Nights at Seaside

by Addison Cole

  Sky’s and Amy’s eyes widened with surprise at her slipup.

  “And you must be Jenna, Joey’s mom,” Sawyer said, petting Joey’s head.

  Jenna spread a hand on her baby bump as Pete and Hunter came over the dunes behind them. “And soon-to-be a human baby’s mom, too. It’s nice to meet you, Sawyer.”

  Amy walked right up to Sawyer and hugged him, shifting her belly slightly to the side. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, and Sky knew that Jenna had picked out Amy’s yellow bracelets to match her dress, because Jenna was the queen of making sure the girls’ outfits were perfectly coordinated.

  “Hi. I’m Amy. Soon-to-be mom to a little surfer girl or boy. It’s nice to meet you, Sawyer.” Amy hugged Sky and whispered, “He’s even cuter up close!”

  He sure is. “Where are the others?” Sky asked.

  “Bella was tired, so she and Caden stayed home. Leanna got a huge jam order, so she stayed home to work, and Jessica and Jamie called to say they wouldn’t be able to make the trip yet because something came up at Jamie’s office.” Jamie and Jessica were married last summer. Jamie had developed one of the world’s largest search engines, and Jessica was a cellist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. They lived in Boston full-time and summered at the Cape with Jamie’s grandmother, Vera, who raised him after his parents were accidentally killed while on safari.

  Pete put an arm around Jenna and extended a hand to Sawyer. Like Sawyer, he was over six feet tall, making Jenna look even more petite. “Hi. I’m Pete. Sky’s oldest brother.”

  “Nice to meet you, Pete.”

  “Songbird Bass. Hunter filled me in.” Pete nodded to their brother.

  Hunter shook Sawyer’s hand. “I’m another one of Sky’s older brothers. I saw you play the other night. You were great.”

  “Thanks. I remember seeing you at the table with Sky,” Sawyer said.

  A motorcycle roared down the street.

  “Here’s Blue,” Jenna said.

  They turned as Blue stepped from his bike and hung his helmet on the back.

  “Do you guys get together often?” Sawyer asked.

  “We get together pretty often over the summers,” Pete explained.

  “Hey, guys.” Blue reached out to touch Sky’s arm, then shoved his hand in his pocket.

  For a brief second Sky held her breath. She realized that she’d never brought a guy with her to one of their bonfires before. This was going to take some getting used to—for both her and Blue.

  “Good to see you again, Blue.” Sawyer nodded to him as Blue knelt to pet Joey.

  “Come on. We’ll introduce you to Grayson, our other brother, and Tony,” Pete said to Sawyer.

  Sawyer turned to Sky. “Okay?”

  She loved that he thought to check with her instead of barreling off with the men. “Of course, just don’t listen to any of their stories about me. They’re lies, all lies.”

  “Would we do that?” Pete said sarcastically.

  “Now I’m curious.” Sawyer kissed her cheek, then followed the guys down the beach.

  “Look at our men,” Jenna said with a sigh. “Hot, hot, hot.”

  “You can say that again,” Sky said. She could watch Sawyer all day long.

  “Did you see how Blue almost reached for you?” Jenna laughed, and when Sky didn’t, her tone went serious. “Uh-oh. What happened?”

  They walked over the dunes and down to the beach as they talked. “Blue called Duke and had Sawyer checked out.”

  “Oh, that.” Jenna waved a dismissive hand. “Of course he did.”

  “How can you say that? It feels like a violation of my privacy.”

  “Sky, he was with Hunter and Grayson, and you know Gray…He was all hot under the collar about you dating a boxer. He said he wasn’t going to let his sister date Mike Tyson. Hunter told Pete all about it, and Pete told me about it.”

  “So it wasn’t all Blue’s doing?” Blue was taking the heat for her brother? Now that sounded more like Blue, trying to keep the peace between siblings.

  “From what Pete said, Blue was a little funny about the whole thing, but more because you guys are so close than anything else. But when Grayson said he was going to pay Sawyer a visit, Blue stepped in and offered to call Duke.” She looped one arm into Sky’s and the other into Amy’s as they neared the bonfire.

