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“Know what?”
“That you love me?”
“October.”
I’m drawn to him like a magnet, crushing my lips to his as he wraps an arm around my waist pulling me closer into his warmth. Maxwell holds me tight, shielding me from the rain. Max breaks the kiss, pressing his forehead to mine.
“The chrysanthemum,” I whisper, pressing my fingers to the spot on his chest where the flower is tattooed. He answers with a gentle kiss at the corner of my mouth, his eyes falling shut as he exhales a deep breath.
“Sutton?”
“Yes, Maxwell?”
“I think we need to renegotiate those ground rules.”
I ride the rest of the way from Seattle to Bainbridge with a smile on my face that nothing – not even the rain or bone-deep cold – can dim.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Suspension
MAX
When I wakein the morning to sunlight streaming into my bedroom windows, I feel lighter, like a weight has lifted from my chest. It’s not easy for me to put my feelings into words, anger and frustration come out in throwing sessions. Sometimes anger and frustration get me in trouble, so it’s easier to bottle up those emotions and keep them inside but last night, the dam burst.
Just like it did in the dugout last October.
If there’s one thing about Sutton, it’s that she’s always given me space to be myself. Always sat with me in the long, drawn out silences when I didn’t know what to do or say. When I’m afraid of the anger or excitement or sadness that bottled up inside. She makes it easier to be open and emotionally available.
Sitting up in bed, I see her through the window, haloed by the rising sun, still wearing my too-big tee shirt, and a blanket spread across her lap.
“How long have you been up?” I ask, stepping out onto the balcony where I drop a soft kiss on the top of Sutton’s head. She turns to meet my gaze with a smile so bright it rivals thesun.
“Just long enough to see the sunrise,” she sighs, wrapping her arms around me as I sit down beside her. Six years was worth the wait to sit here with Sutton Davis in my arms as the sun rises and shimmers across the still surface of the water. “I’ve lived in Seattle for six years and I’ve never watched a sunrise.”
“It’s certainly a sight to behold,” I watch Sutton as she watches the sunrise. Her soft smile, the contentment in her eyes. The tension missing from her shoulders and posture. I was worried a suspension would stress her out, but this just might provide a time of rest that she desperately needs. It also gives me an idea. “Is there anything else you haven’t done?”
“What do you mean?” She asks, shifting on the bench seat so she’s facing me.
“Is there anything else in Seattle that you haven’t done? The Space Needle? Pike Place Market? A sea-plane tour?”
“I have done those things,” she answers, and my heart sinks. I was hoping to give her a day of firsts in Seattle. A day to get to know our city in a new way. She smiles and cups my cheek in one hand, kissing me soft and slow. “There is one thing I’ve always wanted to do, though.”
“What’s that?”
“Catch a fish.”
When I get out of the shower, I find Sutton rifling through my closet looking for ‘something plain’. She doesn’t want us to draw attention, and knows that I probably will, no matter how hard I try not to. She finds a black tee shirt and throws it at me, pairing it with my favorite well-worn jeans, and a plain gray baseball cap.
“Well crap,” Sutton puts her hands on her hips as I tug my shirt over my head. “I can’t let you go out looking like that.”
“Like what?” We stand side by side in the mirror, Sutton is dressed in slightly flared jeans, a crewnecksweatshirt that’s a little too big, her sleeves rolled up just a bit. Her hair is pulled into a ponytail and tucked through the back of a Mustangs cap, which I choose to ignore. We’re both dressed as inconspicuously as possible. Sutton suggested that we probably shouldn’t be seen having a good time in the city since we’re technically suspended and it would make our social media manager’s job a bit of a nightmare if we’re seen having too much fun. And if we’re seentogetherhaving too much fun. Most people don’t recognize me when I’m out of uniform, but there’s always a handful who do, and we don’t want to end up on anyone’s social media today.
“Like I want to keep you to myself all day.”
“I could say the same to you.” I twist my cap backward and dip my head to claim her lips in a brief kiss before we head out for the day. When I reach up to twist my cap back, Sutton stops me with a gentle hand and a shake of her head.
After a quick breakfast and lazy ferry ride, Sutton and I make the short walk from the ferry terminal to the market. Even this early in the morning, the market is packed with people maneuvering in and out of the stalls as we approach the fish market. On the ride over Sutton did a search for ‘how to catch a fish’ and after changing her search to clarify catching a fish at Pike Place Market, she found that you can’t just walk up and ask to catch a fish. I told herweprobably could, but she doesn’t want to throw our names around like that, and I respect that.
