Page 59 of Nights at Seaside
“Because you and Bella just want to go buy more clothes and drag me along. Sky has no vested interest in shopping for maternity clothes.”
“You’re so weird. We’d never lead you astray.” Amy leaned across the table and put her face close to Jenna’s. “We love you, you goofnut. We want you to look great, too. You’re just not used to having a belly.” Amy sat back and patted her stomach. “Ilovebeing pregnant. I can’t wait to meet our little one.”
“Enough baby talk. We have a single friend who looks freshly sexed-up, and she’s got a basket full of love notes,” Bella said. “So, Sky, did Sawyer stay up all night writing you these love notes andthengive you that fresh glow, or did the writing come after the superfab love session?” Bella read from a slip of paper, “Fire in my belly, you in my soul.”
Freshly sexed-up? She could say that again. Just thinking about the way Sawyer touched her brought a rush of heat to her cheeks. She thought about how sexy he looked when he came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel before his run, his hair wet and adorably tousled from his shower. He kept a gym bag in his car, and when he’d changed into his running shorts, memories of how aroused he’d been the other morning in a similar pair of shorts had swept through her, making her want him all over again. She’d had to fight the urge to beg him to come back to bed—and his scorching-hot goodbye kiss hadn’t made it any easier.
“Sky?” Bella nudged her.
Sky tore her eyes from the basket and pushed her book aside.
“Sorry. I spaced out.” She exhaled a sigh that sounded overly swoony and a little embarrassing.
Amy patted Sky’s hand. “You’re so cute when you blush.”
Sky rolled her eyes and smiled. “I don’t know if he wrote those. My suspicion is that he did, and I’m going to ask him when he gets back from his run.”
Amy pressed her hand to her belly. “Ohmygosh. Baby surfer is kicking.”
“Baby surfer?” Bella laughed. “We really need to pick names.”
“We already know our baby’s name,” Jenna said proudly. “Bea for Pete’s mom or Neil for his dad.”
“You’re…” Sky swallowed past the lump that instantly filled her throat. “You’re thinking of using our mom’s name?”
“Oh, Sky.” Jenna’s brows knitted together. “We just talked about it last night. We should have asked you first. I don’t want to take your baby names.”
“I’ve never thought about baby names, but, Jenna…” She looked away, blinking tears from her eyes. “I love that you guys thought of our mom. If you have a girl, it would mean a lot if you named your baby after her.”
“Really?” Jenna asked. “But you’re tearing up.”
Sky fanned her eyes to dry them. “I just miss her. Sometimes it hits me. I wish she were still here. I think it’s Sawyer. If she were here, I could tell her all the things I was feeling and she’d put it all into perspective.”
Amy wrapped Sky in her arms. “Honey, there’s no perspective when it comes to matters of the heart. If anyone knows that, I do.”
“But I’m so confused about everything, and I’m sure you guys were never this confused.” She wiped her eyes and watched her friends exchange looks like she’d said something crazy.
“We were all confused,” Bella said. “I drove back home and almost didn’t come back to the Cape, but in the end I couldn’t imagine life without Caden and Evan.”
“Why are you confused?” Jenna asked. “Did something bad happen last night?”
“No, something wonderful. Really wonderful. The whole night was like a dream come true, but that’s the problem.”
“Sky, that’s what love is all about. It’s full of hopes and dreams and makes you feel like you’re walking among the clouds one minute and drowning the next.” Amy reached for her again, holding her tight. She stroked Sky’s back and said, “Tell us what’s wrong. We’re not your mom, but we care, and we can help.”
Sky tried to gain control of her rampant emotions, thankful for the women who had opened their hearts to her at a time when she was hurting—when she’d first returned to the Cape and found out about her father’s drinking—and welcomed her into their lives without question. These were the sisters she’d never had, and she knew they’d do all they could to fill the gap her mother had left behind.
She drew in a steadying breath and tried to put words to what was whirling around in her mind.
“Well, for starters, love? I don’t know if this is love.”Is it?“That’s part of the problem. When I’m with him Ifeelso much, but this is like a bullet train. I haven’t really ever dated anyone seriously, and almost overnight I’m head over heels for Sawyer. Last night he and his boxing buddies sang at this bar. Get this. They’re theA Cappella Boys. It was really funny, but do you know what it was like watching these powerful men sing to each other like lovers?”
“Maybe they are,” Jenna said with an arched brow.
“No, they’re not,” Sky responded with a soft laugh. “They’re so different from when they’re at the gym. When I met his friends in the gym, they were intimidating. All sharp edges and bruiser-like. And then they smiled, and the harshness softened, but the underlying power and some kind of darkness was still there. Like…like coffee brewing, when the steam lifts and lowers the lid of the pot. You know what I mean?”
“Oh yeah. I know what that looks like,” Jenna said. “Have you ever seen Grayson and Pete get into it over something? They don’t do it often, but sometimes they push each other’s buttons and I have to walk away.”
“Right. Same thing. Anyway, away from the gym and the testosterone that must fill their lungs in that place, they were just these guys who laughed and sang like they’d never lift a hand to hurt a soul.”
