Page 75 of Nights at Seaside
“Sawyer, you need money to live on. We’ll be fine.” She glanced at his father, and worry filled her eyes. “I won’t leave him alone again. You know how stubborn he is. I heard him get up while I was doing dishes and told him I was just going to dry my hands and I’d be right out. Seconds later I heard him fall.” Tears filled her eyes.
Sawyer folded her into his arms. “It’s okay, Mom. Dad’s okay. It’s not your fault, but he needs full-time care. It’s time.”And I’m going to train twice as hard to make sure I win.
“I’m going to ask Mrs. Petzhold and a few of the neighbors to help me out until we figure things out. We can also draw more from our retirement funds. We’ll be okay. I’ll keep a closer eye on him.” She drew in a breath and touched his cheek. “Honey, I’m sorry to call you away from your romantic weekend with Sky.”
“Don’t worry about that,” he assured her. “I’m sorry it took us so long to get here.”
He glanced across the room, Sky was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his father’s hand and reciting one of his father’s poems. Her gaze was soft, her voice laden with emotion, and in that moment, his love for his family and his love for Sky coalesced.
Before crossing the room to be by Sky’s side, he stood with his mother by the door and said quietly, “I’m going to marry her one day, Mom.”
His mother reached for his hand. “Don’t wait, Sawyer. Life’s too short forone days.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
AFTER HIS FATHER was discharged from the hospital, Sawyer and Sky went to his parents’ house to help them get settled. By the time Sawyer and his mother had gotten his father comfortably into bed, it was well after midnight, and Sawyer and Sky were both exhausted. They decided to spend the night and leave in the morning instead of driving back out to return the boat.
Sawyer assured Sky that sleeping in his childhood bedroom together wasn’t an issue, even though he also admitted that he’d never brought a woman to his parents’ home for the night before. That both pleased and worried her. She didn’t want his parents to think poorly of her. But his mother had been gracious and kind the evening before, setting clean towels in the bathroom and offering her and Sawyer an extra pillow. She didn’t seem to mind that they’d spent the night in the same bedroom.
Sky got up extra early and took a quick shower, then went to the kitchen in search of caffeine.
“Good morning, Sky.” Sawyer’s mother was standing in her bathrobe, putting coffee in the coffeemaker. “You’re up early. It’s only six thirty.”
“Good morning. I thought I’d get up early to see if there was anything I could help with.”
“Thank you.” She pointed to a cabinet as she turned on the coffee machine. “You can grab a few mugs.”
“Sure. You’re up early, too.” Sky set four cups on the counter and took a moment to look around. From the moment she’d arrived last night at the hospital, she’d felt welcome. She knew from dealing with her father’s alcoholism that the one thing she could do to help Sawyer was to act normal. If she’d freaked out over his father’s fall, or his awful bruises, it would have only made Sawyer more upset. The strange thing was, there was something in his father’s eyes that was also comforting—at a time when she knew he needed it the most.
“I’m not taking any chances,” his mother said. “Tad is still asleep, but he’s awake by seven every day. I thought I’d get the coffee started, and then I’ll go get ready and read in the bedroom until he wakes.” She touched her dark hair and smiled at Sky. “Between last night and this morning, I must look a wreck.”
“You look beautiful,” Sky assured her.
“I’m sorry we met under such stressful circumstances, but I’m glad to finally meet you.”
“Thank you. So am I,” Sky said. “I’ve heard a lot about you both from Sawyer.”
“He’s a good boy. Man,” she corrected herself with a smile. She pulled out an address book and began flipping through it. “I need to start calling a few friends and neighbors to line up some coverage for the next few weeks.”
“Coverage?” Sky asked.
“People to stay with Tad when I have to go to the grocery store or pick up his medicines.”
“Oh, I see.” Sky tried to figure out how she could help. “Would you like me to cook breakfast for you and Mr. Bass?”
“Oh, honey, Lisa and Tad, please.” She tightened the belt on her robe, then lowered her voice. “Was Sawyer okay after he went up to bed? I worry about him so.”
Sawyer had been terribly upset and had spent a long while talking with Roach on the phone about amping up his training and trying to figure out how he was going to fit in extra training while trying to also spend more time with his parents. And then he’d stewed over their date being cut short, but of course she’d reassured him a million times that she wasn’t at all bothered by it. It should be the last thing on his mind at a time like this—and yet he had such a big heart that he wanted to please everyone.
They’d talked half the night—Sawyer planning his training and Sky listening to the grief in his voice and wishing she could help him in some way. They’d eventually fallen asleep in each other’s arms, and when Sky awoke this morning, Sawyer had held tightly to her, trying to get her to stay in bed. As much as she’d wanted to lie in his arms, she thought his mother might need some help or comfort, too. Sky wasn’t about to tell his mother any of that. She didn’t need to worry more than she already was.
“He was okay, just tired. Why don’t I finish making coffee and take care of breakfast while you shower, so you don’t have to worry about being ready when Mr—Tad wakes up?”
“Thank you, Sky. That’s awfully kind of you.”
“She’s an amazingly kind woman,” Sawyer said as he came into the kitchen wearing his jeans from the night before and no shirt. He hugged his mother and kissed the top of her head. “Morning, Ma. Dad up yet?”
“I’m just going to check on him.”
