Joseph and George had learned about their brother Richard in a Seattle newspaper article. They’d found him immediately, and now you couldn’t tell that the brothers had ever been apart. Richard Storm’s five children had been estranged and casting about for a while, but now they were getting back to the way they’d once been, and it seemed the Storms were falling as fast into matrimony as their cousins had.
Maybe Joseph really was a matchmaker. Things certainly happened when he teamed up with others, like his brothers or his best friend, Martin, Spence’s father. People continued getting married after the men began their meddling.
After more members of the big family arrived, they enjoyed a wonderfully prepared meal that included the best and freshest fish. Then they all bundled up and headed down to the beach for a bonfire, the heat a welcome relief in the winter cold.
For the first time since arriving at the mansion, Spence found himself able to speak alone with Sage, and he didn’t miss the opportunity to lure her away from the crowd. Taking her hand, he walked her to the water’s edge, where they enjoyed the lights from the city as the fog rolled in, thick and heavy, obscuring their sight. Suddenly, an eerie sound filled the air, making Sage jump, then cling tightly to Spence and bury her head against him.
“What was that?” she asked in obvious alarm.
“It’s all the souls of the past crying in the night,” he said, and though he didn’t think it possible, she burrowed even more tightly against him.
“Come on, Spence . . .”
“I’m just kidding, Sage. I’ve lived in Seattle a long time, and for those who don’t know the sound, it does sound a bit like spirits wailing for something. But it’s actually just a foghorn.
“There are legends of empty vessels floating in the ocean and still sending off the cry of a foghorn to drift across the waters, as if a lonely sailor were calling to anyone who would listen.”
“Spence, you are horrible! Look, you’re terrifying the poor girl.” Sage turned to find Kinsey next to them.
“I was just filling her in on a bit of Seattle history.”
“You were not,” Kinsey said. “You were scaring her so she would hold you close. If you were a decent guy, she’d be clinging to you because she wanted you, not because she was frightened half to death.”
Spence laughed and let Sage go, but gripped her fingers. She laughed when Kinsey began to lecture Spence as they turned and made their way back to the rest of the group.
It wasn’t long until they had to say their good-byes, and Sage found it surprising that she was pulled into so many people’s arms as they gave her a hug and told her she must come back for a visit soon.
Would she get to come back again sometime? Would she still be with Spence? He was infatuated, that was obvious, but would he grow bored now that he’d gotten what he’d been chasing after? She just didn’t know.
By the time they boarded the jet, Sage was mesmerized as Spence began telling her the story of how he came to live with Martin, the rescue of his brother Michael, and the bond that had followed.
She’d fallen just a little more in love with him by the time the plane landed.
Sage stretched her arms, her eyes still gritty from lack of sleep over the last couple of days. As she recalled what Spence had told her the night before, her heart was still a little broken for him. So many years he’d lived in foster care, wondering if he’d ever have a permanent home. At least he’d had a happy ending. What a difference one person could make in the life of another.
She wondered where Spence, Camden, and Jackson would be today if it weren’t for Martin—a man who had wanted no praise, a man who didn’t need to talk about how he’d saved these young boys, but who simply accepted three new sons with no fanfare.
What fine men they’d turned out to be. Even losing his first child hadn’t diminished Jackson, though he was obviously heartbroken. And though she didn’t know Camden very well, she knew he did a lot for their community and all around the world. Martin had made sure to give his sons everything they needed, and their lives were living proof that he had succeeded as a father.
Then, of course, there was Spence. Without Martin, would he have become a doctor? She had a feeling it was rooted deep inside him, and no matter what, he was destined to be a healer. But medical school wasn’t cheap, and without the direction from one who cared about him and his future, would he have known how to fulfill his destiny?
She couldn’t answer that question. She was just grateful that Spence had made it, that he’d been given the opportunity to become the man he was today. And what a great man he was. He made everyone around him feel special, whether it was a patient, an employee, or the young or the old. He was intelligent and giving, and he made her feel like someone important. There was now no doubt that she loved him. She’d given him her body, and in the process given him her heart, her soul, and everything that was in her.
How could it not be terrifying to love another so much that you could no longer imagine what your life would be like without them in it?
“Good morning, sunshine.”
Sage turned to find Grace in her bedroom doorway, holding up another shiny box.
“What’s this?”
“Like you don’t know. The princess gets another gift.” Grace bounded into the room and landed on Sage’s bed.
“This is an even bigger box than last time,” Sage said. She ran her hand over the sparkling bow attached to the top.
“I know. Open it already. You are killing me,” Grace said, reaching forward and threatening to take the box back and open it herself.