Chapter 51
Sage
I’d been rolling the conversation with Cedric over in my head, trying to reconcile everything.
My mind struggled to put the pieces together, gripping them with shaking hands even as I could see they fit.
The loner who had arrived in town. The man who knew me and had access to me.
The person I trusted. It was the why and the messaging I struggled with.
Was he another one like Alan? Someone I had forgotten?
The conversation with Rhodes the other night about my biological parents had helped, but I still needed to process it.
I knew myself. Knowing Rhodes, I knew he already had a file with all the information about them, waiting for me.
Being ready was a whole separate thing. Maybe I should go back into therapy and talk to someone about it.
The party had spread out, and even though it was mainly the Holt clan, it wasn’t surprising that half the town was here.
I’d bet Rhodes was going crazy with all these people on the property he’d locked up so tightly, but it warmed my heart that he had agreed.
Even Hattie’s friend Sydney had managed to fly in for the occasion, though she had missed the ceremony.
Right now, we were gathered around the cake table, where Kipp was feeding Hattie a small piece, all the love written on their faces for us to see. My brother was almost predatory as he focused on her, giving her bite after bite while she laughed at him.
Rhodes wrapped himself around my back, pressing me against his larger frame.
“What kind of cake do you want? I hear there are different flavors.” His hand flexed, and that familiar flare of want hit me.
He nuzzled against the side of my face, his short beard delicious against my skin, and already I could feel him thickening against me. “Or maybe we can sneak off?”
I gave a laugh that ended up sounding more like a snort.
“Doubtful. There are a ton of people here.” He let out a grumpy rumble, so I settled for tracing patterns on his arm instead and teasing the hair there.
All the other men I’d been with had been smooth and virtually hair-free, but Rhodes was decidedly on the hairy side.
I found I didn’t mind the contrast against my skin, especially when he was between my thighs.
“I’ll take you up on that offer later, though. ”
“Who is Chloe with?” he whispered, nudging me.
Chloe was by the buffet table, her face tight, assembling her plate with a minuscule portion next to some guy who had obvious doctor vibes.
He was clean-shaven at nearly five in the afternoon, wearing slacks with a crease you could see from here and a button-down.
“He even has a tie on. Sucker.” Rhodes snorted.
“Guessing he’s some doctor or a rep from a company or something. Let’s go say hi.”
Dragging him with me despite his groan, I pulled him by the hand toward Chloe and her date. I could have sworn she’d said she had the hots for some guy who came into the ER. This guy didn’t look anything like her description.
Chloe caught sight of us just before we got near, straightened her shoulders, and turned to whisper to the man next to her.
“Hey, Sage.” She gave me a warning look, which I interpreted as ‘play nice’. My youngest sister was many things, but most of all, she was the family’s peacemaker. “This is Alex. Alex, this is one of my sisters, Sage, and her boyfriend, Rhodes. Alex is a specialist.”
I narrowed my eyes even as she shook her head, not wanting to start anything. Chloe was beautiful and accomplished. Any man would be clamoring to date her, even if it meant enduring a family wedding to do it.
“Nice to meet you.” He nodded, but looked distastefully at the hot-pink Crocs on my feet and the worn short overalls I’d thrown on after we’d gotten home.
It didn’t look like he thought it was nice to meet me. “Is it?” I laughed, not able to help it when he looked called out. Rhodes was frowning at Alex the Doctor so hard that he could set him on fire any second.
“Of course.” He nodded, slinging an arm over Chloe’s shoulder and dragging her up against his side. She flushed, but didn’t protest. “Is this your place?” He turned his attention to Rhodes, and I took that opportunity to snag Chloe’s hand and pull her to the side away from the two men.
“What gives with the suit?” I hissed at her. “Last I heard, you were talking about branching out with that guy who came into the ER with the tattoos and stuff. Where’d you find this douche?”
She flushed, and I immediately felt like shit.
Out of all of us, Chloe was the one who toed the line by following the rules.
She was the little sister of the bunch and still managed to be our caretaker.
She was also the one who seemed to have a tender spot for everyone.
It was one of the things that I loved about her.
Still, a defensive edge sharpened her tone when she answered. “I can change my mind. Not every date has to be exciting.”
“Did you have a date that I don’t know about?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. It wasn’t even a date.” Her fingers found the scalloped embroidered edge of her blouse. “The guy from the ER. I saw him again, but …” she shrugged.
Hugging her, I tried to put everything I could into the squeeze.
In no way was I judging her for taking the safer road with the men she was choosing, but I wasn’t sure they would make her happy.
It was a bigger conversation, but this wasn’t the time or the place for it, and I wasn’t in the right headspace.
Giving her a kiss on the cheek, I watched her go back to her date and took Rhodes’s hand in mine, puzzling over my sister.
I suppose it was easier to see from the outside that she’d never be happy with some boring doctor, but that was just my dumb opinion.
It wasn’t my job to tell my sister who she should date. Chloe would find her own way.
I let the late afternoon turn to evening and enjoyed my family.
Trying not to think about the mess with Cedric was another matter, but Rhodes said his team was on it.
Maggie was settled in with Opal, coloring, and by the time people filtered home, Kipp and Hattie were long gone.
Rhodes had a call with his team, so I excused myself to work in the greenhouses while he spoke with them.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to remind myself that it had been an amazing day.
I had gained another sister. The reception had gone well, and I had someone who loved me. I was lucky.