by E M Lindsey
He seemed like it, but he could already feel Joe’s temper getting shorter, and he was growing increasingly dissatisfied that Will was making him wait for sex. Joe insisted he was fine, but the signs were all there, and Will wasn’t convinced that things wouldn’t spiral back to how they’d been.
For now, he was taking the reprieve, and he felt a surge of happiness when he got Sage’s message saying he was on his way. He hadn’t said anything to Molly just yet, in case their plans fell apart, but he delighted in the look on her face when he told her the news.
“Really?” she squealed, jumping up from the sofa.
Will grinned. “Really. He’s on his way now. It’s not going to be just a fun visit, though. You have to work on your homework with him.”
“I promise I’ll do it all,” she vowed with a sincerity he hadn’t heard in a while. When she rushed at him and threw her arms around his waist, his throat went a little tight. Since Sage had gone, Molly hadn’t so much as given him a pat on the shoulder, let alone real physical affection, and he felt something slot back into place that he hadn’t realized had been out. He didn’t want to credit Sage with it—couldn’t let himself—but he knew the truth.
“Does this mean Joe won’t be coming over anymore?” Molly asked as she followed him to the kitchen to help set the table.
Will’s hand froze as it was reaching for the glasses, and he turned slowly. “What?”
Molly shrugged as she started digging into the drawer for silverware. “Now that Sage is back, does that mean Joe is going away?”
Will deflated, his arms falling back to his sides as he turned to face his sister. “Molls, I know you like Sage, but it doesn’t mean you can’t give other people a chance.”
Molly rolled her eyes as she grabbed the napkins off the counter. “I do,” she said a little petulantly. “I like lots of people, but I don’t like Joe. He’s always mean to me when he’s over, and I heard him talking to someone on his phone, and he said that he was gonna take all your money.”
Will felt his heart hammer in his chest. “Molly, I’m sure that’s not true.”
“It is,” she insisted. “You were in the shower and he was outside. I came out for water and I heard him. He said mommy and baba left you money and he was gonna have it.”
“That’s not…I’m sure you misheard him,” Will said weakly. He hated how plausible it was, how it was just like Joe to go there. But Joe also wasn’t the kind of guy to put in this much effort for anything. He’d run plenty of scams, but he didn’t have the stamina for a long-con. Will heard sincerity in his words when Joe told him he loved him. He’d seen it in his eyes… Hadn’t he?
Molly shrugged. “He’s mean.” She dropped the conversation, but it left Will shaken as he finally retrieved the cups and plates from the cabinets.
Before he could well and truly panic out over it, there was a knock at the door, and Molly flung herself at it. Will watched from the side of the kitchen as Sage stepped in and found himself with an arm full of seven-year-old, clinging to him like a koala. He lifted her on his hip, petting her hair gently as she pushed her face into his neck. When he looked up at Will, he offered a sheepish smile.
“She missed you,” Will told him.
“Yeah,” Molly said, her voice muffled from his shirt. “I missed you every day!”
Sage chuckled and gave her a squeeze. “I missed you too, sweetheart. Sorry I had to be gone for so long.”
Molly pulled back and looked him directly in the eye. “Will said you two aren’t friends anymore and that’s why you didn’t come over.”
Will felt a rush of guilt at the startled look on Sage’s face, and he desperately wished he’d been able to talk to the guy before subjecting him to Molly’s particular brand of vicious honesty. “I told her it was a complicated adult problem,” he clarified.
Sage schooled his face into a neutral expression, but his eyes showed the hurt there. “Sometimes adults have problems that aren’t easy to deal with, but it’s fine now. I’m here, right?”
“Yes,” Molly said, and clung harder. “Can you stay?”
“For a bit,” Sage told her. “Your brother said we can have dinner, and I’m going to help you with some of your homework, okay?”
She nodded, then let him gently set her back to the ground. “I’ll finish the table,” she declared, and pushed past Will to the dining room.
