by Marika Ray
"For reals, man?" Kai asked me, a soft smile on his face.
"Yeah, if she'll have me. But keep it quiet, I want to surprise her, okay?"
"Hell yeah, man. Congrats. She's a lucky girl." Ivan shook my hand. "All the cool kids are getting married these days." He winked at me.
"Hey, don't look at me. Bailey and I just got together and things are going smoothly. No need to rush that conversation. Could you imagine her and Esa planning their weddings together?" Jack held his hands up and backed away a step, his face scrunched up like he smelled something funny.
"Dude, it's not contagious." Dean playfully punched Jack in the arm.
"Better safe than sorry, man." Jack still looked scared, which made us all laugh again.
"What are you boys saying to my man? He looks green around the gills." Bailey stepped over to our group, her hand resting on his chest while she snuggled up to his side.
"We were just asking him if he knew how to dance, seeing as how you two are together now and he's one of my groomsmen. He'll have to dance at the reception, right?" Ivan piped in, saving Jack from talk of engagements, but throwing him under the bus just the same.
"Yeah, he said he wanted to salsa dance with you." Dean tossed out there, ignoring Jack's looks of hate.
"Salsa is so fun, Jack. You gotta try it!" Brinley piped in as she joined the group.
"I know! Jack can sing a duet with Hessa at the reception." Kai looked excited at the prospect, earning him a deeper scowl from Jack.
"Really? You'll dance with me and sing?" Bailey looked like a toddler with her first ice cream cone. She was bouncing up and down in her stilettos. Shit, Jack was going to have a hard time backing out of all that.
I pulled Sage to my side and steered her clear of the group. I wanted us out of there before Bailey caught wind that we were all just teasing Jack. That girl was a little too fiery for my taste. Plus, we needed to find Sage's father and close that trust fund conversation once and for all.
When we hit the hallway to the back, the noise of the festivities died down a bit. Sage spun around, surprising me.
"Before we talk to my father, I need some answers." She looked serious. Way too serious for a girl that was celebrating her accomplishments.
"What's wrong?"
"With everything going on, I forgot to ask you this earlier. How come you didn't need me to introduce you to my father? How do you two know each other?" Her eyes narrowed, her stare intent, but her hand was still clasped in mine.
I sighed, happy that there wasn't something serious going on. "Remember when your father was flying here a few months ago and you asked me to trust you?" At her nod, I continued. "When you were dealing with the real estate agent on this property, I was at the hotel, meeting with your father. I called him and asked to meet with him."
Her face scrunched up and she shook her head. "But why? I don't understand."
I squeezed her hand tighter. "I wanted him to know why I wouldn't sell. That it had nothing to do with your skills as a real estate developer and everything to do with me and what my property meant to me. Plus I wanted him to understand exactly what a wonderful woman you'd become. Make him see that, if I could. You needed someone to be on your side for once.”
Her face softened as I talked, the wariness leaving her face entirely.
"You did that for me?"
I pulled her in closer. "Of course. You told me to trust you and I did. But I also wanted you to know that I'd stand up and fight for you. Even against your own father."
She smiled, her eyes tearing up. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Any time," I whispered back before I kissed her.
"I think the sauce makes all the difference, don't you?"
The head chef was standing with Mr. Vanderman in front of a huge stove, a spoon up to his mouth, extolling the merits of a wine reduction over vinegar. We'd finally tracked Mr. Vanderman down.
Sage took a deep breath and then marched forward.
"Father? You have a minute?"
Mr. Vanderman turned, a smile on his face, making him look years younger. "Sure. Your office?"
Sage nodded and led the way. I followed Mr. Vanderman into the office, having asked her ahead of time if she wanted me with her while she had this conversation.
We all sat down and Sage got right to the point. "Time will tell if my restaurant thrives, but I think we can both agree that I opened ahead of time and on budget. Exactly what you asked me to do. Have I passed your test?" She sat tall and proud in her chair, her gaze unwavering from her father's face.
