Michael was several inches shorter than Eric, but something in his eyes said he was capable of carrying out that threat. Eric took a deep breath. Even though he hadn’t been close to Delinda in years, the idea of losing her to the finality of death sent a mild panic through him. Perhaps it was the wrong day to discuss the dinner, but he did want to see her. “That won’t be necessary.”
Michael stepped back and resumed his professional stance. “Then I shall announce your arrival.”
“No, I’m fine announcing myself. Where is she?”
“In her library.” He pointed toward a door at the other end of the foyer.
Eric almost walked away, then stopped. “Thank you, Michael, for being there for Delinda.”
Michael’s lips twisted in a small smile. “She was there for me when I was in need. I am not blind to her flaws, but she does what she does out of love. Of all her grandchildren, you’re the most like her. Perhaps that’s why you clash as you do.”
“Alike? I don’t see—”
“You are both highly creative, highly sensitive people who lash out when hurt. You have difficulty trusting people. Neither of you is quick to forgive, but you’re fast to judge. Oh, I’d say you have much more in common with your grandmother than you realize.”
Eric walked away from Michael with those words echoing in his head. He would have loved to have dismissed Michael’s assertions as nothing more than bullshit, but they rang true. He was everything his grandmother’s butler accused him of and worse.
As he stood at the door of Delinda’s library, he asked himself what Sage would do in the same situation. He had recent confirmation. He had hurt her, and she had not only listened to his explanation but also given him a chance to redeem himself.
Was that what she needed to see from him?
Forgiveness required allowing a person another chance to take a swipe at him, but he’d already tried the alternative. Closing people out of his life, protecting himself, had brought him to a dark and lonely place he never wanted to return to.
He opened the library door quietly and was given a moment to observe Delinda without her realizing he was there. She was seated in a chair, a blanket on her lap, looking out the window as if she were visiting a distant place or time. When not pinned down by her piercing gaze, he was able to see the frailness of her frame. In his mind she would always be a larger-than-life, overly opinionated, dominating presence—but he needed to reconcile that with the slight woman before him who would not be with him forever.
“Grandmother,” he said softly. She didn’t hear him, so he said it again, louder.
She turned, and when she realized it was him, such joy shone in her eyes that he was temporarily overcome with shame for the way he had treated her. She struggled to rise, but he rushed to her side and pulled up a chair beside her.
“Eric, what are you doing here?”
He wanted to ask her how she felt, but that would reveal that he knew she’d seen a doctor. Delinda was too proud to want that. Eric remembered the day Sage had brought him along as she’d looked for a new client. The answers came to her when she opened herself to hearing them. He took a breath, quieted his thoughts, then smiled as one came to him. “I need your help with something.”
Delinda leaned forward, touching his hand. “Anything. You know that.”
He took a leap of faith—for Sage as well as himself. “I’d like to host a dinner so everyone can meet Sage, but I’d like it to happen here in London. I’m talking about everyone: Mom, Dad, Brett, Rachelle, Spencer, Nicolette . . . spouses and children. Everyone. I’d like to do it this weekend. I know it’s short notice, but could you help me make it happen?”
Tears misted Delinda’s eyes, but she blinked them back and raised her chin. “I can have everyone here by tomorrow morning if you’d like.”
No doubt she could.
He gripped her hand in his. If she started crying, he’d lose it right along with her, and neither of them wanted that. “By Saturday would be perfect. I’ll understand if any of them are too busy to come. It’s definitely short notice.”
“They’ll come,” his grandmother said softly. “Nothing is more important than family.”
After a few awkward moments, they began planning the menu as well as the guest list. Delinda said, “I’m assuming you’ll want Reggie and his family in attendance?”
He was surprised that she thought their presence would be proper, but maybe there was another side to her. “I also think we should invite Michael.”
Delinda cleared her throat. “Yes, I think I’ll require his assistance that day.”
“And your suitor is welcome as well,” Eric said to lighten the mood.
“My suitor?” Delinda sniffed and her eyebrows rose. “I am too old to have a such a thing.”
“Clandestine paramour?”
His grandmother shook her head, but the hint of a smile tugged at her lips. “You’re incorrigible. Tadeas is a friend, that’s all.”
“It’s not your fault, Grandmother, that even kings bow before your charm.”
“My charm.” Delinda rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure many would say that’s a trait of mine.”
“We all have our crosses to bear,” Eric joked. “Mine is how outrageously good I look in spandex. Not everyone can pull off the look. Imagine Brett trying to.”
Delinda laughed at that. “Oh, he would be too mortified to leave the dressing room.”
“It sure would make his board meetings interesting.”
They shared a laugh over that image, and for a moment Eric felt as close to her as he had as a child. “Grandmother . . .”
“Yes, Eric?”
Leap of faith. “I love you.”
