Page 121 of Gilded Saint

“I have a wedding album if you want to see it.”

“I’d love to.” My younger self probably wouldn’t have wanted to sift through wedding photos, but I want to experience what I can, and I want to hear everything I missed. “Do you still have our family albums?”

“We saved some photos. Like this one,” she says, pointing out our family photo. “But a lot of the photos were destroyed in the fire. If the fire didn’t get them, the water did.”

“I’m so sorry, Sage.” Of all of us, Sage treasured memories the most. She might not have wanted to hang photos of when she was sick, but she’d want to keep the photographs and mementos.

“That wasn’t your fault,” she says brightly. “The people responsible were caught, you know?”

“I know. I wasn’t here, but I kept up with things.” Everyone who attempted to harm my sisters is either dead or received lifetime prison sentences. It’s ironic. I’d been terrified the retribution if I was discovered would put my family in danger, yet my nerdy sister nearly got them killed. “How has Sloane been doing?”

“She’s been really good. Max is good for her. She’s happy.” Sage’s expression fills with love. She’s the best of the three of us. “Sloane will come around. You know how she is. Seeing you was a shock.”

“It would be for anyone. I thought about the best way to do it. I could’ve had someone from the Navy tell you. Played it out like they found me, and I’d be coming home after a bout of amnesia, but…” I didn’t want more lies. I’m done with the lying.

“You chose the right way.” I side-eye my sister, amused by how much she sounds like Mom. “Knox never would’ve believed any story you concocted. Is he right? Is there a story we need to learn?”

“There is. There’s a lot I can’t tell you.” Technically, I’ve told her too much as it is.

“But yet you got married.” She beams up at me. “She’s beautiful. Stunning. I bet it was her dark hair and blue eyes that caught your attention. Love at first sight.”

I choke on a laugh. It had hardly been love at first sight, but I won’t be the one to destroy Sage’s fantasy. It hadn’t been love at first sight, but mostly because she was too damn young, and I didn’t have an open mind. But it is definitely love now.

There hasn’t been a morning since the first one aboardThe Honey Potthat I haven’t been grateful she’s by my side. I would’ve left her with her family. I wouldn’t have taken her, but losing the best thing to happen to me in my adult life would’ve hurt worse than anything I’ve ever endured.

“You want a beer?” Knox asks from the threshold to the living area. Across the room, my wife sits on the sofa with a big dog pawing at her. She glances up, catching my eye, and shoots me a reassuring smile. She’s good.

“Sure.” Knox looks at Sage with concern etched in the lines around his eyes. “Why don’t you sit? We’ll come into the den once we get beers.”

“I’m okay,” she says with exasperation.

“I know that,” he says. “But don’t you want to get to know your sister-in-law?”

The way she smiles at him, I’m pretty sure she knows he’s playing to her weakness to get what he wants. He palms her distended belly lovingly, and my chest tightens again.

“Why don’t we go down to the basement? We’ll grab a beer from the fridge downstairs and maybe sit outside for a bit?”

I cast a sidelong glance at my wife and sister. “Sage will take care of her,” Knox says gruffly.

“Lead the way.”

We pass through the living area and into a kitchen, and he opens a white-painted door. The narrow staircase descends into a cozy downstairs area that’s a walkout basement. Large windows bring in light, and, looking around, it’s clear this is Knox’s space. There’s a pool table, worn leather sofas, and a mini kitchen on one wall. On the far side is a desk with multiple monitors and a couple of whiteboards.

“I mostly work from home,” he says.

“You claimed the basement?”

“Most of it. There’s walk-in storage and a couple of rooms we could finish out if we ever need more room.”

“You guys seem really happy.”

“We are,” he says, leaning into the refrigerator. “So, how old is your wife?”

I snort. I’d wondered how long it would take for Knox to comment.

“She’s younger,” I say with an irrepressible smirk.

Her age isn’t funny to me, and neither is our age difference, but there’s something about being with one of the guys that paints the humor.

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