TREY HAD BEEN avoiding Sage.
He didn’t think he could face her again until he had everything sorted out. He’d been extremely busy since returning from France.
Ever since he’d walked away from Sage that night at the château, he’d felt as though he’d lost a piece of himself. Sure, he was upset that she’d interfered in his life and brought his father to see him. It was wrong and for a while he’d been really upset with her.
His father had followed him to the States. They’d had another talk. This time his father did most of the talking and Trey did more listening. In the end, his father told him to give Sage another chance. In the little bit of time that his father had seen them together, he said he could tell they had something special.
Trey left that meeting anxious to talk to Sage about what had just gone on between him and his father—their first meaningful conversation. But she wasn’t waiting for him at home. She wasn’t waiting for him. Period.
And he had no one to blame but himself. She had drawn his father back into his life out of the goodness of her heart. If there was one thing about Sage that was undeniable, it was her desire for others to be happy—even if she wasn’t.
And now it was time they talked. He hoped that she would hear him out and, in the end, she’d be happy. He’d hired a team of private investigators to work through the information his hacker friends had uncovered about Elsa’s dealings. And he now had incriminating proof that Elsa had stolen Sage’s legacy.
And with the board meeting concluded and the official vote taken, Trey jumped in his sleek black sports car and raced across town to the headquarters of QTR Magazine. He maneuvered the car through the parking lot. Just as a black town car pulled out from in front of the building, he slipped his car into the vacant spot.
Not so long ago, he would have thought of this as his father’s building, but now when he looked at the building, he thought of it as Sage’s domain. She’d done miracles with this magazine. He was proud of her.
He rushed to the glass doors and, once inside the lobby, he came to a stop. There was Louise and Happy. He glanced around for Sage, but she was nowhere in sight.
Arf! Arf!
Trey said hi to Louise and then knelt down to pet Happy. Even though the dog was cute, he never would have considered keeping him if it weren’t for Sage’s fondness for Happy. Keeping a dog was a life-changing event for him. It meant scheduling his life around someone else—putting Happy’s needs ahead of Trey’s hectic schedule. He wouldn’t do something like that for just anyone. But he had to admit he’d grown quite attached to the dog and the woman who’d convinced him to keep Happy.
Trey lifted his head to Louise. “Is Sage in her office?”
“No. She just left.”
He straightened. “Left?”
Louise nodded.
Trey felt as though the rug had been pulled out from under him. He thought this was his chance to fix everything and now she’d taken off in the middle of a workday. Was she that upset with him?
Louise looked at him. “Are you just going to stand there?”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to...” She glanced down at the file folder in her hand. When her gaze met his again there was a twinkle in her eyes as though she had all the answers to the world’s problems. “Do you remember when you said that you would owe me a favor for watching Happy while you were in France?”
He clearly remembered. And he knew one day that favor was going to cost him dearly. It appeared that day had arrived. “I remember.”
“I need you to take this file to Sage. I forgot to give it to her before she left.”
His gaze lowered to the thin file folder. “Surely it can’t be that important.”
“She needs it for her meeting in New York.”
“New York?” No wonder Sage appeared a bit on edge. He thought she was angry with the way he’d reacted over the reconciliation with his father. But she’d had other more important matters on her mind. “She’s going to face Elsa, isn’t she?”
“I can’t really say. She swore me to silence.”
That told him everything he needed to know. “Give me the file.” It was the excuse he needed to speak to her and try to convince her to forgive him so he could accompany her on this trip. “I’ll see that she gets it.”
“I was really hoping you’d say that. And if you don’t make it back for a while, no worries—Happy will be fine with me.”
“You mean you’ll spoil him some more.”
Arf!
“Like I said, we’ve got this. Just make sure Sage is all right.” She held out the folder to him.
He accepted it. “I will, if she lets me.”
“You can be persuasive. After all, you talked her into hiring you, didn’t you? Flash her that million-dollar smile, and if that doesn’t work, grovel.”
“Grovel?” He shook his head. He wasn’t one that was used to groveling. But when he thought of living his life without Sage in it, groveling didn’t seem like such a bad option. “I’ll do whatever it takes.” He rushed to the door and then paused to turn back. “Thank you.”
“What are you thanking me for? You’re the one doing me a favor.” She winked at him.
“You’re the best.”
“Stop with the flattery and get going. You don’t want to miss her.”
He took off out the door. Thankfully he’d left his car right in front of the building in the no-parking zone. Sometimes rules had to be broken, especially when you realize what an idiot you’ve been.
He stopped next to his car and searched the parking area for the black town car that had pulled out just as he’d arrived. He was certain it would be long gone by now, but then he spotted it waiting in a long line at the red light. Most of the time that stoplight annoyed him to no end with its long green for the main drag but its five-second green for the parking lot. Today he was thanking his lucky stars because it was just the delay he needed to catch up to Sage.
