Chapter 5
FIVE
RHETT
Sage has no idea how truly wonderful she is. And I hate the man who made her think she was worthless.
We spent the morning coming up with at least the basis of a plan. We knew we’d need to leave town for the license, which stressed Sage out initially, but she seems more at ease now that we have the paperwork and we’re on our way to the courthouse.
All night, I couldn’t help but feel selfish for even posing the idea of really getting married, but this morning she woke up and was ready for it—at least physically.
Emotionally, I can’t get a read on her. Not as she strolls beside me in her heavy winter coat, cheeks and nose pink from the icy winter air, staring at main street and the mountains beyond with awe.
I can’t remember the last time I slowed down to enjoy Willow Ridge. It’s charming, especially with the outline of the mountains looming ahead of us, already capped with the snow coming for the town and the older styled buildings making up our main thoroughfare.
“I thought that would be harder,” Sage admits without looking at me. “So many years begging Scott to get married, and it took us a couple of hours to go out, file the paperwork, and get the go ahead.”
My jaw clenches as I shake my head, somehow still surprised by the jackass that he is. “You should never have to beg for anything, Sage. Especially not from that asshole of a man.”
Sage snorts, the first real sign that she’s not still in shock by all of this. “I’m embarrassed to admit I did a lot of that with him.” She looks at me then, a twinkle in her shining eyes. “I don’t think I’ll ever do that again.”
“Good,” I murmur, taking her by the elbow and guiding her across the street, remaining vigilant.
I have a feeling he’s still here in town, and I keep waiting for him to appear.
“I saw a picture of this place in a newspaper,” Sage admits as we walk through the park in the town centre.
“It was an article about the lodge burning down. There were two photos: one of the lodge, or what remained of it anyway. And the second was of the main street with the mountains. And I thought: this would be the kind of place I’d want to raise my kids.
” She slows, and I can’t help it; I take her hand and interlace our fingers.
She doesn’t pull away, instead offering me a soft smile. “Well, I probably won’t be raising any kids here. But I told my sister she should come here during her road trip. Maybe she’d find something worthwhile.”
“And she did, didn’t she?” I ask. The comment about raising kids makes my stomach drop.
It sounds like that’s something she’s thought about—obviously another one of those things she begged her ex for, if what she admitted last night held any truth.
I hadn’t thought much about having any of my own.
It had never seemed like the right time, or I never met the right person.
But I don’t mind the idea now.
Sage’s smile turns sad. “Yeah. She’s living proof that good things happen. She’s got her little boy now. Met a man and married him. She’s so happy.”
“You could have that too, Sage,” I remind her. As I pull her to a stop, she purses her lips, looking away. “I mean it. What do you want more than anything? What is your wildest dream?”
“I want—” She stops herself, biting her bottom lip.
The temptation to kiss her hits me so suddenly I can’t stop it.
“I want the happy life. The magical wedding, the husband, the house, the babies. Oh, I so badly want to be a mom. I know that’s cliche, but that’s all I ever wanted when I was with Scott.
” Her eyes flutter shut as she sucks in a breath and releases it slowly.
For the first time in years, I feel a warmth in my chest I can’t describe, and I know it’s because of her.
I want to tell her I can give her everything she wants.
I’ll marry her today, throw her the wedding of her dreams, I’ll give her the dream house, and always protect her from the horrors of her past.
And most importantly, I’ll be the father of her children. It’s insane but there’s something right about it that I can’t deny.
I want to say it, and it’s on the tip of my tongue, but before the words can leave my lips, I hear her name being called.
Sage flinches and turns towards the voice while also slowly backing into me. I square my shoulders, wrapping an arm around her protectively as I hold myself back from rolling my eyes.
Scott jogs towards us and only slows once he catches up. “There you are, baby,” he says, as if last night didn’t happen. “I went back to the vet place, but they said you weren’t in.”
Her body goes rigid in my arms, that burning fury only growing hotter in my veins. “Yeah, it’s because it’s her day off,” I say. “And don’t call my wife ‘baby’.”
Sage sags a bit in my embrace. I feel her chest heave as she calms her breathing. “What do you want, Scott? I’m not interested, and I don’t want anything to do with you.”
The irritation playing across his face is almost comical. “I—well, I thought—”
I sigh loudly. “We need to pick up her ring. Don’t make us late.”
Scott’s eyes darken, but he refuses to look at me. He keeps his stare levelled on Sage, who watches him in return. “You really want to be with this controlling asshole, Sage?”
My chest tightens. I open my mouth to respond, but Sage cuts me off with a harsh, broken laugh.
“Controlling? Seriously? The audacity.” She shakes her head and steps out of my embrace before grabbing my hand.
“Leave me the hell alone, Scott. The next time you come near me, I’ll file for a restraining order. ”
Before he can get another word in, Sage starts dragging me away. Pride blooms in my chest as I stare down at her.
