He stared straight into her eyes and, without blinking, he said, “I do. I swear it.”
“That is the best birthday gift.” She leaned in and kissed him.
This time he was the one to pull away. He turned and flipped off the lights. “Let’s go upstairs.”
He held his hand out to her and she placed her hand in his. Together, they ascended the staircase. Quietly they made their way down the hallway.
Outside her bedroom, he kissed her lightly on the lips. “Happy birthday.”
When he turned to walk away, she said, “Don’t go.”
Trey hesitated. “It’s late. And—”
“Don’t go.”
He reached out. His thumb gently stroked her cheek. “I want you to be sure about this—about me.”
“I am. You made a mistake and you’ve tried to make amends. I forgive you.”
“You do?”
She smiled and nodded. “It’s in the past. This is a new beginning for us.”
Sage opened the bedroom door and led him by the hand inside. Trey closed the door behind him. And then he was holding her in his arms.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked.
“I’m sure about you and me. It’s going to be a perfect night.”
Sage lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. This time there was no hesitation—no butterfly kisses. In the darkness, there was hunger and desire.
Her heart pounded so loud that she could no longer hear anything else. The only thing she knew was that she was no longer alone. Trey had filled in the cracks in her heart.
And tomorrow—
She cut off that thought as she fell back against the bed. With his lips teasing hers, there was no room for thoughts of tomorrow. There was only the here and now. And Trey. That was enough.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
EVEN BEFORE HER eyes were open, Sage had a smile on her face.
This was going to be the most wonderful day. How could it not be after such an amazing night? From the birthday party that topped all parties to Trey’s heartfelt apology to winding up in his arms all night long.
Her hand ran over the sheets and found the spot next to her empty and cold.
Sage’s eyes fluttered open. She scanned the room, finding herself all alone. She wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was Trey just anxious to get on with his day? Or did he regret their evening together?
She rushed through her shower and dressed. She was just putting on her makeup when the door swung open. There stood Trey with a tray of food in his arms.
“Hey, sleepyhead, I thought you’d still be in bed after being up most of the night.” He smiled at her.
At last, she could take an easy breath. Everything was going to be all right. They were going to be all right. She smiled back.
“I couldn’t sleep the day away. Tomorrow is the end of the festival.”
“And you want to get out there and line up more potential interviews?”
“Actually, thanks to you, the magazine’s calendar is filled. So I thought I would take these last two days to soak up the atmosphere and just relax. We could have a perfectly relaxing afternoon together.”