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Cal cleared his throat. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
“Okay you two,” Mary Sue called gently, her voice thick with emotion. “Let’s go. We have a lot of people waiting to see you.”
Cal and Sage slowly pulled back just enough to look at each other. Both of them smiled — teary, radiant, and completely in sync answered at the same time.
“Yes, Mama.”
29
SAGE
The luxurious pavilion was warm.
That was the first thing Sage noticed as she stepped inside — the heated tent easily held the sharp December night at bay. It felt like walking into the center of a glowing snow globe. Thousands of string lights cascaded from the ceiling in long, golden arcs, bathing everything in soft amber light. Round tables draped in crisp white linen held lush centerpieces of pine boughs and white roses. Large candles flickered gently, filling the air with soft notes of cinnamon and vanilla.
A wide floor of polished wood stretched across the space, and at the far end a live band played slow, Christmas music that hummed pleasantly under her boots.
Sage stood at the entrance and couldn’t move.
I can’t believe this. I can’t believe this is happening.
She stayed there for over a minute, Cal’s big hand wrapped warmly around hers. Her eyes moved slowly across the room. It wasn’t just the overwhelming beauty of it all. It was the people.
The people who had taken her in over the last few weeks and made her one of their own.
She looked up at Cal. He smiled down at her and winked.
“Cal?”
“Yeah, princess?”
Sage took a deep breath. “I don’t cry this much usually. In fact… before I met you, and before Felicity died, I don’t think I cried for a really long time.”
“I know, sweetheart. You’re a tough…” He scratched his jaw, pretending to search for the word. “What was it you called yourself?”
Sage blushed and muttered, “A tough bitch…”
Cal squeezed her hand, grinning. She leaned into him more as she continued scanning the room.
The Halverson sisters, Agnes and Ruth, were already gliding across the dance floor with their husbands in that slow, comfortable way couples move when they’ve had decades together. Bobby Callahan Sr. sat near the bar with a bourbon, surrounded by the old ranchers and farmers of the valley, all of them watching the festivities with quiet, delighted amusement. Lila Moreau from the bakery was laughing behind her hand at something her neighbor said. Dr. Rowan Hale looked stunning in a deep green dress near the far wall, her dark hair loose for once. Martin from the library was there, and Earl and Bonnie Keller — Bonnie already waving furiously the second she spotted Sage.
All of them. Here for her.
Cal’s hand settled warmly at the small of her back. He bent down, his voice low and intimate near her ear. “You okay, princess?”
She let out a shaky laugh, her black dress catching the golden light. “Nope. I am definitely not okay.” Her voice wavered. “Today has been easily one of the best days of my life. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up in a broken-down Jeep at some rest stop somewhere.”
Cal squeezed her hand. “Yeah. Sometimes I think the same thing. But you know what, princess? If this is a dream… I don’t want to wake up. Not without you.”
Sage closed her eyes and bit her lip, torn between laughing and crying again. “Damn it, Cal… just so you know, I don’t have any other underwear. Keep saying things like that at your own risk.”
He looked at her sharply, then let out a low laugh that drew several nearby glances.
“Hmm… could be fun,” he said, completely straight-faced.
Her knees went weak as memories from the Jeep flashed through her mind — barely thirty minutes old. Maybe we could sneak back to the cabin real quick and—
No. No no no. Come on, Sage.
