Stroke of Love (21 page)

“You know nothing about that world, Sage. You’ve gone to Belize and found something that you feel good about, but it’s a bit of a whim, don’t you think?” His father lowered his chin and gave him the
be serious
stare that he knew too well from his childhood.

“You’ve always told me to be the best I could be. I’m not doing that locked in New York feeling like I’m drowning in deadlines and…money.” Sage had never confronted his father about his beliefs, and now he felt as though he was standing up not only for what he wanted, but for Kate and for the people they could help. He took a deep breath, feeling the truth of his words. “Yes, this is fast. But I’ve found more here in two weeks than I’ve found anywhere else in twenty-eight years. And yeah, Dad, it’s a hell of a risk, and you can say it’s based on a whim. I don’t even know if I’ll do this or not, but I feel something doing this type of work that I don’t feel back home, and I need to pay attention to that.”

His father nodded, a slow, serious nod. Sage’s mind screamed,
That’s enough. Shut up
. But something visceral, and unstoppable, pulled the next words from his tongue.

“You fought for your country, Dad. I want to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.” Sage felt deflated by his father’s silent glare and proud of his ability to stand up to him at the same time, leaving him floundering somewhere in the middle, waiting for a thread of appreciation or pride to show in his father’s eyes. His father didn’t flinch. The firm line of his jaw didn’t soften.
Shit
.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Dex said, before their father had time to chime in. “You’ve been looking for something like this for a while.”

“Thanks, Dex.”

His father nodded. One curt nod that sent a memory of hurt through Sage. How many times had he seen that curt nod? The nod that translated to,
You know what I think of this.
Yeah, Sage knew, but he was no longer a kid. He was a man, and he wasn’t going to cower to his father’s beliefs any longer.

Sage glanced behind him in the empty café and was relieved to see Makei standing at the entrance, his back to Sage, giving him at least a modicum of privacy.

“Son. This woman Kate. How does she figure into this…endeavor?” his father said.

In his heart Sage knew a man existed beyond the stern one who raised him. His parents had been married forever, and not once had Sage ever seen his father’s eyes stray or heard his father rue any part of their relationship. He was a hard, bullheaded man, but he was a good man, and even if Sage didn’t like his harsh style, he respected him, and that respect drove him toward the truth.

“I’m not gonna lie to you, Dad. I like her a lot.”
Just fucking say it
. “Actually, I’m in love with her. I’m not thinking about taking on this business because of her, but if I do it, I hope she’ll be a part of it.”

His father lifted his chin and looked at Sage down the bridge of his nose.

“It scares the shit out of me, but…” Sage shook his head, then met his father’s stare. “This is the way it is.” Sage’s chest tightened as he waited for his father to say something. Anything.

“Love.” It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t a confirmation, and his father’s expression didn’t change when he said it.

It was a statement, and one that Sage didn’t understand. He anticipated hearing a hundred reasons why he shouldn’t be thinking about love after such a short amount of time of knowing a woman, and along with each one came a pull of a muscle, a twist in his gut.

“Son, when I fell in love with your mother, I was more scared about losing her than loving her.”

His father’s sincere tone caught Sage off guard.

His father’s eyes softened as he continued. “Love is a funny thing, Sage. You’ve seen what happened with Jack, and you’ve watched Dex and Ellie find each other again. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about love, it’s that when the person you love appears in your life, you can’t fight it. No matter how much that person frustrates you or pleases you, you are unable to walk away. Your heart draws you back.” He rubbed his hand down his face.

The way his father spoke of love softened Sage’s feelings toward him—even after the uncomfortable discussion that had taken place only seconds before.

“That’s true, Sage. It’s the most powerless and the most fulfilling feeling all wrapped up in one,” Dex added.

“Thank God. I thought I was losing my mind.” Sage sat back and let out a loud breath. “It scares the shit out of me. I mean, I haven’t known Kate that long, and when I’m not with her, I’m thinking about her. When I’m with her…”
I can’t get enough of her.
He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to figure out how to describe all the things he loved about who Kate was, and there was too much to tell. Instead he decided to explain it by way of what they knew about him. “She lives her life in the way I’ve always dreamed of living mine.”

