Page 31 of Love to Stay

“You and your sister must have some sort of psychic ability.”

“I’m right?” His brow lifts.

“Go win this fight and then come and find out,” I challenge.

“Be right back, babe.” He gives me a long, hard kiss. I hear the cheers and hoots.

“Come on.” Pedro grips his shoulder, pulling him back.

I watch my man enter the ring. Right before the bell rings, he glances my way. I’m not sure if he can see me or not, but he must because he winks. Some of the tension I was holding is released. Even across a crowded stadium, he can calm me down.

He squares off with the other man. I wring my fingers together. I don’t think it will ever get easier watching him fight; thank God he’s good at it, and I know he can take a few hits like it’s nothing.

I watch as he ducks a few swings before finally taking one of his own. I cringe when his fist makes contact with the side of the man's jaw. His opponent falls over. The crowd roars!

It doesn’t take much longer until he’s back on me, lifting me off my feet so I’m now towering over him. "All right, now tell me,” he shouts over the screams and cheers.

I press my hands to his cheeks and lean down. “You won.” I return the same smirk he always gives me. “Daddy.”

“Josie?” I can see the happiness shine in his eyes. I know he wants this, too. We may use it as dirty talk in the bedroom sometimes, but it is still true. I nod. He pulls me in for a kiss.

Both our childhoods were rough, but we’ve come a long way. Us both finding our way to our dreams. Those dreams came together to make one knockout perfect life together.

Epilogue

MICK

Years Later

“You’re spoiling me,” Josie says as the saleslady leads us behind a large semi-hidden wood door into a private lounge area that is almost larger than the main sales floor.

“That’s the idea.” I grin. We take a seat on the signature orange sofa. Another staff member appears and presents us with sparkling water and flutes of champagne. The beverages are followed by plates of fresh cut fruit, delicately crafted desserts, and small sandwiches no bigger than my finger.

The sales associate in charge takes one look at the sandwich plate and shakes her head violently. Shortly after, another tray appears, and this time the sandwiches are full-sized.

Josie bursts out laughing. “They took one look at you and said, this man isn’t going to buy a thing if we only feed him Hobbit-sized food.”

“They’re not wrong.” I pick up a roast beef sandwich and eat half of it in one bite. The thing about these fancy stores is that they know good food. I never turn down free stuff either because I know it’s just tacked on to my bill in one form or another.

In my ten years of boxing around the world, there’s no place more luxurious than Monaco. The streets always seem newly paved, the cars freshly washed, and the people are all dressed up for the parties that are hosted nightly.

Casinos are the main source of income, and the highest of high rollers place bets in the millions on the felt-topped tables. I had my biggest payouts in Monaco, so it seems right to be giving some of that back in the plush private shopping rooms of its nicest stores.

After the parade of food and drinks, our sales associate appears with a clap of her gloved hands. “Josie and Mick, so good to see you. It’s been a while.”

“A couple of years.” Josie nods.

“You won the Grand National Championship,” Polly remembers. “But now you’ve retired.”

“It’s a sport for the young men.” I was in it for ten years, won every belt imaginable, and padded my bank account with more zeros than I thought was possible. Along the way, Josie gave birth to four kids, started a business of providing esports training to underprivileged kids, and we now are part-owners of a world champion esports team. It’s a good life. Way better than I ever imagined for myself even a decade ago.

“It’s good to see you both so healthy. I have a few particular goods I set aside when I heard you were coming. May I show them to you?”

Eight purchases later, we’re out the door and on to our next appointment.

“I don’t think I needed four new handbags.”

“You couldn’t decide between the light pink and the dark pink, so why not both?”

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