This time a tear did spill down her cheek. She wiped it away impatiently. “I am so sorry, Eric. I didn’t know how much Sage meant to you. I thought you were lost and I needed to—”
He took her hand in his again and gave it a squeeze. “I was before I met Sage. She lives by her own rules. She sees the best in everyone, even those who disappoint her—and I’ve done my fair share of that. I understand how her career looks on paper, but when you see her in action, it’s nothing less than inspirational. When I’m with her, I start to believe there might be a reason we’re all here. I don’t know how to explain it better than that—except that she gives me hope.”
“Oliver always brought out the best in me. I miss him as much today as the day I lost him. Tadeas is the same. Maybe that’s why I’m so afraid to say yes to him—I don’t know if I could bear to lose another man I love.”
“Sage would say he’s worth the risk. I think you’d really like her, Grandmother. She’s strong like you—in a much less abrasive way.”
“Well, isn’t that sweet,” Delinda said, though she was smiling.
He wagged a finger at her. “So stop threatening to have her arrested.”
Delinda sighed dramatically. “If I must. I’ll even make an effort to be nice to her family.”
“Nah, they sound like assholes.”
Delinda let out a surprised laugh, then a thoroughly amused cackle. “You’re awful.”
“I learned from the best,” Eric said with a grin.
The door of the library closed, bringing Eric’s attention to the fact that Michael might have been listening the whole time. Rather than offending Eric, though, it was a testament to Michael’s protectiveness of Delinda.
Eric decided to invite him to the dinner personally.
Chapter Seventeen
The next few days crawled by for Sage. Eric texted her each morning to say he hoped she had a good day. She responded each time that she hoped he had the same. He texted her again each evening to ask how her day had gone. She gave him a brief recap, then asked him about his day. The strained texts highlighted how much both of them were holding back. She desperately wanted to ask him if he was organizing a dinner with his family, but she didn’t. He claimed to miss her, but he didn’t ask to see her again. It was a test of Sa
ge’s ability to remain positive, but she did. Not for him, but, as Bella had said, because Sage wasn’t happy when she expected to be disappointed.
Midafternoon, Sage was retrieving her mail from the first floor of her apartment building when her phone rang. Her heart fluttered with excitement until she saw the number was her mother’s. “Hi, Mom.”
“How are you, Sage?”
“I’m good.”
“I wanted to thank you for finally doing something right. I received a call from Delinda Westerly. She said she met you and was so impressed that she needed to meet me as well. Needed, can you believe it? We’re having tea tomorrow.”
“And you’d like me to join you?”
“Oh my goodness, no. I’m calling to see if there is any lie I need to maintain regarding what you do for a living or anything else you might have told her.” Of course. Delinda couldn’t like me unless I lied about myself.
Sage tapped the mail on her forehead and said, “Mom, I love you. I will always love you. That doesn’t mean I like you. Every time you call, I think this time will be the one when you want to see me because you miss me, because you finally realize that I’m more important than everyone you try so hard to impress. You might never make that call. You might always remain self-centered and narcissistic, but I’m not giving up hope on you. I am a good person, and I will keep my heart open so that if you do wake up and want a real relationship, it’ll be possible. But I’m also a busy person who doesn’t have time for you when you’re like this. Good luck tomorrow, Mom. I have a feeling you’ll need it.” Her mother was sputtering in annoyance as Sage hung up on her.
And that was okay.
Sage looked at the mail in her hand and saw that one piece hadn’t come through the post but had been delivered directly to her mailbox—a large, rectangular ivory envelope with gold-embossed print. She tore it open.
Careful script on expensive card stock held an invitation.
Sage,
The entire Westerly family invites you to join us at my home tomorrow evening, Saturday, at 5:00 p.m. for a meal and whatever mayhem might ensue as a result of our gathering. Please feel free to invite anyone you would like to accompany you.
RSVP as soon as you receive this, because I’ll be holding my breath until you do,
Eric
After hugging it to her chest, Sage reread the invitation again and again. He had done what she’d asked. She texted Bella with the news, then read the invitation a few more times.
She stuffed the rest of her mail back into her box and headed out into the afternoon sun. She took out her phone while she walked and texted, I would love to.
He replied almost instantly. They’re all here except my youngest sister, Nicolette. She’s flying in tomorrow morning.
At the corner of her street, she let her feet guide her and smiled when she realized the direction she’d taken. I’m hungry. I think I’ll get a sandwich at the place next to our coffee shop.
Eric: I’m always hungry.
Sage: Maybe I’ll see you there.
He didn’t respond immediately. I’ll have to come as Wayne, unless you’re okay with having absolutely no privacy.
She understood now that the scar was not a lie—it was a tool that freed him. I like Wayne. The only problem I ever had with him was his aggression toward clowns.
Eric: ??? Oh. Yeah. That’s Reggie’s sense of humor.
Sage: I figured.
Eric: It’ll take me about thirty minutes to get to you.
Sage: I’ll get us a table.
If Sage’s feet touched the pavement after that, she didn’t feel it. She kept smiling at strangers along the way as she texted Bella where she was going. Not only had he arranged the dinner she’d requested, but like her, he didn’t want to wait until then to get together.
She accidentally bumped into someone going in the other direction. Sage apologized and was about to keep walking when the young woman asked, “Were you in the Eric Westerly video? The one with the flowers and the limo?”
