by Sienna Skye
Wyatt belly flopped across my lap and I fought the reaction to twitch in pain. I had a lot of hard work ahead of me. I wasn’t afraid of hard work. I was afraid of failing. Failing wasn’t an option.
Chapter One
Six months later….
Madison
Why did I agree to this? I trailed behind Sarah as we crossed the parking lot. She looked back over her shoulder and smiled at me.
“Come on, Madison. It will be fine. You’ll be fine. New starts. It’s a new you, remember?” She reached back and grabbed my hand, pulling me ever closer to the gym door.
Easy for her to say. She was blonde and beautiful and still had that pre-kids body. It didn’t hurt that her equally gorgeous husband freaking owned the gym. The same gym that was getting dangerously closer to me.
Sarah and Hunter were this rich beautiful couple who you would want to hate, but they were just too damn nice. Besides, Sarah was not only my friend, she was my savior. We had become easy friends at the hospital where we worked. I was a nurse and Sarah worked as a Nurse Practitioner. She sensed I wasn’t in a happy or healthy marriage. She gave me the strength to leave. Hunter and Sarah offered to pay for my divorce. They wouldn’t let me refuse. Then, when I tried to pay them back, they refused to let me. They offered to babysit my kids whenever I was in a bind. See what I mean? You couldn’t help but love them.
Sarah and the rest of my coworkers had recently been pushing me to head back into the dating world. That idea had me shaking in my shoes. I used the excuse of not feeling comfortable in my “Mom body”. Let’s face it, it wasn’t an excuse. I had a few extra pounds that I didn’t have the last time I was dating. I hadn’t gained a lot of weight, well I did have a little more of a tummy than I would have liked, and things just weren’t as perky as they once were. I thought that would have bought me some time. I was wrong. First came the comments that I was being silly. They told me how lucky some guy would be to find me. Then Sarah with her never ending energy and infectious personality decided I should chase my happiness. Just like advice columnist Ask Nikki was always saying. So first came a day of beauty makeovers. Manicures, pedicures, waxing, color, cut. The works. Then she said, “I think you are beautiful, but if you are unhappy with your body, then let’s get you a membership at Stepping Stone and find you a trainer.”
So, there we were. Sarah heading like a honing device to the gym door with me in tow. My heart was already beating out of my chest and I hadn’t done a single jumping jack.
Sarah pulled open the door and I tripped, stumbling into the gym. The place was state of the art. It was the nicest gym I had ever seen. Well, I hadn’t seen that many, but I was still pretty sure it was better than most. I watched as both workers and members greeted Sarah. I looked at Sarah in her yoga pants and tank. I wore an oversized tee shirt over my yoga pants. I tugged nervously at the hem of my shirt in an effort to pull it down further over my stomach.
“Look, Madison. There are people of all fitness levels here.”
“Yep, I’ll fit right in.” I tugged hard at the hem of my shirt.
“At least try to fake some enthusiasm.” She laughed while shaking her head. “I just texted Hunter and told him we are here. He will come down and help you find a trainer that suits you. Then we will start your paperwork. It’s a little backwards, but that is a perk of being married to one of the owners. Take a look around. Get comfortable.”
I adjusted my ponytail as I scanned the room. She was right. There were people of all different ages, shapes, and sizes. Maybe, just maybe I could do this. My heart rate was just starting to return to normal when I spotted an incredibly gorgeous man. His body looked like he started lifting weights right out of the womb. Dark brown hair and clear light blue eyes. My heart quickened its pace again. And there was this other warm tingly feeling I had not felt in a very long time. I looked down in surprise before catching myself and then quickly brought my gaze back to him.
What the…? I had turned my eyes away for mere seconds and out of nowhere there was this woman with her arm around Mr. Beautiful. And not just any woman. She was goddess status. Curvy, fit body, with a butt I would kill for. Long wavy brown hair, beautiful face, and deep sapphire blue eyes. He looked just as happy to see her as she looked to see him. They were laughing and kidding around and then she rested her head on his shoulder. They looked perfect together, these two beautiful people. I felt my heart sink a little. Which was silly. I told myself it was simply because my body had a physiological reaction to an extremely attractive man.
Seconds later, an even bigger man walked over. What on earth did they put in the water here? He was the definition of tall dark and handsome. He walked over with a towel and pretended to hit the goddess woman on her perfect backside. The three of them were joking around and I realized I was gawking. I turned my gaze toward Sarah and saw she was walking over to greet Hunter. I couldn’t help myself, I looked back.
Wait. Wait. Wait. Walking over to the trio I was watching earlier, was yet another tall muscular man. He was gorgeous too. Black hair and the most intense emerald eyes I had ever seen. He had three kids in tow. I snapped my eyes back and forth. The little girl looked like a combination of him and the goddess woman. He held two boys. One looked just like him and another just like her. Clearly the kids belonged to the two of them, but I thought she was with the other guy. She looked awfully cozy with the first guy. Maybe she was with both of them? Hell, maybe she was with all three of them. All I knew is that I was smack dab in the middle of some weird alternate universe that was populated with beautiful people.
