Chapter 47
FORTY-SEVEN
“ W hat are your plans for the day?”
Sage wiped up the mess Tinsley was making with her scrambled eggs, automatically raising her cheek for Creed’s kiss as he walked into the dining room.
“Not a thing, other than washing clothes, straightening up the kids’ playroom, feeding them lunch, putting them down for nap, and making some stir-fry for dinner.”
Creed ran a caressing hand along the nape of her neck. “Is that all? Sounds like you’re getting off easy. Sure you don’t want to add mopping the floors to your schedule?”
Looking up, she saw he was teasing. “Hardy har har. You’re a riot,” she teased back.
“I should be home by five. Do you need me to bring anything?”
“Just yourself.”
The kiss Creed gave her made her wish Tayla weren’t off today.
Since she had moved in with Creed, he had hired Tayla to work full-time helping with the girls and the never-ending household chores.
She had objected, not wanting to take Creed’s money.
It was Tayla who wanted the job so badly she had pleaded with her.
Accepting his generosity hard been hard to swallow at first, making her feel uncomfortable, yet when she saw how everyone was flourishing, she was glad she had let her pride take the hit.
Creed had hired Allie full-time, too, which allowed her to focus on the kids during the day until he came home.
During the evening, they would all eat dinner together then watch television in the living room until Glory became tired and would go to bed.
Then Creed would do the cleanup and dishes in the kitchen while she put the girls to bed.
Glory’s condition had worsened in the last three months since they had moved into the house. Time was running out for her sister. Sage wanted to spend every minute with her, which was why Creed had been able to convince her to hire Tayla.
“I better be going.” He gave her another kiss then raised his fist to Tinsley for a fist-bump before moving to Colby’s chair to give her a high-five. “Girls, be good today.”
“Bring kisses when you come home!” Colby yelled.
“Me, too.” Tinsley mumbled around a piece of toast.
“I won’t forget them,” he promised.
Once Creed was gone, they all went to the girls’ rooms to wash up. Getting them dressed was easier said than done. Finally, the girls both decided on jean shorts. Colby chose a pretty flower shirt, while Tinsley, after crying that her favorite one was dirty, decided on a plain pink shirt.
Tinsley took her hand, wiggling down from her bedroom chair after having her hair brushed. “Go play,” she demanded.
“After we clean the kitchen,” she gently told her no without saying the word, which could cause a tantrum.
Knowing it was useless to argue, the girls skipped after her.
Sage felt a hard tug on her hand.
“Go play!” Tinsley yelled.
Realizing what Tinsley was determined to play with, Sage shook her head. “Not today.”
Sage stared at the object of Tinsley’s fascination.
She had thought Creed would turn the room into his office and was shocked to see when they had come home from picking Glory and girls up to move in with them a piano had been delivered while they were gone.
Creed had simply wheeled Glory’s wheelchair by the room, continuing on to Glory’s new bedroom, giving her time to acclimate to the fact it was there.
There was no mistaking the piano. It was the same one she had seen in the Hollingsworths’ house.
“Gail sold it to me,” Creed had told her, coming back after leaving the girls and Glory in her room with Allie. “She said her son didn’t want to play anymore and wanted to sell it. Gail is selling everything not nailed down in Garrett’s home before she asks for a divorce.”
“Garrett is letting her?”
“You weren’t the only one Livvy called. She found out about the affair, said she forgave him, then told him she wanted to redecorate their home. Gail also told him she wanted the money from selling what she wanted to pay for new furniture.
“And Garrett believed her?”
“You might have noticed when you worked at Hollingsworth that Garrett isn’t the best lawyer there.”
Sage looked at him. “So, who is the best lawyer?”
“Me, of course.”
“Of course.” She’d laughed.
For three months, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to touch the piano.
She loved it, had never dreamed of having one of its caliber, yet she couldn’t touch a single key.
She couldn’t bring herself to touch it because, deep down, she hadn’t forgiven Creed for Livvy.
She needed to know in her heart that Creed truly loved her, that he would never cheat on her again.
Until she had no doubts about their relationship, she wouldn’t allow herself to touch the piano.
If she did, she would believe it was hers, give her soul to the music she would play on the instrument wholeheartedly.
Until then, she didn’t enter the room, supervising Tayla when it was dusted and not letting Colby or Tinsley play it.