He took a side exit, avoiding the troublesome light, and followed her car onto the freeway. With the congestion on the roadway, he fell back a few cars. It was no big deal as there wasn’t any way to get her to pull over here. He would just follow her to the airport where he could tell her—
A car came flying up beside him. It was a flashy red sports car. It swerved into his lane, nearly sideswiping him before it rushed on.
The sports car surge forward and then it veered to the right, cutting off a car. The car braked and started a chain reaction of collisions. Trey practically stood on his brakes to get stopped in time.
When he looked up, he saw the sports car had swerved across the five lanes of traffic. Brake lights lit up. And then the car struck the fender of Sage’s car. Trey watched the accident as if it was in slow motion. The black town car spun around and another oncoming car struck the passenger side.
Trey’s heart lurched into his throat.
No. No. No. This can’t be happening.
She just has to be okay. Please, let her be okay.
By now traffic had ground to a halt in all the lanes. Trey shut down his car and jumped out. He wasn’t the only one. Others were getting out to help the passengers in the now-wrecked cars. But the red sports car was nowhere to be found. It must have slipped away on the off-ramp.
He ran toward Sage’s car. The driver stepped out. He grimaced as he rubbed his neck.
Trey kept moving until he was next to Sage’s door. He eased it open and found her sitting there with her head lulled off to the side and her eyes closed. A trickle of blood trailed down the side of her face.
Trey’s chest tightened. This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t be too late to tell her that he was sorry. That he loved her. And he would do whatever it took to make her happy.
“Sage?” No response. “Sage, please open your eyes.”
The driver moved around the car to stand next to Trey. “How is she?”
“I... I don’t know.” The breath caught in his lungs. He needed to see if she had a pulse. He reached out and placed a finger on the side of her neck. Her skin was warm and...there was a pulse. The pent-up breath whooshed from his lungs. “She’s alive.”
“I called 911. The paramedics are stuck in traffic.”
Trey turned back to Sage. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.” He gently traced his finger down over her cheek. “I’m so sorry. That’s what I came to tell you. And that I love you. I love you so much. Please be all right.”
He leaned forward and pressed his lips ever so lightly to hers.
When he pulled back, he noticed her eyes start to open. He reached for her hand and took it in his own. “That’s it. Come back to me.”
Sage’s eyes opened wide. She glanced around until her gaze settled on him. “You love me?”
“You heard that?”
She smiled and nodded. “Just tell me that it wasn’t a dream.”
“It’s definitely not a dream.” He stared deep into her blue eyes. “I love you, Sage. With all my heart. I’m just sorry that it took me so long to figure it all out.”
“Why did you leave me at the château? Why couldn’t we have figured it out together?”
“Because you kept talking about everything being perfect. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a person—especially someone like me. I didn’t think I could give you a perfect family—in fact, I knew it.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize the pressure I was putting on you. I was so excited about what we could have together that I didn’t think about how your past would color your view of the future.”
“And I let the past get in the way of my future—of our future. But thanks to you, my father and I are talking. I’m learning that everything in the past wasn’t black and white. I think the truth is somewhere in the shades of gray.”
Sage smiled. “I’m so glad to hear that you two are talking.”
“I never thought I’d say this, but I am, too.”
She squeezed his hand. “I’ve had time to think about us. And I don’t need a perfect family. All I need is you. I love you.” She leaned into him and pressed her lips to his. A kiss had never tasted quite so sweet.
When she pulled back, she pressed a hand to her injured forehead. “What happened?”
“You were in an accident. Don’t you remember?”
It took her a second and then she nodded. “I remember some of it.”
She started to move around, but the seat belt was still holding her in place.
“Hey, you need to stay where you are until the paramedics get here.” He didn’t want her to hurt herself further.
“Why? I’m fine.” She released the seat belt.
“You have blood on your face. You aren’t fine.”
“It’s just a little cut.”
“I’d rather hear an experienced medical professional tell me that.”
She smiled at him as the paramedics entered the freeway via the exit ramp. “I never knew you were so protective.”
“Only about those I love.”
Sage got to her feet. “See. I’m fine.”
“You’re still going to the hospital to be checked out. Do you hear me?”
“But I need to get to New York. My investigator has important information about Elsa.”
“While you get checked out, your investigator and my investigators can put their information together and see if it’s enough to take to the police.”
Her eyes widened. “You had people looking into Elsa even after our blowup over your father?”
“I never stopped. And I have some other news for you.”
“Is it about the future of the magazine?” The smile slipped from her face.
“It is. The board voted unanimously for you.”
“They did?” She threw her arms around his neck. “If this is a dream, don’t wake me up.”
“It’s not a dream. I love you and everything is going to work out as long as we’re together.”
He lowered his head and claimed her lips with his own.