Chapter 11
SAGE
brADY: Can I take you out for breakfast tomorrow?
SAGE: Sure, that sounds great.
brADY: Awesome. There’s a good breakfast place downtown I wanted to check out, if you like pancakes?
SAGE: Love them.
brADY: See you at 9?
SAGE: Okay
I’ve been staring at my phone for the entire bus ride from Dogwood Cove to Cedar Creek. It’s stupid, I know, but I can’t help it. I need to reread the messages to convince myself they’re real. That Brady is following through on his promises.
I’m not sure how long it will take for me to stop expecting him to let me down, or worse, disappear. But today, he’s here.
As soon as I step off the bus and turn in the direction of the fifties-style diner where he suggested we meet, I see him.
Standing tall, his hair is tucked under a backward baseball cap.
The hoodie he’s wearing is layered under a puffy vest, and his jeans fit his strong legs and cup his butt in the most perfect way.
He hasn’t seen me yet, so I give in to temptation and ogle him for a minute longer. He truly is the hottest man I’ve ever been with.
Fiona’s comment about us making really cute kids comes to mind, and I hold back a laugh. She’s not wrong…not wrong at all.
He turns and catches sight of me, and the smile that breaks across his face is full and genuine. When was the last time a man was that happy to see me?
Never. That’s when.
I walk over to him.
“Morning,” he says, dipping his head in a nod and stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me.”
He’s nervous, too, and realizing that is both endearing and calming.
“I love pancakes,” I blurt out, feeling my cheeks heat. “I mean, hi. I’m glad we’re doing this.”
“Me too. I was thinking a lot about what you said back when we ran into each other at the store. About us not knowing each other. And I realized I still don’t know your last name.” He chuckles. “You’re in my phone as Sage Baby Mama.”
I snort out a laugh of my own, remembering that’s what I typed in when I gave him my number. “Yeah, sorry about that. I—”
“You wanted to be careful,” he interrupts. “I get it, you don’t have to apologize.” He hesitates, and I watch his Adam’s apple bob up and down before lifting my gaze to meet his. “I’m hoping you’ll trust me soon enough.”
The crazy thing is, I can’t remember why I didn’t trust him enough to know something as simple as my last name in the first place. I tilt my head toward the door of the diner. “I’ll tell you over a stack of pancakes.”
His grin comes easily, and is so eager and wide, I’m yet again charmed. He reaches over to pull open the door to the diner, and I step through, feeling his hand come to my lower back to guide me to the side as someone else walks out at the same time.
“Sorry.” He drops his hand like I burned him.
Glancing over my shoulder, I say softly, “It’s okay.” And it really is. I like the feeling of him protecting me, being there, even for something silly like guiding me past other people. It’s such a small thing, completely unnecessary, and not something I’m used to. But I like it.
The interior of the diner makes me pause, in a good way. A classic black-and-white checkerboard floor immediately pulls my attention, but then it’s the colourful booths, chrome stools, and all-out fifties-style decor that has me smiling.
“Wow, talk about a theme,” I murmur, mostly to myself, but given Brady’s chuckle, he hears me well enough.
We’re quickly seated in a teal-coloured booth and given menus. But I don’t bother looking at it, already knowing what I want.
“Did you know the world’s largest pancake was over 15 meters in diameter?” I say when Brady puts down his menu as well.
He grins. “Yep, did you know the highest pancake toss ever was over thirty-one feet?”
Did he just…
“McCallister,” I blurt out. “My last name. It’s McCallister.”
Brady blinks once, twice, then places his forearms on the table and leans forward. “I thought you weren’t gonna tell me until you had pancakes in front of you.”
I let out a weak laugh. “You charmed me with your pancake fact.”
He sits back, looking adorably smug. “Well, Sage McCallister, it’s good to know I can win you over with breakfast carbs and random facts.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to flirt right back and remind him I went home with him because of his ability to banter obscure knowledge with me, but I hold back.
An older woman comes over, and I blink a few times to make sure I’m not seeing things.
Nope, she’s wearing a bright purple poodle skirt, black poodle appliqué and all.
“Hi kids, I’m Dottie. Welcome. What can I get you this morning?”
Brady gestures at me to go first, doing a poor job of hiding his smile. I wonder if it’s because we were just called kids.
“Can I please have a decaf coffee and two chocolate chip pancakes, no whipped cream but sliced banana on the side?” I say, handing her the menu. “Thanks.”
When she turns to Brady, I look at him as well, only to find him staring at me in shock.
“I’ll have the same, but no coffee, thanks.” He doesn’t even look at Dottie as he passes her his menu.
“You bet, hon.”
As soon as she walks away, I ask, “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I’ve never known someone else who likes banana and chocolate chip pancakes.”
I blush again. “Um, well, it’s kind of a new thing. Since I got pregnant.”
Now his cheeks darken, and that, combined with his dimples that I can’t stop staring at, is a lethal combo of hot cuteness.
“Guess that’s proof enough you’re carrying my kid,” he quips just as I take a sip of water, and I immediately start choking on it.
“Shit, Sage, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean you had to prove anything.” He’s out of his seat and crouched beside me in an instant, his large hand rubbing my back. This close, I can smell his cologne, and it takes me right back to our night together.
“Trust me, it’s yours,” I manage to gasp out.
“I was just joking, honest.” He sounds so worried, and I know we’ve got to stop dancing around each other or things will never get any less awkward.
As much as I want him to keep rubbing my back, I turn so I’m facing him and take his hand loosely in mine. “I know. It’s okay, Brady. Sit down, let’s talk.”
Still looking uncertain, Brady stands up and moves back to his seat just as Dottie arrives with my decaf coffee. He watches silently as I pour in some cream and a packet of sugar, give it a stir, and take a sip.
