Page 3 of Stone's Promise

“I want Oliver and other kids like him to see that even their idols can step out of the ring and into real life to make a difference."

Cody looked away then, finding a distant point on the gym floor. "Fine," he finally said. "But I'm not making any promises."

I nodded, accepting the small victory for what it was. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I reached for it and saw I had a missed call. My stomach dropped the second I saw Trey’s name on my screen. A cold prickle ran down my spine. Months of silence, and now this? What could he possibly want? My jaw locked as my thumb hovered over the screen.

"Something wrong?”

I focused on Cody, but the sharp, unreadable look in his eyes told me he’d already noticed something was off.

"Nope," I answered too quickly, already stepping back. I locked my phone and shoved it into my pocket, as if it could erase the uneasy weight pressing down on my chest. "Just need to make a call. Later."

Cody’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t the type to let things go, apparently, but I wasn’t about to stand here and explain why the father of my child—who’d acted like Oliver was a ghost for months—suddenly decided to pop back into my life.

"I’ll send you more details on Family Day once I get it all finalized.” I turned to leave, heading for the exit, anywhere but under Cody’s piercing scrutiny. His voice followed me.

"Emily."

Just my name, but it made my stomach flip. I paused for half a second before pushing forward, pretending I didn’t hear him. Right now, I needed air. I needed space to figure out how the heck I was going to deal with Trey.

The sunshine did little to warm my clammy skin once I got outside. I climbed into my SUV and gave the key a hard turn in the ignition. Then I let out a big huff. I succeeded in getting Cody to participate in Family Day, just what the mayor wanted. A huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. However, I felt another, the weight of Cody’s stare, still lingering on me from the gym windows.

Chapter Two

CODY

Warriors Den Training Facility

Emily disappeared out the door, her shoulders stiff. I watched her go, frowning as I ran back over our conversation. She’d been all confidence and determination. Something on her phone had thrown her off.

Not my problem. That’s what I told myself, but my thoughts kept going back to her.

It should've been easy to brush off her earnest spiel about community and family. But her words clung to me like the sweat on my skin. Something warm and furry pressed against the side of my palm.

"Max." I glanced down at my service dog. His head perked up at the sound of my voice. He could tell I was off track, thinking about the petite woman with the big smile. I gave him a scratch behind the ears.

I exhaled sharply, shaking my head as I turned back toward the punching bag. What was I thinking, agreeing to this charity thing? I wasn’t the kind of guy people looked up to. I fought, I trained, and I kept my circle small. It was Liam, Ryder, a few others at Warrior’s Den. That was it.

Then Emily had mentioned the kids. And her son Oliver.

That got to me.

I didn’t know why, not at first. But as I stood there, fists clenched, the reason settled in my chest like a weight I couldn’t shake. I knew what it was like to be a kid without someone tolook up to. A kid searching for strength in all the wrong places. My old man had been around, sure, but neverthere.Not in the ways that mattered.

And now there was some six-year-old out there, looking up to fighters like me. Expecting something good from guys who stepped into the cage.

I exhaled again, longer this time, and cracked my knuckles before throwing another punch. Maybe I was taking this too seriously. I didn’t do role model. I didn’t do community events.

“Damn, Cody,” Ryder called out as he and Liam strolled over, fresh from their sparring. “Did I just see you have a full-blown conversation? You know, with words?”

“More words than we’ve heard all week,” Liam added, grinning.

I rolled my eyes, reaching for my towel. “Funny.”

Ryder cracked a smile. “What was Emily doing trying to bleed words out of you?”

I wiped the sweat off my face. “She’s organizing some charity thing. Family Day.”

Liam let out a low whistle. “And you said yes?”

---