Page 136 of Heal Me, Love Me

“Catch up with you later?” he asked.

I nodded. “Of course.”

His entire body visibly relaxed. As much as I missed him, he had a fight to get ready for and a hundred other things demanding his attention right now. I wasn’t going to make him feel guilty for needing me to wait.

I watched him go before finally making my way over to Frank and Dawn.

“There’s our Keaton,” Dawn said, standing and pulling me into a hug.

Frank did the same. “Did you have a good flight?”

“Nothing to complain about.” I dropped into the empty chair at their table.

The three of us enjoyed a couple of drinks and talked about what we’d all been up to over the past two months. They were excited to hear that I was back training, and it seemed they were living their best lives. Every story somehow involved a weekend trip, a new restaurant they’d tried, or someplace they’d decided to drive to just because they could.

Eventually, Rowan managed to join us again, but even then, it felt like people were constantly asking him for something—questions from Grant, a quick conversation with his coach, promotion employees stopping by the table. Nobody monopolized his time, but everybody took a little piece of it.

After a while, he checked the time and let out a long sigh. “I should probably head upstairs.”

“Already?” Dawn asked.

“Coach Isaac’s meeting me in my room to go over a few last-minute things, and then I need to get some rest.”

I stood and grabbed my bag. “I’ll walk with you.”

The hallway outside the bar was quieter than the rest of the hotel, and for the first time since I’d arrived, it felt as if we were actually alone.

He slipped his hand into mine. “I hate this.”

I looked over at him. “Hate what?”

“Having you here and barely getting to spend any time with you.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I was hoping for more than twenty minutes, but I get it.”

His fingers tightened around mine. “After the fight tomorrow night, once I finish all of my obligations, I’m all yours.”

“Sounds perfect. I’ve got a lot of ideas for how we can celebrate your win.”

His eyes narrowed immediately. “Don’t jinx me.”

I dropped my bag and wrapped my arms around his waist. “I have absolutely no doubt we’ll be celebrating tomorrow night.”

The smile that spread across his face was worth the trip all by itself. “Thanks, baby.”

When we stopped at the elevators, he pushed the call button and I stepped back.

“I’ve still got to check in,” I informed him. “Plus, I don’t think you want to put on a show for Isaac, and that’s exactly what’d happen if I went up to your room right now.”

“Good point.” He leaned in and kissed me one last time. “See you tomorrow, baby.”

“Love you, Lockdown.”

He snorted a laugh. “Love you too.” He stepped backward toward the elevator, and the doors slid shut a few seconds later.

I’d been in Florida less than three hours, and somehow I’d spent most of that time watching other people pull Rowan in a dozen different directions. The thing was, I couldn’t even be annoyed about it. After all, this was the sort of life we’d both been working toward.

Frank,Dawn, and I sat in the arena, anxiously awaiting Rowan’s match. The crowd had grown with each fight, and now most of the seats around us were filled. Music played through the speakers between bouts as people moved up and down the aisles with drinks and snacks. Every time something exciting happened inside the cage, the entire place erupted in cheers.