Page 53 of The Hero Next Door

“I was thinking,” Brian spoke up, breaking the sleepy silence that had settled over them. “Maybe we could all go for a hike tomorrow. Get some fresh air. Avoid the Black Friday crowds.”

Sage looked at Brian, grateful for the distraction. The idea of spending time outdoors appealed to her, and it could be a welcome break from the looming worries that clouded her mind.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Adam chimed in, his eyes brightening at the prospect. “A bit of nature therapy. And maybe we can go see Gary afterward.”

As they discussed the details of their impromptu hiking plans and visit, Sage couldn’t help but feel a mix of gratitude and apprehension. The normalcy of the suggestion provided a temporary escape from the tension of their current situation. But she still worried.

After the movie ended, they headed for bed. Sage found herself lying awake, staring at the ceiling, thoughts swirling like a tempest. The uncertainty of the future weighed heavily on her, and the desire to protect those she cared about warred with the fear of losing them.

“What’s wrong, babe?”

She rocked her head on the pillow to look at Brian. The cracked bathroom door let enough light in that she could see his strong face, and the concern furrowing his brows.

“Just worrying,” she admitted. “My dad didn’t want us to move out here. He wanted Adam to do online courses and stay close to family. I’m wondering if I shouldn’t have done that.”

“You can’t keep Adam from growing,” Brian said. “It would be a disservice to him and possibly the world. Think about that. He has the ability to make a significant difference in people’s lives, depending upon what he goes into. I know he has a lot of interests, right now, but once he gets more experience, he’ll narrow it down.”

“Yes, you’re right, I know. I think I’m just feeling the crunch of everything, and not being with family over the holiday. A lot has happened in the past couple of months.”

“I get that,” he murmured, pulling her against his chest. “But sometimes it’s just not feasible to be with family.”

“What about your parents,” she asked, propping her chin to look up at him. “Do you miss them?”

One side of his mouth pinched in a grimace. “Of course, I do. But the past couple of times I went home it was a little weird. I think my mother regrets encouraging me to go into the Marines. Because if she hadn’t encouraged me, I wouldn’t have been injured. Now I’m disabled and it’s like every time she looks at me and my limp, I see this regret in her eyes. Plus, I think she thinks no one will ever love me like this.”

Sage sat up on the bed, the emotion bubbling in her gut boiling over. Anger slammed through her, hot and sudden. “Are you fucking serious? Did she tell you that?”

Brian stared at her. “No, she didn’t. It’s just a feeling I get.”

Sage shook her head, truly angry. Angrier than when Tim had been at the door. “How could anyonenotlove you? I mean, look at us.” She motioned between them. “Between the accident and you taking care of me and moving in with us to protect Adam from Tim, I don’t know how she could even think that. Shame on her for not having faith in you. I appreciate the fuck out of you, Brian. You’ve stepped up more than any other man I’ve known, and I love you for that. More importantly, I love you for being a man my son can look up to.”

Brian sat up slowly, staring at her hard. And that was when she realized what she’d said.

Fuck.

“You’re getting very angry on my behalf,” he murmured, mouth tipping in a smile.

“Well,” she huffed, “I consider you part of my family now. And I want you to know that even when you leave, I will always be here for you. And Adam will always be here for you. There’s no...”

Brian held up a hand to stop her flow. “Wait a minute. Why do you think I’m leaving? Have I hinted in any way that I’m not happy here, with you? Or with him?”

Sage blinked. “No, you haven’t, but you got tangled up with us because you’re an honorable man and there was no easy way to get out. You knew I didn’t have family around to help when I got hurt, and you’d never leave a child defenseless.”

“Have you seriously been thinking that this entire time?”

Sage winced, looking away as tears filled her eyes. Brian reached out, turning her face to his. “Babe, I want you to look at it from my perspective. And this is no bullshit. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the new next-door neighbors were the two most interesting people I could remember ever meeting. And the woman was the one I’d been fantasizing about and jerking off to for the past two months.”

Sage giggled, a ridiculous sound, even as her eyes overflowed.

“Imagine my emotions,” he said, “as they invited me into their lives and I saw first-hand what an amazing mother she was, and woman, to have taken care of her son alone for so long. I’m truly sorry you got hurt, but it gave me an opening to learn more about you and fall even more in love with you. I was in no way obligated, but I wanted to be here for you. Then, that night you woke up and saw my legs, I was worried that it would turn you off, but you didn’t care.”

“They’re just part of you,” she said. “They’re like Adam’s glasses. Just something you need to get through life.”

He smiled at her and shook his head. “It was sweet torture, though, not being able to hold you and kiss you the way I wanted to when you were hurt.”

He leaned toward her, running kisses across her face. He kissed her tears away and made sure she was looking at him. “Then, when you progressively got better, I knew my time with you was ending. And I was really torn on that.” He snorted softly. “I’ll tell you a secret. If Adam hadn’t suggested I move in, I would have. And I’d have convinced you that it was in all our best interests. I don’t feel that Tim is much of a danger anymore, honestly, but I’ve been dreading hearing from Officer Lane that he’d been arrested or something. Because then my reason for being here, with you, would evaporate.”

He let that sink in for a moment, then continued. “All this is to tell you I love you, Sage. You’ve given me a taste of something I’ve been looking for a long time, and I don’t want to give it up.”

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