Page 32 of Johnathan

“I don’t think I’ve ever looked at you and thought ‘teddy bear’,” John laughed.

“Ask your daughter if I’m scary. I’m a freaking peach.”

“Maybe now that you’ve got a wife and daughter, yeah.”

“And one on the way.”

“No way. That’s awesome, Lou.”

“Yeah, we’re pretty excited. It’s another girl. Layla’s so excited. She’s probably practicing her big sister skills on Katy.”

The chime above the door had John spinning to see who was walking in.

“Shit. I talked your ear off and your girl got here before I could get Mari.”

Abby blushed, hiking her purse over her shoulder.

“Lou, this is Abby. Abby, Lou owns this place.”

Her whole face lit up and she crossed her arms. “I told you I knew it started with an ‘L’. I was right.”

He laughed. “You were.”

“So, who’s Mari? And why was she supposed to be here instead of Lou?”

“Marigold is Lou’s wife. She’s a lot less scary than the self proclaimed teddy bear here.”

“I’m not scared. Should I be?” Abby cocked her eyebrow and crossed her arms.

“No ma’am. I’d never hurt a woman.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“I was about to go set up the mats in the room Lou is going to let us use.”

“Oh, I can help with that.”

“Sure.” John held out his hand, and Abby’s vivid blue eyes sparkled as she slipped her hand into his.

“Where’s Katy?” she whispered as they walked down a short hallway.

“Right in there.” John pointed to the playroom, where Katy and Layla were running around with crowns on their heads.

“No wonder you and Jackson use this gym.”

“Yeah. It wasn’t always like this, but when Lou fell in love with his wife, she already had a kid and he wanted them both to feel safe and wanted here.”

“Self proclaimed teddy bear indeed.”

John laughed, gently pulling Abby into the room they’d be using.

They worked silently, laying down mats and going through a warm up routine. He carefully watched as Abby stretched, looking for any signs of fear or apprehension, but she was all business.

“Ready to start?”

“Sure thing, teach,” she teased.

“I want you to slam your foot down on my leg.”

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