God, I loved that woman. She didn't back down, just got right to the heart of the matter with the courage of a lion.
Mr. Vanderman cleared his throat and took an agonizing moment before he spoke. "When I gave you this assignment, I honestly didn't think you could do it. I was disappointed that you weren't using your education to do something with your life. But leave it to you to move across the country, tackle a difficult situation, and come out of it a winner. And with a new life. You've impressed me. The trust fund is yours."
I exhaled, knowing Sage had just won. She'd set out to get that trust fund and then cut ties, knowing she could do anything she wanted with that financial security. I looked at Sage, seeing that she hadn't moved, hadn't blinked.
"But I think it's more important to tell you something else," Mr. Vanderman continued. He fidgeted in his chair, his usual air of confidence gone, sucked out of the room by his honesty. "I don't say it enough, but I love you. When you were born, I promised you I'd make a good life for you. That I'd provide for you in ways my father never did. You see, I couldn't imagine anyone more precious than you, Sage Vanderman. I've messed up as a father more ways than I can count. But I have always loved you."
Sage sniffled back a sob, her eyes brimming with tears.
He pointed a thumb at me. "And if this guy makes you happy and he treats you right, then you have my blessing."
Turning to me, he reached his hand out. "I listened when you came to visit me the last time I was in Huntington Beach. I respect the courage it took for you to stick up for my daughter to her own father. You're a good man."
I took his hand in mine, shaking it, swallowing the lump in my throat. I nodded and he nodded back. The man equivalent of hugging it out.
Sage let out that sob she had been trying to hold back and we both turned to look at her. Tears flowed over, streaming down her cheeks. She jumped up and rounded the desk, her arms flinging around Mr. Vanderman's neck.
"I love you too, Dad," she whispered.
20
Sage
"I'm home!" I called out as I entered the door to our flat. I'd spent the morning with my father, having made our amends last night at the restaurant. I'd just said goodbye to him at the airport and now it was finally time for Jax and I to privately celebrate the opening of my restaurant.
As happy as I was that my father and I were back on good terms, I was more looking forward to whatever Jax had planned for me in his bed. I mean, a multi-million dollar trust fund was pretty rad, but a night with Jax dominating my body was legit life altering.
I dropped my bag onto the floor by the door and tossed my sweater onto the hook on the wall. I spun around to locate Jax realizing instead that he'd transformed our apartment while I was gone. Little white tea light candles were the only glow in the space, the curtains drawn shut over the massive windows creating an intimate atmosphere. Red rose petals formed a path along the hardwood floors, leading me to the space in the back by the bed.
But still no sign of Jax.
I looked around, a smile creeping onto my face at the effort he went into making this special. Then I saw a folded note on the foot of the bed sitting in the middle of a huge pile of rose petals. I picked it up and flipped it open to read Jax' scrawled handwriting.
Hair up, clothes off, robe on. Relax, baby.
Always ready for adventure, I didn't question it, just pulled my hair up into a bun on top of my head, stripped do
wn, and donned the fluffy, white robe laying on the side of the bed. I was ready for relaxation, however Jax meant to provide it to me. I laid down on the bed on my back and closed my eyes.
Fissures of anticipation ran up and down my body. I couldn't fully relax, wondering what would happen next and where Jax was and what he'd do to me. I trusted fully that whatever it was, he'd make it good for me. But tell that to my limbs jumping around in their excitement for what was to come.
After a few deep breaths, soft guitar music began playing from the speaker over on the dresser. I smiled, my eyes still closed, knowing he was close by. I heard footsteps, muted by the rug on the floor, but discernible above the music, nonetheless. He went around the bed, then back to the other side before stopping by my feet.
"Keep those eyes closed, baby," he whispered to me.
I nodded and held my breath, waiting for his next move. A single, rough finger slid up the bottom of my foot, making me jump.
"Shh..."
I settled down again, determined to relax, no matter what he threw at me.
