Fated to a Cougar: 4 (Cougar Surrender) (4 page)

Sage swallowed back the tears that threatened to rise to the
surface. “Is she conscious?”

“No, and the doctor doesn’t think she’ll wake up. You need
to see her before…” David’s words trailed away.

She knew what he’d been about to say. Before Macy died.
“I’ll drive myself. I don’t want to take Josh with me, though.”

“Then don’t take him,” Grady said as he came up behind her.
“I’ll stay with Josh. You go to the hospital.”

Sage turned and looked at him. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. He’s asleep, and you said he’d more than likely
stay sleeping for the rest of the night. I can handle that.”

“Is there anyone you need me to contact?” David asked,
drawing Sage’s attention.

She shook her head. “No. I can call Hank’s parents. They
live in Fairbanks. As for my family, it’s just Macy and I. We don’t have anyone
else. And I’m legally Josh’s guardian. Macy made sure of that right after he
was born.” Sage’s voice cracked a little.

Grady put his arm around her shoulders and tucked her under
his arm. “Are you going to be okay to drive?”

“Yes,” she said after she cleared her throat. “I’ll get
ready and will leave in a minute.”

“I’ll follow behind you,” David said.

Sage stepped away from Grady, feeling about ready to break
down, but she wouldn’t. At least not yet. She had to be strong, be there for
Macy. She wouldn’t let her sister be alone.

* * * * *

Grady stood in the open door and watched Sage pull away in
her SUV. The police cruiser parked at the front of the house fell in behind
her. Once they disappeared from sight, he shut the door and let out a deep
breath.

The night had gone from being perfect to a disaster. After
Sage answered the door, Grady had easily been able to hear the conversation
that took place there. He’d wanted to go to her, but he couldn’t since he
wasn’t supposed to know what was going on. Once she’d said she didn’t want to
take Josh to the hospital with her, there was no way he could remain in the
living room. He’d had to tell her he would look after the baby. It would be one
fewer thing she had to worry about. She already had enough on her plate with
her sister not expected to live.

He returned to the living room and sat on the couch. Grady
was prepared to stay with Sage for however long she needed him. Hearing she had
no other family besides her sister, he wouldn’t let her go through this alone.
Yes, they’d just met, but he liked her a lot. He would be strong for her, help
her through this difficult time in her life. He’d be a huge asshole if he left
now. Plus, it went against everything he’d been taught. Cougar shifter family
groups were tightknit. Each member could be counted on to be there for another
when they were in need. Since she didn’t have anyone to fall back on, Grady
would step in and fill that role for her.

Right then the baby sighed over the monitor. Grady turned
and looked at it. If Sage’s sister didn’t pull through as expected, Sage would
become an instant mother. Even though Josh wouldn’t remember his parents, he at
least wouldn’t have to suffer through watching them being buried or know what
was going on.

Sage sat in one of the hard plastic chairs in a hospital
waiting room. She’d been there for hours. She figured it had to be pushing
close to dawn, though she really hadn’t been paying close attention to the
time. At least not until after Macy had passed away.

Sage had made it to the hospital to be with her sister
before she’d succumbed to her injuries. Macy had had massive internal injuries
and head trauma, and there had been nothing the doctors could do to save her.
The damage had been too severe. Sage had been able to hold Macy’s hand, kiss
her one last time and tell her that she didn’t have to worry about Josh. That
she would look after him and would always be there for him. As if her sister
had only been waiting to hear those reassurances, her heart had stopped beating
and didn’t start again, no matter how hard the doctor and nurses had tried to
bring her back.

Now here Sage sat, numb to the world around her, waiting to
sign the paperwork to arrange to have her sister’s body moved to the funeral
home of her choosing. She also waited to talk to Hank’s parents. They’d only
arrived a short while ago, having taken the forty-minute flight from Fairbanks
to Anchorage. There was no question of Hank and Macy not being buried side by
side.

The older couple stepped into the room. They both seemed to
have aged ten years. Hank had been their only child. At least a piece of him
would live on in Josh. The baby was the spitting image of his father, but with
his mother’s eyes and hair color.

“Sage,” Hank’s mother Kate said as she held open her arms.

Sage hugged Kate and then Hank’s father Max. “How are you
both holding up?” she asked.

“About as well as you, I’d imagine,” Kate said as she wiped
tears out of her eyes. “I just thank god Josh wasn’t in the car.”

That would have been even more devastating. “So do I. He’s
still at my place. My boyfriend Grady is there watching Josh.” Sage figured it
would sound better to have Grady as her boyfriend than tell them she’d just met
him.

“A boyfriend?” Kate asked with a small smile. “Last time I
talked to Macy she said you didn’t have one, and that you were too busy with
your police work to date.”

“We haven’t been together that long.”

“I’m glad you have someone you can lean on for support. And
just to reassure you, we’ll give you any help you need with Josh. We know he’ll
be better off with you. It would just be too much for us.”

