Epilogue
SAGE
ONE MONTH LATER
“You are absolutely amazing,” Lucia gushes as she looks around the restaurant. “It looks beautiful in here. Where did you get so many fresh flowers for free?” She picks up a bouquet of sunflowers, roses, and begonias and smells them.
“I partnered with some of the local florists. They donated the flowers because I put them in the program,” I say, grinning.
“Do you really think it looks okay?” I survey the restaurant—all the tables with crisp white tablecloths, the solitary candle, the bouquet of flowers—and I start to feel nervous.
“This is our first official speed-dating event.”
Tickets sold for one hundred fifty dollars each, and fifty different men and fifty different women were coming to our classy dating session.
I look over toward the bar, where Jimmy is setting up the crystal wineglasses and uncorking several bottles of wine in preparation for when the singles get here.
He looks up from the bar and smiles at me. He raises a glass, and I shake my head.
“You guys seem to be establishing a connection now,” Lucia says, grinning. “I still can’t get over the fact that Jimmy the Fish is your dad.”
“Me neither,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s only been thirty days since everything came to a head, but it feels like a lifetime.”
“Also, I just wanted to say I’m really happy for you and my brother.
” Lucia grabs my hand and squeezes. “I’ve never known him to be this happy, and I mean, really and truly happy.
And also,” she whispers, “please do not let him choose his next house.” She laughs.
“I know you guys are looking for a place together.”
“I told him we’re not buying anything anytime soon,” I say. “We need to pay off as much of the debt that he has at this restaurant first, and then I need him to invest more in the restaurant so that Gracie can focus on new menu items while having help in the kitchen.”
“You have so many amazing ideas, Sage,” Lucia says. “I am so impressed by you.”
“Thank you.”
The door to the restaurant opens, and Dalton, Roman, and Brett walk in. Lucia’s eyes widen in appreciation.
“Is it just me, or does Roman look particularly handsome today?” she asks.
I look at her in surprise. “Do you have a—”
“No, no, no,” she cuts me off before I can even continue my sentence. “Let me go to the back and make sure Izzy’s okay,” she says and hurries off.
I stare after her in surprise. Is she interested in Roman, or was I making that up in my head?
Dalton heads right over to me and grabs my hands before kissing me on the lips. “It looks and smells fantastic in here. You’ve done such a great job.”
“Thank you,” I say, touching the side of his face. “How was your afternoon? Did you guys finish everything you needed to get done?”
“We did,” he says. “The house is officially sold, and I have received the wire transfer.” He smiles at me. “And it’s a good amount of money. I’ve put money into Toby’s college account, and I’ve paid off some debts, and there’s still some left.”
“I’m so glad,” I say, squeezing his hand. “That’s really amazing.”
“Are you sure you’re not upset that I’m not super rich?” He starts laughing. “What? I’m just saying, when we first met, it was your intention to marry a billionaire, and now you’re stuck with me.”
“Well, we’re not married yet, Dalton.”
“We will be one day,” he says as he strokes the side of my face. “You know I love you. I can’t wait for you to be my wife.” He grins. “I want to introduce you as my fiancée and then my wife, not just my girlfriend.”
“One day,” I say. “But first, we have to make sure the business is running well, and we have to make sure…” I pause as I see Toby running from the back.
“Hey, Sage,” he says, running up to me and tugging on the bottom of my skirt.
“Yes, Toby?”
“Guess what Izzy just said.”
“What’s that?”
“She said that there’s ice cream, and if I ask you nicely, I might get some.”
“Oh, well, actually, Toby, I got you something really special.”
“You did?” He looks at me eagerly. “What is it?”
“I got you a root beer float.”
“A root beer float for me? Only for me?” He jumps up and down. “Thank you! Thank you!”
I pick him up and hug him. He kisses the side of my face, and I squeeze him. I love this little boy so much.
“Thank you, Sage. I love you,” he says softly, his lips quivering.
He looks over at his dad, and I see his dad shake his head slightly.
“What’s going on?” I ask, wondering what the look meant.
Dalton looks at me for a second, and then he looks down at Toby. “Toby wanted to ask you something, but I didn’t want to put you on the spot,” he says softly.
“Oh?” I look down at Toby, and his eyes are wide and happy.
“I wanted to ask you a question, but the first two times, I didn’t really get an answer, and I don’t know if I can do this or not, but I want to do this, and Daddy said that I have to ask you, but …”
“What is it, Toby?” I hold him close to me and stroke the side of his face.
“Can I call you Mommy?” he says, lower lip out. “I just really wish you were my mommy.”