“You live a pretty good life.” Dex shot a glance at his father.

“I know. I’m blessed. We all are. We do well for ourselves, but come on. Living in New York has hardly been my dream. My dream has always been to do more for others while continuing to work with my art. You gotta know that.” He was waiting for his father’s diatribe. It had to be killing him, holding back the fighting words about making a living and always bettering himself.

“Since you were a boy, you wanted to live in the forest,” his father began. “There were times when I thought you and Jack might never come out of those damn woods.” Then he smiled, and it was such a rare occurrence to see, that a lump rose in Sage’s throat. “It’s not surprising that you’d find a woman who has similar interests. And as far as fear goes, son, falling in love is scary as hell. It’s like taking off your gun and walking into a battle unarmed.”

Funny. That’s kind of how Sage felt about confronting his father. He wasn’t giving Sage his blessing about opening the nonprofit, but Sage hadn’t asked for it—or needed it. He’d come to his father and Dex for information, or so he’d thought. He hadn’t come to his father for his approval—at least not on a conscious level—but what his father was giving him was a glimpse of the loving man he’d always believed existed. And that was so much more valuable than his blessing over a business could ever be.

His father continued. “The person you love will know all of your secrets. She’ll see your vulnerabilities, and if you’ve chosen well, she won’t use those against you, but she’ll use them to help you be the best man you can be.”

And there it was.
The best man you can be
. He’d heard it a million times, so why, in this context, did it make tears press at his eyes?

MOONLIGHT STREAMED DOWN upon the benches where Kate had first addressed Sage and the others. She remembered the way her heart had leaped in her chest the first time Sage sauntered through the narrow path like a breath of fresh air—only he seemed to steal the oxygen from her lungs. She’d barely been able to think straight with him looking at her, and now, as they sat beside each other with Luce and Caleb, she felt like that night was two years ago rather than a little less than two weeks ago. Her stomach still fluttered when she saw Sage, but there was a difference between butterflies fluttering when she
knew
he was going to kiss her and she anticipated how thrilling the kiss would be and the tornado that had whirled in her stomach when she wondered if he’d even notice her. She much preferred the butterflies that were currently nesting in her belly.

“Y’all mind if we join you?” Clayton carried his guitar in one hand and held Cassidy’s hand with the other.

Kate noticed that Clayton’s belligerence had tamed since Sage had a talk with him. He no longer leered at her as if she were a piece of meat. She watched him wiping off the bench for Cassidy to sit down, and part of her hoped that he had just become more interested in Cassidy and that relationship was changing him. She looked away, knowing better than to think a tiger could change its stripes that dramatically. She’d seen celebrities become so close on these trips that anyone would think they were running away together to get married when they left Belize, only to find out that after the trip they weren’t even noted as being a couple. The whole celebrity bed swap thing baffled her—and made her proud of the gentleman Sage was. She could only imagine how enticing it might be for a guy to bed a different beautiful woman every week.

“My PR guy said they’re sending a local photog out for the meeting tomorrow. Cassidy and I will definitely be there.” Clayton patted Cassidy’s thigh. Cassidy smiled up at him. Her dark, spiral curls framed her face, and she wiggled beside him, flirtatiously blinking her eyes.

Even after almost two weeks, Kate didn’t know what to make of Cassidy. She acted like a prima donna most of the time, but at other times Kate saw flashes of a very young girl, surely younger than herself. She knew from the application that Cassidy was the same age she was, but when she wiggled and flashed that innocent smile, she seemed eighteen instead of twenty-six.

Kate smiled at Sage. “You’re coming too, right?”

“I’m all set. I’ll be there.”

Sage set a serious stare on Clayton, and Kate wasn’t sure if she should feel bad for Clayton, since he was clearly making an effort not to be that sleazy guy anymore. At least not in their presence. When Sage took her hand, she decided she didn’t care how she
should
feel. She liked his protective nature. He growled when predators came too close and stayed quietly nearby keeping them at bay.

Sage shifted his gaze to Caleb. “Caleb, I almost forgot to tell you that Kurt said you could Skype with him this weekend. Let me know what works and we’ll set it up.”

Caleb rose to his feet, pulling at the seam of his pants pocket. “Really? You’re not pulling my leg?”