With a sheepish smile, Will rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry. We left things weird, and uh…I didn’t know what to tell her, but I didn’t want to lie, either.”
“It’s fine,” Sage said, though his tone said he was anything but. “It was mostly my fault. I was pretty fucked up. Still am.”
Will winced and fought the urge to reach for Sage, but he knew he couldn’t go there again. “Let’s just have some dinner. Then you can help Molly. Then…we can talk?”
Sage nodded, an awkward tension that had never been there before which put Will off, but he’d learn to adjust. “Sounds good.” He turned and followed Molly to the dining table, and Will was immediately appreciative that his sister managed to dispel a lot of the tension as she babbled on about her day. Will noticed she specifically avoided telling Sage about her suspension, and as much as Will wanted to bring up the other elephant in the room, he figured she needed a reprieve as much as he did.
She’d yet to tell him what had gotten her so upset—yes, he assumed it was partly the fact that Sage disappeared, but he knew there was more to it. And maybe it was Joe. Maybe Molly wasn’t acting out, but reacting instead to something Will hadn’t noticed.
He felt sick to his stomach again, and only managed to nibble on his food through dinner. If Sage noticed, he didn’t say anything, though Will caught him stealing glances all through the meal.
“Why don’t you take Sage to look at the work you need help with,” Will suggested once it was clear Molly was finished eating. “I’ll tidy the dishes, and then we can chat.”
Sage nodded, his jaw tight, and he stood up without a word, following Molly into the living room. When he was out of sight, Will stood up and gripped the edge of the table, letting out a few breaths. It was just so much. He was totally unprepared for how to handle this, and the last thing he’d expected was to feel heartbroken over a man he hadn’t even been officially dating.
The most they’d ever done was spill quiet secrets, held hands after too much wine, and shared a single kiss. Will had gone further with friends at parties during his college years. He felt like such a fool, and he could only imagine how hard Sage would laugh at him if he knew the truth.
Forcing himself to focus, Will gathered the plates and began to wash up. There wasn’t much left over, but he threw it all into a container in case Joe showed up, then tossed it in the fridge. He was doing what he could not to think about Joe right then. He couldn’t discount what Molly had told him, but he also knew she was prone to exaggerating when things weren’t going her way. He didn’t want to throw away something that had the potential to be good because of a child’s tantrum.
But god, god, what if she was telling the truth? What if he’d hurt her? Joe had been meticulous when he had been cruel to Will—taking care to never leave marks, to ease up just before he got out of hand. He did just enough to make Will doubt it was really abuse, and he felt horrified at the thought he’d do those things to Molly when Will wasn’t looking.
He felt a sudden desperation to sit Molly down and talk to her, to drag details out of her so he could step in. If Joe so much as laid a finger on her, so much as said a cruel word, he’d eviscerate him.
Storming into the living room, all the fight left Will at the sight of Molly curled up on the sofa with Sage. He had one arm around her, her math book on his knee, and he was carefully explaining one of the more complicated fractions concepts that had gotten Molly upset. Will wasn’t sure she understood it any better, but Sage’s patience was beyond any teacher or school tutor Molly had seen, and it made something settle.
He wish
ed more than anything things could be different between them. He wished he’d been good enough, or strong enough to be patient for Sage. He wished he’d been able to give Sage a reason to hope that there could be a future. But it was what it was.
“Okay, miss,” Will said, interrupting them, “I think it’s time for your shower.”
Molly pulled a face. “But…”
“I promise I’m coming back,” Sage said, a ferocity in his voice that had Will taking a step back. “Okay?”
Molly looked torn, but when she turned her gaze on Will, he nodded and she immediately relaxed. “Okay. Maybe tomorrow?”
“How about Saturday,” Sage offered as a compromise. “I’m working at the shop all day tomorrow, so I won’t have time for tutoring. But,” he said when her face started to fall, “I could stop by the café on my lunch break to say hi. That sound okay?”
Molly turned hopeful eyes onto her brother. “Can we?”
