Page 67 of Caged Heat

Gross. Love made me a happy fool.

Oh, well. I was a happy fool in love with Mack Rigsby-Ellis, and it was time to let him know.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

MACK

Excitement pooled in my belly as I parked. It didn’t matter if it had been two minutes or two days; I always looked forward to seeing my girl. Steph had become the best part of my day. It was shocking how different our relationship was from Ashley’s. It showed me how wrong Ash and I had been for one another.

With Steph, I always felt like the best version of myself. It wasn’t that our relationship was easy; there had been road bumps, but the way we worked them out was leagues ahead of anything prior. I knew Steph was my forever, and now I just had to wait until she realized it.

If there was one thing I’d learned since New Year’s, it was that Steph was stubborn and needed to come to terms with things in her way. It’s a good thing I’m a patient man. But when you knew the perfect piece of your heart was right in front of you, you’d wait forever until they realized it.

Before I could knock on the door, it flew open, and I stopped in my tracks with my fist raised and gaped at the woman in the red dress. She smirked and stepped out, taking my raised hand and linking our fingers.

“Like my dress?”

I cleared my throat, all the blood rushing to my lower regions. “The dress is great, but the woman wearing it is the one who takes my breath away.”

Her cheeks pinked, her smirk spreading into a genuine grin. “Every time I think I’m going to surprise you, you steal the show.”

“I’m just being honest.”

“I know. That’s what makes you so great.”

I kissed her, pulling her closer to me. “Congrats, baby. You’re gonna kill it at this job.”

“Thank you. I’m excited about it. It’s exactly what I wanted.”

“You earned it.”

“I did, didn’t I?” She laughed and pulled away. We made our way to my car, and I opened the door for her and helped her get in. The drive to the restaurant wasn’t long. Steph gave me more details about the position and the questions they’d asked, how she looked up to the woman who started the company, and their mission statement.

“They have a specific division that helps shelters and single parents, which I’m excited about. Don’t get me wrong, I love big projects and having a huge budget, but knowing I could help people like my mom start a new life on their own feels right, too.”

“I love that. It’s part of what I love about being a doctor and why I want to volunteer at the clinics after residency.”

“We’re basically saints,” she said teasingly.

“Obviously.” I smiled over at her. I knew compliments about her character made her uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t stop saying them.

We made our way into the restaurant, and I instantly spotted one of my mom’s boyfriends. Jackson was standing in the lobby with his phone pressed to his head. When he spotted us, his eyes lit up, and he ended his call.

“Mack-a-doodle and Stephy!” he cheered, wrapping us both in a hug and lifting us off the ground.

“Seriously, Ajax! Do you want me to flash the entire restaurant? Put me down, you big lug.”

“Ew, no. I don’t want to think about that.” He cringed but did as she said. I rolled my eyes. Jackson was four years older than me. Most of the time, he didn’t act like it, but there were times when his younger side came out to play.

It had been weird at first to adjust to the fact that my mom was dating someone so young—more than the fact that she was dating two men, to be honest. But seeing them together, I couldn’t deny how much lightness Jackson brought into her life and how August grounded her. As long as I didn’t think about what went on in the bedroom, I was good with my mom’s relationship now and the men in it.

“You’re one to talk,” Steph shot back, punching him in the arm. I loved how close the two of them were, and how alike they acted. Even if they would deny they had any similarities. Jackson had become a good friend to me as well. He was hard not to like. He had an effervescence about him that pulled you in. Steph was similar in that way.

Jackson led us back to the private room where my mom and August were, along with a few people in suits I didn’t know.

“Mack,” my mom said, standing and approaching me. She hugged me tight and kissed my cheek before greeting Steph similarly.

August shook my hand, and Jackson introduced us to the company, wanting to represent him. Despite his assurance that fighting was just a hobby, he’d won a few title matches this past year. I didn’t know if it was easier that way in case things didn’t pan out or if not caring made it easier to win. Psychology had never been my strong suit, so I wasn’t one to analyze his motivations. I’d be here to support him either way.

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