by Raine Thomas
An unexpected laugh escaped him. “Yeah. You could say our relationship is now strained.”
That was putting it mildly. Sage hadn’t even seen his father in person in nearly five years, even for holidays. He’d spent that time with Noelle and her family instead.
Rosemary reached between them and took his hand. “I’m sorry, Sage. That must have been hard for you, going from being the Golden Child raised in your father’s footsteps to being cast aside and treated as though you’re no longer worthy of his love.”
She had a way of getting right to the heart of the matter. She was eerily accurate about it too. He squeezed her hand, drawing comfort from the simple touch.
“It was—is—hard,” he said. “Even now, he refuses to acknowledge any of my accomplishments. He acts as though I’ve shamed the Strickland name.”
“That’s ridiculous and unfair.” She turned so she was lying on her side facing him. “But life isn’t always fair, is it? I guess we have to learn lessons from those experiences. I hope what you’ve learned is that the only yardstick you should use to measure your success is your own. You should be so proud of everything you’ve accomplished.”
There was that pang again. “I am,” he said.
And one day, that would be enough.
Rosemary gave him an understanding smile. “At least you’ve got Kaila’s support, right? A love like yours can overcome trivial matters like stubborn fathers.”
The words slammed into him. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach.
“Sage? Did I say something wrong?”
He shook his head. “No. I think the sugar just hit my system.”
“Do you want some water? I brought you a bottle.”
Swallowing hard, he shook his head again. “No. I think I’d better head back up to my room.”
Her face fell. “Okay. I’m sorry if I said something that upset you.”
“It wasn’t you,” he said as he pushed himself to his feet. “Thanks for the company. I’ll see you later.”
“Sure.”
He felt her eyes on his back as he walked away. His stomach continued to churn as he processed his reaction to her words.
At least you’ve got Kaila’s support, right?
He didn’t have Kaila’s support. Not really. If she supported him, she wouldn’t use his career as a reason to avoid committing to him.
It was a truth he’d ignored and justified for more than seven years. He’d told himself she deserved to live her life while he was building a name for himself. He didn’t want her committing herself to him with any doubts lingering in her mind.
But it shouldn’t take seven years to make up your mind about whether you loved someone enough to commit to them. Sage knew it...had known it in his heart for a long time. What Rosemary’s words had done was make him realize why he’d given Kaila so much time and leeway.
And the truth made him question everything.
Chapter Fourteen
“Your fiancé doesn’t do anything by half, does he?” Rosemary asked Lily the next day.
“Nope,” Lily replied.
The sisters were sitting in lounge chairs under a shaded cabana beside the sparkling pool of their hotel with frothy drinks in-hand. It was the first time while on the tour that Rosemary had enjoyed a hotel pool during the day. Despite the indulgent atmosphere and the good company, she found herself missing Sage and the intimacy of their midnight encounters. She wondered if she would ever look at a pool the same way again.
Several members of Lily’s security team were nearby monitoring the area, but the hotel was posh enough that the patrons largely kept to themselves. Being that it was a weekday, there were only a few other guests outside anyway. Rosemary gauged it was nearing five o’clock in the afternoon, though she had long ago lost track of time.
The day had started in Lily and Archer’s luxurious suite. Archer had arranged for Lily, Rosemary, and Sydney to eat a catered breakfast and get massages in the suite while he and the rest of the band completed the last of their St. Louis PR commitments. The three women had then transitioned to the hotel’s pool where a couple of cabanas had been reserved for them. They’d had several dedicated servers at their beck and call to bring them anything they wanted to eat or drink.
Noelle’s fiancée, Mandy, had joined them about an hour ago. She and Sydney were currently in the pool swimming laps. Rosemary watched them both move like sleek, graceful river otters.
“Want to take a dip?” she asked Lily.
“Nah. Five minutes in this sun and I’ll be pink for days.”
“Tell me about it.” Rosemary had been cursed with the same fair, sensitive skin as Lily. “Never mind the added freckles.”
“Amen, sister.”
Rosemary took another sip of her piña colada. She and Lily had been alternating between the sweet alcoholic beverages and bottles of water since they started drinking a couple of hours ago. Their pacing had left her with a nice buzz.
“Does Archer do this for you often?” she asked, trying to wrap her head around it. It felt like a fantasy.
“When I let him,” Lily said. “If he had his way, I’d live like the Queen of Sheba every day.”
“How rough for you,” Rosemary joked, earning a smile from her sister. “Why did you let him do this today?”
“I wanted to spend some time with you that didn’t revolve around wedding plans,” Lily said, her tone more serious. “When you first got here, I told Dane that I felt out of touch with you and I didn’t like it. He took matters into his own hands and sprang this on me this morning right before I called you. How could I refuse?”
The words touched Rosemary. She had felt the same way when she first saw Lily again at their family dinner a few weeks ago, as though she barely knew her sister now. She hadn’t wanted to say as much to Lily and risk hurting her feelings. It was a relief to learn she wasn’t alone in her discomfort.
