Nights at Seaside

by Addison Cole

  “You want to stay and help?” His eyes narrowed.

  “Yes. Your mom needs the help, and she can probably use the company. We were just going to make googly eyes at each other all day, so why not? Besides, she has phone calls to make, and I can get to know your dad a little better.”

  “Sky, are you sure?”

  She touched his cheek, and he leaned in to her palm. Oh, how, she loved this man. “More than sure. I would offer to return the boat so you could spend time with your parents, but I have no idea how to sail it back to Wellfleet.”

  He kissed her again. “What did I do to deserve you?”

  “Everything.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  IT HAD BEEN three days since Sawyer’s father’s fall, three days since Sky had met his parents, and three days since he’d had a good night’s sleep. His parents’ neighbors had rallied around them, and that helped tremendously. Despite his mother’s arguments, Sawyer hired a part-time nurse to help during the day, and she was working out well. That put his mind mildly at ease, but all of it—his father’s fall, the devastation of reality knocking on their door—increased the pressure for him to win the title fight.

  Today Sky and all of her friends were coming to watch him spar the heavyweight Roach had lined up.

  Sky. Sweet, beautiful Sky, full of dusky pleasures, confidence, and tenderness. The woman who had stayed with his parents without having been asked. The woman who had just told him that she’d researched his father’s disease after knowing him only a few days, so she could help him and his family. The woman he was going to ask to marry him after he won his last fight. Now wasn’t the time, with the fight and his father’s fate hanging over his head, but soon…She’d become his whole world, and his parents had both told him how much they adored her. Not that he needed their blessing, but he was still glad to have it.

  He watched her put her favorite C. J. Moon poetry book into her patchwork bag and slip her delicate feet into her sandals as she got ready to go to the tattoo shop for a while before his sparring match. Blue had finished the shelves in the back of the shop, and she wanted to check them out and put a few finishing touches on her work area where Blue had created cubbies for her supplies. But he knew Sky well enough to understand that she needed to keep her mind busy rather than sticking around the cottage and thinking about what he was doing later that afternoon. She’d done a 180-degree turn, supporting his career the way she was, and he truly appreciated and loved her even more for it. But he knew it wasn’t easy for her.

  Her flowing white skirt swept over her feet as she crossed the living room, straightening the basket containing pieces of his poems as she passed. She wore a light pink tank top that hugged her curves, and as she usually did, an armful of bangles and gold swoopy earrings that sparkled in the light against her chestnut hair. She looked gorgeous. He reached for her and pulled her down onto his lap.

  “It’s weird seeing you leave before me.” He nuzzled against her neck. “You smell good enough to eat.”

  She leaned back, giving him better access to her neck. “I think you had enough of me this morning.”

  “I’ll never get enough of you,” he said honestly.

  “You better win your sparring match today, or you won’t get any more yummy Sky tonight.”

  He laughed. “Oh, I won’t, will I?” He dragged his tongue along her collarbone, knowing just how much she loved it and earning himself a lustful moan.

  “All my friends are going to be there today, and I want them to see my Herculean boyfriend.” Her eyes danced with the tease.

  “At least you didn’t say your cute boyfriend.”

  She kissed his chest and then pressed her lips to his as she wiggled her butt. “Cute went out the window a long time ago, Mr. Big, Strong, Alpha, Sexy Boxer Boy.”

  He growled and swept her onto her back, holding her hands above her head as she giggled and squirmed beneath him. He nipped at her lower lip, then rubbed his scruff along her cheek, earning himself another sexy moan.

  “You know I love that,” she said in a heady voice.

  “I want you to think about me all day, so by the time we come back together tonight, you can barely wait.”

  “Oh my, you are demanding.” She leaned up to kiss him, and he pulled away so she couldn’t reach him. “Tease!”

  “Self-preservation. I’m already in a bad state. Any more and you’re not going to work.”

  “Promises, promises.” She leaned up and kissed him long and slow.

  “Sky,” he whispered. “I crave you every minute of the day. I can’t get close enough to you, and I’ll never, ever get enough of loving you. You better leave, or…”

  “Love me, Sawyer. Love me now.”

