Page 177 of His Reckoning

For the first time since this story started … I finally know exactly who the hero is.

* * *

The next few days blur together.

Not in a bad way … more like the kind of tunnel vision that only happens when something finally clicks.

The story is all I can think about. Morning turns into afternoon, and afternoon turns into night. Sometimes, I realize hours have passed because Sawyer appears beside me with a plate of food.

“Eat,” he says the first time, sliding a sandwich across the island.

“I will.”

“You said that four hours ago.”

I blink up at him. “Did I?”

He just shakes his head, but the corner of his mouth lifts slightly before he walks away.

The kitchen island becomes my command center. Laptop, coffee mug, and my notebook full of messy scribbles.

By the third day, Sawyer stops asking how long I’ve been writing.

He just refills my coffee and brings takeout. Occasionally steals my laptop long enough to force me to stretch my legs.

“Your back is going to lock permanently,” he says one night, tugging the computer away from me.

“Give it back.”

“Walk first.”

“You’re very bossy.”

“You’re very stubborn.”

I groan dramatically but stand up anyway.

Five minutes later, I’m right back in the chair, typing again.

The hero in the story feels alive now. A man who built his entire life around never needing anyone. Because once, someone had made sure he learned how dangerous that was.

The details in the book are different.

From the hero’s childhood to the circumstances as an adult. But the emotions?

Those stay exactly the same.

The fear, resilience, and strength it takes to survive something terrible and still build a life afterward.

Every time I get stuck on a scene, I think about Sawyer.

About the way he carries himself with quiet authority. His constant control. The way his entire body goes still when someone gets too close to the scars on his back.

And suddenly, the words come again.

Scene after scene falls into place.

The hero fighting his instincts. The heroine refusing to give up on him. The moment he finally realizes that letting someone love him might be the bravest thing he’s ever done.