Page 106 of Filthy and the Beast

“That’s the worst joke you’ve made since this class started.”

“Footwork is no joke.” This time, the whole class groans.

I chuckle under my breath. Kind of enjoy it when they give me a hard time. Reminds me of talking shit at Damian’s game night.

“Okay, okay,” I say, hands up. “We’ll work on our jabs. But I need to see some stances first. Everyone, get…”

The entire class of boxers starts talking at once, all eyes toward the door. Pivoting, I see the reason. The love of my life peeks into the room with our little black pup, Gertrude, in his arms. Damian wears shorts the same dark purple colors as his glasses, pink converse, and a t-shirt advertising Reggie’s gym. A big grin on his face, he looks in on the class, and it warms my heart, like every time he visits me here at work.

“Oh my god,” Lulu coos, “Damian and the Dogs!”

“Dog.” He lifts Gertrude. “Everyone else is enjoying an afternoon off with their grandmas.”

Damian and the Dogs is the name of his social media presence. How in the hell it pays as much as it does, I’m still not sure I understand. But Damian has a busy schedule creating new content, advocating for pit bulls, and making live appearances. He’s incredibly talented and happy doing it, and watching his career grow brings me endless joy.

The students gather around, eager to pet Gertrude. My chest swells with pride.

“Here.” Laughing, Damian hands the pup over to Amir. “I’ll be right back.”

Without another word, he rushes across the mats and straight into my arms. I chuckle as he embraces me and pulls me into a kiss, and the whole class makes cheesy sitcom noises at us, cooing and cheering.

Don’t care. Love him too much. I lift Damian and spin him as we kiss, earning a laugh from my man.

“Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Grinning, he sets his feet back on the ground. “Gertrude and I finished our appearance with the Snip-Mobile early.”

“A success?”

“Almost ten grand raised to bring the spay and neuter clinic straight to the people and pets who need it. No better use of a morning that I can think of.”

I stroke his cheek. “Good.”

“How’s class?”

I glance over at the students, busy taking selfies with Gertrude while complimenting each other on their poses.

“They’re a good group,” I answer. “I think we’re having fun.”

“Fun is certainly important,” he agrees. “Although I know for a fact there’s more happening here.”

“What do you mean?”

He gestures to the students. “I told you how they’re all following me on social media? Well, I clicked around on some of their profiles on the way over. It’s amazing how much they post about your class. Miguel, especially. He’s so proud of himself for learning how to fight.”

I nod, not surprised, but grateful to know it’s true. Miguel doesn’t carry himself like a tough guy. His softness is one of his best qualities, but his confidence was rocky when the class started up. Through the weeks, he’s tapped into a kind of strength I’m not sure he knew he had.

I rub the back of my head, happy. “Yeah. A few of them have talked about that with me. Makes me mad they haven’t had a safe space to learn sports before.”

Damian smiles at me. “They have this space. Thanks to you.”

“And you.”

Wouldn’t have ever considered this job if Damian hadn’t pushed it, but now I’m coaching a couple classes a day, with a new one for seniors coming up next month, too. Thought my reputation would have ruined me for this kind of work, but Reggie gave me a chance, and my famous dogs and boyfriend seem to win people over.

I’m not hiding from my past anymore. With Damian’s encouragement, we made a social media post revealing I’m his partner and the other father of the dogs. I was nervous as hell, but he tied it all in with the themes of Damian and the Dogs.

In a roundabout way, I talked about the corruption and pressure of the pro fighting world. Was careful not to name the mafia in a way that risked Damian’s safety, but still acknowledged the stress pro fighters experienced and pointed to some well-known examples of fixed matches in boxing history. Ended it all by acknowledging I snapped and did something I wish I hadn’t in the Vegas fight. Then Damian took over the video. Talked about rehabilitation, second chances, and the fact that all a person really needs is some love.

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