Rough Terrain (Vista Falls #1)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Ohhhh,” Gabby said, grasping Sage’s wrist as she came up behind her. “I wonder what he wants.”

  “I don’t know.” The thought of having Wes in her personal space made Sage suddenly feel very vulnerable.

  Nudging her toward the door, Gabby said, “Well, don’t keep me in suspense. Open it already.”

  Chapter Six

  Wes had driven by her house twice, trying to decide whether to head home, but he knew he wouldn’t get a wink of sleep until they had this conversation face to face.

  “Hi,” Sage said, her cheeks flushed as she opened the door. “How’d you know where to find me?”

  Wes tried to keep a straight face when Gabby nudged her forward so they were standing mere inches apart. “Uh, you’re listed in the phone book. I hope you don’t mind me stopping by like this. I really need to talk to you, and I didn’t think it could wait ‘til morning.”

  “No, I don’t mind.” Sage stepped back to let him in.

  Gabby gave them both a quick hug before she winked at Sage and said, “Call me if you need me.”

  Sage closed the door behind Gabby and leaned against it, facing him. “Um, I was just having a glass of wine. Would you like one?”

  “Uh, a beer would be great, if you have one?”

  Sage smiled before leading him into her small kitchen. “I should have known better than to offer you wine. You’ll always be a beer guy, won’t you?”

  Wes stood in the doorframe of her kitchen, wondering how many men she’d prepared meals for in this room. “There are some things I would change about myself if I could,” he said, accepting the longneck she offered. “But beer consumption isn’t one of them.”

  She snagged the bottle of wine off the island, along with her glass, and led the way into the living room. “I skipped dinner. I was just thinking about ordering a pizza. Care to share?”

  “I’d love to.” It had been a long time since they’d shared a meal, and Wes couldn’t help but hope this would be the first of many more.

  She called their order in before sitting beside him on the two-seater white slipcovered sofa, tucking her legs under her. “So what would you change if you could?”

  It wasn’t easy to think straight with her sexy bare legs within stroking distance, but he forced his eyes back to her beautiful face. “What’s that?”

  “You said there were a lot of things you would change about yourself if you could. Name one.”

  He smiled, settling back as he prepared for one of their talks. It had been a long time, but Wes hadn’t forgotten how much Sage liked to philosophize. She’d always claimed she was an over-thinker, but he liked that about her. She forced him to dig deeper than he would have without her there to ask him the tough questions. Like now. “I’d work less. Your turn.”

  “Ditto.” She propped her elbow on the back of the sofa, resting her head in her hand. “That’s not entirely true. When I was working on the book, the hours were grueling, especially when the deadline was looming, but I loved every second of it.”

  “So you’d rather work on something you’re passionate about instead of working out of obligation?” He hated to think of her wasting her life by supporting a family who had never really appreciated her. Unless her parents had done a complete one-eighty in recent years, they wouldn’t even acknowledge that she’d sacrificed her life for theirs.

  “Something like that.” She took a sip of wine, staring at him over the rim of the glass. “Okay, your turn. Name something else.”

  “Hmmm.” He knew she didn’t take these questions lightly, and he saw this as an opportunity for them to get to know each other all over again, so he took his time before responding. “I’d travel more, for pleasure. I get to travel a lot for work, mostly throughout the States to scope out new locations for retail stores and deal with suppliers. Since we’re committed to domestic production to help save jobs, I’ve never had much cause for international travel.”

  “You always used to talk about the places you’d like to visit on some of those extreme outdoor adventures,” she said, scrunching her nose. “Sport fishing in the Amazon, big game hunting in Africa…” She shuddered. “The thought of you doing some of those things used to scare the hell out of me. Of course, you didn’t have two nickels to rub together back then, so I knew there was no immediate threat.”

  “Yeah,” he said, smiling. “Ironic, isn’t it? Back then I had no shortage of time, but I didn’t have the money to make it happen. Now it’s the other way around.”

  “Did moving here increase your workload?”

  “Not really.” He tipped his bottle back as his eyes scanned the room. The large pieces of furniture were light and neutral, but there were feminine touches like aqua curtains and throw cushions.

  “What?” she asked, following his gaze around the room. “You don’t like it?”

  “No, it’s great. I always wondered where you’d live, the kind of house you’d have.”

  “Then you thought about me over the years?” she asked, looking into her wine glass as her fingertip circled the rim.

  He wanted to tell her he’d thought about her more than he cared to admit, but he was determined to keep it casual. “Of course I thought about you. How could I not? We were a big part of each other’s lives for a long time. And after what we shared…” He didn’t want them to keep circling back to the adoption, though it was inevitable. “Well, I guess it’s only natural we’d wonder.”

  “I thought about you too.” She sounded almost shy as she admitted, “I’m really glad you’re back, Wes. I’ve missed you.”

  Those three little words made it even more difficult for him to suppress the urge to kiss her. He’d wanted to ever since he laid eyes on her in Rusty’s bar, and every time he saw her, he wanted it more.

  “I’ve missed you too.” His voice was raspy as he tried to find a balance between the truth and scaring her off by revealing too much. “I’ve dated a fair bit over the years, when time allowed, but there’s only been one Sage in my life.”

