Promise *Rafe Cameron*

𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧 𝐀 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫

Sage woke to the soft glow of sunlight stretching through the slats of her curtains, warm beams cutting across the room like golden ribbons.

The air was still, gentle, peaceful, a far cry from the tension and noise that had clung to her over the past few weeks.

At the foot of her bed, Beau stirred. He lifted his head, ears perking and tail thumping softly against the mattress as he watched her sleep, waiting for her eyes to flutter open.

When she didn't move fast enough for his liking, he army-crawled up the bed on his stomach, his wet nose nudging her cheek.

Sage let out a low groan, stretching out her limbs beneath the blanket. Her muscles were still heavy with sleep, her throat dry from the night before.

"Beau," she grumbled playfully as he began licking her face, tail wagging harder now that she was officially awake. "Okay, okay, I'm up, I'm up."

She sat up slowly, blinking as the light poured across her face, momentarily blinding her.

With a yawn, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, pushing her messy hair out of her face. Her head throbbed just slightly, a hangover ghost from the vodka and emotions of last night, but it wasn't bad.

Mostly, she just felt... tired. But not the same kind of tired she'd felt after losing Rafe.

This was a quieter kind of exhaustion. One she could live with.

Beau jumped off the bed with a soft thud, running toward the kitchen with the excitement of a dog who expected bacon.

Sage shuffled after him, bare feet brushing against the cool hardwood floor as she made her way down the hall.

She found Jacob in the kitchen, leaning over the stove in his gray hoodie and faded jeans. The scent of maple syrup and pancakes filled the room, and Sage smiled despite herself.

"I made pancakes," Jacob said without looking up. He slid a fluffy stack onto a plate and handed it to her.

Sage smiled warmly, accepting it. "Look at you. Master chef at work."

He grinned as he grabbed his own plate and sat next to her at the bar. "Don't act like you're not impressed."

"Oh, I'm wildly impressed," she said, drizzling syrup over the pancakes before taking a bite. "Mmm. Okay, these are actually good."

Beau's tail slapped against the floor as he scarfed down his food in noisy, excited gulps from his bowl near the pantry.

Jacob glanced at the clock on the microwave and stood, brushing crumbs off his lap.

"I'll be home late tonight. Got another shift at the hospital."

Sage nodded, mouth full. "Okay. Don't work too hard."

He grabbed his duffel bag from the hook by the door and bent down to slide on his shoes. "Have a good day. Love you."

"Love you," Sage replied without missing a beat, the familiar words sitting softly on her tongue.

Jacob pulled the front door shut behind him with a quiet click, and then... silence.

Sage took another bite of pancake, chewing slowly as she listened to the soft hum of the morning news playing from the little TV on the counter.

The weather report droned on in the background, and outside, she could hear the distant caw of seagulls and the rustle of the wind brushing through the trees.

Beau trotted over to her, resting his chin on her knee with a low huff, his eyes looking up at her like he could feel everything she couldn't quite put into words.