  “I think it’s sweet,” Amy said. “Even Grayson’s whole protective older brother thing.”

  “You wouldn’t if you grew up with every guy you ever dated being given the third degree.”

  “They only did it because they love you, Sky,” Amy said sweetly.

  She glanced at Sawyer, standing with Tony, Blue, and her brothers. Seeing him with the people she loved most made her stomach flutter. He was laughing and looked totally at ease, and when he turned and their eyes met, his smile widened.

  “Someone can’t stand to be away from you,” Jenna said.

  “I feel the same way. Jenna, it’s so fast.”

  “Fast is so much better than slow. Trust me,” Jenna said. “I loved Pete for years before we finally got together. It was torture.”

  “Hey, I waited more than a decade for my man,” Amy said, reminding Sky that Amy hadn’t even been with another man after her teenage love affair with Tony. “And it was worth every second.”

  They joined the others, and Sawyer reached for Sky and pulled her in close. She loved that he didn’t hesitate to be affectionate in front of her family.

  “Are they playing nice or trying to scare you off?” she asked.

  “No one could ever scare me off.” Sawyer pressed his lips to hers.

  “Hey, sis,” Grayson said.

  “I have a bone to pick with you.” She turned to Sawyer as she grabbed Grayson’s arm. “Excuse me for a minute.” She dragged Grayson away from the others.

  “I guess you heard about us checking out Sawyer?” Grayson was the youngest of Sky’s brothers, and at two years older than Sky, the closest to her age. He’d always had a chip on his shoulder, and at the moment, Sky didn’t know, or care, why.

  “Yes,” she said, folding her arms over her chest and raising her chin to meet his eyes. “And I’m not happy about it.”

  “I can tell.” He draped an arm over her shoulder and she shrugged out from under it with a groan.

  “You can’t just play nice and pretend you didn’t spy behind my back, Grayson. Why’d you do it? And did you know Blue took the blame?”

  Grayson shook his head. He had a mop of dark hair, with big brown eyes that softened his imposing, thickly muscled stature. Grayson and Hunter owned Grunters Ironworks, and in addition to their main raw materials business, they also created elaborate sculptures and unique hibachis that were sold all over the Cape.

  “No, I didn’t know that, but it doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “Look, Sky. After what we went through with Dad, I didn’t want you to find yourself in a bad situation.”

  “Grayson…” She could hardly remain angry with that kind of reasoning. Beneath the gigantic chip on his shoulder was a heart of gold. “He’s not an alcoholic, and he’s not an abuser. He’s just a guy who sings and fights.” She had no idea how she could say that so easily, when she didn’t feel at all at ease with his fighting, but she felt the urge to protect Sawyer just the same.

  “But you wouldn’t have been sure of that if we hadn’t checked him out. And by the way, it was either us checking him out, or your other big, bad protector camping out on your doorstep.”

  She knew he meant Blue. Annoyance coiled like an asp inside her. She wasn’t a child, and she didn’t need an army of protectors.

  “Okay, you know what? Here’s a news flash. I’m an adult. I can handle picking out my own dates and keeping myself safe. I don’t need you or Blue or anyone else taking care of me. Got it?” Once she’d found her footing again after they’d lost her mother, it had taken forever for her to convince Pete to back down from watching her every move. But once he and Jenna got married, he
’d backed off. Now she had to deal with Grayson?

  He arched a brow at her eye roll and draped his powerful arm around her shoulder again. When his lips curved up in a smile, his dimples became more prominent, reminding Sky of all the years when they’d come home from school to homemade cookies. He’d flash that smile, those dimples would appear, and she could practically see her mother’s heart melt every time.

  “Sis, there’s not a chance in the world that we’re going to stop caring about you.”

  “Geez, you’re a pain.” She laughed because the whole situation was ridiculous. She knew they’d never back off, and part of her probably didn’t really want them to, but she definitely needed a little breathing room. “I don’t want you not to care. I want you to let me make my own mistakes.”

  “We did. You stopped living and stayed in bed for two weeks, remember? You didn’t answer the phone. You didn’t answer our texts. It was like you died, too.”

