Page 29 of Rough Love

“Hey to you too. You look stunning,” he said.

“Oh, stop it. You’re going to make me blush,” she said shyly. A blush had already started to cross her face.

“I see it’s a bit too late to stop that from happening,” he teased. She gently pushed him on his stool and he tried not to fall off.

“Hush before I slap you,” she joked.

“What would you like to drink?” he asked with a bit of a laugh. He would’ve ordered something for her but she often changed her drink choices.

“I’ll have a glass of white wine, please,” she said. Adam was close by so Sage didn’t need to repeat her drink order. Sage sat nervously next to Mia as she took a sip of her wine. He wasn’t sure how he would start the process of asking Mia to marry him but he knew he needed to do it soon before he chickened out.

“So how has your day been so far?” he asked.

“It’s been good, and yours?” she replied.

“It’s been great, thank you. But there is something I need to ask you which could make it that much better,” Sage said.

“Oh, really. And what’s that?” Mia asked. She looked at him with eyes filled with curiosity.

“Well, you see the thing is, you’ve changed my life, Mia. When I met you I was a very broken man, possibly at the lowest possible point of my life. I didn’t have much hope for having a life I actually enjoyed. I had cut myself off from feeling anything toward anyone and then in you entered and everything changed. You were a sudden burst of light in all my dark days and you fought for me like no one has before. There is no way in hell I ever want to live my life without you by my side,” Sage said. Everyone in the club had stopped while the music had been turned down so they could all listen. Fiona and Grier had just entered as Sage had started his speech so they stood silently near the entrance of the club and waited.

Mia sat still on her stool, taking in what Sage was saying with wide eyes. He could tell she knew where the conversation was going. He wasn’t sure how he should take her reaction as she didn’t make any move to stop him. He had been scared she would leave halfway through.

“Sage…” she said. She was completely speechless as he raised a hand to gently quiet her.

“I’m not done yet… It’s taken me a long time to get over my past and you know that. You have always been so understanding and so patient with me that I knew if I didn’t make you mine forever, I’d be the stupidest man on this planet. So, Mia Giovanni, would you please make me the luckiest man in the world and marry me?” he finally asked. “We could have a small, simple wedding on the beach, but all I ask is that you marry me.”

He slid off of his stool and proceeded to go down on one knee. Slowly he pulled out the box from his back pocket and tugged at the ribbon so he could open it to reveal the ring that laid inside. Mia drew in a deep breath as she looked at the ring that shone brightly in the club lights.

No one said a word as Sage waited for Mia to reply.

* * *

Mia stoodshell-shocked in front of Sage and everyone else in the club. She knew she loved Sage and she would love him until she died but she hadn’t thought about marriage. She wasn’t sure she was the marrying type. She had never thought about it properly before. She supposed it had something to do with the fact that she had never loved anyone so much before either. She looked at everyone who had started to watch the proposal unfold and she didn’t know what to say. She knew she wanted Sage, she had wanted him the moment she met him, but marrying him was something so much bigger. She could remember the dreams she had had in the past about having children with him and getting married. She did like the idea but she had not expected it to happen at that moment. Sage looked at her longingly, waiting for her to say something and he hoped she wouldn’t say no. The suspense of it all hung heavily in the air.