Page 36

EPILOGUE

DAVID

“Alright guys. Wrap up with free-throws and then we’re done.”

The guys split up between the baskets, talking among themselves as they finished out practice. Jordan, now standing on the sideline with a whistle around his neck, walked with Monty, talking with him about an adjustment to his shot. To his credit, Monty listened as attentively to his old teammate and captain as he would have if it were David or Tim coaching him.

David took a deep breath, shoving his hands deep into his pockets, relishing the return to the gym after a long summer off from practicing and playing.

Beside him, Tim adjusted his glasses. “Today’s the day?”

David swallowed against the lump in his throat. “Yep.”

“Nervous?”

“Not at all,” David said, letting out a laugh that definitely was pitched higher than normal. Shit .

Tim chuckled. “Don’t be. You know she’s crazy about you.”

David grunted. “I wouldn’t say that. It’s more like I’m the lucky guy whose presence she tolerates.”

“You’re smarter than that, Hughes.”

David shrugged, but he hoped Tim was right.

Once practice was wrapped up, David climbed into his car, flipping on his music as he drove from campus over the river. He rolled the windows down, letting the slight cooling of the air as summer faded to autumn blow against his face.

He navigated the crowded streets until he came to Wagener Terrace, pulling out his phone and following the directions to Classical Academy of Charleston.

The school was nestled under tall trees, surrounded by groomed green fields. David followed a sidewalk toward the metal-sided gymnasium that was around the back of the main building. Even as he approached the door, he could hear the bright shriek of a whistle and the hollow bouncing of basketballs.

He pushed open the heavy metal door. The gymnasium was about as bare-bones as a space could be and still technically be considered a regulation court. The floor was vinyl tile that had seen better days, and the nets that hung from the two baskets were frayed and hanging on by a thread.

Wooden bleachers were pushed back against one of the walls, and a few folding metal chairs along the sideline were covered in discarded hoodies and gym bags.

And there, standing at center court with her hands on her hips and a whistle tucked into the corner of her mouth, was Sage Fogerty.

Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail — one much shorter than it had been just yesterday when he’d last seen her — and something pleasant thrummed in his chest when he saw that she was wearing one of his old crew neck sweatshirts.

“Hey,” she called out, her voice commanding and loud enough to fill the entire room. “We’re doing that again. I know that all of you want to be shooting threes out there like Steph Curry, but until you can make fifty lay-ups in a minute, you’ve got no business doing anything else.”

The players — a scraggly bunch of high school boys who looked tiny in comparison to the college players he’d just left behind — hung onto her every word like she was the general of their army.

As soon as she blew her whistle they jumped into action, dividing into two groups and attacking the drill with a clumsy but earnest enthusiasm that made David smile.

He hung back until they finished, watching with absolute awe and affection as Sage coached, as she balanced encouragement with gentle criticism of their technique. How she commended effort and grit, while ignoring the teenage show-boating.

Her competence was breathtaking.

They wrapped up with a huddle, and then the kids dispersed to the sideline. David started walking out across the court, unwilling to wait any longer to hold his woman in his arms.

“Who’s that guy?” David glanced over at one of the players, a tiny kid with a buzz cut and sticks for legs.

“Coach,” another boy called out. “This guy your boyfriend or somethin’?”

Sage glanced up, that perfect twist to her mouth revealing the dimple in her pink cheeks as her eyes met his. Her green eyes danced with a giddy kind of happiness that felt like an achievement every time he saw it.

“Or something,” she said, moving in David’s direction. As she approached him, her smile grew. “What are you doing here?”

David opened his mouth to respond, but one of the kids shouted before he had a chance to speak.

“Does he know what a baller you are, Coach?”

David couldn’t hold back his low chuckle as Sage cocked a brow at him. “I should probably remind him,” she said, her voice soft enough that the players couldn’t hear. Looking over David’s shoulder, her eyes narrowed. “You boys get out of here. I don’t want any emails from teachers about late homework. And eat your veggies tonight!”

Her command was met with a chorus of ‘ Yes ma’am’ s and ‘Later, Coach ’s. David watched the fond smile teasing her mouth as she shook her head at them. “A bunch of children,” she murmured, but he could hear the softness in her voice. Looking back at David, she poked him in the chest. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”

David felt the nervousness that had churned in his gut for the past week rear its head again. But he forced himself to breathe, looking Sage in the eye and finding reassurance there that her presence never failed to provide. “I want to show you something,” he said, reaching out and taking one of her hands in his. “If you’re okay with that.”

Curiosity sparked in her eyes, but she offered him an easy smile. “Of course,” she replied.

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 would you want 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.

Her expression softened. “I’d put up at least five bird feeders out here just to watch you scowl,” she began.

David couldn’t help the indignant scoff that burst from him. “Hey!”

But Sage wasn’t finished. “We’d put a couch that was long enough for both of us in the sunroom, and we’d read there together every night. And I’d put a garden over there, and even though you’d be clueless you’d offer to help, because that’s just who you are. And we’d put a nice hoop up in the driveway. We’d soak up as much of the summer as we could together because we’ll always be crazy busy during the season. But we’d have this,” she said, looking at their surroundings. “And, no matter what happens on the court, win or lose, we’d always come home to each other.” Her expression grew serious, the green of her eyes somehow more potent when surrounded by the vibrance of the grass and the myrtles along the fence. “I always assumed that there was a cost to letting someone share my life. That I’d have to carve out more and more of myself until there was nothing left. But right now? Right now I feel whole, like I could take on the entire fucking world, David. I’m not scared of building a life with you. I’m here and I’m ready to choose this, with you, because it’s the life that I want.”

David felt his throat tighten with emotion. “Sounds good to me, Lefty.”

“Do you feel ready?”

David blinked. “To live with you?”

She nodded, drawing her lower lip between her teeth.

“Yeah, Sage. I’ve never been more ready.”

A smile spread over her face, and David felt his body catch flame. “Let’s fucking do it,” she said, rocking forward onto the balls of her feet and nudging his chest with her head. Untangling their hands, she wrapped her arms around him. He felt the rise and fall of her chest and the soft puffs of breath through the thin material of his t-shirt.

She was there and he was hers.

“David?”

“Hm?”

“Love you too.” Her voice was muffled and soft, the words whispered into his chest, where they melted straight through his skin and into his heart.

He tilted her head up and kissed her, pouring the weight of every moment they’d shared into the pull of his lips against hers.

She broke away first, her panting breaths soft and warm. “And David,” she whispered against the stubble on his chin.

“Yeah, Lefty?”

“I’m paying you rent.”

David let out a low laugh. “Fine.”

“And we’re going to need more plants.”

“Done.”

“And -”

David interrupted her, pressing another kiss to her mouth. “Whatever you need, Lefty.” He kissed the tip of her nose, her skin cool and soft against his lips. “How about we celebrate at The Grove?”

Sage smiled. “Nachos?”

“And tots,” David said softly. “Don’t forget about the tots.”

Sage’s eyes dropped to his mouth. “And after the tots?”

David chuckled. “Want to come home with me and start packing…among other things?”

Her smile was bright and lit up her entire face. “Yeah, David. I want that.”