I look over at Dalton because I don’t want to give an answer unless I have his permission. He nods, and I grin at him before turning back to Toby.
“You can call me Mommy, Toby,” I say softly and kiss the side of his face. “I love you, and you’re the most perfect little boy, and I love your daddy, and we’re a family, and we’ll always be a family. You know you can always count on me, okay?”
“Yay. Thank you, Mommy.” He hugs me around the neck and squeezes tight.
Dalton steps forward and strokes my back. “I love you, Sage. I don’t know how I got so lucky as to meet someone like you, but I did, and I thank the Lord every single day that you came into my life.”
“I love you too, Dalton.”
“Are you two going to get married?” Toby asks, giggling.
“One day,” I say, nodding.
“One day soon,” Dalton says, kissing me on the forehead. “Very, very soon. And when we get married, you can be in the wedding if you want, Toby.”
“Yay! I want to be in the wedding. Can I get my root beer float now, please? Can I tell Auntie Izzy that you said I can have it?”
“Okay.” I let him down, and he goes running to the back.
“My mommy said I can have a root beer float,” he screams so everyone in the restaurant can hear.
Dalton grabs my hand. “You just made his day.”
“He just made mine, actually. I love him. It’s crazy to me how much I love him, but I do.”
“I guess maybe he was made to be ours,” he says. “When we get married, if you’d like to formally adopt him—”
“Of course.” I press my lips against Dalton’s and hold him close to me. “We really are a family, aren’t we?”
“You’d better believe it,” he says. “Oh, yeah.” He lowers his voice. “I wanted to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“I got an email today—some good news for once.”
“About the money that was transferred from you selling your house?”
“No. I mean, some real good news.” He grabs his phone, opens an email, and shows me a picture.
“Who’s that?” I frown at the pretty woman with a warm smile on her face.
“That’s Louisa,” he says softly.
“Louisa? Wait, what? Toby’s mom?”
He nods. “She moved to a place in the Midwest. It’s on a farm.
It’s a rehab, but they work with animals.
Supposedly, it’s a way to get them to focus on something other than the drugs.
I don’t know exactly how it works, but she’s two weeks sober, and she emailed me, and she wanted to tell me that she’s grateful to Brett and to me and that she’s ready to really try this time; she wanted to send me a photo because, being out there on the farm in the fresh air with the animals, she’s starting to feel like someone she didn’t know existed.
She’s really enjoying the work, and even though she knows it’s early days and she’s taking it one step at a time, she feels like she can really make it this time.
” He squeezes my hand. “I think that’s good, right? ”
“It’s great. It’s really, really great. You’re paying for that rehab, aren’t you?”
He looks down guiltily and then back at me. “I know it’s a lot of money, but—”
“It doesn’t matter how much money it is.
I finally realized money isn’t just for buying expensive clothes and fancy cars.
It’s for doing good. It’s for helping other people.
It’s for making life better for all of us.
And you know what? You’re doing this for Louisa; you’re doing this for Toby.
I would never be upset at you for spending your money to help her.
I’m glad you are. It shows me the sort of man that you are.
You’re the sort of man who would give the shirt off your back to help someone, and, well, that says a lot. ”
“You sound like you kind of love me.”
“I think I kind of do.”
“I think I kind of love you too.” He strokes the side of my face. “Tell me you’ll marry me soon, Sage. Tell me you’ll make an honest man out of me.”
“How soon are we talking, Dalton?” I laugh at the intensity in his gaze.
“Tomorrow?”
“I can’t marry you tomorrow.”
“Because you don’t want to?”
“Because we should at least wait a couple of months.”
“Why?” he asks. “Do we really need to wait?”
“I don’t know. It just feels right. Let’s get everything settled first.”
“Everything, like what?”
“You know, all the plans I have in place for the restaurant, all the plans I have for travel—”
“We can travel as a married couple, you know?”
“I know. I love you—you know that, Dalton. You know I’m going nowhere.”
“I know.”
“Did I tell you that Parker pled guilty and that he’s taken a plea deal? Ten years.”
Dalton nods. “How do you feel about that? I know you probably wish it were more time.”
“Part of his plea deal was that he was going to get psychological help, so hopefully, that means something and helps him. I’m just glad that he’s out of my life. He’s out of our lives. You know?”
“I know. He’s a sicko,” Dalton says. “He’s lucky that I didn’t punch the living daylights out of him.”
“Now, now, Dalton. I know. I do not condone violence, only on people who really and truly deserve it,” I say with a laugh.