
With her free hand, Sage reached up and traced Grady’s lips
with her fingertip. “I probably shouldn’t be saying anything right now, but
having lost Macy, I’ve come to realize how quickly I can lose someone. I don’t
want it to happen before I get a chance to tell a person in my life how I
really felt about them.” She paused for a few seconds. “Don’t take this the
wrong way, thinking I’m usually this quick when it comes to relationships,
because I’m not. Grady, I want you to be a part of my life. For the first time,
I have strong feelings for a man.”
He cupped her face and smiled. “I feel the same way about
you. When it’s right, it’s right.”
“Really? I didn’t think you would since I tried to get rid
of you last night.”
Grady chuckled. “I didn’t let you, though. I think I started
falling for you when you stopped me from getting my head bashed in and tried to
take care of me.”
Sage let go of his pendant and with both hands angled
Grady’s head down. She ran her fingers through his hair along the spot where
he’d been hit. Much to her surprise, there was nothing there, not even a
scabbed-over cut. It’d only been two days. There was no way it would have
healed that quickly, even if it had been minor as he’d told her last night.
She pulled her hands away and met his gaze when he lifted
his head. “There’s nothing there. I can’t feel where your wound was. That
shouldn’t be possible.”
Grady ran the backs of his fingers along her cheek. “For me
it is. It’s something we can talk about, but not right now. Let’s wait until
after you’ve gone through what you have to do for your sister.”
“Tonight. We’ll talk about it tonight.”
“I don’t think you’ll be in the right frame of mind for it.”
“I’m going to be up front with you. I can’t stand being lied
to or have people keep secrets from me when it’ll affect me. You do either of
those things, we won’t work out, and I don’t want to regret accepting you into
my life.”
“Then tonight we’ll talk. And if you don’t mind, I want my
family there when we do.”
“Okay.”
“Now get dressed.” Grady stepped away.
“Hank’s parents will be there.”
“I know, but they have each other to lean on. I want you to
feel you can do that with me.”
She finished with her hair and put the comb on the dresser
before she turned to face Grady. “I’d like that. I’ve always been strong, but
going through this shows I’m not all the time. I thought it was hard when my
parents died. I was just a teenager then.”
“What happened to them?”
“My dad killed my mother, then killed himself. He was
abusive and didn’t like the fact she’d left him.”
“That would have been rough.”
“It was, but it also made me want to be a cop so I could
protect other women from suffering the same fate as my mother. I just wish I
could have done that for Macy.”
Grady tugged Sage into his arms with the side of her face
pressed against his chest. She reached up and held on to his cougar head
pendant. Holding it made her feel more connected to him for some reason. A part
of her wanted to take it from him and put it around her neck so she’d have
something of his on her all the time. The old her before her sister’s death
would have told her to smarten her ass up and not be so needy, but this new her
didn’t care if it made her appear weak.
“How about you get dressed, then I’ll take you downstairs
for something to eat. The last thing you ate was the pizza we had last night.”
Sage lifted her head and kissed Grady’s chin. “All right,
though I’m not very hungry. I’ll force myself to eat. I can’t be passing out
from lack of food. Not when I have Josh to think about.” She kissed him again
when he angled his mouth in her direction.
“No, that wouldn’t be good.”
“Thanks for looking after us.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad I can help.”
With her free hand, Sage reached up and traced Grady’s lips
with her fingertip. “I probably shouldn’t be saying anything right now, but
having lost Macy, I’ve come to realize how quickly I can lose someone. I don’t
want it to happen before I get a chance to tell a person in my life how I
really felt about them.” She paused for a few seconds. “Don’t take this the
wrong way, thinking I’m usually this quick when it comes to relationships,
because I’m not. Grady, I want you to be a part of my life. For the first time,
I have strong feelings for a man.”
He cupped her face and smiled. “I feel the same way about
you. When it’s right, it’s right.”
“Really? I didn’t think you would since I tried to get rid
of you last night.”
Grady chuckled. “I didn’t let you, though. I think I started
falling for you when you stopped me from getting my head bashed in and tried to
take care of me.”
Sage let go of his pendant and with both hands angled
Grady’s head down. She ran her fingers through his hair along the spot where
he’d been hit. Much to her surprise, there was nothing there, not even a
scabbed-over cut. It’d only been two days. There was no way it would have
healed that quickly, even if it had been minor as he’d told her last night.
She pulled her hands away and met his gaze when he lifted
his head. “There’s nothing there. I can’t feel where your wound was. That
shouldn’t be possible.”
Grady ran the backs of his fingers along her cheek. “For me
it is. It’s something we can talk about, but not right now. Let’s wait until
after you’ve gone through what you have to do for your sister.”
“Tonight. We’ll talk about it tonight.”
“I don’t think you’ll be in the right frame of mind for it.”
“I’m going to be up front with you. I can’t stand being lied
to or have people keep secrets from me when it’ll affect me. You do either of
those things, we won’t work out, and I don’t want to regret accepting you into
my life.”
“Then tonight we’ll talk. And if you don’t mind, I want my
family there when we do.”
“Okay.”
“Now get dressed.” Grady stepped away.
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