Knowing this was all for the two of them made Rosemary want to find her future brother-in-law and let him know how much she appreciated it. She was embarrassed to admit that she had been avoiding him as much as possible since her arrival. She hadn’t been able to get that family dinner out of her head, especially the moment where Archer tore into her and the rest of her family for treating Lily so poorly.
“I hope you all take what I’ve said seriously,” he had said, “because Lily deserves more than any of you have ever offered her.”
Although he hadn’t known it, he had ripped open old wounds that night, wounds Rosemary thought she had recovered from with the help of Monique and Ines. Wounds caused by feelings of shame and inadequacy.
He had also inadvertently introduced new layers of shame within her. She had been ashamed over the stark envy she felt knowing that Lily had someone who loved her as much as Archer did...someone who not only stood up to their mother but who flat-out declared that his love for Lily was enough to overcome their family’s shortcomings.
And he’d left not even a shred of doubt in any of their minds.
Rosemary’s unhealthy envy had eased as she got to see more of Lily and Archer together. Their love was natural and unrelenting. While Rosemary hoped to have the same one day, she was now only happy for Lily. She deserved happiness.
“Well, I’m thankful for Archer’s efforts to give us time together,” she said now, earning another smile from her sister.
Mandy climbed out of the pool and reached for one of the white fluffy towels piled under the cabana for their use. She smiled at them as she began toweling off.
“Thanks for inviting me out here, Lil,” she said. “This is a great way to end a busy day.”
“What were you up to today?” Rosemary asked.
Though she knew Mandy was a lighting tech for the band, she hadn’t had a chance to learn much about what she did. Their limited time together had been spent on wedding plans since Sage had kept his promise about hiring Rosemary as a gift for Noelle and Mandy.
Mandy smoothed her towel on the
lounge chair to Rosemary’s right and sat down. “We were reviewing the specs of the next venue and adjusting the load for the specific equipment we’re going to need. We always pack up the trailers so the stuff we need is easily accessible. Saves us time when we’re on-site.”
“Makes sense,” Rosemary said.
“You guys are heading to Omaha soon, right?” Lily asked.
“Yeah. The bus’ll head out in a couple hours. I’m hoping to see Elle first. We haven’t had much time together in the past few days.”
Mandy got her wish about ten minutes later. The glass doors leading to the pool opened and out walked The Void and their security team followed by two House of Archer camera operators. Rosemary struggled against the impulse to cover herself up. She had been warned earlier that the cameras would be making an appearance for this evening’s poolside dinner, which was why she had taken the time to style her hair and put on some light makeup. That didn’t mean she was comfortable with it.
The moment Sage came into view, her gaze went to him. Her heart rate accelerated as it always did around him. Every concern about the cameras vanished.
She had been thinking about him all day. Although he had denied that she upset him the night before, it had been easy to tell otherwise. She just wished she knew what she had said to cause his reaction so she could fix it.
Of course, he didn’t look troubled at the moment. He looked...awed.
Rosemary realized that all of the people who had just exited the hotel had come to a stop. All eyes—even those of the security team—were focused on Sydney as she surfaced from the water near the stairs. The white one-piece swimsuit she wore somehow managed to be sexy and tasteful at the same time, showing the right amount of toned skin and flawless curves without giving away the goods. Watching her emerge from the pool was like one of those movie moments where the image slowed and suggestive music played while water spilled from the beautiful actress’s long, golden hair down along her spectacular body. Several observers even lowered their sunglasses to get a better view.
Heads swiveled from Sydney to Keith.
“That’s right,” was all he said, his sunglass-shaded eyes also on Sydney.
Rosemary stifled a laugh. It seemed that no one had suspected what Sydney hid underneath her conservative clothing. She watched Keith grab a nearby towel and greet Sydney with it along with a kiss that made Rosemary blush.
“Makes you understand why Rhonda got fake ones, doesn’t it?” Lily said.
That made Rosemary laugh out loud. Their mother had gotten breast implants years ago. Both Rosemary and Lily had inherited their mother’s original build, which meant they weren’t nearly as well-endowed as Sydney.
“I don’t know,” Rosemary said as Archer strode forward, his focus on Lily. “You managed to snag a good one with what God gave you.”
They both saw Archer grin over that, his adorable dimples flashing. Rosemary hadn’t realized her voice would carry that far.
“No, I didn’t,” Lily countered as Archer stopped beside her chair. “He snagged me.”
“I sure did,” he said, taking her extended hand and pulling her to her feet so he could give her a kiss. “Wasn’t easy, either.”
Lily put her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. “Had to make you work for it.”
“You’re worth every bit of effort.”
He kissed her again. Rosemary pretended to be intensely interested in her drink, not wanting to intrude on the tender moment. She didn’t see Sage approach until his shadow fell over her.
“Hey,” he said.
She smiled at him. “Hi.”
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure.”
She put her drink on the table between the lounge chairs and accepted his hand so he could assist her to her feet. She noticed his gaze sweep along her body and felt a tingle of pleasure work its way along her skin. Her figure would never rival Sydney’s but she knew the floral print halter-style bikini flattered her. It appeared Sage agreed.