Another finger along my arch, then along the other foot. Both hands gripped my left foot and began to massage it, thumbs and fingers pressing in, rubbing and stroking. His hands were slick with lotion or oil of some sort. I vaguely smelled ylang ylang, the essential oil that I kept in the bathroom for mixing with my lotion. It was my secret perfume. Where others spent hundreds on fancy designer perfumes, I preferred the simpler, natural scent. Smelled like Jax was on to my secret.
Soon all thought was swept away as his thumbs kept digging and his hands kept moving. I'd worn heels last night for the first time in months and my feet were paying for it today. This massage was bringing life back into them by the second.
Slowly his hands left my feet and slid up my calves, massaging along the way, making my skin tingle everywhere he touched. My breaths were timed with his strokes, the tension of the last few days melting into nothing so that little existed except for me, this moment, and Jax' hands.
His massaging moved higher, the robe parting to allow him access to my thighs. Without thinking, I clenched them together to stem the desire coursing through my body at his touch. He gripped them and stilled his movements till he felt my muscles relax. No words needed, just communicating through touch.
When my thighs were putty in his hands, I felt him unknot the belt around my waist and pull both sides of the robe open, the rush of cool air bringing goose bumps to my skin. Jax' cotton pants rubbed against the skin of my inner thighs, his body pushing my legs further apart to accommodate him.
The hands came back, this time on my belly, more oil making his hands glide easily. His warm breath hit my belly button and made me clench the quilt on either side of me. I wasn't cold any longer, his hands and breath, his very nearness, heating me like a mid-summer day at the beach.
Palms cupped my breasts, my nipples impatiently waiting their turn for his attention. He squeezed lightly, pushing them together, what little I had to work with. His breath hit my chest a split second before his scruffy beard scraped along the valley between my breasts. Warm lips kissed a line down my torso, ignoring my aching breasts and traveling lower to tease my belly button.
His lips left me suddenly and his hands came behind me to lift me up to a seated position, my face pressed to his chest. He slipped the robe from my arms while I lay boneless in his grasp. If relaxed was his aim, he'd delivered in spades.
I was laid back down gently, like a priceless artifact too fragile for normal handling. The contrast of this sweet, gentle Jax from his usual rough bedroom manner was startling. I'd always loved his firm grip and punishing pace, but I didn't dislike this tenderness either.
His hands continued their journey across my body and down my arms, leaving not one muscle untouched. His lips soon followed, kissing their way to each new spot, his beard tickling as it dragged over hypersensitive skin.
"I love this spot," he whispered as he kissed the dip above my collarbone.
"And this one." Lips on my chest above my heart.
"And these are perfection." His tongue swiped across my nipple as his hands cupped my breasts again, the sensation zipping through my body, waking me up from my semi-consciousness.
All too soon, his face moved lower.
"I adore this freckle." That whisper, combined with his lips and tongue, was doing things to my insides, making me restless. The massage coma was turning into straight sexual tension.
His hands traced lightly down my legs and the mattress dipped as he moved off of the bed.
"These long legs make me crazy." His voice was rough.
I heard him walk to the side of the bed, my eyes squeezed tight so I remembered to keep them shut.
"Open them now."
I fluttered my eyes open, turning my head on the pillow to see Jax on the floor, down on his knees by the bed.
"Wha--"
"Sage," he cut me off. From the look on his face, he needed to get something out. "I can't wait any longer. I planned all kinds of ways to do this, but when it comes down to it, just you and me together, that's all that matters."
My heart sped up and I reached for his hand. I wracked my brain for what was happening here or what he could possibly be trying to tell me. The look on his face was so serious I couldn't imagine that anything good was to follow.
"Just spit it out, babe." I rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed, his hands landing on my thighs. I needed to be upright to handle whatever blow he was about to deliver. The fact that I was naked didn't factor into my thoughts.
He ran a hand through his hair, looked at me for a moment, then reached over and opened the drawer to the nightstand, grabbing something and holding it in his hands. I was staring at his face, trying to figure out what his expression meant. I'd never seen Jax look nervous like this, like he couldn't make a decision or didn't know how to talk to me. The pit in my stomach, the one I thought was gone after I dealt with my father yesterday, was back in full force.