I turned when I heard Hunter call my name. He walked over and hugged me.
“I’m glad you are here. I want to introduce you to each of our trainers, but I think Jace would be a good match for you. Come on, let’s go meet everyone.”
Hunter and Sarah started to go over in the direction I was just watching. Great. I shuffled behind pushing some wayward hair behind my ear.
“Everyone, this is Madison,” Hunter said in a jovial yet somewhat authoritative tone.
All seven faces looked up in my direction. I tried not to fidget and forced a nervous smile.
“Madison, this is Jace. He is the trainer I was telling you about.” Hunter pointed to the man with the beautiful blue eyes. So that was Jace.
Jace flashed a brilliant smile at me. “Hey Madison. Welcome to Stepping Stone.”
Don’t turn stupid. Don’t turn stupid. Saying something brilliant, witty, sexy.
“Hi. Uh, thanks.”
“Jace is one of our best trainers. He was in the Marines. Actually, a lot of our trainers were military. Like Trey.” He stopped to gesture to Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome. “Trey was a Navy Seal. He is great, too.”
Oh, that Trey was a smooth one. He walked over to me slow and purposefully while wearing a killer smile. He never broke eye contact as he came over and shook my hand.
“I’m not just great, Miss Madison. I am the best trainer here.”
I’m not sure what came out of my mouth, but I am pretty confident it wasn’t English.
“Please Kennedy. I just ate.” There was no malice in Jace’s voice. It was obvious these two enjoyed ribbing each other.
Hunter rolled his eyes at Trey and then playfully pushed him a step back.
“And this amazing woman over here is my sister Julia,” Hunter told me.
My eyes nearly popped out of my head. The goddess was Hunter’s sister.
She smiled at me as she said hello. “Pay no attention to these two knuckleheads, Madison. I train with Trey and while I can personally attest to his skills, Jace is a perfect choice, too. You can’t make a wrong decision.”
Hunter continued. “This is my brother Morgan.”
The man with the kids handed one boy to Hunter, so he could shake my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Madison. If there is anything you need, let me know.”
When he said that, I remembered that the brothers owned the gym together as well as a
software company. Then, I remembered something else. Something I couldn’t believe I forgot. As soon as the thought popped into my head, Hunter spoke and confirmed it.
“These three little ones are my niece and nephews. Sophia, Sawyer, and Wyatt.”
Yep, I remembered hearing the story. Julia was Hunter’s stepsister. Morgan’s too, but she was also Morgan’s wife. That also meant I was standing in front of Julia Angelini Stone, otherwise known as advice columnist Ask Nikki.
I had been reading her column for years. Long before I knew she was related to Sarah. The column was fresh and Nikki’s delivery, or I guess Julia’s delivery, was entertaining. She also had a segment on one of the morning news and entertainment talk shows. I had never seen her segment which explained why I had no clue she was standing in front of me, live and in the flesh.
“I love your column. I think I have read them all.” I was telling the truth.
“Thank you. That means the world to me.”
I was surprised by the genuine expression on her face and in the tone of her voice, but that wasn’t what really caught my attention. It was Morgan’s expression. You could see him beaming with both pride and love. I wondered what it would be like to have someone feel that way about me. I had never experienced that, not even when I was married. Which was a big reason why I was standing there single and attempting this metamorphosis.
Morgan walked over to Julia, put his arm around her, and kissed the side of her head.
“Jules, I’m going to drop the kids off at Pebbles so I can get a workout in while you have your session with Trey.”
“I’ll go with you. I still have a few more minutes,” Julia offered.
Hunter piped up then. “I’ll go with Morgan. I have to stop by the office anyway.”
I looked questioningly at Sarah. “Pebbles?”
“Yeah, the guys built a daycare here, but it also has age appropriate exercises for the kids.”
I barely had time to register what Sarah said, when I heard that smooth baritone of Trey’s voice.
“Madison, it pains me to say this, but I will have to leave you in Jace’s hands. I need to go whip this one’s butt.”
He grabbed Julia by the hand and started to pull her away. She tossed a look over her shoulder. “You think he’s kidding. Trust me, he’s not.”
I was standing there thinking about how I probably dodged a bullet, when I heard Jace’s chuckle awfully close to my person. I tried unsuccessfully to keep my body from tensing.
“Madison?”
“Huh?”
He raised an eyebrow. How could someone look so impossibly sexy just by quirking an eyebrow?
“Madison?”
“Oh. Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about…something.”
“I see that. Have you given any consideration to whether you want me to be your trainer? There are other trainers besides me and Trey. You could certainly meet them as well.”
“Yes, I want you. To be my trainer. I want you to be my trainer. I mean, that’s what you do. You train. So, you should train me.” I shut my lips tight just to keep any more stupidity from tumbling forward.
“Why don’t we go and talk? We can discuss what goals you have for your body.”
“Wait, what?”
