Page 127 of Courtside

His free hand reached up curled around the back of her neck, gently tugging on her ponytail. “You got a haircut.”

Sage’s cheeks flushed, a sight that still made David feel like the most powerful man in the world. “Rebecca did it this morning,” she said, tugging the hair tie free and shaking it loose. It barely reached her shoulders.

“I love it.” David smiled down at her. “It suits you.”

They waited for a few minutes until the players were all picked up, and then David helped Sage pack away the team balls and close up the old gymnasium.

Soon enough they were in his car, driving south through downtown before heading back toward campus across the river. But they bypassed campus, instead driving slowly down the tree-lined residential streets.

Sage looked at their surroundings. “Are we going to Chuck’s house?”

David smiled but shook his head. “Rebecca and Darius want to do dinner tomorrow.”

“Mine or yours?”

“Yours,” he said without hesitation. “Since we both know I’ll be hovering and pouring your wine while you do the real work.”

Sage snorted. “You really aren’t that bad at cooking,” she said, reaching across the console to rest a hand on his thigh. “That chicken you made last week was amazing.”

“That doesn’t count,” David protested as he slowed down to turn onto another street. “I used a pre-made spice blend.”

“Shut up,” Sage teased. “It was delicious and you made it.”

David gave a vague grunt in response before pulling into an empty driveway.

Shifting into park, David unfastened his seatbelt and looked over at Sage, who was looking at the home in front of them with a furrowed brow.

Suddenly her eyes widened and she whipped around to stare at him. “David,” she breathed. “Is this…?”

David grinned. “Yeah, Lefty. It sure is.”

Sage let out an excited squeal unlike any sound he’d ever heard her make and opened the door. “Can we go in?”

David fished into his pocket and pulled out the silver keyring.

Snatching the keys from his hand, Sage ran out into the front yard, laying a hand on the tall magnolia tree ringed with gray stones that matched the exterior walls of the old rambler.

David climbed out of the Bronco slowly, a wide, uncontrollable smile on his face as he watched her run up the front steps to the blue painted front door. He joined her just as she unlocked the door and walked inside.

She turned to him, rushing into his arms. A pleased hum vibrated his chest as he embraced her, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. She looked up at him, and he felt the full weight of her beauty hit him right in the sternum. For a second, he forgot how to breathe. “Tell me everything,” she said.

And so, with Sage tucked against his side, he did.

He showed her the original hardwood floors and the recently updated kitchen with a wide window over the sink that looked out to the backyard. He showed her the master bedroom and the bathroom that had been remodeled to have a deep tub and walk-in shower. He showed her the other two bedrooms, trying to be casual as he mentioned the possibilities for the space: offices, a library, maybe —someday— space for kids.

He made sure that they lingered in the back sunroom, a huge, brick-floored space with floor to ceiling windows. He might have mentioned how good the light would be for indoor plants more than once.

And then they went out into the backyard, where Sage gawked at the grand oaks that lined the yard with strands of moss hanging from the limbs, looking straight out of an advertisement for local tourism. David told her how maybe, just maybe, someone could put a vegetable garden in the back corner where there was plenty of sun.

“David,” Sage said, after she’d pulled off her shoes and socks so that she could sink her bare toes into the grass. “You got your house, and it’s perfect. So fucking perfect.”

She went up on her tip-toes and kissed him, and David thought that nothing in the world could ever compare to kissing this woman in the backyard of his new home. A home that, hopefully, someday, he would share.

When they parted, David reached down and grabbed both of her hands, rubbing his thumbs over her smooth skin. He cleared his throat. “Someday,” he began, willing his voice to be steady. “When — and if — you’re ready, I’d love it if you lived here with me.” He ran his tongue along his upper lip, suddenly aware of how dry his mouth was. “When I picked this place I was thinking about you. It’s as much yours as it is mine. And if you want a room to be all yours, so that when I drive you nuts or say something stupid you can get some space from me, then it’s done. I just,” he inhaled slowly, trying to collect himself. “I love you, Sage. And every second since you walked into my life has been more than I ever dreamed life could be.”

Sage looked up at him, and he saw so much in her eyes that he thought he might crumble if it wasn’t for her hands wrapped up in his. “And what would that look like? Us living together?”

“How wouldyouwant it to look?” He didn’t want to come on too strong. He wanted to give her the space to say no if it felt too soon.

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