  She smiled, taking another sip of wine. “How selfish would I be to admit I’m happy to hear that?”

  The doorbell rang, drawing them out of the moment.

  Wes reached for his wallet. “That was quick.”

  “They’re just around the corner,” she said, jumping up. “You don’t have to get that. My purse is in the—”

  “Hey,” he said, grabbing her arm before she could reach the hall. “I got this. You wouldn’t want to get pizza sauce all over your fancy work clothes. Why don’t you go throw some sweats on while I get the door?”

  “Okay, thanks,” she said, making a beeline upstairs.

  He paid the delivery guy, grossly over-tipping him because he remembered what it was like to have a job like that. As he brought the box in and set it on the coffee table, his eyes drifted to a framed baby picture he hadn’t noticed before. As he studied it, he sucked in a sharp breath.

  “I have a feeling he’ll look just like you,” Sage said softly. She stood in the doorway, watching him. She’d changed into yoga pants, a black tank, and a white cropped hoodie.

  Wes swallowed continuously, fixating on the perfect little baby in the old photograph. “Where did you get this?”

  “Gabby took that just after he was born. I have another copy at the office. You should take that one.”

  “No, I couldn’t.” He set the frame back on the table, his eyes never leaving it. He tried to imagine the kind of young man that baby had grown into, but he couldn’t. Would he be tall and broad like him or smaller in stature like his mom? Would he have Wes’s blue eyes or Sage’s dark eyes?

  “Please,” she said, walking over to the table to pick up the frame. “I can always have another copy made, Wes. You should have this one.”

  He wanted it. More than anything. “Thanks.” He realized his hand was trembling when he reached out to take it.

  She must have seen it too because she gave him a wobbly smile. “I’ll just grab us some
plates and napkins for the pizza. Do you want another beer?”

  “No, I’m driving, so I shouldn’t.”

  “A soda or water then?”

  “I’m good, thanks.”

  He appreciated her excuse to leave him alone for a minute. He needed to collect himself before he made a damn fool of himself by weeping. It’s not that he hadn’t cried over the loss of his son over the years. Just not in front of anyone.

  She returned and set a bottled water down in front of him.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “I’m so scared,” she whispered, staring at the photo in his hands. “What if he hates me?”

  Wes wanted to tell her that was impossible, that no one who knew her could hate her, but their son didn’t know her and could very well hate her. “Actually, that’s what I came here to talk to you about.” He set the frame on the table. “I’m guessing Gabby told you about our talk?”

  “Yeah, that’s why she was here. She was afraid she overstepped by going to see you, and she didn’t want me to hate her.” She dished up the pizza and handed him a plate along with a paper napkin. “But she knows I could never stay mad at her, even if she does stick her nose in where it doesn’t belong sometimes.”

  “Because she loves you.” Wes knew he didn’t have to remind her of that. He’d never known two women more connected than Gabrielle and Sage.

  “I think she loves us together, if you want the truth.” She laughed almost self-consciously. “You know how many times over the years she’s told me I haven’t gotten serious with anyone else because you were my soul mate?”

  Wes took a bite of pizza because if he didn’t, he would blurt out something stupid like… She’s right! Judging by the sudden color in her cheeks, Sage was wishing she could take her words back.

  “But she raised a good point,” he said, trying to give her a graceful way to change the subject. “Maybe I should reach out to him first. I can try to explain the situation. If he’s willing to see us again after that, he might be more receptive to seeing you, after he’s heard the story.”

  “No.” She shook her head emphatically, reminding him of the stubborn girl he used to love. Once she dug her heels in about something, there was no changing her mind. “I want to meet him. With you. I don’t want you to try to convince him he doesn’t have the right to feel hurt or angry or confused. He does. I don’t want to make him feel guilty for feeling that way. I’m sure we would in his position, right?”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “You know I am.”

  They ate in silence for a few minutes with him polishing off two pieces of pizza to her one.

  “Have you started to do any digging yet?” she asked, reaching for her water. “You said something about hiring someone to help find him?”

  “Yeah, but the lawyer I contacted said that if it was an open adoption, the adoption agency should be able to tell us something. Do you have any paperwork that might help? You know, from the adoption agency you dealt with—something with their name or phone number?”

  “I do,” she said, jumping up. “It’s in my office. I’ll be right back.”

  He appreciated that she was making this easy for him. When he’d come back to town, he wasn’t sure what to expect. There had been a lot of hostility between them when he left, mainly because they’d disagreed about the right course of action.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” she said, standing in the doorway with a nondescript manila envelope pressed to her chest.

  “I was just thinking it’s nice we can be friends after everything that went down between us.” When she didn’t respond, he added, “Assuming that’s what we are? Friends?”

  “I think so.” She sat on the edge of the sofa, farther away than she’d been before. “I mean, I’d like to be friends.” She bit her lip, her eyes straying back to the photo. “Gabby has been amazing, but no one else really understands what it was like to give him up, to wonder all these years about what he’s like.”

  “What does he look like?” Wes said, knowing he was speaking her thoughts. “Does he have any of your mannerisms or mine?”

