by E M Lindsey
“Derek said the closing went well,” Kat told him. She had Jasmine on her lap who was furiously scribbling crayons onto a large piece of sketch paper, oblivious to the chaos around her.
Sage reached out and ruffled her soft curls and was rewarded with a happy grin as she glanced over at him. ‘Hi, beautiful,’ he signed at her.
She gave him a little wave, then went back to her hard work, turning the sheet of paper blue.
“It went fine.” Sage said with a shrug. “Everything’s signed and I got the keys. Rodger’s getting meetings lined up for me over the next month or so, and we’re going to start talking programs with local employers in hopes of getting the kids jobs when they get here.”
Kat’s eyes widened. “That sounds like a lot, babe. You really up for that?”
Sage bristled. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Hey, I’m not questioning you,” she said softly, leaning in toward him. “I just know things have been a bit much lately.”
Sage shook his head, realizing he had the attention of Mat, Sam, and Tony now. “It’s fine. Can we order?”
The four of them exchanged a look, but they didn’t question him further as Sam waved the server over and started to order several dishes for the table to share. Sage found himself grateful he didn’t have to make any decisions right then, and he could let himself lean back and just get lost in the drone of conversation around him.
“…numbers are more complicated than letters,” Mat was saying to Sam. “But it’s sticking better than print, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.”
Sage looked at him. “What is?”
Mat flushed a little and shrugged. “The other day I was over at James’ and after uh…an incident with my phone speaker,” his gaze flickered over to Wyatt who was sitting there with his eyes closed, a small smile on his face, “Wyatt wanted to know if I’d ever tried braille for reading.”
Sage’s brows lifted. “Oh, that’s…wow. I never thought about that.”
“Yeah,” Mat said with a laugh. “me either, but I gave it a shot. It’s hard as hell and my memory is still pretty fucked up, but I’ve been able to understand a decent amount, so he’s teaching me.”
“That’s fucking amazing, dude,” Sage said.
Mat grinned. “It’s kind of exciting. It makes me wonder, if I had tried it before…” He stopped and trailed off. Sage had a feeling he was thinking about his past, about the career he’d been robbed of after the accident, but when he didn’t continue, Sage didn’t press him.
The food arrived shortly after, and the conversation died down a little in favor of stuffing their faces. Sage wasn’t super hungry, and surreptitiously kept checking his phone, but the status of his message remained stubbornly the same. He chewed on a corner of pita as he tried not to worry, but it must have been obvious on his face when he felt a kick under the table.
“Dude, Will again?” Mat asked.
Sage felt his cheeks heat. “He hasn’t answered my texts all day. I’m just worried.”
“The guy dumped you for his shitty ex,” James pointed out. “Do you really want him to answer you?”
Something hot and ugly twisted in his chest, and Sage breathed through it so he didn’t say something he would regret to someone he loved. “It’s not about that, and he didn’t dump me. I was in a bad place and I didn’t give him any reason to believe there was room for a relationship between us.”
“Don’t you get tired of taking the blame for everything?” James asked, leaning forward. “I mean shit, that has got to be exhausting.”
Before Sage could open his mouth and say something nasty, he felt a touch on his arm and saw Wyatt had leaned over. “Could you do me a favor?”
Sage didn’t know the guy well, and he was startled out of his anger. “Uh. Sure?”
“I just need a breath of fresh air, and I don’t want to interrupt the meal. If you’re finished, maybe you can walk me?” There was an obvious motive in his tone, and Sage found himself wanting to jump at the chance to get away from his family. His gratitude was profound as he stood up. “I’d be happy to, man.”
Wyatt joined him, a significant look on his face as he bent over and grabbed his cane from below his chair, then he took the back of Sage’s shoulder and the pair of them headed out the front doors.
“You did that on purpose,” Sage accused as they made their way to the benches near what used to be the smoking area.