  She didn’t have to ask twice.

  He lifted her into his arms, and they kissed feverishly as he carried her into the bedroom.

  “I’M TELLING YOU, I’ve turned into a sex maniac,” Sky said as she, Bella, Jenna, Leanna, and Amy walked across the parking lot of the gym to watch Sawyer fight. “I didn’t even go into the shop this morning because we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.”

  “And your problem is?” Bella teased. “Look at my man up there, all police-officer hotness with handcuffs at his waist. I still can’t keep my hands off of him.”

  “I’m right there with you. Look at Kurt.” Leanna smiled at her handsome husband as he held the doors to the gym open for them. He leaned down and kissed her, then swatted her butt as they walked inside.

  They gathered around the registration desk with their husbands, waiting for Brock, who was walking toward them from the back of the gym where Sawyer and Roach were huddled in a corner. Another massive boxer and two other guys congregated on the opposite side of the floor.

  “I missed work,” Sky whispered. “For sex!”

  Pete turned angry eyes toward her, then hissed out, “I seriously don’t want to hear this.”

  Sky felt her cheeks flame, and they all burst into laughter.

  Brock smiled as he approached. “Hey, Sky. You guys, you must be here to watch Sawyer. It’s gonna be a mean sparring match.” He put his hands on his hips, and his eyes turned serious. “Here’s the deal. You can watch, but you stand behind the black lines that are on the floor. No profanity, no nasty slurs. This is a friendly fight.”

  “Okay,” they said in unison.

  “Sky, Jana’s here,” Brock said. “She’s getting changed from practice, but she’s excited to see you again.”

  “Who is Jana?” Hunter said as he draped an arm over Sky’s shoulder.

  “She’s Brock’s sister. Hands off,” Sky said as Blue and Grayson walked through the front door.

  “Brock, you may want to tell Jana not to come out of the locker room,” Sky teased.

  Brock narrowed his eyes and laid a dark stare on Hunter. Then his lips curved into a wide smile. “She’ll kick both y’all’s butts. Follow me.”

  Sky’s brothers got a nice laugh out of that. They followed Brock through the gym to the ring where Sawyer and his opponent were readying to fight.

  “Your posse is here,” Brock said.

  Sawyer’s gaze found Sky’s in a hot second, and while he smiled and thanked everyone for coming, it was Sky he made a beeline to.

  “You sure you want to be here?” he asked quietly.

  “Yes. I love you, and I want to support you.”

  Blue came to her side. “We’ll take care of her, Sawyer. You just show us how to win a fighting match.”

  “Thanks, Blue.” He kissed Sky. “I love you, sweetheart.”

  “Ooh, sweetheart,” Jana said in a singsong voice as she came up behind them. She threw her arms around Sawyer. “Go get ’em!” She turned to Sky with a wide smile and embraced her, too. “I’m glad you’re here. You’ll see, it’s not that bad.”

  “I hope so. I have an army of support if I want to run screaming from the gym,” Sky said, only half kidding.

  Jana laughed, and her eyes moved over Sk
y’s shoulder. “No way. Oh, no. Tell me you don’t know that guy.” She pointed to Hunter.

  “That’s my brother Hunter,” Sky said, worried about the annoyed look in Jana’s eyes.

  Hunter turned, and when his eyes connected with Jana’s, they nearly bugged out of his head. “Aw, hell.” He ran a hand down his face.

  “You know him?” Of course she knew him. Hunter looked like he’d been caught with his pants down, and Sky imagined that wasn’t far from the truth.

  “Let’s just say we’ve met.” She smirked at Hunter.

  “Should I worry?” Sky asked.

  “Nah. Too much tequila a long time ago,” Jana said.

  Hunter mouthed, Sorry, and Jana turned away.

  Brock walked in front of the ring and held his hands up to get everyone’s attention. “Sawyer, Crane, you guys ready?”

  Sawyer and his opponent, Crane, both nodded and went to opposite corners of the ring.

  Sky’s heart was already going a mile a minute. She reached for Blue’s hand and squeezed it. Amy and the girls moved closer to her.