  “Is he an athlete like you or a writer like me?”

  “Does he love the outdoors?” Wes cleared his throat. “Did his adoptive dad ever take him fishing or hunting? Is that something they like to do together?”

  She surprised him by placing a hand on his knee. “Does he have a girlfriend?” She wrinkled her nose, making him laugh. “God, I’m not sure I could handle that. I still imagine him as a little boy, you know?”

  “Yeah, me too.” Thinking about all of the important moments they’d missed out on killed Wes. But if they were lucky enough to get a second chance to be a part of his life, they had a lot of amazing moments to look forward to. Like high school and college graduations. Maybe a wedding and grandbabies.

  She pulled her hand away, resting her elbows on her knees as she covered her face with her palms. “God, I just pray he doesn’t tell us to go to hell and he never wants to hear from us again.”

  Wes inched closer, resting his hand on her back. “Babe, there’s a chance of that happening. We have to be prepared for that.” The endearment had slipped out before he had a chance to censor it.

  Instead of reprimanding him, she leaned into him, taking the support he offered. “I’m just so glad you’re here to do this with me. I don’t think I could do it alone.”

  He was dying to kiss her, but it wasn’t the right time. She was sad and vulnerable and scared, and he refused to take advantage of that. With any luck, their love for their son would be the bridge that brought them back together, but Wes didn’t want her to think, even for a second, that he was trying to use this horrible situation only to reconnect with her.

  “I’m not sure I could either,” he said honestly, brushing his lips against her temple.

  ***

  Wes was completely stunned when he got off the phone with the adoption agency the next day. He hadn’t been able to track down the adoptive parents via the records Sage gave him… and with good reason. His adoptive father had died, and the mother remarried and changed her name. Apparently the lady at the adoption agency knew that because the adoptive mother had called the agency to provide her new information… in case Nick’s birth parents ever sought him out.

  After all these years, his son finally had a name. Nicholas.

  He stared at the photo Sage had given him, which was now displayed prominently right beside his phone on his desk. He was still trying to decide whom he should call first: Nick’s adoptive mother or Sage, to fill her in on what he’d learned. He didn’t know if she would want to be a part of the phone conversation or not. They hadn’t discussed that last night.

  “Knock, knock.”

  Wes smiled when he saw his mother outside his door. If anyone could help him make sense of this, she could. He jumped up and walked around his desk before enveloping her in a huge hug. “How is it you always know when I need you?”

  She smiled, patting his cheek. “You know that’s a mother’s job. Besides, I might be here on a bit of a fishing expedition. And I wouldn’t come without the right kind of bait.” She held up a paper bag, shaking it under his nose.

  He didn’t even have to ask what was inside—his favorite homemade chocolate chip pecan cookies. He laughed as he dug into the bag then popped one of the small cookies in his mouth, moaning with appreciation as he closed his eyes. “God, these are good.”

  He offered her one, which she declined, before he set the bag on his desk and headed for the coffeemaker set up in the small kitchenette in the corner of his office.

  “You want one?” he asked, raising a mug.

  “No, thanks, honey.” She watched him carefully. “So I was helping out at the church this morning when Vera Banks told me an interesting bit of news.”

  “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

  “Well, I don’t know if you know this, but she’s Sage’s neighbor now. She lives right across the street. Whe
n her husband died, she wanted to downsize. That big old house with all that acreage was just too much for her to handle on her own and—”

  “Mom, I think I know where you’re going with this.” As much as Wes loved his mother, the only thing he didn’t love about being back home was her well-meaning meddling.

  “Vera said she thought it was your truck parked at Sage’s house for hours last night. Is that true?”

  Since Wes knew he would eventually have to tell his mother about their plans and he could have used some advice right about now, he decided to distract her from the matter of him and Sage with the one thing that would set her on a different course—her grandson. “Here,” he said, passing her the frame. “Sage gave this to me last night.”

  Tears filled her blue eyes before she clasped her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, this is…?” She sank into one of the guest chairs.

  “Nick.” Wes smiled, his chest swelling with pride, though he knew he had no reason to be proud of the boy. He didn’t even know him. “That’s the name his adoptive parents gave him.”

  “Um, honey…” She set the frame back on the desk. “I know I should have told you about this sooner, but I wasn’t sure you wanted to talk about it. Sage wrote a book about the adoption and—”

  “I know.” He pulled the book out of his desk drawer, holding it up before sitting back in his chair. “Read it cover to cover.”

  “Me too. Several times, in fact.”

  They shared a long look. It was all he needed to remind him that he and Sage weren’t the only people who had suffered when they gave their son up for adoption. His parents hadn’t wanted him to do it. They’d even offered to help him raise the baby, but that wasn’t an option Sage’s parents were willing to consider. As far as they were concerned, there was only one choice—adoption.

  “I was so heartbroken for Sage when I read that book.” Her jaw clenched as she straightened her silver-framed glasses. “The way her parents pressured her into—”

  “I know.” Wes didn’t want to go there again. If he did, he was afraid he’d drive across town and let her parents have it. Something he probably should have done years ago. “But that’s ancient history, right?”