"Jax," I merely whispered his name, but it was a plea. A plea to put me out of my misery and tell me already. Whatever it was, we could fix it, make it better. I was certain of it.
"Sage." Then he smiled, full out, the joy radiating off of him. "Sage Vanderman, I love you. I think I loved you that first time you cut me off on PCH in your ridiculous VW like you didn't have a care in the world. You're smarter than anyone I know, you bring light and peace to every situation, you smell fucking fantastic, you make me laugh, you move that beautiful body of yours in ways that bring me to my knees, you make every day an adventure, you make me hope for the future, you give me a reason to want more. I can't wait to see what you do with your life. And I just hope to God you'll let me be there by your side to see you tackle it. Marry me, Sage. I can't offer you a fancy house or trips around the world, or even a diamond ring, but I can offer you my love, my respect, and my devotion every single day for the rest of our lives."
Time froze and I heard his words echoing through my mind, snagging on those two words, 'marry me'. My eyes widened, trying to discern if this was really happening. My jaw dropped and I sucked in a breath, trying to stop the dizziness preventing me from being present while my hottie lifeguard proposed to me.
"Sage Vanderman, will you marry me?" My gaze dropped and I spotted a black box that Jax opened and placed on my thigh. A thin gold band rested in the box, the gold worn with age and use.
"I-I know it's not much, but--"
The light was suddenly bright, even though the windows were still covered. The seagulls were calling outside and the ocean waves were crashing in my ear. Everything was brighter, louder, and clearer, magnified and frozen to this moment.
Jax wanted to marry me.
I leaned forward and shut his mouth with a kiss meant to convey my answer. I didn't give a shit what ring I wore as long as it meant I was his wife and he was my husband. For a brief second he didn't respond, but I paid no heed, wrapping my arms around his neck and tackling him. He fell b
ack to the floor, with me on top of him, my laugh bursting out of our kiss.
We kissed again, the laughter and the kissing running into each other and mingling, the joy of the moment too much to contain. I finally backed away and found his eyes, my own filling with tears now that the laughter had faded.
"Yes, Jax Stern, I will marry you."
The next few moments were a blur of Jax rolling me, the ring being jammed on my finger, and my hands pushing Jax' pants down around his knees. It was a frenzy of two people in love, needing skin to skin contact more than the words, more than the symbol on a finger.
He was inside me then, our bodies stilling, finding what they needed: each other.
His forehead dropped to mine, our gazes locked on each other. My arm was jammed between our bodies and the end table, his shoulder scrunched against the side of the bed. We neither cared nor took much notice, the excitement of our intention to be together forever too big to be concerned with those little annoyances.
"I love you," he whispered, his breath mingling with mine.
"And I love you, Jax," I whispered back.
Then we made love, gently and slowly, with a tenderness I didn't know Jax was capable of giving or I of receiving.
Afterward, we lay back on the bed, our limbs wrapped around each other, rose petals stuck to our damp skin. He played with the ring on my finger and told me the story of his parents and how happy they'd been before his dad passed away. I would have worn any ring Jax gave me, but knowing this particular one had seen so much love and joy made me happy he'd shared it with me.
"I can't believe I even considered marrying someone else. You gotta know, Sage, it was never like this with my ex-girlfriend." Jax kept playing with my ring, not realizing I'd frozen. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear about the girl Jax had loved. Maybe it made me a jealous woman, but hearing about her made my stomach drop.
"I honestly thought at the time that her leaving was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. I was devastated. But now that I see what you and I have, it makes me wonder what I ever saw in her, you know?" He glanced up at me, then leaned over to kiss me. "Baby, forget whatever is in your head right now. Her breaking up with me was the biggest gift she could have given me. I had no idea what a loving, trusting relationship even was until I met you. I will forever be grateful for her callousness because it led me to you."