Page 7 of False Start

“This afternoon.” My gaze snapped to the corner and found Mayhem blatantly watching me while her team darted guilty glances my way.

Subtle, ladies.

Problem solved…her buddies were filling her in and that’s all it would take for her to steer clear of me anyway.

“Not even one night home and you’ve already been to a bout. Like I said, go easy on that one.”

Not my style—but then, I’m not her coach so there’s that.

I shrugged. “It was the last bout of the season. I’ll be long gone before the next season kicks into gear.”

“Now that’s unfortunate,” Patti said as she reached out and cupped my cheek, showing me I was also one of the lucky few under her wing.

Instinct told me to lean into that affection as much as I itched to run from it.

When I let people get close, they got hurt. Time and again. The adventure always changed, but the outcome...the same every single time.

“It’s damn good to see you again. You look tired. You should sleep more.” She patted my cheek once—hard—and turned to the pass between the bar and crammed kitchen that churned out a small menu of American favorites.

Okay, she smacked me—kind of—as though she could sense my unease, so she made it playful, giving me a way to retreat.

I’d tip the shit out of her when I settled up.

She dropped a basket next to my beer. “For you.” Leaning on her elbows, she settled in and snagged a mozzarella stick. “So, have you seen her yet?”

Lulling me with fried food…so freaking Patti of her. “No,” I said, my clipped voice harder than I intended.

“You plan to?”

“Yes.”

“Her parents aren’t going to be happy about that.”

I met her gaze but said nothing. It didn’t matter what her parents thought. I was in town; I would see her. They had no say. Not anymore.

“Oooooh, bound up tighter than a colon seized up by a five-day cheese binge.”

I dropped the cheese stick I’d picked up. “That’s disgusting.”

“And all too common around these parts. You ever see a seventy-year-old man grunting out a cheddar log?”

“And with that, I’m never eating cheese again. Tell me you didn’t meet this seventy-year-old cheese addict online.”

“Sorry to break it to you, but there’s more cheese in your future. You’re going to eat it and you’re going to like it,” Patti said, plunking down a double cheeseburger and cheese fries in front of me. “And don’t worry, I didn’t meet him online…he’s local.”

“I didn’t order this.”

She pointed her index finger at me and huffed out an exasperated breath. “I’m taking care of you for a few minutes. Now stop interfering. Hey, at least it’s not cheddar.”

“Fair point.”

“Enough small talk, Cain. Spill…what brought you home?”

“Lilith is having complications and Jordan can’t get back just yet from his deployment. So here I am.”

She straightened, her mouth pressing into a thin line. “She’s going to be okay though, right? And the baby?”

“They’re going to be fine, but if she goes into labor early, we don’t want her to be alone.”

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