  “You okay?” Amy whispered.

  “For now,” Sky said. She pressed her hand to Amy’s belly. “Let me have some baby love. That’ll calm me down.”

  “Baby surfer is sleeping today. Riding on my bladder.”

  Brock climbed into the ring and went over the rules with Sawyer and Crane.

  “He’s easily thirty pounds heavier than Sawyer,” Grayson said to Pete.

  “Sawyer’s got this,” Jana said. “He’s smooth as butter. This guy’s big, but slow.” She lowered her voice. “He’s also a first-class jerk. A real nasty loser.”

  The fight started, and Sky gripped Blue’s hand tighter, thankful when she felt Grayson’s hand land on her shoulder.

  Crane moved in fast, throwing one unsuccessful punch after another. Sawyer deflected each one with fluid movements, barely breaking a sweat. Crane’s feet moved forward and back, his massive shoulders rounded forward. Each punch drew a sharp inhalation from the guys and caused Sky to close her eyes. She didn’t mean to, but how was she supposed to watch? What if his fist connected with Sawyer’s handsome face? She opened her eyes, needing to watch and make sure he was okay.

  Sawyer moved fast as lightning, smooth as water, throwing multiple body punches, a right to the jaw, and another punch from beneath that put Crane on his back. All the guys cheered, but as Crane pushed up with his thunderous knees, he sneered at them through the ropes, silencing them all with an angry growl.

  Sky held her breath as one round ended and the next began. Each round brought more tension, and by the fourth round she felt like her whole body was one big knot. Meanwhile, the guys were cheering, and Jana, Bella, Leanna, and Jenna were hollering, too. Amy clung to Sky’s hand, while Blue moved up closer to the ring with the other men.

  Sweat dripped from the boxers. Crane was breathing hard, tiring. Every punch packed power and fatigue as his massive fists were intercepted time and time again by Sawyer. Crane’s face grew tighter, his eyes narrower with each block. If smoke could come from a person’s ears, it would be streaming from his. At the end of the round, Brock announced that the next was the final round, and Sky felt relief wash over her. During the next round, Brock stepped between Sawyer and Crane three times to say something to Crane that Sky couldn’t hear, but each time the sneer on Crane’s face made the hair on the back of Sky’s neck stand on end.

  Sawyer moved in swiftly, landing one punch after another and clocking Crane from the underside of his chin. Sweat spewed out of the ring as Crane flew backward, his broad shoulders landing against the ropes. He sprang right back up, swinging and missing, time and time again, making tortured, violent sounds that made Sky’s blood curdle.

  She closed her eyes and squeezed Amy’s hand.

  “It’s almost over,” Amy assured her.

  Sky couldn’t respond. She couldn’t move. She forced her eyes open, remembering her promise to herself to support Sawyer. Crane scared the heck out of her. She’d never seen someone so angry, and all that anger was bottled up inside the largest, most muscular man she’d ever seen. But it was the way he looked at Sawyer that frightened her most, like he wanted to kill him, not just win the fight. She wondered how anyone could watch this sport without having a heart attack. She felt like hers was going to explode. Her stomach was so tight she thought she might be sick, but she kept reminding herself that Sawyer was fighting for his father, and that was enough to keep her rooted in place, silently praying that the match would end without anyone getting hurt.

  When Brock called the end of the final round and held up both fighters’ hands, Sky finally exhaled. Sawyer’s eyes found her, full of pride and full of love. He took a step toward her, and Amy placed a hand on Sky’s back, urging her toward the ring, just as Crane spun around and clocked Sawyer in the side of his skull.

  “No!” Sky screamed as Sawyer’s eyes rolled back in his head and he fell, lifeless, to the floor.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  SKY HELD SAWYER’S hand, silently begging the powers that be to let him be okay. She couldn’t stop shaking, even though Sawyer had already come to, but according to the doctor, it had taken longer than he would have liked. It had also taken Sawyer several minutes to relay basic information such as what he’d had for breakfast and what he’d done the day before. Sky didn’t know much about being knocked out, but she knew from everything the doctor had said and the worried look in his eyes that this was not normal and far from a good sign. They were running all sorts of tests and waiting for results. Roach stood beside her with one hand on her shoulder, a steadying force in a sea of fear, handing her dry tissues every few minutes. The doctors wouldn’t let any of the others in the room, and she knew they were probably going crazy with worry, but there was no way she was going to leave Sawyer’s side.