“Yes,” Will said without a moment of hesitation. He didn’t know what to do about him and Sage, but he did know that keeping Molly feeling secure was well within his power. “We’ll be there.”
Sage smiled at him like a peace offering, then hugged Molly before she ran off. The moment Will heard the shower start, he motioned toward his balcony. “Can we go talk outside. She’ll be a while, but I don’t want her to overhear.”
Sage hesitated, but nodded and led the way outside, leaving the door cracked so they could hear Molly if she needed anything. It was another profound difference between Sage and Joe. Joe was willing to include Molly, but everything was so forced. He had to think twice and correct himself constantly. With Sage, it had come as naturally as breathing.
Will hated it. Hated Sage for being exactly what he wanted, and exactly what he needed, and refusing to take that step with him. “I’m sorry for not calling or texting.”
“I get it,” Sage immediately said. “I wasn’t…I’m not pissed at you. I’m pissed at myself. I left things messed up between us and you had no reason to ever contact me again.”
“Yeah, but I could have told you how it made me feel,” Will said. “I was being selfish, and it ended up hurting Molly.”
“Is that why she’s acting out?” Sage asked.
Will bit his lip, debating about bringing Joe into it, but he knew Sage would jump to immediate rage. Will wanted to know everything first, to hear everything Molly had to say before making a decision, and he didn’t trust Sage to be patient. “That’s part of it, yeah. She’s still dealing with stuff, and I made it worse.”
Sage shook his head. “I should have thought of her too. I could have explained it myself.”
Will grabbed the railing, gripping hard enough his knuckles ached, and he stared down the three floors to the pavement. “I,” he started, but the words died in his throat.
“I’m not going anywhere unless you want me to,” Sage said quietly, taking a step closer. “I know I made things confusing, but none of what I said was a lie. I do care about you. You’re the first person I’ve wanted to let into my life in a long time.”
Will finally looked over, reading the sincerity in Sage’s expression, feeling the way it pierced his chest with want. And pain, because he knew if he pushed, Sage would only pull back further. “I don’t want you to go,” he admitted. “Not just for Molly’s sake, either.”
Sage’s mouth turned up in a cautious smile. “Okay.”
Will couldn’t help a small chuckle. “Okay. So, we’re good.”
Sage nodded, but his brow furrowed as he leaned against the railing near Will’s elbow. “Can I ask you something though?”
Will shrugged. “Go for it.”
“Are you really dating Joe again?”
Unable to stop his flinch, Will let out a sharp breath and turned his gaze away. “I don’t know what we’re doing. He came back right after you left town and begged me to give him a second chance. He swore he changed, and he’s…he’s been working on himself.”
“Like therapy?” Sage asked.
Will wanted to laugh, but he knew it was a genuine question. Sage’s life revolved around his own therapy to heal from his trauma, and it was such a simple query, but the idea of Joe agreeing to something like that was laughable. “Uh, no. Not therapy, but he’s been doing a lot to show me he’s not the same person he was.”
“Right,” Sage breathed out, his tone disbelieving. Will bristled, but Sage stood his ground. “He was abusing you. And I know you don’t like to use that terminology, but it is what it is. Do you really want to put Molly at risk?”
“You think I’d do that to her?” Will asked, his voice rising. In the back of his mind, though, he knew he was defensive because he was afraid he’d let Molly down.
“No, but I think that sometimes when people are lonely or sad, they’re blinded. I’ve spent a fair share of my life being ignorant to what people need. I almost lost Derek to it. I don’t want to see you keep someone around who makes you feel the way Joe made you feel.” Sage’s tone was softer now, but it didn’t help Will feel calmer.
“That’s really none of your business. You made it pretty clear the last time we talked,” he retorted. He couldn’t help a wave of guilt when Sage flinched and cast his eyes down toward his boots.
“Yeah. I guess I deserve that,” he admitted.
Maybe, Will murmured in his head, but I still love you anyway. But he couldn’t bring himself to say it. “Just trust me,” is what he said instead. “I’d never let anyone hurt Molly.”