After playfully chasing the girls into the kitchen, she let them help carry their dishes from the table, then placed a detergent tablet into the dishwasher and was filling their sippy cups when the phone rang.
Picking up her cell, she saw Tayla was calling.
“Hey, Tayla, how are you this morning?”
“Sage, can you please come over and help me?” Tayla asked with a quivering voice.
“Are you all right?” Concerned, she set the juice bottle down on the counter.
“No … I fell getting out of the shower. I need help getting up, and Link isn’t answering his phone.” Tayla gave a crying hiccup.
“Of course. Stay still. I’ll be right over.”
She rushed the girls to Glory’s room and asked Allie to watch them, explaining where she was going. Allie’s agreement had her hurrying back to the kitchen to grab her car keys out of the drawer she kept them in.
She was already driving away from the gate when she realized she had forgotten her cell phone and hadn’t called Creed that she needed to leave. He was going to be furious that she hadn’t called so he could have a member of their security team accompany her.
“I’ll be back before he finds out,” she told herself, not wanting to turn around to get her phone to call him. She didn’t want Tayla lying in pain any longer than necessary.
Thankfully, traffic was light, and she was pulling up to her former apartment building in less time than she had expected it would take.
As she got out of her car, another car pulled in behind hers.
When she turned her head to make sure she had left enough space, she was surprised to find Creed getting out of his SUV.
“What are you doing here?” Trying to play it off as if she hadn’t done anything wrong, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
His glower told her he wasn’t buying what she was trying to sell.
“The security company called and told me you took off out of the house like a bat of hell.” Grim-faced, he moved her away from the side of the car to the sidewalk. “I tried calling; you didn’t answer.”
“I’m sorry. I forgot my phone at home. Tayla called and told me she fell in the shower and asked if I could come and help her.”
“Why didn’t she call her husband?”
“He didn’t answer.”
“It must be contagious this morning.”
“I know you’re angry”—pleadingly, she pressed a hand to his chest—“but can we please talk about this later, after I take care of Tayla?”
“Okay, but I’m coming up with you.”
“That works. You can wait in the living room. She’s in the bathroom. If I need you, I’ll yell for you. Just give me time to find something to cover her.”
He agreed, and they went to Tayla’s apartment.
Knowing Tayla was helpless on the bathroom floor, Sage didn’t bother knocking before she reached for the doorknob.
“Let me do it. I want to go in first.”
“Okay.” Stepping aside, she let Creed open the door. Sage could see the empty living room.
“See? No one is there waiting to take me out.” Walking around him, she went through the door.
Creed’s jaw tautened as he followed her. “I take your safety seriously.” He closed the door behind them, and she saw him surveying the room.
“I see that.”
She glanced around the empty living room, wondering what he was looking for. Tayla’s apartment was slightly different than the one she had shared with Glory. The apartment had one bedroom and one bath. Both rooms were around a corner at the end of the living room.
“I’ll call out if I need your help,” she said, taking a step in the direction of the bathroom.
Creed jerked her back by her arm, placing her behind him at the sound of the doorknob being turned.
Poking her head out, she saw Creed’s hand sliding inside his suit jacket as the door was flung open. She recognized all three men.
Tayla’s husband, Link, and his two friends, Chris and Tripp. The sight of all three of them pointing guns at them overshadowed her relief that she recognized the men.
Tripp closing and locking the door had her shakily gripping the back of Creed’s coat.
“Link.” Still hoping that it was a misunderstanding that Link and his friends were pointing guns on them, she remained calm. “We didn’t mean to barge in unannounced. Tayla called—”
“Bitch, I know she called you. I told her to. Tripp, get his motherfucking gun.”
“Link, you and your buddy can stop right now.” Creed’s calmness eased some of the terror she was feeling. “Believe me, you don’t want to do this.”
Tayla’s husband looked at him like he was crazy. “I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m about to make us fucking rich, is what I’m about to do.”
Tripp approached Creed, forcibly pressing his gun to Creed’s head. “You make one move, and I’ll blow your brains out.”
Sage watched as Tripp slid a gun out of a holster she was unaware of Creed wearing.
“Damn, this one is mine.” Tripp moved back, holding the gun in his hand. “You can’t even find this piece in a gun shop. It’s custom made.” He gave Creed a gloating smile. “Thanks. I’ll take care of it.”
“Let me see.” Chris tried to take it out of Tripp’s hand.