Greyson

TIMING IS A BITCH

Bianca has been shouting ever since we arrived back to her home, angry for things I had no control over or even wanted to happen in the first place. Thankfully Scarlett is a heavy sleeper and hopefully we don't have to assure a child that everything is alright when it isn't.

"Of fucking course, not only was our night cut short because you're a workaholic and wanted to check on your hotel to see it was functioning the way you want, but we bump into the Sage Slade." Bianca smiles maniacally.

I'm surprised she isn't basking in the idea that Sage doesn't know any of that. Bianca and I left a hotel in the later hours together, any sane person would've automatically assumed we situated ourselves in a romantic manner.

Sage's expression is still burned into my memory.

I couldn't even enjoy the fact that I've finally seen her for the first time in years, instead all I can think about is that pained look in her eyes. Not to mention that she was at a hotel owned by my family with another man...

Wait

Out of every hotel why would she chose mine, if anyone should feel anything and be justified it should be me. I can't be the bad guy in this scenario, no, I refuse to be.

"Are you listening!?" Bianca snaps in my face. "Stop thinking about Sage for one fucking minute! Right now she's getting plowed by whatshisface not giving two shits about you, the least you can do is not act so fucking pitiful."

I frown. "You do not talk to me like that."

"I'll talk to you how I please, you're kicking a dead horse being sad about a girl who not only left you at the alter but has completely moved on."

I stand up and walk up to her closely. "She left me at the alter because of you!"

"No she left because she was an immature girl who couldn't handle a shake down from the mother of your child!" Bianca stabs her finger into my chest. "Any girl who would listen to anyone but the man she loves does not deserve him!"

I scoff. "And you're any better?"

"Excuse me?"

"You took a piece from me for years and hid her, my own daughter." I growl. "I forgave you and now you're being a fucking hypocrite and saying I should be mad at Sage for something that doesn't even compare to what you did."

Bianca shakes her head. "You'll never let it go."

"I didn't even get to see my daughters first steps of course I won't let it go!" I roar. "I'll never experience her first words, or the first time she smiled, or any of that shit because of something you did! So do not stand there and belittle Sage for walking out on me because she wasn't ready, you had a grudge against me for loving my child more than you and lied to me about aborting her. Sage was willing to accept that reality and you poisoned her mind into thinking otherwise! You are not the same!"

Suddenly the room became silent.

My heart was racing and I all I wanted to do was leave, the realization that I'm an idiot for even entertaining the idea of being with Bianca again. This woman will never change in my eyes and as much as I'll try to forget what she did, I won't.

Bianca clears her throat. "Take her and leave."

"Bianca—"

She glares at me, her nostrils flared. "Take Scarlett and leave, I don't want to do it anymore. I spent these past few years trying to work my way into your good graces and I'm done. You are an impossible man and I don't want anything to do with you from here on out. I won't deny you time with your daughter, you have full custody after all. So please, the least you can do, is fucking leave me in peace."

There were no more words to exchange, this was the final string for us both. Bianca has finally and truly given up, and I'd only hurt her further if I try to ignore that fact. So I grabbed my jacket and keys, then left the bedroom and headed to Scarlett.

When I opened the door I see that she is wide awake in bed, staring at the doorway.

"I'm sorry, dad." Her eyes water.

I run over to her, crouching next to her. "Don't cry, you have nothing to be sorry about."

"I pushed you to be together again, I just wanted you to be happy." She rubs her eyes. "I'm tired of always seeing you sad and alone, I just want you to be happy again."

I grab push her against my chest, holding her tightly. "I'm happy as long as I have you Scarlett."

"I'm so sorry." She cries harder.

I breathe out. "Don't apologize, this is all daddies fault."

Without warning I am smacked behind the head. "You must be out of your bloody mind."

"Father." I place my hand behind my head.

Hudson chuckles. "You deserved that one, Grey."

"Out of all women you go on a date with Bianca, how pathetic." Father mutters as he sits back down at his desk. "You truly must be lonely, son."

Hudson grins. "His hand isn't cutting it anymore."

"Not something I appreciate thinking about, Hudson." Father slides on a pair of glasses and flips through some paperwork.

Today Father and I were supposed to be meeting with a potential business deal, unfortunately their flight was delayed which meant we had some additional time to waste. Hudson swung by as soon as he heard what had happened between Bianca and I.

Now they're both on me like white on rice.

I sigh. "Guys she's the mother of my child, am I wrong for giving it a shot? We've both matured quite a bit from that time."