Sage laughed. “Really. He’s just a regular guy.”

“To you, maybe. But to me he’s one of the most amazing thriller writers I’ve ever read.” Caleb paced. “I can’t believe it. Kurt Remington is going to talk to me. Thank you, Sage.”

“Sure, no problem.”

“That’s really nice of you,” Kate said. She’d been working with Caleb for almost two years and she’d never seen him spend so much time with the group. Sage had not only found out what he was doing for all those hours after he disappeared every afternoon, but he’d also totally hooked him up. His thoughtfulness was immense. It was just one of the things she loved about him.

“What good is knowing people if you can’t exploit them?” He laughed as he pulled her closer.

“Do people do that to you? I mean, you’re a well-known artist, so you must have people wanting to meet you all the time.” Kate wondered about his life in New York, and she was looking forward to seeing him in his element. She wondered if he would act differently there. She couldn’t imagine he’d change just because of his environment. At least she hoped not.

“Not many people want to track down an artist,” Sage explained. “I mean, at galleries, sure, they talk to me, but I’m not the same kind of celebrity as Clayton or Cassidy. They’re known by sight. I’m known for what I create. It’s a whole different ballgame.”

Clayton strummed his guitar, and within minutes he was belting out one of his country songs. Cassidy and Luce swayed to the music, and Sage’s foot tapped to the beat. Kate moved her leg to the beat, enjoying the camaraderie of the group. He began another song, and between the country music, the friendliness of the group—which surprised her, given how things had been when everyone arrived—and the beer they were drinking, she wished the night could go on forever.

“What’s your life like in New York?” she asked.

Sage furrowed his brows. “Not like this.” He took a sip of beer, then set the bottle by his feet. He put his arm around her and pulled her close again. “Do you want to know the truth?”

“Preferably.” She steeled herself for whatever he might reveal, though she couldn’t imagine why he’d ask if she wanted to know the
truth
. What was so bad that he felt he had to ask that?

Sage rested his cheek against Kate’s, facing away from the others. “I spend a lot of time in New York wondering what I can do to get the hell away from it.”

The raspiness of Sage’s voice in her ear sent a shudder through her.

“Is that true?” she asked.

“One hundred percent. I always thought it was because I wanted to get outside, closer to nature. Now I realize that my heart must have known you were waiting for me.”

He kissed her neck, and Kate swooned. “That’s a great line.”
Why is my voice shaking?

Sage drew back and looked her in the eye. “It’s not a line. It’s fate.”

Fate?

Clayton broke into “Who Loves Who More” by Thompson Square.

Luce pulled Kate to her feet. “Come on. I only have two more nights. Dance with me.”

Oh God. Sage only has two more nights
. Kate felt her cheeks flush, but two seconds later Cassidy was dancing with them, and Sage had a lusty look in his eyes that made her want to dance even sexier. She didn’t try to fight the urge; she let her hips sway and her chest shimmy.

Cassidy dragged Caleb to his feet. He moved like a robot with stage fright, but the smile in his eyes reflected the fun he was having.

In the next breath, Sage was at Kate’s side, dancing with practiced ease, and boy could he move his sexy body. Kate wanted to dance like one of those women who could run their hands up and down a man’s body while shimmying down to the floor, leaving the man drooling for more, but she knew she’d fall right on her ass.

“Now, that’s what I’m talking about,” Cassidy said, dragging her hand seductively down Sage’s arm.

Kate fought a scowl as jealousy wrapped its prickly tentacles around her heart and squeezed.

Sage leaned closer to Kate, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“I think Caleb’s got some pretty fine moves.” Sage tossed Caleb a nod of approval and turned his back to Cassidy.

Caleb’s cheeks flushed, but Kate was glad to see that he didn’t stop dancing.

Sage put his hands on Kate’s hips and pressed himself against her; then he slowed to a romantic sway that went completely against the beat of the music, and she couldn’t have cared less. In Sage’s arms, beneath the beautiful night sky, she was the happiest that she could ever remember. For the next few hours, she allowed herself to set aside the worries of AIA and the community, the stress of public relations, and the appropriateness—or lack thereof—of the volunteers, and enjoy everything Sage had to give.