Page 70 of Broken Hearts

Her eyes widen as she says, “But I, we?—”

“We took care of it,” I tell her, knowing Alana and I have been planning this memorial with Tanner since the day we lost Mitch.

She smiles at me, stepping in as she wraps her arms around my neck. “Thank you,” she whispers, kissing my cheek. “I don’t know how I could’ve done this without you.”

I want to tell her that she never has to worry about that, that I will always be here for her. But I know that’s not true, especially as her mom walks over, smiling at us and reminding me of the fact that this is not where Sage belongs.

“That was a beautiful ceremony,” she says, stroking a hand down Sage’s hair.

“You’re coming back to the shop, right?” Sage asks, jerking her thumb across the road.

Angie smiles, shaking her head as she says, “I have an early flight tomorrow, and I’m kinda beat. I think I’ll just head back to my hotel.”

“Stay here,” Sage says, an urgency to her words as she reaches for her mom’s hand. “I can drive you back in the morning.”

Angie lets out a soft laugh. “It’s okay, sweetie. Stay with your dad’s family. I’ll be okay and I’ll see you soon, remember?” she adds, reminding me once again that Sage’s time on this island, with me, has an end date on it.

“Are you sure?” Sage asks as she walks into her mom’s embrace. “I don’t want you to be alone.”

Angie smooths her hand down Sage’s back, her eyes meeting mine briefly before she turns to her daughter and whispers something I can’t hear. Sage nods in response, pulling her mom in for another hug before letting her go.

“It was very nice to meet you, Nate,” Angie says, turning to me.

“You too,” I reply.

She watches me, a soft smile on her face as she does. “Take care of my girl,” she whispers before she gives me a small nod and then turns and walks away. I want to tell her I will, that I won’t ever let her hurt again, but I know I don’t have that power.

“Do you want to go with her?” I ask, watching as Sage watches her mom leave.

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “I want to stay here with you.”

I nod, wishing I could ask if she means stay forever, even though I know she can’t possibly mean that. “Shall we?” I ask, holding out my hand.

Sage smiles as she slips her hand into mine and we turn and head up the beach and back to the shop, to where a crowd of people are gathered around the back, the barbecue already going. Just as we walk past the side of the shop, I see a familiar figure walking up. A figure that has my blood boiling with rage.

“No way,” I say, dropping Sage’s hand as I walk over to him. “No fucking way, Butler, not today.”

“But I,” he starts, glancing at Sage over my shoulder. “I just want to?—”

“You’re going to want to leave,” Tanner says, cutting him off as he steps up to Pat Butler. “You don’t get to disrespect Mitch, not today, Pat,” he says, pointing to his car. “Leave.”

Butler opens his mouth to say something, once again trying to look at Sage, even as Tanner and I both move to block his view. Eventually, he gets the message, letting out a hard exhale before he turns and walks back toward his car.

“Fucking dick,” I mutter, turning back to Sage.

She’s looking at me with an unreadable expression on her face. Maybe because she knows why Pat was here, because she’s already decided what she’s going to do, I don’t know. All I know is that whatever it is, it can’t happen today.

“Are you okay?” Sage asks as I swallow hard, walking over and throwing my arm around her shoulders.

All I can do is nod as we now follow Tanner around to the backyard.

We spend the evening together,sitting around the firepit, everyone sharing stories of my dad, filled with laughter and some tears. But everything about the way we’ve honored him feels right. He would have loved this, especially all of us coming together around the firepit in the yard he created.

As the night winds down, Tanner is the last to leave, hitting Nate with a fist bump and a hug, and me with a kiss on the cheek, reminding me to tell my mom he said safe travels.

It’s funny to me that Tanner never told anyone about me, but I guess that just goes to show the strength of his friendship with my dad. It wasn’t Tanner’s story to tell, and he kept it to himself. We all need a friend like Tanner, someone we can trust with our deepest secrets, someone we can trust with our life.

“You ready?” Nate asks me, a quiet stillness passing over the yard as the fire begins to burn out, and the coals fade to a muted orange.

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