"I'm not going to tell you what we all already know about her, so I won't sit here and explain why you were absolutely wrong." Hudson crosses his leg over the over, drinking some of the bourbon. "That hits the spot."

Father ignores us and continues with whatever he was working on, whenever he's silent it means he's extremely disappointed. I'd rather him say something outlandish like usual than this alternative.

I rub push the lose strands away from my face. "Sage moved on, so I think I am warranted one mistake."

"We don't know that." Hudson tells me. "She's a young girl, you know how they are, impulsive and what not."

They don't know that I crossed ways with her the other day at the hotel, it was something I didn't really want to talk about. I wish the comfort Hudson was trying to give me was helpful but I know Sage, she's not an impulsive person. If she really didn't want Travis then she wouldn't have claimed us to be acquaintances.

All that tells me is that she doesn't speak about her past, or maybe even pushes it to the side and tried to forget it. Either way I am no longer that main man in her life and it's justified, I shouldn't have let her go in the first place. I should've been selfish and trapped her with me even if I knew she'd want to leave again.

Now you're being toxic

What's wrong with me, it's been four years, I cannot still be this way towards her. I've got to get a grip, Bianca was right about me, I'm wasting myself at this point.

The desk phone rings and Father picks it up. "Yes?"

"I actually saw her that night." I tell Hudson, hopping Father wouldn't listen and yell at me for being seen at a hotel with Bianca.

Hudson's eyes widen. "What?"

"She was with him, at the hotel I own." I inform him. "But I was also with Bianca, coming out of the elevator."

Hudson drops his leg to the ground and leans forward. "You've got to be kidding me."

"And I could see the betrayal in her eyes, Hud." I rub my face. "She held her composure but I know Sage, she's...she was hurt."

Hudson sighs. "You're telling me you saw Sage."

"Yes but you're missing the point—"

Hudson lifts a brow. "And you...let her proceed into your hotel with a man who isn't you, to do things that probably boils your blood."

"Hudson—"

He scoffs. "Without doing anything but accepting it?"

"Yes." I admit.

Suddenly Hudson spikes upwards, and crosses his arms. "I've got a right mind to kick your ass."

"Excuse me?"

He scowls. "You act like such a big man but when you have to walk the walk you fucking chicken out."

"Watch it, Hud."

"No, I've had it up to here with your moping around, and your stupid ass celibacy!" He screams at me. "She was there, do you know how unlikely it is for that to happen? Do you!?" He clenches his fist. "Not even close to likely. The universe threw you both at each other and you chose to concede to defeat and not even try to fight for her."

I stand up now, infuriated. "You have no right to be angry at a decision I made, you watched the love of your life marry another man."

"And look where we are now!" He stalks towards me and stops only inches away. "I wasted years watching her be with another man because of something I can't control, because I was naïve and wanted her to not be stuck with a man like me. Now we're engaged and you know how I came to this point? By growing the fuck up and fighting for her!"

Before I could get a word in Father shouts out. "Enough!"

This only got me angrier, I couldn't see straight, I'm somehow the one in the wrong. I told her to experience life and come back, she has to be the one to do it. If I were to snatch her from normal like I'd only halt our progress.

We'd go back to square one, I'd be doing the very thing she was most worried about. I would strip her from a choice that only she can make. Why is no one able to understand that even though I wanted so bad to grab her away from that man, I couldn't.

I don't care if it makes me a lesser man for it either.

I'm not going to ignore the very big things that push her away, if we were truly meant to be perhaps it wouldn't be this difficult. I have come to terms with the fact that she's moved on and yes, it hurts, but I'm not going to destroy something she wants to protect because I'm in pain.

"You disappoint me." Father takes his glasses off. "You've given up hope so easily, it took only and instant for you to just throw in the towel."

I rub my neck, trying to calm myself. "I'm not going to hear it from you too."

"Four years." Father stands up. "Four years!"

I sigh. "I should've never said anything."

"That girl was hurt wasn't she," Father frowns, wearing a furious expression. "betrayed even."

I shake my head. "We're done talking about this."

"Her disappointment must've been evident." He presses further. "And you gave up."

Why is everyone attacking me? "I'm leaving."

"Do you know what that means?" He asks.

They both watch me as I grab my things, preparing to leave. "I'll get the meeting pushed for tomorrow."

"She was hoping too." Father says, calmly.

My eyes widened.

Slowly I turned to look at both men who were no longer angry but quiet. Allowing me a second to comprehend what I didn't even think was possible. Something I must've ignored dealing with the realization that she could've possibly moved on.

"She didn't move on..." I say to myself.