“Uh, no. No, I wasn’t.”
“Sorry, you look just like her. Can I take a selfie with you anyway?”
Sage was shaking her head to refuse, but the woman had already lined up her shot and had taken it. She obediently smiled when the woman told her to, mostly because the entire exchange had caught Sage off balance. She was used to being invisible.
“Thanks, my followers will love this. I’ll just say you might have been her. That’ll be good enough. Cool.” With that, the young woman disappeared into the crowd.
It was Sage’s first taste of being in the public eye, and it gave her a new appreciation for what it must be like for Eric. It also made her worry that someone might see them together and see through Eric’s disguise. He was hiding in plain sight. The only reason the scar worked was because no one had a reason to doubt it. She didn’t want to be the reason they did.
Since he was probably already en route, she called rather than texted. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself. I’m halfway there.”
“I’m not sure we should meet in public.”
“Why?”
She told him what had just happened. “It was only once. It might be nothing, but I thought you should know. I’d hate for people to draw a connection between you and Wayne.”
After a pause, he said, “I have an idea. It’ll mean I won’t be there for another hour, though. Is there somewhere else you need to be?”
There wasn’t, but she couldn’t imagine an appointment she wouldn’t cancel to see him that day. “Don’t worry about me. I love this area. I can definitely find something to do for an hour.”
“Why don’t we meet at the bathrooms of the fast-food place at the corner instead?”
“The bathrooms? That sounds deliciously clandestine,” she joked.
He laughed. “Sage, if that sounds exciting, you’ll love what I have planned for the rest of the day.”
“Do we have plans for later?” Sage asked with coyness.
“We do now,” he purred.
Bella would have needed to know why he wanted to meet by the bathrooms. She would have asked for an itinerary for the rest of the day. Sage preferred to trust in the magic of what was budding between them. “Then I’ll see you in an hour.”
“Sage?”
“Yes?”
He seemed to want to say more but finished with, “See you soon.”
Eric rushed from store to store until he found the perfect gifts for Sage. Seated in his Ford, he put them all into a gift bag and sped to meet her. Barring any unforeseen traffic snafus, he’d be right on time.
A short while later, he scored an amazing parking spot, grabbed his gift bag, and sprinted into the fast-food place. He didn’t trust easily, but he knew she would be there . . . based solely on the fact that she’d said she would be.
And there she was—standing near the bathroom doors. He had the luxury of watching her expression light up when she saw him. Never, no matter how long he lived, would he forget how her smiled rocked through him. She was his as surely as he was hers. He could picture everything in that moment—waking up beside her, holding their first child, growing old with her. It was all right there in her smile.
He kissed her lips lightly in greeting, not wanting to call attention to either of them yet. Then he slid the gift back into her hand. “Open it in the bathroom. I’ll grab two sodas and meet you at a table.”
She had a wonderfully dazed look after their kiss, but nodded and disappeared into the ladies’ room. He was just about to sit at a table nearby when she emerged.
Her brown eyes were now green, hidden partially by nerdy black-rimmed glasses. Her beautiful chestnut curls were covered by shoulder-length straight blonde hair. She was still attractive, but just different enough so that anyone who had seen her on social media wouldn’t recognize her.
The huge grin on her face said everything he needed to know. He waved her to the table, and they sat across from each other, sipping their
sodas as if it were the most normal day for both of them.
“Hello,” he said. “My name is Wayne Easton.”
She bit her bottom lip. “Hi. I’m—I’m—Lorna St. Cloud.”
“Perfect!” he said, reaching across the table to take her hand in his. “Depending on how much you enjoy this date, we could make it official and get you identification.” Her eyes rounded and he quickly added, “For your new name. Reggie can arrange credit cards, driver’s license, an online presence, everything.”
“Oh, of course.” She smiled in relief, but there was a funny look in her eyes as if for a second she’d thought he was asking a much larger question. “I’d like that. Although I’ll write my own bio.”
Eric laughed. “That’s probably for the best.” Part of him wanted to announce that although he wasn’t prepared to propose that day, he could see it happening soon. He’d already attempted to say it, though, and had expressed himself poorly. He decided to take it slower with her. He would have loved to drag her out of there and into the nearest hotel room, but there would be time for that later. When dealing with forever, there was no need to rush. “You’ll be meeting my whole family tomorrow. Tell me more about yours.”
She described being brought up by nannies as a young child before being sent off to boarding school full-time when her parents divorced. Although she was kind in her descriptions of both of her parents, he already knew how deeply they had disappointed her. What he hadn’t known until that conversation, though, was how she had taken that pain and grown it into a philosophy of finding happiness through helping others. He fell a little more in love with her with each new thing he learned about her.
They broke down and ordered fast food, then decided to walk it off. Time flew when he was with her. They talked about her life, his life, everything they had in common, and everything they didn’t. She had endless questions about the people she’d meet the next day, and as he described his family, he realized there was something he admired about each of them. With her, he could finally admit that the rift between them had been his fault as much as theirs. He hadn’t known how to fit into either family.