Page 46 of Lock 'em Down

River grimaces. Axel quirks an eyebrow.

“Does she have a woman in mind for you?” Axel asks.

Damien drops his weights and sits up on the bench. He eyes me for a moment, silently asking if I’m sure I want to drop the news.

“I got married in Vegas a couple weeks ago,” I admit, gripping the back of my neck.

Shock registers on River’s and Axel’s faces. They both sputter.

Damien laughs. “You have more in common than you give yourselves credit for,” he says, gesturing between River and his father-in-law.

“Does your mom know?” River asks.

“Turns out, she was going to set me up with…my wife,” I admit.

“No fucking way! You didn’t tell me that.” Barnes stands and moves closer to our huddle.

“We went on our first date this weekend,” I continue.

“Your first date? You’re way past that, my man,” River points out.

“How’d it go?” Axel presses.

“It went great but…Cami’s new in town. She starts a new job today. We’re figuring things out,” I admit.

Axel crosses his arms over his burly chest. “And this is what you want? Marriage?”

“Is she open to a divorce?” River questions.

“She is. It’s me who really wants to give this a shot. She’s…different. Lively and smart and funny. I like being with her. I want to make it work.” I hate that I sound defensive but why can’t anyone just be happy for me that I’m happy? Isn’t that enough?

My teammates are quiet for a moment.

And then, Brawler says, “Come for dinner next weekend.”

“What?” I sputter, shaking my head.

“All of you.” Brawler gestures around the group.

“She’s going to need friends in town,” River adds.

“Harper’s back from Aspen; I’ll tell her to reach out,” Damien agrees.

I look around the group. “You guys are serious?”

Patton guffaws and hits the back of my head. “You’re a Thunderbolt now, Leif. I know we don’t have a flashy record but we’re a solid group of guys.”

“We’re a family,” Damien states. And then, “We had a good season.”

Axel snorts. “We did. I went out on a high.” Then he looks at me. “I’ll talk to Maisy and we’ll organize something for next weekend. Get her to meet the women, to be a part of your life here. Bring your mother too.”

I nod, staring at him. “Thank you, Brawler. That means a lot.”

“All good, kid,” he replies.

“Now let’s work out.” Damien claps his hands together. “We can’t keep skipping the gym to discuss Leif’s personal life.”

I chuckle and move toward the weight rack. As I move through the exercises, it’s with an agility I haven’t felt since the end of the season. Everything feels lighter and easier. Smoother.

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