Without thinking I stormed off, listening to Hudson shout out for me.

I'm not sure what I'm about to do but I have to see her. This is a terrible idea though, what if we're wrong and only assume what we want to see? Maybe I lost the ability to fully understand Sage and I read something that wasn't there.

Once I reach the lobby I need to have made a decision.

The elevator took it's time, allowing thoughts that would protest the urges I'm feeling right now. Indecisiveness crept it's way into my spine, causing it to shrivel and think things through. I'd be insane to go after her, I mean what if she's happy, like really happy? And I just barge in completely shattering it?

All of a sudden the elevator pauses and the doors open, I look up to see I was on the first floor.

Go home

Don't kick a dead horse, Greyson

Logic won and I made my decision, so I proceeded towards the exit and think of something to do now that I've freed my time up.

That is until...

"Greyson." A familiar soft voice calls out for me.

Am I hallucinating?

Gradually I turn towards the direction from where it came from and met a confused gaze. "Sage."

My eyes deceived me as I stood in front of the very girl I was forcing myself to give up on. The same one I spotted at my hotel only a few nights ago. The same one who left me at the alter because she let Bianca get into her head.

So many mixed emotions but none of them even scratched the surface of the pure happiness I felt being able to be around her again.

"Why do you look so surprised? Didn't Richard tell you I was here, I called the office." Sage looks confused.

That old bat knew she was down here this whole time and only fueled my anger into making me leave. He must've found out when he received that call before I told them both how I bumped into her.

She squirms, then starts to walk away. "Actually I shouldn't have come."

"Sage." I call out for her, grabbing her write.

Her eyes meet with mine and I saw a heartbreaking gaze, one filled with unmatchable turmoil. "Bianca?"

"It isn't what you think." I hold her tightly, trying to keep her from running away.

She shakes her head. "You came out of the hotel with her, out of anyone Greyson...you move on to her? She's the one you broke the promise with?"

"Not like you're any better, you knowingly went into my hotel with another man. Isn't that just as disrespectful?" I frown.

Sage snatches her arm away. "I didn't know we'd be there! Travis planned the whole thing and I was just...I didn't know we'd end up there." She shakes her head. "But it's not the same, I'm not the one who wanted us to break up, you did!"

"If you hadn't left in the first place we wouldn't be here!"

She shoves me on the chest. "I wasn't ready to marry you! But that didn't mean I didn't want to be with you."

"Then why didn't you come back!" I shout back.

She shoves me again. "Why didn't you come get me!"

"Me? The whole reason was so you would come back when you were ready, when it was your choice!" I breath out. "I waited at home for months, hoping you would come back Sage. Even though I knew it wouldn't be an easy or quick fix, I waited."

Once more she shoves me but I grab her hands, she cries out. "How could I come back? You had no place for me the way I was. I was ready the moment I got home, I went to your building so many times...so many times...but how could I come back?"

"Sage." I released her hands and pulled her in.

Then she pushes me away. "Don't do that, don't say my name like that, please."

"Sage." I grabbed her chin and forced her to look me in the eyes.

Her eyes continued to water. "I waited."

What would happen next I had no control over, I pulled her closer and leaned in to kiss her. At first it was a struggle to contain her hesitation but just like clockwork, she eased into it. It was long overdue, the tension we carried with us all these years exploded between our lips.

Sages yet again, pushes me off. "I didn't come here to do this...I came here to get closure for the both of us."

"What?" I gasp.

She rubs her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater. "That moment I saw you with Bianca was the final nail in the coffin, Greyson, I refuse to feel those ugly feelings again. And Travis, he's good for me, amazing for me. I'm number one to him, no competition for his attention, just me."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." I scoff.

Sage swallows down. "It's over, really."

"I'm done." I chuckle, annoyed. "I spent these last few days, ready to concede and allow you to move on. Fuck that shit, I'm no longer ignoring what I want because it's safe for you. I don't give a shit about you and what's his face, and I couldn't give another crap if you were truly happy in your mind. But hear me now Sage Slade, you belong with me, no one—not even you are going to tell me otherwise."

Her eyes were wide and focused. "Greyson."

"Go to your boyfriend and tell him you're done." I command. "Then pack your bags because tonight you're coming home, our home."

Sage stared in awe, speechless.

"And Sage."

Her brows raise.

"I love you."

Sage shook her head. "I've...got to go."

Within the blink of an eye I watch her run off, tempted to follow her but smart enough to know that would lead to nothing except more confusion for her. I refuse to wait any longer but I'm not going to ruin any chances for a successful outcome.

So I will wait.