Wyatt laughed as he felt for the edge of the bench with his cane, then turned to sit, letting Sage go. “I was obvious?”
“You were definitely not subtle,” Sage told him, sitting down a space away. “I appreciate it, though.”
“I know James can be a little…” He trailed off with a sigh. “I’ve been getting to know him, and I’ve learned the way he loves is very…complicated. He’s very closed off about his past—about what made him the person he is today.”
“Yeah,” Sage admitted, because it was true. James talked very little about his childhood or his experience in the military which sent him home without two limbs and a chip on his shoulder the size of Georgia. James was the sort of man who loved hard, and sometimes it came across a little meanly, but he cared with a ferocity Sage didn’t see in most people. “I’m not angry at him, I’m just tired of trying to explain myself.”
“I understand that,” Wyatt told him. He fiddled with the top of his cane, his head tipped down. His eyes were open, and Sage could see them rolling gently, catching occasional glimpses of the deep brown irises. “It was why I left home. My family—they tried to help me, but it was such a tight community and I couldn’t shake off the scandal. It got to be too much.”
“Where was home?” Sage asked, realizing how little he knew about this man.
Wyatt smiled softly. “Quatre d'Arbres. A tiny little village just outside of Trois-Rivières. Very small, very…insular.”
Sage bit his lip and stared down at his untied laces. “Can I ask what…”
“I had an issue at my former job,” Wyatt cut in, not letting Sage finish his question. “I was let go, and there was an inquiry which was cleared up after only one month, but the damage was done. People either hated me or they over-compensated to make me feel better, and I started to feel suffocated. At that same time, my guide dog passed, and my relationship fell apart. I couldn’t take it, so I just…left.”
“Yeah,” Sage said from behind a sigh. “I get that. I almost took off not too long ago. Right after my dad died, I packed up and was ready to bail. Kind of fucked everything up with the one person I cared about too.”
“But you didn’t go,” Wyatt pointed out. “You’re still here. That has to mean something.”
Sage snorted a bitter laugh. “Yeah, that I’m a coward.”
Wyatt turned to face him, and though Sage wasn’t sure how much usable vision the man had, he got the distinct impression Wyatt was searching for something. “From everything I’ve heard, you’re the opposite of coward. You’ve come from a bad place to build something great, and if you let one mistake with a person define that, you’ll never have the confidence you need for your future.”
Sage licked his lips and found he couldn’t look at Wyatt’s face. He wasn’t ready to admit he was strong enough to move on. Not yet. Like he’d told Will before, he wasn’t ready to be ready. “It took me a long time to get to a place where I felt comfortable enough to be with someone again, and I let my fear control that. Now he’s with someone else I don’t…I don’t know how to do it again.”
“Let it come naturally. And maybe,” Wyatt said softly, “what he has won’t last forever.”
“Maybe,” Sage breathed out. He pulled his phone out of his pocket again, but the message remained the same. “I’m worried about him.”
“That much is very obvious,” Wyatt said with a chuckle. “But you should trust him.”
“Yeah, I…” Sage’s words were cut off when a small voice shouted his name, and he looked up just in time to see Mol
ly racing across the empty street.
He stood up to receive her flying-leap hug, and just as she was swept into his arms, he saw both Will and Joe following after her. Will’s face was twisted in concern, but Joe, who was a few feet behind Will, looked livid.
“Molly,” Will said, breathless as he came to a stop in front of Sage, “you know better than to cross the street without me!”
“It was fine,” she pouted, pushing her face into Sage’s neck. “There wasn’t no cars. And Sage catched me.”
Will rolled his eyes, and though he shot Sage a tentative smile, he glanced behind him nervously where Joe had schooled his face into something more concerned. “You still know better than that.”
After a long moment, Sage carefully pried Molly from his neck and eased her down. “Your brother’s right, kiddo. I’m happy to see you, but you could have gotten hurt.”
She pouted her bottom lip out and stomped her foot. “But! You haven’t come over in like a week!”
