Page 63 of Nights at Seaside
Graceful, longing, hanging by athread.
The longing Isee.
Set it free, lovely. Come tome.
Lay your head on myshoulder.
Your heart next tomine.
I’ll take itall.
Hear itthrough.
Wrestle yourdemons
To remain besideyou.”
“Sawyer,” she whispered, her eyes warm.
“I have been drawn to you since the very first time I saw you, Sky. With an intensity that I’ve never felt before.”
Her brow wrinkled with confusion. “But…thelongingyou see? You saw that in such a brief time?”
“You have the most expressive eyes I’ve ever seen, but it wasn’t just your eyes, Sky. You had this aura around you. Everything about you spoke to me. I can’t explain it.”
“Iwaslonging for something.” She lowered her eyes and seemed to be thinking. “I was longing for this closeness. I must have been waiting for you all along.”
Chapter Seventeen
LATER THAT MORNING, Sawyer’s eyes burned from salty droplets of sweat dripping into them. Sweat slid down his body, spraying off his arms with every punch. Each breath brought a heated grunt, stoking the fire that flamed within him. His mind ran through quick calculations, looking for an opening, watching, waiting, then making his move and slamming into Delroy’s willing body. They were on their ninth round, and Sawyer was laser focused, measuring Delroy’s breaths, watching his cadence as he moved around the ring, anticipating his punches and skillfully avoiding every strike. Roach called out from the side of the ring, but today even that wasn’t making it past the rush of blood in Sawyer’s ears. He was training to win, his father’s health care the driving force behind each hit.
When the match was over, he paced the ring, adrenaline coursing through him, his mind racing.How can I improve my power? I gotta move faster. Hit harder. Need to train to conquer tougher opponents. No one can touch me. I’ve got this.
He climbed from the ring and set his gloves and mouthpiece with his gear.
“That was awesome.” Delroy wiped his face with a towel, still breathing hard. “You’re hitting harder. I can feel it.”
“Or you’re getting soft,” Sawyer said with a friendly shove.
“You’re both getting long in the tooth,” Roach teased. “Sawyer, give me fifteen minutes of rope work, one hundred abs, and stretch.”
“You got it, Roach.” He went to grab a jump rope.
Roach followed him over. “How’s Sky?”
Sawyer couldn’t temper his smile. “Man, I’ve never met anyone like her. I think I’m going to introduce her to my folks.”
“Seriously? That’s a big step. It signals a future to women.” Roach grinned.
“No kidding, Coach? Teach me something else.” He grabbed a rope and began skipping.
“I saw it the other night, you know. When you were singing to her.” Roach crossed his arms and lowered his chin. Sawyer knew he was analyzing his skipping, his steps, his quickness, his hand movements. Roach was always analyzing. It’s what made him a superior coach. “You wiped your heart all over that stage.”
“So what?”
“Don’t let it mess you up in here.”
Sawyer smiled. “Has it messed me up yet?” He knew he was too focused, too strong, for Roach to see a detriment.