“Madison. Let’s go sit down and talk about what you would like me to help you with. Do you want to increase your flexibility? Build strength? Tone up? Lose weight? I need to know what you wish to accomplish so I can design a plan for you.”
“I would love for you to work on my flexibility.” Please, somebody save me. “Yes, let’s go sit down and discuss what I would like you to do to me…for me!”
He held out his arm in the direction he wanted us to go. I followed dutifully. He was quiet for a moment and I glanced over at him. He was watching me intently. Like he was studying me. No, it was more than that. It was like I was a book he was reading and somehow it felt like he knew everything about me. I shook my head. That was ridiculous. I had known the man for less than 15 minutes.
“How tall are you, Madison? About five foot six?”
I got the distinct impression that Jace sensed my nervousness and was trying to distract me.
“Yes, exactly.” I scrunched up my face in response to his accuracy. I heard him chuckle. “What are you? Six foot?” I didn’t know why I asked except that I felt the need to give some kind of come back.
“Six one,” he answered with a smirk on his face. “I was just curious, Madison. I will have to measure you anyway.”
“Please tell me the next words out of your mouth are not going to be your guesstimate about how much I weigh.”
“My grandmother raised me better than that,” he laughed.
He ushered me toward an office. I saw the name Jace Monroe on the door. We walked in and he closed the door, the sound making me want to jump out of my skin. I looked around.
“Do all the trainers have an office of their own?”
He looked amused by my question. “Yes. Hunter and Morgan felt it would make the clients feel more comfortable. They are also all about making their employees happy.” When I nodded in response, he continued. “Shall we get started?”
I nodded again. “Okay.”
“As I mentioned earlier, I need to know your fitness goals. Also, I need to know how much time you have, realistically, to dedicate to your plan. A lot of clients come in saying they can allot five days a week and in reality, they can’t set that much time aside. Knowing up front how much time you can actually devote helps me to create a plan with more realistic expectations and outcomes. By the way, do you have any exercise equipment at home?”
He was being so sincere, I wanted to answer him as honestly as I could. “I would like to say I can come in three days a week, but I think two days is more doable. And no, I don’t have any exercise equipment at home. I mean, I have a yoga ball, but the kids pretty much just roll around on it.”
He smirked. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly find that man any more attractive than I did, that smirk did me in. Wait. What was I thinking? I couldn’t have this man as my trainer. I was just about to tell him that this simply wasn’t going to work, when he continued.
“So, we will plan on two days a week. If the kids are an issue—”
“My kids are never an issue.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “I apologize. I did not mean for it to sound that way. I wanted to tell you about the day care. It’s called Pebbles. That’s where Hunter and Morgan were bringing the kids.”
“No, you weren’t out of line. I’m a bit protective when it comes to my kids.”
“As it should be.” Jace spoke without judgment.
“It’s just hard as a single parent. There are activities and homework.” I lifted my hands in the air and let them drop down again. My kids had been through a lot. Too much. I tried to give them as much structure as I could. It made them feel safe and comfortable.
“Understood. I can also teach you some bodyweight exercises and simple cardio you can do at home that won’t require any equipment.” He tapped away on a tablet.
I was lost in thought for a moment. I had come to think of Sarah as someone I could count on. Hunter too, but it was a little different with him. Jace made me feel as if I had someone else in my corner. Someone else to look out for me. That was a dangerous feeling. It went against every instinct I had to feel that way about someone I just met. Before I could heed my own warning, a confession came tumbling from my lips.
“I’m not comfortable in my own skin. I want to lose weight. About twenty pounds. I want to tone my body. I need to increase my flexibility. I am under a lot of stress and feel tight most of the time. I mean, look at Julia. She’s had three kids and she has a body that most women would kill for.” Even when I was at goal weight, I was perfectly average. My breasts were average sized and while there was a bit of roundness to my hips, I wasn’t exactly busting with curves.
“Stop there and let’s set something straight.
The only person you should be comparing yourself to is you. You should monitor and chart your progress to see the changes you are making with your body. Julia has been working out since we were kids. This is nothing new to her and she has learned what she needs to do to keep her body fit. And Trey really does kick her ass in the gym. Not to mention the fact that she has a certain amount of flexibility with her job and money is not an issue for them. She would tell you that herself. Just work on Madison, because despite what you may believe, she is pretty great already.”
“Is that line in your trainer orientation manual?” I wasn’t quite sure why I was challenging him.
“You see. That there.” He pointed a finger in my direction.
“What where?”
“You don’t believe in yourself, so you deflect my compliment with sarcasm.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I scoffed.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, I knew they were true.
Then he laughed at me. A sound that clearly indicated he knew I was lying through my teeth. “We’ll see.”
“Listen, I’m not so sure this is a good idea.” I was starting to get really nervous.
“I think it is exactly what you need.”
I couldn’t even formulate words, but the incredulous expression on my face was enough for him.
“Someone did a damn good job of crushing your self-esteem. I’m pretty sure they didn’t like you standing up for yourself and expressing yourself either. I think you are getting better at expressing yourself, but you still have a long way to go before the real Madison shows up.”
