Page 99 of The Fighter

Her laughter carried over the crowd, and Tav turned at the sound, smiling at her before his gaze shifted to me. His eyes softened, and his lips quirked higher, before Holden once again drew his attention with an excited shriek over a fossil.

I couldn’t believe in a few short months that I’d grown affectionate over a rambunctious four-year-old, but every time he called meUncle Rad, my heart skipped a beat. And Amara was a sister I never had, a smart and kind woman who had worked hard on her new relationship with her brother. I was grateful every single day that she loved him as much as she did. I had helped heal a lot of pieces in Tav, but I wouldn’t have been able to do anything if Amara hadn’t forgiven him.

“How’s the new man?” I asked. Tav had proven to beincapableof carrying on a civil conversation with Amara about her dating life. So I often got the scoop and then relayed it to him while he listened with his jaw clenched.

“Eh,” she shrugged. “Didn’t work out. He couldn’t hold a conversation. But the good news is that his sister and I hit it off. She asked me out on a girls’ night.”

Tav would be thrilled. “That’s good. You need more friends.”

She fluttered her lips. “I’m not a teenage girl, Conrad.”

“Friends are important.” After the incident with Devlin, my relationship with Ben had shifted. I found myself expressing my appreciation for him more. At first, he’d seemed uncomfortable and skeptical, but now he grew bold at my affection and fished for compliments all the time. “Hopefully it all works out.”

She stopped at a screen that was playing a video abouthomo sapiens. “Yeah, I hope so.”

A shoulder knocked mine, and I turned to see Tav with Holden at his side, their hands clasped. “Hey, found you.” His fingers grazed the small of my back.

Two women next to us kept stealing glances at him. Tav didn’t notice, but people looked at him. Admired him. Because love looked good on Tav. He ate like a horse and had the bulk to prove it. His eyes were bright, his hair styled well thanks to me and wore clothes that fit him like second skin. Today, he had on a pair of Levi’s that nearly made me swallow my tongue the first time he put them on along with a tight heather gray T-shirt.

Tav was gorgeous. And he only had eyes for me. I felt like the king of the world.

“Having fun?” I asked.

Holden answered for me, hopping in the air. “So much fun, Uncle Rad!”

I picked him up and propped him on my hip as I carried him down a hallway. Tav and Amara followed. “You know what’s here that you might like as much as dinosaurs?”

His green eyes went big. “What?”

I leaned in to touch our noses and whispered, “Mummies.”

He threw his hands in the air with a cheer and nearly toppled out of my arms. I laughed as I held him tighter.

The mummies, as I predicted, were a hit. Amara pointed out all the sarcophagi, and I found Tav in front of one, his nose pressed to the glass. I brushed the back of my hand along his. “Having fun? Or do you miss your kids?”

Tav worked at Holden’s jiu jitsu gym as an instructor which ended up being the perfect job for him. He enjoyed the younger kids the most—Holden’s age—because he said the lessons were about learning, self-improvement, confidence, and having fun rather than winning. I marveled that Devlin hadn’t even been able to take fighting away from him, that Tav had taken that back for himself one day at a time as he taught youth how to grapple.

He snorted. “I mean of course, I miss them. Henley had just learned a proper roll.” Ah, Henley. That little girl was one of his favorites. “But…” He turned back to the glass case. His eyes were as wide as his nephew’s. “This is amazing. Knowing how old all this is…” he shook his head. “Incredible.” He turned around linked our fingers. “Thank you for this trip, Con.” He tugged me closer. “I never imagined I’d be able to do something like this with Mar and Holden.”

“Hey, I did it for me too. I like museums. And I like spending time with your family.”

He rolled his eyes. “We talked about this. You’re family too.”

We did talk about this, and I did feel that way too. “I know.”

“Sometimes I think Amara likes you more than me.”

I shoved him away. “That’s not true.”

He grinned and came right back to regain my hand. “Whatever.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss on my lips. “Come on, I want to go look at the tomb reconstruction.”

I followed him, our hands still linked, as we joined Amara and Holden. Our little family, one that we’d scraped togetherwith bloody fingernails. But it was ours, and I knew I’d forever protect it with my life. I shook our hands, and Tav glanced back at me with a questioning look.I love you, I mouthed.

His grin was delicious. “Love you too.”

Tav

The hotel bed was nearly as nice as Con’s at home, and the sheets were like silk. I sank into them as Con sank into me, his forehead touching mine as he groaned against my lips. “Fuck, Tav. How is it still like this every time?”