She slipped into the flip-flops beside her chair and pulled on her filmy cover-up, leaving it unbuttoned as she followed Sage along the path leading away from the pool back towards the hotel. A glance around told her that the cameras for the show were being held casually by their operators and were not yet in use, easing some of her tension. She hoped Sage wasn’t planning on going into the lobby. She wasn’t dressed appropriately enough for that.
He stopped next to a small outbuilding and looked inside the partially open door. Apparently finding it suitable, he opened the door wider and waved Rosemary inside. She moved past him and stepped into what appeared to be a towel storage shed. Piles of them lined the shelves and half of the floor. There was a bin beneath a window flap that held discarded towels. Large vents along the ceiling kept the space from being too stifling, but it was warmer than out by the pool.
Sage closed the door behind him and turned to face her, his golden eyes intent. “I wanted to apologize for how I left things last night,” he said.
“That’s not necessary.”
“Are you telling me that you haven’t spent the day wondering what you said to make me run off like that?”
She bit her bottom lip, not wanting to lie. He nodded.
“That’s what I figured. I’m sorry, Rose. You deserve an explanation.”
“Sage, you don’t have to—”
“I want to.” He walked over to a waist-high stack of towels and sat on it, patting the spot beside him to encourage her to sit there. “I mentioned my father last night. I had no idea why.”
“Because you didn’t want to kiss me,” she reminded him, grinning so he knew she was teasing him.
His expression didn’t grow any less serious. “Actually, I did want to kiss you. I’ve realized that bringing him up was an act of self-preservation.”
Her smile dimmed in confusion. What was he saying?
“I’ve never cheated on Kaila,” he said. “Never even considered it. But you’ve made me consider it a lot since we met.”
“Oh my God,” she said, pushing herself to her feet and tugging her cover-up more tightly around her. “I swear I never meant to—”
“No,” he interrupted, his eyes going wide. Then he shook his head and laughed. “Damn, I’m screwing this up. Please sit down. That came out all wrong.”
She sat. “Perhaps some clarification is in order.”
“Yeah.” He took a deep breath and released it. “The thing is, you made me question why I’ve been clinging to the dream of a future with Kaila even though she’s refused to commit to a relationship with me. I’ve told myself all kinds of things over the years. She’s the only woman I’ve ever been with. There’s something special about that to me.”
Rosemary’s heart wrenched in agreement. How incredibly sweet and romantic was that? And why, oh why was a guy like Sage being wasted on a woman who didn’t appreciate him?
“I thought that if I remained dedicated to Kaila and the love we shared when we were younger that I could somehow encourage her to feel the same way. As you’ve probably figured, that’s not what happened. When she initially asked for time to experience life on her own, I was busy with getting the band off the ground and didn’t have much time for a social life. I told myself it wasn’t a big deal that she wanted to explore a life that didn’t include me.”
He didn’t have to tell her that it had been a big deal. Rosemary reached up and rubbed his shoulder in understanding.
“Last night something you said made me examine my focus on a future with Kaila. I came to some unexpected conclusions, one of which felt like a kick to the gut. That’s why I left like I did. I needed some time to recover from that and consider what it means for the future.”
His eyes conveyed much more than his words. Her heart was suddenly alive in her chest. She felt things shifting between them. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to demonstrate just how much he was worth loving.
“Do you want to talk ab
out it?” she asked softly.
“I...no. Not right now. I just wanted to explain myself to you. You’ve been a great listener. I hope you know how much I appreciate that.”
She moistened her lips, praying she wasn’t misreading the situation. It gave her a boost of confidence when he looked at her lips and his pupils dilated.
“I can do more than listen, Sage,” she said, taking a chance and leaning closer to him.
He swallowed. She sensed him wavering between meeting her halfway and once again tossing up some kind of barrier between them. She made sure to go slow, not wanting him to feel pressured. The sound of their rapid breathing filled the confined space as anticipation built between them.
“Oh, screw it,” he said at last, bringing a hand up to the side of her face and leaning forward.
Their lips touched.
Passion combusted.
It was unlike anything Rosemary had ever experienced. They went from an almost hesitant pressing of lips against lips to open-mouthed lovemaking in a matter of seconds.
She matched the intimate probing of his tongue with her own and swore she’d never tasted anything as intoxicating as his kiss. Her entire body responded. Lust speared through her. Her blood felt like it was on fire as it rushed through her veins.
She didn’t register Sage pressing her back against the pile of towels, nor was she aware when she wrapped her legs around his waist. All she knew was she wanted more and she wanted it now.
His hands moved skillfully along her body as they kissed, generating a painful pulse of need between her thighs where he was nestled. Moans rose in the back of her throat as his hands slid beneath her bikini top and found her breasts. He ran his thumbs over her taut nipples, making her writhe beneath him.
She felt his erection pressing against her through the thin material of her bikini bottoms. It felt like bliss itself...just out of reach. They moved together like that again and again until the barrier of their clothing became unbearable.
She tugged at his T-shirt. He broke away from her mouth long enough to yank the shirt over his head, taking his glasses along with it. He didn’t seem to care.