Setting it back down, I lick my lips. “I haven’t been with anyone else since that night. There’s no question this is your baby.”
“I believe you. I never actually doubted it, I was just caught off guard with the pancake thing.”
We give each other a small smile, and that’s one hurdle down.
“Can I ask what you do for work?”
That’s an easy first question to answer, so I settle back in my seat and cradle the warm cup of coffee in my hands. “I’m a nurse. Right now I’m posted in the emergency department at Cedar Creek General, but they’ll move me to a medical floor or somewhere less intense when I get further along.”
Brady nods, his hands clasped on the table in front of him. “Is that what you were doing in Manitoba? Nursing?”
“Yeah, I’m a travel nurse, so I take on short contracts, normally three to six months, all over the country.”
Something flashes across his face, and I can tell he doesn’t love that answer.
I wait to see if he’ll say something, the way one guy did who I went on a date with last year.
He actually said that didn’t sound like a “real job” and I needed to stay in one place to have a proper career and pension.
Or something like that, I tuned him out part way through his lecture.
Needless to say, he didn’t get a second date.
But Brady doesn’t say anything like that. Instead, to my surprise, he asks, “Where has been your favourite place to work so far?”
“Probably Prince Edward Island. The province just has this wild sort of beauty to it that’s so captivating. But” —I laugh— “I was there over the summer. I’m guessing storm season isn’t quite as beautiful.”
Brady nods. “I’ve always wanted to visit the East Coast.”
“What about you, what’s your favourite place you’ve traveled?” I ask, sipping my coffee. His head drops slightly as he stares at his hands on the table, and the sadness I’ve seen twice now from him returns.
“Haven’t been to many places, it was too hard to travel when my siblings were in school. We went camping over summer breaks, and one year our aunt and uncle, who live in Montreal, invited us out for a visit. But that’s it.”
I set my coffee down and lean forward, this time initiating contact by covering his hands in mine. He opens his grip, and it feels natural to slide my palm into his. “What about your parents?”
He clears his throat and stares down at our hands.
“They, ah, they died eight years ago. It’s just been me and the twins ever since.”
“Oh Brady,” I murmur, my heart aching with the all-too-familiar grief of losing a parent. “I’m so sorry.”
He tries to smile. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”
“Still. I know how much it hurts.” My tongue darts out to moisten my lips. “I lost my mom, too.”
I look down at our joined hands, grateful for that connection as I prepare to be vulnerable. I don’t talk about my mother very often, losing her was too painful.
“Right before I graduated from high school, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was pretty advanced and aggressive. I put everything on hold, and focused on her treatment, on caring for her as best I could. We lived up in the Yukon at the time, and health care up there was pretty shitty, so there were a lot of trips down to bigger hospitals in British Columbia, but it quickly became clear that her options were limited.” I suck in a breath, blinking back tears.
Without saying a word, Brady stands again and then slides onto the bench next to me, pulling me into his side with one arm over my shoulders.
“You don’t have to talk about it,” he says quietly, and for just a moment, I let myself sink into the comfort and security of his embrace.
“It’s okay, I want you to know.”
“Okay. Mind if I sit here while you talk?” he asks, and all I can do is nod. When was the last time someone offered me such basic comfort and affection?
Drawing from the strength he’s offering, I take another deep breath and swipe away the tears that have started to track down my cheeks.
“It was quick. She died four months after her diagnosis. It was mid-August. I gave myself the fall to mourn her, then moved to Edmonton and started nursing school in January. As soon as I graduated, I got hired by a travel nursing company and that was that.”
I grab my cup of decaf coffee and take a sip. It’s starting to go cold, but there’s enough heat to warm me up a little.
Brady doesn’t say anything right away, but he’s close enough that I can sense when he sucks in a breath.
“I’m so sorry, Sage. I know the pain of losing a parent, how devastating that is. I had my siblings, but it sounds like—”
“Like I was alone,” I interrupt with a jerk of my head. “Yeah, it was just me and Mom, and then she was gone. I had some friends, people around town who helped me out where they could, but no other family. Never knew my dad.” I shrug.
“Our kid will never have to feel that way. They have a family who will love them and be there for them. I swear.”
“Will you tell me more about your siblings?”
Brady leans back against the booth but doesn’t move his arm from my shoulder. I like how it feels there, possibly too much.
“Yeah, of course. They’re pretty awesome.
And I don’t take any credit for it. Blair’s a firecracker, she’ll talk your damn ear off.
But she’s crazy smart and so creative. She wants to be a fashion designer or a music teacher.
Honestly, she could probably do both.” He grins fondly.
“Barrett’s basically her opposite. He doesn’t talk much, he’s way more quiet and steady.
But still insanely smart. He’s trying to decide between a business degree or political science. They’re good kids.”
“You miss them, don’t you,” I say quietly and his hand that had been lightly stroking my skin pauses.
“Yeah, I do. It’s been just the three of us for so long. It’s weird not having them around.” The love he has for his brother and sister is so evident, it makes my heart ache. And another piece of my defense crumbles to dust.
Our food arrives, and I take the interruption as a chance to quickly wipe my tears and shift slightly away from Brady. He takes the hint, and as soon as the waitress has left, moves back to his seat across from me. But the compassion in his expression doesn’t falter as he looks at me.
“You don’t have to be alone anymore, either, Sage. I’ll be here for the baby and for you, if you’ll let me.”
The steady tone of his voice, his warm gaze on me, and the calm confidence he’s projecting settle over me.
He’s offering everything I could want for my child. And maybe for myself as well.
All I have to do is trust that every word he says is true.