Ryan exhaled a long sigh of pleasure. He pulled Sage into his arms, drawing her close. He pressed his lips to hers, mindful that they were not yet alone. Reluctantly, Ryan settled for a chaste kiss, instead of the lingering, passionate one he desired.
Grinning, Ryan escorted his bride down the aisle and through the double exit doors at the back of the church. They escaped into the dressing room until it was time to go back into the chapel for the wedding photographs.
His eyes traveled down the length of her, nodding in obvious approval. “You look so beautiful, sweetheart.”
Sage broke into a big smile. “Ryan, can you believe it? We’re actually married! You are mine, baby.” She glanced down at the four-carat sapphire engagement ring with its matching platinum band on her left hand. “I’ve dreamed of this day for so long, Ryan.”
They were not alone for long. Bridesmaids and groomsmen burst into the room, putting a halt to their unspoken words of love for each other.
Amid congratulatory wishes, Ari pulled Sage off to the side before they headed back into the sanctuary for pictures. “I’m happy for you, sis. I guess I should never doubt your instincts.”
“Thank you for saying that, Ari. I appreciate it.”
“You were right, and I was wrong. I can admit it.”
Ari cast a look over his shoulder to where Ryan stood talking with his brother. He turned back to face her. “He better be good to you.”
“I really don’t think you have to worry about that. He’s a good man, Ari. He treats me like a queen.”
“That’s as it should be.” Ari glanced over his shoulder once again. Ryan was holding a conversation with their parents.
Sage followed his gaze. “I love him so much.”
Natasha joined them. “You two looked like you were having a serious conversation. Is everything okay?”
“I came to congratulate my sister and to tell her that I was wrong about Ryan,” Ari stated.
His wife kissed him on the cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”
Barbara walked over, saying, “Honey, the photographer’s waiting on you and Ryan.”
* * *
“I love you, Mrs. Manning,” Ryan whispered as they posed for pictures.
Sage broke into a smile. “I love you, too, Mr. Manning.”
“You have made me the happiest man on this earth, sweetheart. I never thought I could be this happy.”
She stared him in the eye and responded, “I feel the same way, Ryan.”
He pulled her closer to him. “Thank you for giving me another chance, Sage. I promise there will be no more secrets between us. In fact, there is something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Keith is going to propose to Paige in just a few minutes.”
“Really?”
Ryan nodded. “I hope you don’t mind, but when he asked me about it, I thought it was a great idea.”
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Sage assured him. “I actually think it’s very romantic.”
The pictures taken, Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Manning were delivered in a horse-drawn carriage to the hotel where the reception was being held.
Sage was excited about beginning her new life with Ryan. She felt as if she had been waiting her whole life for him.
The wait was finally over.
Epilogue
Sage and Ryan entered the ballroom where a news conference was about to begin. They joined the rest of her family, who were already there. Even Zaire and Kellen had flown in for the event.
Ryan was very excited about the project they had been working on. The homeless did not get much attention from the media, but that was about to change.
Sage nudged him gently in the arm. “What are you thinking about?”
“What’s about to happen,” he responded. “We are about to change lives.”
She nodded in agreement. “This is all because of you, Ryan. If you hadn’t written that article, my father may not have had this idea.”
Ryan grinned. “I’m glad I could help.”
Sage nudged him slightly harder this time around.
The news conference was about to start, so she and Ryan took their places at the table.
Shortly before he and Sage got married, Ryan had decided to quit living in R. G. McCall’s shadow. He publicly acknowledged that he was the investigative reporter and announced that he would no longer be writing under the pseudonym.
Ryan spoke first.
“What is the true face of homelessness? It’s not that man you see at the busy intersection, holding the sign, begging for change. He’s just familiar, and he’s pretty convenient for massaging society’s conscience. The face of homelessness is the same as you and me. We want to find solutions, but the fact is that nothing will change until people grasp that a poorly performing public school system, inadequate public transportation, a lack of affordable housing and unemployment have more to do with homelessness than the more ready rationale—someone choosing to live on the street.”
Ryan paused a moment before continuing. “Robert DePaul’s desire was to find a way to help the homeless, but he knew that it would take more than money. His son, Malcolm Alexander, decided to pick up the torch. My father-in-law will detail our plans to help combat this growing population.”
Sage reached under the table and gave his hand a light squeeze.
Malcolm stood up and removed the canvas that covered the model of the Robert DePaul Center.
“What will distinguish this shelter from the others is that we will be offering weekly support meetings for substance abuse, financial counseling and career counseling. The first floor will feature the kitchen, barbershop and four classrooms with computers. The second floor of the three-story building has three dorm areas and rooms lined with bunks that can sleep 600 people….”
The news conference was barely over before news of the newest Los Angeles mission was the subject of tweets circulating around the world. Ari’s assistant was already fielding interview requests.
“That Twitter is something else,” Barbara commented.
Zaire held up her phone. “They are calling the center the rock star of the homeless shelters.”
“They are even tweeting about the à la carte menu,” Kellen announced with a chuckle. “This is crazy. Fried chicken, hot dogs… I guess we got it going on.”
Sage stood beside Ryan as he talked with a friend of his, who was also a reporter.
“I hope you’ll let me have an exclusive when this seventeen million in new construction is ready. I’d like a tour.”
“Of course,” Ryan promised.
They decided to have lunch at Le Magnifique with the rest of the family. Afterward, they headed up to the penthouse.
“You looked like you missed working in the restaurant,” Sage told Ryan. “I saw the way you were checking everything out. You had this look in your eye. You miss Le Magnifique.”
“I do,” he confessed. “I enjoyed my time there. I’ve been thinking that I’d like to open another restaurant—in Los Angeles.”
“Really?” Ryan continued to travel to New York on business, but he had moved all of his things to Beverly Hills. He and Sage were building a house, as they wanted to put some distance between the business and their personal lives.
Ryan nodded. “How do you feel about it?”
“I think it’s a great idea. Honey, you should do it.”
“You won’t mind?”
“No, not at all,” she told him. “In fact, I will help you. I used to be a hostess on the weekends for a restaurant back home when I was in high school.”
“Sage, you’re incredible.”
“That’s why you married me, right?” she asked with a grin.
“That’s part of
it,” Ryan stated honestly. “The other is that you were a temptation I could not resist.”
Sage laughed before throwing a pillow at him.
* * * * *
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ISBN: 9781459235021
Copyright © 2012 by Jacquelin Thomas
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