“That’s it, princess,” I murmur, squeezing her hand, “you’ve got this.”
She releases a shaky breath and glances up at me. “You’re right. I have this.”
I hope she knows she’s got more than she thought.
The courthouse is busier than expected, but this is the time of year anyone with a winter themed wedding wants to get hitched, and there are documents to be signed, filed, and sent off before they can do that.
“We can come back another day,” Sage murmurs, her nervous ticks becoming far more obvious the more time I spend with her.
Other than chewing her bottom lip, she can’t stop wiggling her fingers—even if they’re trapped in mine.
Somehow, she manages to match the beat of the Christmas music playing in one of the offices, tapping her fingers in time. “Maybe we need an appointment.”
“Not always,” I reply easily, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “And anyway, I have a friend who works down here, and he let me know we’ll be fine.”
“When did you have time for that?” she asks, turning to me.
“This morning.” I offer her a tight smile as we’re beckoned forward, the line shortening—finally. “We can have all of this done today.”
Sage makes a sound in the back of her throat. “This is going to work,” she whispers, more to herself than me. “It has to.”
It will, I promise her silently, keeping my eyes on her while she closes her own. I can’t imagine the thoughts racing through her head. They’re probably the complete opposite of my own.
Despite everything, I know she’s it. That even after everything, even with my own self-isolation and choosing to hold myself away on the mountain and closing myself off to any chance of having more in life, I actually see a future that’s more than just paperwork and virtual meetings.
I see it all with Sage.
But for her, this is a necessary protection, and I can be okay with that. She needs to keep that asswipe away, and if I can be her shield, then I will do it with a smile and a giant fuck you to the rat.
“I know I’ve already said this but thank you.” She opens her eyes, looking up at me. “I mean it.”
I nod once, clearing my throat. “Again. Anything to help you.”
“I never asked if you had…family. Friends. I mean, you know a lot about me now,” she murmurs as we move up the line again. A happy couple squeals and kisses off to the side, while another walks out quietly. “We’re about to be married, so…”
I press my lips together, heart suddenly pounding and sickness twisting in my stomach as I consider my response carefully. Anyone else, and I would tell them to mind their business. That my personal life was none of their concern. But with Sage, I feel the urge to open up.
“There was an…incident,” I tell her, swallowing hard.
“My mother passed when I was young. My father owned our company before me, and my brother worked there, too. One day, I did the check on a specific project. It was up to me to make sure it was safe. Stable. Me and the inspector missed something. Next day, the building went down after a bad storm with my brother and father inside.”
Sage goes still beside me, her eyes wide. “Oh, Rhett, I’m so sorry,” she whispers. The line forces us to take another step, only one couple left ahead of us. And I’m glad.
“I haven’t said that out loud for a long time,” I reply, clearing my throat. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my past. But I won’t stop until you’re safe.”
Sage opens her mouth to respond, but we’re called to the front. I just shake my head; there are no words she can say to squash the guilt I feel for what I did, but at least she knows.
The process to get our license checked goes smoothly, with them taking our IDs, inspecting our paperwork, stamping it, then filing.
“That’s it,” the clerk announces with a timid smile. “Everything is in order. Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Hayes, you are officially married.”
As she slides the paperwork towards us, Sage blinks hard. “That’s it?”
The clerk nods once. “Yes! That’s it. Simple.”
“Huh,” she whispers, taking the certificate that’s handed to us. Our names are printed in dark ink, the paper nothing fancy. Just a legally binding document that proves to Scott our lie is actually true.
We are married.
I shouldn’t feel anything but satisfaction over this going smoothly, but as I look at her, staring almost sadly down at our certificate, I can’t help but want to give her something.
Pulling my cell from my pocket, I hand it to the woman behind us. “Could you take a picture of us, please?” I ask, turning on the camera.
The woman behind us, a brunette with deep grey eyes, grins. “Yeah, sure! Say cheese!”
Sage frowns as I pull her into me, one arm going around her waist, the other cupping her cheek. For a moment, her eyes widen, but she doesn’t pull away.
“I’m going to kiss you, Mrs Hayes,” I murmur, lowering my face to hers.
Sage releases a shaky breath, leaning into me. “Okay, Mr Hayes.”
My heart warms unexpectedly, but I finally do the thing I’ve been dreaming of since last night when I felt her lips on my cheek.
There are cheers, but the sound dims as I fall into everything that is Sage. This is entirely different to anything I’ve felt before, and yet it feels like all the puzzle pieces are falling into place.
She tastes like the chai she drank leaving the county clerk’s office, lips smooth and soft, addictive. They part on a gasp, urging me to go deeper, to taste more of her, but the snap of photos pulls me out of the moment.
When I pull back, Sage gasps again, her cheeks red, eyes bright. But instead of the frown I expect, there’s a small smile on her lips—and it’s that simple look that really has me thinking that this can be more.
That we can be more.