Sage had known she wouldn’t have to worry about Hank’s
parents trying to take Josh away from her. Max’s health wasn’t great, and he
had been in and out of the hospital because of his heart a few times in the
past year. Looking after a six-month-old baby would take its toll on both Max
and Kate.

“I know,” Sage said. “And thanks for the offer. I’ll be sure
to call if I need anything. Once we get finished here, you’re both more than
welcome to stay at my place for however long you’re in Anchorage.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Max said. “We already booked a
room at a hotel. It’ll be less stressful for you.”

Sage nodded. “Okay, but you’re welcome to change your mind.”

After that, the rest of the time Sage spent at the hospital
passed in a blur. She filled out the necessary paperwork, barely paying
attention to what she signed. Once she’d done all she could for now, she said
goodbye to Hank’s parents with a promise to talk to them in the afternoon to
arrange a time to go to the funeral home.

Sage drove home. She was tired but didn’t know if she’d be
able to sleep. For one thing, Josh would be awake soon. On the way, she stopped
off at a store to buy diapers and all the other things such as food and bottles
she’d need for her nephew. She had a key to Macy’s house but she couldn’t bring
herself to go there to pick up what she’d need just yet. Though she’d have to
do it very soon. Josh would need his crib and clothes. Plus, she also had the
decision as to what to do with the home.

She pulled into her two-car driveway and parked beside
Grady’s expensive sedan. After getting out of her SUV, Sage headed for the
front door. She unlocked it and stepped inside, placing the items she’d bought
in the entranceway. The house was completely quiet. It was early enough for
Josh to still be asleep. She figured Grady must be sleeping as well since he
didn’t come to see her.

After taking off her coat and boots, she went to the living
room. The scene that greeted her had her smiling despite what the night had
turned into. Grady lay on the couch, his feet dangling over the end. Josh was
on his chest, his little head tucked under Grady’s chin. The quilt from the
playpen was covering the baby and the sides were tucked under Grady, holding
Josh in place. Grady had his arms wrapped around her nephew. The sight of them
together pulled at her heartstrings.

Sage leaned against the wall next to the entrance to the
room and slowly slid down it until she sat on the floor. She couldn’t tear her
gaze from them. Being sleep deprived and an emotional wreck on the inside, she
crazily thought Grady would be the perfect replacement father for Josh. It was
stupid to be thinking like that when she’d had one date with him that had
lasted a few hours at the most, but at the moment, he was the only person in
her world who she thought she could lean on.

She then noticed Josh had his little hand wrapped around
Grady’s cougar head pendant just as she’d done when she and Grady had been
fooling around. It was the second time her nephew had taken hold of it. He
obviously liked it, and Grady mustn’t have minded.

Sage lifted her knees to her chest and rested her forehead
against them. She closed her eyes. The image of her sister lying in a hospital
bed, broken and bleeding, rose inside her mind. It would probably be something
she’d never forget. She swallowed past the lump in her throat as she fought
back her tears. She wanted to wail and scream about the injustice of it. Macy
and Hank had been too young, and Josh should have been able to grow up with his
parents. But she wouldn’t do any of that. There was too much to do to settle
her sister’s affairs.

“Sage.”

At the sound of her whispered name, she looked up to find
Grady awake and staring at her. Sage pushed to her feet and quietly walked over
to where he lay. Josh was still sleeping. She kneeled on the floor in front of
the couch and softly caressed her nephew’s cheek.

“Have you been home long?” Grady asked in a whisper.

“No,” she replied just as quietly.

“Did your sister…”

“She didn’t make it. Macy died about a half hour after I
arrived.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Did Josh wake up for you?”

“Yeah. He wasn’t too sure about me at first. The only way I
could get him to sleep was on me like this. I tried to put him back in the
playpen, but he started to cry again.”

“At least you got some rest.”

Grady ran his gaze over her face. “You need to sleep as
well.”

Sage shook her head. “I can’t. Josh will be awake soon. And
you’ll want to go home.”

He stared into her eyes. “You have to sleep. I’m not going to
leave you alone.”

“You’ve been here all night. You’ll want to change your
clothes and shower. Plus, there isn’t much to eat here. I need to go grocery
shopping.”

Grady reached over and cupped the side of her face. “Then
you and Josh can come to my place. We have a personal chef who makes all our
meals. And you’re more than welcome to sleep in my bed. I’ll take care of the
baby. My brother and his wife will be there as well to help. We all live
together, along with my parents.”

Normally, Sage would have been able to manage everything on
her own, but not now. Having someone take care of her, make it so she didn’t
have to worry about anything, was something she couldn’t turn down.

“Okay, I’ll go to your place once Josh wakes up. I’ll have
to feed him and get him dressed, then we can go.”

As if he’d heard his name, the baby squirmed against Grady
and opened his eyes. Grady sat up and shifted Josh until he had him cradled in
his arms and disentangled the baby’s fingers from his pendant.

“Hey there, buddy,” Grady said. “Did you have a good sleep?”
The baby smiled at him.

