American Traditional (Irons and Works Book 3) by E.M. Lindsey

Author:E.M. Lindsey [Lindsey, E.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-01T16:00:00+00:00

***

Sage only texted once to let him know they were still on for their lunch plans, so Will made up a couple of croissant sandwiches, then headed on foot to meet the other man. The park was a little busy with parents and their young kids, but the gazebo was fairly empty, and he saw Sage sitting on the top of a picnic table with his feet on the bench. He had mirrored shades on, and his gaze was fixed over the little man-made lake, but he smiled when Will walked up, hopping down to take the bags out of his hands.

“Were you waiting long?” Will asked as he slid up onto the table the way Sage had been sitting.

“I’ve been here all day,” Sage admitted after a beat. “Every time I go home, the silence is overwhelming. But at the shop, it’s so fucking loud and I just…I can’t deal with it. I have an appointment later this afternoon with my therapist, but she hasn’t been helping much. I think I just need to work through it.”

“Makes sense,” Will said. He dug into the bags and handed one sandwich off to Sage who took it but didn’t bother to unwrap the plastic. “I’m sure every person you know is asking how they can help, but…”

Sage smiled at him as he trailed off. “Trust me, this is good.” He sat back down and rested his arms over his thighs. “I uh…I need to talk to you about the night we kissed. About why I took off that morning.”

Will swallowed thickly, but tried for a joking tone. “You mean your moment of horrified fleeing?”

“Cute. And I wasn’t horrified.” Sage elbowed him, but his smile was a little tense. “I uh…I was engaged before I moved here. But about six years ago, my fiancé died,” he said, his voice very low.

Will took that with a jolt, his eyes going wide, sandwich freezing halfway to his mouth. “I had no idea.”

“I know,” Sage told him, and his smile softened. “I don’t really talk about it much. I mean, I do with my therapist, and sometimes with Der, but it’s not something I like to focus on. There’s been a lot of pressure recently for me to get back out there, and I kept trying, but it just never felt right.”

Will felt his gut twist. He had been prepared to hear a lot of reasons why Sage had run from him, why Sage had pulled back, but not that. He had no idea how to feel.

“Right before my dad died,” Sage went on, looking down at his hands, “I went to visit Ted’s grave for the anniversary of his death. I go twice a year—but I try to time my visits to miss his mom because she and I…” He let out a tense laugh and shook his head. “We never did get along, and I think somehow she blames me for his death. Or maybe she blames me for the way he lived. Either way, it’s personal.

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