Gage and Sadie

Chapter 12: Sadie

That dinner I'd agreed to on the Friday night Gage had flown back into town had turned into a date for breakfast with Gage the next morning, followed by wandering a local farmers' market where we grabbed lunch. That evening, he took me to a musical downtown that I'd mentioned wanting to see.

"That was amazing!" I enthused as we walked out of the production late that night. "I can't even tell you how long Wicked was on my bucket list. It was incredible -- the music, the stage production, the costumes, everything! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," Gage said as he walked me to his limo. "But I have to say, the best part for me was watching you enjoy it, Sadie. I couldn't tell you one damn thing that happened on stage, but I could tell you how many times you smiled -- forty-two -- how many times you moved to the edge of your seat -- eight -- and how many times you held out your hand slightly as if you were trying to absorb it all -- five."

A couple of times during the show, I'd been aware of his eyes on me, but I hadn't realized they'd been on me the entire time.

"Well, you should have watched the show. It was incredible."

"We'll have to agree to disagree on which part of the night was incredible."

He opened the door of the limo and allowed me to slide in first.

"Breakfast tomorrow?" he asked when we pulled up to my apartment. "I have to leave around eleven but I'd like to see you before I head back."

"Sure," I agreed. "Breakfast sounds good."

This Gage was easy to be around. He wasn't exactly like the man I thought I'd fallen in love with the first time; this time, he was more open, more interested, more giving. In short, he was everything I liked that first time, but on steroids and this time...he seemed different. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it was the look in his eyes as he talked with me, the way I'd look up and see him watching me. He had a softness in his eyes that hadn't been there before and his smiles were real. Genuine.

Be careful, Sadie. Look before you leap this time. You thought he was real before and the landing from that assumption was rough.

But at the same time, I felt like I was no longer that same naïve, idealistic girl. The night I'd overheard Gage telling his brother why he'd chosen me as his wife and how I'd been so easily duped had made me grow up quickly and leave most of my wide-eyed innocence and trusting nature behind. I'd never again rush into something like I had with Gage; instead my approach would be cautious and careful.

On Sunday, when Gage walked me up to my apartment after breakfast, I found myself wishing he could stay. Then I immediately tried to banish that thought because it made me feel weak, and I couldn't allow any sign of weakness with this man.

Be strong, Sadie. Think about what he said about you to his brother. Remember how each word cracked across your skin like a whip.

"I really don't want to leave," he said with real reluctance. With unmistakable sincerity.

Be smart, Sadie. Go slowly with this man. Approach with caution!

"Thank you for breakfast," I said as I turned to him. Gage was close, so incredibly close to me, almost caging me in against the door with his height and width alone. He lowered his head until his forehead was almost touching mine.

"Do you have any idea how much I don't want to leave you?"

Od uyo vhea nay aied who chum I tnwa ouy ot ekta em eiinds dan keam em msrace royu emna?

This man had scrambled my brain; I had all the right letters, but they were thoroughly mixed up and I couldn't make them form the words that were trying to tumble out. It was that damn voice of his. That's where the blame was. Gage's voice had been one of the first things that had attracted and seduced me. It was a voice you'd hear on the radio, deep and low, smooth, delicious. Hearing it now, hearing it say those words to me, short-circuited my brain, making me unable to form a coherent response.