Sage stood, then took Josh from Grady. “I’ll get him ready
to go.”

She grabbed some of the things she’d bought on the way up
the stairs. Once again, she was glad Grady was there. For someone who’d asked
her for a simple date, he sure as hell got a lot more than he bargained for.

* * * * *

Grady took a quick look at Sage, who sat beside him in his
car. The baby was in his infant car seat in the back. It’d taken about a half
hour to get Josh fed, changed and set to go.

Sage looked about ready to drop. There were dark circles
under her eyes and she seemed to be staring at nothing. Grady focused his
attention back on the road. No matter what she said, he was going to get her
tucked into his bed as soon as they got to his house. She needed to get some
rest before she faced what she had to do that day. It wasn’t going to be easy
on her, but he planned to stay with her every step of the way.

Once they arrived at his place, Grady hit the remote to open
one of the doors of the four-car garage. He pulled in next to his brother
Jase’s car and parked. After he shut the engine off, he closed them inside.

He carried Josh in his car seat and one of the bags Sage had
brought while she grabbed the other one, then walked to the entrance to the
house. Grady stepped aside for her to go in ahead of him. He motioned for her
to keep walking up the short hallway.

They stepped out into the foyer. Grady was surprised to see
a pile of luggage sitting near the front door. He then saw his dad coming down
the stairs from the upper level. His father smiled as he came to join them.

“I thought you and Mom were going to be away for a week,”
Grady said.

His dad shrugged. “Your mom decided she couldn’t afford to
take an entire week away. We just arrived home about ten minutes ago.” His
father looked at Sage, then the infant car seat Grady carried. “Who do we have
here?”

Grady put down the bag he held and wrapped his arm around
Sage’s waist. “This is Sage.” He turned the car seat around so his dad could
look inside. “And this is her nephew Josh. They’re going to be spending some
time here with me. Something happened last night while I was over at Sage’s
place on a date and she was babysitting. Her older sister and husband, the
parents to Josh, were hit by a drunk driver while they were out for dinner.
They both died. Sage has been at the hospital all night while I stayed at her
place to watch the baby. She’s Josh’s godmother. She also doesn’t have any
family to help her.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” his dad said solemnly. “I’m
Charles, Grady’s dad.”

“Thanks,” Sage said quietly.

“And I’m sorry as well,” his mother said as she joined them
from upstairs. “I heard what Grady said about your sister. And you’re more than
welcome to stay here for as long as you need. You look about ready to drop.”

“This is my mom Olivia,” Grady said. “I was going to put her
to bed,” he told his mother.

“Well, in that case, I’ll look after the baby while you take
care of Sage.”

Before Grady could say anything, his mom took the car seat
from him, then placed it on the floor so she could unbuckle Josh. She squatted
and took the baby out and managed to take off his snowsuit.

She stood and smiled. “He’s gorgeous. How old is he?”

“Six months,” Sage answered. “You don’t mind looking after
him?”

“Of course not. I love babies.” His mom lifted Josh and gave
him a kiss.

The baby’s little hand came up and took hold of his mom’s
cougar head pendant, which was identical to Grady’s. It’d once belonged to his
father. All male cougar shifters were given one once they reached puberty. The
pendant was made with a bit of magic inside. When a male met his mate, the
cougar’s ruby eyes glowed. It didn’t necessarily happen right after the couple
met. It could take days, weeks, even months. It was triggered once the male
could accept the female as the one he loved and wanted as his, be it
consciously or subconsciously.

Once that happened, he would only be able to think about
her, being unable to eat and sleep. He wouldn’t be able to stop thinking of
making love to her, using sex to help convince her to claim him. And it was the
female who decided to claim the male as hers by taking his cougar head pendant
from him and putting it around her neck, thus having the mating bond form as
their souls joined.

“You have the same pendant as Grady,” Sage said. “Josh liked
his, so I guess he likes yours as well. I’ll take it from him.”

His mom laughed. “It’s okay. He can hold on to it if he
wants. He can’t damage it.” She looked at Grady. “Sage looks about ready to
fall over. Go take her upstairs. I have everything under control here. I’m sure
Jase and Katrina will be down soon as well. They’ll want to meet Josh.”

“All right,” he said as he took the bag Sage carried from
her and placed it with the other one. “We’re going up now.”

Grady guided Sage up the stairs and down the hallway to his
bedroom. Once they were inside, he closed the door behind them. He walked her
over to his bed and tugged down the covers, then stepped aside.

“In you go,” he said. “I’ll wake you up in a few hours.”

“Stay.”

He looked at her. “What?”

“I want you to stay with me.” Sage closed the distance
between them and put her hands on his waist.

“You need to sleep. If I stay I might get worked up, if you
know what I mean?”

She met his gaze. “I want you to make love to me. I need it.
Right now I feel as if my whole world has been knocked off its axis. I want the
connection sex will give me. I’m about ready to break down, and I can’t.
Please. Stay with me. I promise I’ll go to sleep after.”