  “Our mother had just died! And do you think I’ll ever forget? I felt incredibly guilty for Pete putting his life on hold to help me deal with losing Mom. It might have taken me two weeks, but I got out from under that grief and not only pulled myself together, but I’ve created an amazing life for myself. Besides, is two weeks really too much time to mourn the woman who was there every day of our lives?” The last few words fell off her tongue like an accusation, taking her heart with them. She’d never said it out loud, but she did feel guilty, and she hadn’t fallen apart forever, darn it. She’d gotten herself together, regardless of missing her mother every day of her life.

  Grayson folded her into his arms. “Sky, I didn’t say it wasn’t for a good reason. But it was a wake-up call for all of us. You’re our sister. We love you. We’re going to be there even when you don’t want us to be.”

  She shrugged him off. “Then don’t tell me about it. And don’t let Blue take the heat for your craziness. I got mad at him because of you.”

  Grayson held his hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry about Blue, but I never asked him to take the heat. And I’m only slightly sorry about checking out Sawyer, because at least now I know that he’s not going to go into a steroid rage and kill my sister.”

  The love in his eyes softened her resolve. “Grayson…”

  Grayson shrugged. “You may not know this, but when you were hiding in your bed after Mom died, I was hanging on by a limb. The thought of you falling apart after losing Mom? That was just about as bad as actually losing her.”

  Grayson had always kept his emotions close to his chest. She heard the sincerity in his voice and saw the honesty in his eyes. The fact that he was opening up to her touched her deeply, but knowing she’d caused him pain cut her to her core.

  “I’m sorry, Grayson. I had no idea.”

  “I know you didn’t. So if I’m a little overprotective, bear with me, okay? I’ll work on taming it. And I’ll definitely talk to Blue about taking the heat for my issues.”

  He opened his arms, and she walked into his warm embrace, feeling like she was just getting to really know him for the first time in their lives. “No, don’t say anything to Blue. Just let it drop.”

  “I love you, sis.”

  “I love you, too.”

  They headed back to join the others around the bonfire. Pete sat with his arms around Jenna, and Tony sat beside Amy, one hand on her belly, his lips pressed against her cheek. As Sawyer reached for Sky’s hand, she thought about his father. And she realized that there were far worse things in the world than being loved too much.

  WATCHING SKY WITH her family and friends might just be Sawyer’s new favorite pastime. She was positively glowing under their taunts about bringing him to the bonfire and wondering what kind of tattoo she’d get next. He’d noticed ink on her shoulder, but he’d been so caught up in her that he hadn’t been able to slow his thoughts long enough to wonder about it. Sky taunted them right back, teasing Tony about a tattoo of a kitten she’d given him last summer, and wouldn’t they like to know about her next tattoo. She was definitely not a pushover, and he liked seeing that side of her. Actually, he liked everything about her.

  Pete was busy making Jenna marshmallows, which was an event all to itself, as she apparently liked them golden brown. Not golden, not brown, but perfectly golden brown. Sawyer never knew there was a science to making the perfect marshmallow, but apparently everyone in this close-knit circle did, because when Pete produced the perfect marshmallow and Jenna popped it into her mouth, they all cheered, and then Pete pulled a plastic tiara from a bag and placed it on Jenna’s head.

  “She’s the marshmallow princess,” Sky explained.

  “What are you the princess of?” he asked.

  She got a wicked glint in her eyes as she scooted closer and pressed her cheek to his. “I’m still waiting to figure that out.”

  “Why does everything you say make me want to kiss you?” He pressed his lips to hers again, knowing he could kiss her a million more times and he’d never tire of it.

  “Hey!” Jenna snapped her fingers. “You two.”

  “What?” Sky said with feigned annoyance.

  “No making out around the fire.” She held her hands up beside her mouth as if she were telling a secret and said, “Your brothers will see you!”

  “Too late,” Hunter said. “She’s a big girl. She can kiss whoever she wants.” Hunter nodded at Sky like he’d done her a big favor—and to Sawyer, he had.

  Sky blushed, and it made him want to kiss her again.

