“You can’t be serious?”
He leaned in and whispered, “He’ll be down in five minutes, then we can get on with our night.”
“Caspian—”
“Go, love. I’ll be right out.”
I took a moment, but then nodded.
He’d already set everything up, there wasn’t much else I could do, not without ruining his deal with Scott that he’d clearly gone to great lengths to arrange.
As I walked out of the ring, Caleb and Bastian were there wrapping their arms around me.
“You had no idea either, did you?” I asked, remembering their reactions.
“No clue,” Bastian said. “But I’m loving it.”
“Damn, Cas is always full of surprises,” Caleb said.
The ref finally arrived and we all pushed closer to observe the fight.
Damien and Ashley came to join us.
“This is gonna be brutal,” Damien posited.
“Like the time he beat you down?” Caleb teased.
“Hey, I was holding back.”
“Sure you were, big bro.”
Damien reached out and ruffled Bastian’s hair.
“That was another life to where we’re all at now,” I said.
He laid his hand on my shoulder. “Thanks for seeing it that way.”
I smiled out at him and Ashley gave me a sweet look as she nuzzled against Damien’s side.
He beamed down at her and tightened his hold around her.
Roars and cheers cut through everything as the fight got started.
Holy shit.
Caspian had been playing it down when he’d said he’d been done in five minutes.
With a hella smooth move, he used Scott’s momentum against him and swept his hand at his face and shoved him down in one shot.
And that was just the beginning.
Holy hell.
I stared at the text that had come in shortly after we’d arrived home from the fight club.
Unknown Number: Congratulations, pumpkin. Show that school what you’re made of. Right where you belong. So proud of you. I know your mom would be too.
“Dad,” I breathed.