  The right side of Sawyer’s head was swollen and already bruising.

  “Sky,” he rasped. “I’m okay. Don’t cry.”

  “Don’t cry? You got knocked out, and the doctor was worried that you weren’t going to wake up.” She swiped at her eyes and leaned over him, kissing the side of his face that wasn’t stricken, his forehead, his mouth, everywhere she could. “You scared me so badly, Sawyer. I was wrong. I can’t watch you fight again. I can’t do it.”

  Sawyer wrapped his arms around her. “Okay. It’s okay. I only have one more fight, and you don’t have to watch.”

  The doctor came back into the room. He was a tall, older man with salt-and-pepper hair and serious eyes behind wire frames.

  “I just got off the phone with your doctor.” He shifted his eyes to Sawyer. “He says he’s already told you not to fight.”

  Told you not to fight?

  Sawyer’s dark eyes held the doctor’s gaze. “Dr. Malen gave me the same warning every doctor gives every fighter.”

  “Sawyer,” Roach said in a husky voice.

  Sky looked up at him as Sawyer released her. His eyes narrowed. “This is my fight, Roach.”

  Sky had never heard his voice so cold before.

  “Perhaps there was some miscommunication,” the doctor suggested. He folded his hands in front of him and said, “Although I know Dr. Malen well, and he’s meticulously precise.”

  Sawyer’s jaw clenched.

  “Can he fight or not?” Roach asked.

  Can he fight?

  “Is he physically able? Yes,” the doctor said. “Is it advisable? No. I would not send my own son into a ring after being concussed as Sawyer was. Nor would I have let him into the ring after having endured so many concussions prior to this one.” He turned stern eyes to Sawyer. “It took you too long to come out of it, Sawyer. You got lucky. You’re playing with fire. As Dr. Malen told you, you’ve had numerous concussions, and the next one could leave you permanently brain damaged or worse.”

  “Wait. What?” Sky looked at Sawyer. “You’ve had numerous concussions? Your doctor told you that already and you still fought?”

/>   “Sky, all fighters get concussed. It’s not as bad as it sounds. They’ve said that for as long as I can remember.”

  Her heart lodged in her throat, and it took all of her focus not to yell as she turned to the doctor and asked as calmly as she was able—which wasn’t calmly at all—“Are you saying that his doctor already told him that he could get brain damaged, or worse, if he got knocked out again?”

  “No,” the doctor replied.

  Sky let out a relieved breath.

  “I’m saying that, according to Dr. Malen, he’s told Sawyer that he could suffer brain damage or worse without losing consciousness. A simple blow to the head could be enough.”

  A simple blow to the head. Simple blow. What on earth did that even mean? Her legs went weak, and she held on to the side of the bed, her whole body trembling, her mind reeling.

  “Sky?” Sawyer’s voice was muted through the rush of blood in her ears.

  “Doctor, can you please give us a minute?” Sawyer sat up and swung his legs off the bed.

  The doctor put a hand on his shoulder. “Do not get up. Try not to get riled up. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  The doctor walked out the door, and Sawyer shifted his eyes to Roach. “Do you mind, Roach?”

  “Remember what I told you, Sawyer. I’m not making that phone call to your mother.” Roach laid a supportive hand on Sky’s shoulder before turning and walking out of the room, leaving them alone.

  “Sky.” He reached for her, but her body was too shaky, her mind too chaotic, to be touched. She turned away.

  SAWYER’S HEAD WAS pounding and his body ached from slamming into the floor when he fell, but nothing hurt as badly as the devastated look in Sky’s eyes.

  “Sky, listen to me. I have to fight. I have to do this for my father. He’s not doing well. I don’t have much time.”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks. “If you fight, you might be more right than you know, Sawyer, about not having much time. How can you even think about going back in a ring after what the doctor just said?”