“A week?” Joe asked.
Will swallowed thickly. “He tutors her. You knew that.”
“Right,” Joe said, his eyes narrowed. He glanced up at Sage. “No hard feelings, right?”
Sage’s jaw was so tight, his temples ached. “Of course.” He turned his head slightly to see that Wyatt had stood up and was now at his elbow. “This is uh…this is my friend, Wyatt. Wyatt, this is Will and Molly. And Will’s friend Joe.”
“Nice to meet you,” Wyatt said.
“Fiancé,” Joe snapped.
Sage took an involuntary step back as the word punched him in the face. “What?”
“I’m not Will’s friend. I’m his fiancé.” His look was defiant, and Sage felt his stomach roll.
Will looked horrified as he glanced back at Joe. “Uh, no? We haven’t…we briefly talked about the idea of marriage, but I never agreed to anything. We haven’t even…we’re not…”
Joe laughed, the sound tense and a little mean as he slid up to Will’s side. “Come on, babe, you know it’s going to happen eventually. Might as well just accept it.”
“Romantic,” Sage muttered viciously.
Will’s panicked eyes turned back to him. “Molly just missed you,” he said, hurriedly changing the subject. “We haven’t heard from you in a while.”
At that, Sage frowned. “That’s weird. I was pretty swamped over the last few days, but I’ve been texting all week. I sent one today inviting you to dinner to celebrate closing on the group home location.”
“The what now?” Joe asked loudly.
Sage contemplated just telling the guy to fuck off, but he knew that wouldn’t actually accomplish anything helpful. “I’m opening up a halfway house for homeless teens to get back on their feet.”
Joe laughed. “Oh great, so a bunch of teenage criminals moving into our neighborhood. I bet the locals are going to love that.”
“Don’t,” Will hissed at him, then turned back to Sage. “Congratulations, Sage,” he said, his voice softer. “I’m really happy for you.”
Sage nodded stiffly. “Thanks. Anyway, Wyatt and I should get back inside. You uh…you have a good night. And Molly,” he crouched down in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders as his voice dropped to a quiet murmur, “I’ll see you soon, okay? Remember, you know where to find me if you need anything.”
Molly glanced back at Joe, then at Sage again. “Okay,” she whispered.
Sage leaned in and kissed her forehead before standing back up and brushing Wyatt’s arm with his elbow. “Ready?”
Wyatt nodded and took his shoulder. “Nice meeting you Will, and Molly.” The brush-off was obvious, and Sage knew right then, Wyatt was going to fit in with his family just fine. “Bonne nuit. Et Joe? Bonne chance.” Sage knew those words, and the simple savagery in Wyatt’s tone made him smile in spite of the twisting in his gut.
As they walked off, Sage heard the rising anger in Joe’s voice, but they’d started back across the street and he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Just inside the doors, Sage paused, and his entire body started to shake.
“Fuck,” he muttered.
Wyatt’s hand moved from his shoulder down to his wrist and he squeezed. “If you can point me back to the table, I can get there on my own. You should head home.”
Sage wanted to kiss him out of sheer appreciation and relief. “Seriously?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to face these guys with whatever look you have on your face. I can hear it in your tone, and from what I can tell, you’re not good at hiding it.”
Sage let out a small laugh. “Thanks.” When Wyatt started to shake his head, Sage turned his hand and grabbed Wyatt’s fingers. “No seriously, thank you.” He took a moment and mapped out the route back to the table, which had little obstacles thanks to Niko’s careful planning of the layout, and once Wyatt was on his way back to the group, Sage turned and headed out.
His phone immediately started to buzz, so he switched it onto silent, and didn’t bother to check the screen until long after he got home.
Chapter Twenty
Will knew confronting Joe about anything while he was upset would be pointless. Joe would get immediately defensive and it would devolve into a massive fight, and he’d been navigating around those all week. Molly had been in a mood, her bad attitude directed at Joe every time he came around, and Will was getting tired of playing referee.
