Chapter 170 The return
Sage's POV
I stood outside the Steel Wolves clubhouse with my small bag at my feet, trying to gather the courage to walk inside.
The building looked a bit messed up and there was some construction going on in some parts of it, but it still had the same beat in some areas. It still had the same brick facade, same neon sign that needed fixing, same motorcycles parked in a neat row out front. But everything felt different now because I was different.
I had left Millbrook two weeks ago as a woman running away from pain. But I was coming back as someone who had finally figured out what she actually wanted.
But that did not make this any easier.
I had no idea how Ryder would react to seeing me. Whether he even wanted me here. Whether he had spent the past two weeks moving on and accepting that we were over.
Diego had offered to come with me, to provide moral support or backup or whatever I needed. But I told him no. This was something I had to do alone.
So here I stood, frozen on the sidewalk like an idiot, staring at a door I had walked through a thousand times before.
"Just do it," I muttered to myself. "Walk inside. Find Ryder. Tell him the truth."
Simple. Easy. Terrifying.
I picked up my bag and forced my feet to move forward. One step. Then another. Then I was at the door and my hand was on the handle and there was no turning back.
Through the window beside the door, I saw movement inside. Someone had spotted me.
Then I heard shouting, muffled by the walls but unmistakable.
"Holy shit, is that Sage?"
"No way, she's in Arizona—"
"Ryder! Ryder, get out here!"
The door burst open before I could open it myself, and suddenly Ryder was there.
He came running out like the building was on fire, his eyes wild and his hair a mess like he had been running his hands through it instead of a comb. He stopped a few feet away from me, breathing hard, looking at me like he was afraid I might disappear if he moved too fast.
We stood there staring at each other, and I realized I had no idea what to say. All the speeches I had practiced in my head during the flight from Arizona evaporated.
"Sage." My name came out rough, like he had not used his voice in days. "You're here. You're really here."
"I'm here," I confirmed, gripping the handle of my bag tighter.
"What happened?" He took a half step forward and then stopped himself. "Why are you back? Did something—is everything okay? Is Diego—"
"Diego's fine." I cut off his rambling before he could spiral. "Everyone's fine."
"Then why—" He stopped, looking confused and hopeful and terrified all at once. "I don't understand."
I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. There were so many things I needed to say, so many explanations I owed him, but all of it felt too big to fit into one sentence.
"It didn't work out," I said finally, settling on the simplest version of the truth. "With Diego. It didn't work out."
The hope that flashed across Ryder's face was almost painful to see. It was raw and desperate and so full of longing that I had to look away.
"What do you mean it didn't work out?" His voice was careful, like he was afraid of saying the wrong thing. "Did something happen? Did he—"
"He was perfect." I made myself look at Ryder again. "Diego was kind and patient and everything anyone could want. But I couldn't—" My voice cracked and I had to stop and breathe. "I couldn't be happy with him."
Ryder's hands were shaking. I could see them trembling at his sides, like he wanted to reach for me but was forcing himself to stay still.
"So you came back," he said, and it was not quite a question.
"I came back." I nodded. "I came home."
Something broke in Ryder's expression. Relief or joy or maybe just the release of weeks of tension. He took another step toward me and I took a step toward him and suddenly we were close enough to touch.
"Sage, I—" he started.
"Do you want to go somewhere private to talk?" I interrupted before he could say whatever he was going to say. "I have a lot to explain and I don't really want to do it in the lobby."
"Yes." He nodded quickly. "Yeah, of course. My office. We can talk in my office."
He reached for my bag and I let him take it, our fingers brushing for just a second. The touch sent electricity through me and I saw from his sharp intake of breath that he felt it too.
We started walking toward the office, and I tried to prepare myself for the conversation we were about to have. For explaining Diego's kindness and my misery and the decision that had brought me back here.
But before we could make it inside, the door opened and Tommy appeared in the doorway.
He looked better than the last time I had seen him, still a little sick looking but he was moving easily and grinning like he had just won the lottery.
"Sage!" He moved toward me and pulled me into a careful hug. "You came back. Thank God you came back."
"Hi Tommy." I hugged him back, grateful for his warmth and his genuine happiness to see me. "How are you feeling?"
"Better now that you're here." He pulled back and looked at me seriously. "I need to talk to you first.”