Epilogue
Two Years Later
Theo’s wearing the Bulgari cuff links again. The suit is different—gray instead of black, no tie, open collar—but the Bulgari cuff links are the same. Sage brushes a finger against one as the car continues its crawl through LA traffic.
“Nervous?” he asks, his head lolling against the headrest. He certainly doesn’t look it.
“A little,” Sage admits. She’s not worried about him taking that and running with it. They’ve come a long way in two years, have weathered plenty since that New Year’s Eve.
There was the Jimmy Fallon interview, where Theo accidentally told a live studio audience that his girlfriend hogs the covers.
He’d called her in a panic afterward, his words so rushed as he babbled on about prerecorded and Jimmy says we can cut it and I’m so bloody sorry that Sage had to wait five minutes before she could tell him it was okay.
She also took time to give him shit for calling Jimmy Fallon Jimmy like they were best mates.
The show had aired, and Theologians had gone absolutely wild, but by some miracle, Theo and Sage managed to keep her identity a secret for a few more months, thanks to the combined powers of Theo’s agent and new manager and Jan, until they were ready to “hard launch” on Instagram, as Emerson called it.
It wasn’t even that Sage didn’t want people to know. She’s only getting better at prioritizing the opinions that actually matter. But they’d just wanted time for them—to learn how to love each other in the mundane moments as well as the big ones.
The revelation of their relationship to the masses had actually gone quite well, all things considered.
Of course, once the world realized Sage was said girlfriend, it meant that her slot on Good Morning America to promote her sequel was rife with jokes about her sleep habits.
It was worth it, to be able to see Theo just off camera, blushing like a teenager.
He’s there whenever his schedule allows, waiting in the wings.
And even when he isn’t … she can feel his support anyway, a steady and solid presence in her life.
It took them a bit to navigate a public relationship.
There was the expected gossip after denying their relationship the previous year, but …
Sage had Emerson and Margot and Theo and Noah and her parents and therapy and restrictions on her screen time, and it wasn’t perfect, but it was okay—she was okay.
It helped that Theo took their privacy so seriously—that he worked with his publicist and new manager to maintain it.
People think they know what’s going on in their lives. They don’t. Theo has made sure of that.
But today … today is different.
Today is his premiere, and Sage won’t be in the wings, where she usually is. She’ll be on his arm, her pride and love for him out there for the world to see.
She’s nervous. But she’s also excited.
The car slows, and Sage peers through the windshield to see a line of cars ahead of them. They’re four back from the red carpet.
“Remember,” Jan says from the front seat, “they’ll be shouting instructions about where to look, but if you get overwhelmed, just look to me and I’ll guide you.”
“Right.” Sage nods.
Jan pivots in her seat, her eyes darting between Sage and Theo. She raises a stern brow. “And do try to keep it PG on the carpet. I know how you two are.”
There’s a smug tilt to Theo’s lips as he says, “Sure, Jan.”
If her frown is any indication, Jan is entirely unconvinced that he means it.
They inch forward some more, and Theo shifts in his seat, his posture straightening, his gaze shuttering just a bit, his smile going less wide and gummy and more crooked and sly and just as devastating as he tucks Theo away and dons Theo Sharpe.
The car stops, and his eyes lighten just a hint as they meet hers. “Ready?” he asks.
Sage tracks the bob of his throat, and …
“Not yet,” she murmurs.
There are shadows outside of their doors, and the hum of paparazzi and eager fans just beyond the tinted windows, and Jan in the front seat, who will definitely flip her lid if Sage gets lipstick on him, but …
She reaches across the seat, her hand gripping the back of his neck, and kisses Theo Sharpe, slow and steady and sure.
Now she’s ready.
“Okay,” she says. Theo grins.
“Okay?”
“Okay.”