Joe insisted she was acting out, but Will was starting to have doubts about all the ways he had claimed to change. He was pulling his old tricks again—staying out all hours of the night, showing up drunk, picking fights. His language was less confrontational and hurtful than it had been in the past, but Will could physically see him holding back.
It was becoming obvious things were careening toward an end, and he just needed to muster up the courage to do it. The phone thing was the final straw. Will had been a little concerned when Sage had gone silent on him all week, but he’d chalked it up to the situation being awkward. Then Sage told him he had been texting all week, so Will dug into his phone and realized that at some point, Joe had managed to get into his contacts and block Sage’s number.
It only took a minute to right the issue, and Will fired off a quick sorry text to Sage before finding Joe outside, having a cigarette on the balcony. Molly was down for bed, so he shut the door quietly and leaned against the railing, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Did you go into my phone and block Sage’s number?” he asked softly.
Joe rolled his eyes and turned his head away. “So what if I did?”
Will spluttered, dropping his hands to his sides and clenching them into fists. “You don’t get to go through my phone, Joe. That’s not your place!”
Joe scoffed, throwing the cigarette off the balcony, and immediately lit up another. He bent down and Will saw he had a glass of liquor in his hand. “The dude’s an asshole and you know it. You really expect me to let you stay friends with him after what he did to me?”
Will’s eyes widened and he watched Joe drain the glass in one long swallow. “You don’t get to let me do anything. Sage is my friend. He’s important to me and he’s important to Molly. She loves him.”
Joe snorted. “Yeah, I saw that. Seems like he loves her too. Like…maybe a creepy amount.”
“Don’t,” Will said through clenched teeth. “Don’t you dare.”
Joe turned to face him, his smile cruel and dangerous, closing the distance so his chest was pressed to Will’s. “Come on, you know it’s the truth. Though maybe you’re into that kind of thing.”
Will reacted without thinking, his hand flying out and shoving Joe back. “Get out of my house.”
Joe laughed in his face. “No.”
“I don’t want you here,” Will growled at him. “I was right the first time when I left you. You haven’t changed and I don’t want you around. Leave.”
Joe shoved his chest forward, making Will stumble back, then grabbed him by the front of his shirt and sl
ammed him into the glass door. It was hard enough to rattle the frame, but not hard enough to hurt, though he was shaking with fear. Joe curled his hand into a fist, cocking it back near his ear. “Make me.”
Before Will could react, there was a noise behind them and both men turned to see Molly watching with her eyes wide and horrified. Joe unclenched his fist and ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re going to be so fucking sorry if you kick me out.”
“No, I don’t think I am,” Will told him. “Now get out before I have you arrested.”
“I know people,” Joe said, his tone low and threatening. “I’m not done with you.” With that, he shoved his way past Will, ignoring Molly completely as he snatched Will’s keys and hurried out the door.
Begging his body to just hold on and not give out, Will took a breath, then carefully stepped inside. He took a second, saying a small prayer that his face was calm and collected so Molly didn’t freak out worse. “Molly…”
“He was gonna hit you,” she said flatly.
Will swallowed, then nodded. “He lost his temper, and it was not okay. That kind of behavior is never okay.”
“He said he was coming back,” she told him in a small voice. “When he was walking out, he said that. Is he coming back?”
Will felt suddenly trapped without his car. He could call the police and report the car stolen—and he should—but there was no telling how seriously they’d take him. He was a brown, gay man and that didn’t always end well when involving the authorities.
After some hesitation, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “We’re not going to be here if he does, okay? Do me a favor and go pack a bag. I’m going to make a phone call and then we’re going to leave.”
“But he took the keys,” Molly said.
“I know,” Will told her. “I’m going to call Sage.”
At that, Molly looked like she was about to cry with relief, and she threw herself into his arms. “Sage said we could always call him.”