Sage’s shoulders sagged. “I know, and I do trust you. I just don’t trust him. But you deserve to be happy, Will, and I hope whatever happens, we can at least be friends. I can’t possibly be Joe’s favorite person right now, so I’d understand if he doesn’t want me around.”
Will grimaced at the thought of Joe’s reaction if he caught Sage there alone with Will and Molly. Joe hadn’t brought Sage up since the night at the bar, but he didn’t need to. He’d made his feelings about Sage very plain over the phone the next day, and Will didn’t think Joe had changed his mind.
“He doesn’t get to control who I hang out with,” Will said. “And he certainly doesn’t have any say over Molly.”
“Alright,” Sage conceded. Before he could say anything else, Molly poked her head out, then flew into Sage’s arms, her little nightgown fluttering in the breeze. She tucked in close to him, and Will again pushed back the feeling of wanting something he couldn’t have. “Hey, you. Ready for bed?”
“Can you tuck me in?” she asked.
Sage looked at Will for permission, then nodded. “Yep. Then I’m going to take off, but I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch.”
She sighed happily, and Will tried not to feel his heart breaking all over again.
Chapter Seventeen
“So, let me get this straight,” James said, leaning over the edge of Sage’s stall, “you’re going to go take the guy and the kid out for lunch.”
Sage gave him a flat look. “Yes. I feel like that’s a simple enough concept to understand, even for you.”
James gave him a wolfish grin, even as he flipped him off. “Isn’t that…what’s the word?” He turned his head. “Matty, what’s the word for getting off on pain?”
“Masochism,” Mat said absently.
James turned and grinned again. “That.”
“You’re an asshole,” Sage grumbled. He pushed himself up and grabbed his appointment book, tucking it under his arm. “Molly’s been through hell and back with losing her folks. The last thing I should have done was abandon her after seeing her almost every day.”
James’ face softened. “I get that, I do. But you have to look out for yourself, man. And he’s dating someone.”
“He’s dating the asshole who abused him,” Sage growled, trying to tamp down on his rage. He’d seen the look of uncertainty in Will’s eyes the night at his apartment, and it had taken all of his self-control not to hunt Joe down and beat him within an inch of his life. “If anything, I
can at least be around to make sure that dude doesn’t lay a hand on either of them.”
“Just don’t push,” Sam said, wheeling his chair to the opening of his stall. “Trust me, he’ll only shut down if you do.”
“I’m just trying to be a friend,” Sage defended, but he knew they were right. His instinct was to jump in and protect with fists. Fighting dirty had always come naturally to him, and he was happy to do it now in order to protect the two people he cared about, but it wouldn’t solve anything. It would only push Will away. “And anyway, this is just lunch. I promised Molly.”
Sam smiled at him. “You’re good for her. Let us know how it goes, okay?”
Sage nodded. “Yeah. And let me know how your meeting with Rowan is. When do you have court?”
“Next week,” Sam said. “He’s optimistic, but he thinks May’s grandparents are going to get at least a day with her.”
Sage felt his anger burn hot in his gut. “I trust him.”
“Me too, but I’m also glad he’s realistic,” Sam admitted. “It’s helping me stay grounded.”
“Well, I’m having dinner with Derek and Baz tonight,” Sage said as he grabbed his phone. “Then I’m taking the walk-in shift here at eleven, so if you need anything, you know where to find me.”
“Thanks,” Sam said, then went back into his stall to finish his sketches. Sage said a quick goodbye to Mat and James, then popped his head in the office to tell Tony he was taking off. It was a nice day out, and he was hoping Will and Molly would be agreeable to a day at the park. He didn’t have a ton of time. His class was in a few hours, and he still had some of his homework to finish, but he wanted to make the most of every free minute he had with them.
The walk to the café was short, and he found Will behind the counter, shoving sandwiches into a bag. He glanced up at the sound of the door, and his face softened into a smile. “Hey, Molly’s in the bathroom, but we can take off as soon as she’s ready. You still up for the park?”