  It was obvious how much her brothers cared about and protected her. They’d given him the third degree while she and Grayson had been talking. Sawyer hadn’t taken offense by their inquisition, because if he had a sister, he might do the same thing. He was glad she had people who loved her enough to look out for her. But he could also see that Sky was a little uncomfortable. He shifted, giving her a little more space. She furrowed her brow and scooted closer to him.

  “Don’t let them scare you off,” she said, touching his leg.

  “I was just giving you space. I thought I was making you uncomfortable.”

  She shook her head and smiled. “Never. I like to be close to you.”

  She didn’t need to tell him twice. He pulled her against his side and kissed her cheek, feeling the eyes of her brothers and Blue on him, despite what they’d said.

  “Sawyer.” Blue’s voice cut through the heat simmering between them.

  “We were trying to figure out what song you were playing the other night,” Blue said.

  Sky rested her hand on his thigh, making it hard for him to concentrate.

  “That was just something I’d thrown together,” Sawyer said modestly.

  “Thrown together?” Jenna smiled. “If you can throw together a song like that, you should be a professional songwriter in addition to being a boxer.”

  “Thank you, but they’re just words strewn together.” He’d been told the same thing a number of times over the years, and like all those times, he shrugged off the compliment. His father was the wordsmith in their family. But even as he denied it, he knew that his songs were so much more than just simple words strewn together. They were some of his most intimate emotions, torn from his soul and sung aloud as a way to keep them from dragging him under. And even now, as he sat with Sky and her friends, verses were forming in his mind.

  “We have an announcement.” Amy smoothed her dress over her belly and waited for everyone to look over. “Tony and I have decided to sell our second cottage.”

  “Really?” Sky’s eyes widened.

  “Yup.” Amy smiled at Tony.

  “We thought we’d see if you or Blue wanted to buy it, and if not, then we’ll hold on to it for a while,” Tony explained. “We’re not in a hurry to get rid of it, but with the baby coming, we were thinking of getting something bigger, maybe on the water. And we aren’t interested in selling it outside of the families of the current owners, so we thought we’d offer it up.”

  “Is that the
cottage you’re renting?” Sawyer asked Sky.

  She nodded. “Bella, Jenna, and Amy, along with our other friends, Leanna and Jamie, all own cottages at Seaside, and they grew up spending summers together there. The cottages were passed down through their families.”

  “Since Tony and I got married, we have an extra one.” Amy rested her head on Tony’s shoulder. “Maybe we should hold on to the cottage for a while after all. It came in handy this summer for Sky. Right, honey?”

  “Right, kitten,” Tony answered before pressing his lips to hers.

  “I would love to buy it, but since I just opened the shop, I think I’d better hang on to the little savings I have,” Sky said.

  Blue ran a hand through his hair. “I just got a call this afternoon about that lighthouse deal that fell through last summer. I’m considering sinking my cash into that.”

  “Well, we just wanted you guys to know. Leanna’s brothers or sister might be interested, too,” Amy said. A breeze swept up from the bay, and she shivered against Tony. “It’s getting late and cold. I think I’m ready to call it a night.”

  Sawyer touched Sky’s cheek. “Are you chilly?”

  “You know what? I think I’m ready to call it a night, too.”

  She licked her lips, and the look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know, and so much more.

  Chapter Nine

  THE LAND ROVER idled at the end of Pete’s dark, tree-lined road, where Sawyer had one foot pressed on the brake and his arms wrapped around Sky, as they kissed.

  “You taste so sweet,” he said between kisses.

  “Marshmallows,” she said quickly, crashing her lips to his again.

  Her hand slid over his thigh, pulling a groan from his lungs.

  “We should go.” He reluctantly pulled back, then pressed his lips to hers again. “Sky. I can’t stop kissing you.” He buried his hands in her hair and held her still as they claimed each other’s mouths. He wanted to lay her down and make love to her right there in the truck.

  Headlights illuminated the interior of the truck from behind, and he forced himself to tear his lips from hers again. They both looked behind them, then laughed as Sky moved back into her seat and buckled up.