Her mind was buzzing, trying to think through this rationally and coming up empty. Sage had, like Tess, always figured things out. Tess was better at it, more reasonable and less emotional like Sage, but they had always managed to come up with solutions that actually worked. It felt like there was no right answer here and it was killing her.

She caught the motion of Declan's hand and it felt like an invitation, she already missed the steadying weight of his hand on her shoulder and so Sage collapsed into him, hiding her face and the tears that had started to fall. She couldn't let Maggie see, sweet Maggie who had stopped crying herself, and was content with her snack, watching the printing press at work. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she was. It felt like an idiotic choice now; he was part of the family and she could have used his support then; he wouldn't be so shellshocked now, would have a better grasp on the situation. He was right though, Tess would know what to do and Sage just had to muddle through until she came back.

Unfortunately for Declan, he was also stuck with them for the time being.