by KL Donn
“Rocko can’t hurt a damn fly.” Tiny laughed from behind.
Recognizing that he was, for all intense and purposes, surrounded, he hopped off the side of the ring and slowly backed away while trying to watch all three men at once.
“Knuckles!” Casper happily called out as he entered the front doors, completely oblivious to the tension in the room. “I see you met your opponent for next Saturday night!” Pure delight lit up his eyes as he looked both men up and down, taking pleasure in the size difference.
“You can’t fight him, Levi,” she whispered and turned around. “He’s huge.”
His hands hugged her hips, squeezing as he responded to Casper. “Look forward to a good beat down.” Confidence exuded through his voice and demeanor as he helped Hayes out of the ring and into the changing room. He locked the door behind them.
“You can’t fight him.” She stressed her concern again.
“I’ll whoop his ass.” She loved that he was cocky but feared that all the self-assuredness wouldn’t be enough to get him through in the ring with the giant man. He must have seen the worry in her gaze. “Tiny will help me prepare. Cam, too.”
Hayes didn’t doubt his friends would be in his corner however they could. She questioned his lack of concern with his opponent. There was something with Rocko and Casper that she couldn’t quite identify, and that’s what had her troubled.
Lorraine Hogan bustled around her modest kitchen preparing what she hoped would be a successful meal for her son Levi and his new girlfriend. After the horrible first impression she’d made with the young woman, she wanted nothing more than to make up for her behavior.
“That damn high school,” she muttered to herself for the umpteenth time in the past hour. It was the second biggest shock of her life. The first came when her husband had been diagnosed with cancer; bless his soul.
Her boys were all she had anymore, so she knew she had to accept and love any woman they chose to be theirs. The same way Lucas’ parents had accepted her for the simple farm girl she’d been when they were married.
Hayes was such a beautiful girl, and her name was lovely. Noticing the way the young woman had watched Levi before leaving his house told her all she needed to know. The girl was smitten with Lorraine’s middle child.
After all the bruises and cuts over the past few months, she’d worried more and more each day for Levi. Wondering if he’d gotten himself into so much trouble, he couldn’t get out. Anxious that he was in debt and borrowing money he shouldn’t be.
Hearing the rumble of the engine from Levi’s car, Lorraine darted to the small powder room off the entry of the house and freshened up before opening the front door to the new couple.
Nerves wreaked havoc with Hayes’ mind and muscles as they pulled up to Levi’s mother’s home. His childhood home. The place she was sure he’d brought many girls for stolen moments.
Taking a deep breath, she held Levi’s hand as he helped her from his car. Always a gentleman. “Don’t look so worried, sugar.” He grinned. “Ma doesn’t bite too hard.”
She swatted his chest at his attempted joke. “Before we go in, I have a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Does your family know?”
He didn’t pretend not to understand her. “No.”
Nodding her head at him, further comment was cut off as Lorraine exited the front door. A huge smile was plastered on her face. She looked just as nervous as Hayes felt.
“Hey, Ma.” Levi greeted the woman while tugging her behind him as they walked up the steps.
“Hi, sweetheart.” She kissed his cheek. “Hayes,” she sounded semi-happy, “so wonderful to see you again.”
This was unchartered territory for Hayes. “Nice to see you, too, ma’am.”
They stood awkwardly on the porch for what felt like forever until Levi cleared his throat. “Got any sweet tea?” he asked, a hopeful look on his face.
“Full pitcher in the fridge,” Lorraine told him.
Levi, the rat, darted inside leaving the two women to stand on the stoop alone.
“I’m not normally such a temperamental old bag,” Lorraine blurted out.
“Ma’am?” There was no protocol for situations like this.
Waving her hand to the swing off to the side of the door, Lorraine began to explain. “I never wanted to be that mom,” she began as they sat. “The one who thinks no girl is good enough for her boys. My own mother-in-law was always that way. Even after the kids were born and after every tour Lucas came back from. She was what she was, and she didn’t like me.”
What the hell was Hayes supposed to say to that? You are?
“I know I came across that way on Sunday, and Hayes, I am truly sorry.” Her words were sincere, and her eyes pleaded for the girl to believe her.
“I have a feeling every mom, no matter their intentions, would likely come across that way at first.”
“When I saw you, I was completely taken aback. Levi has been different the past few months. He’s darker. Coiled like a rattler and ready to strike at any moment. I’ve been worried.” It was hard to keep a straight face at the accuracy of her words. “I can see from the shocked look on your face, you know what’s going on with my boy.” Hayes began to open her mouth, to say what she didn’t know, but Lorraine stopped her with a hand. “I know he’ll tell me. When he’s ready. I won’t ever ask you to break his confidence. That would be selfish on my part.”
“Mrs. Hogan, I don’t know what you want from me here.” Her words were blunt.
Lorraine grinned. “We’re going to get along just fine. You keep being honest like that, and we’ll be great friends. Don’t placate me just to keep the peace. You’re in a family of boys now, and they’ll try and run roughshod over you every chance they get.”
“Okay.”
“He’s watching us. Shall we make him sweat a bit?” his mother said. Hayes nodded.
She had to agree, they were going to get along just fine.
They were trying to kill him. He knew it. Leaving them alone had been a bad play on Levi’s part. He was going to pay for it before going to hell. Even though he was hiding a monumental secret from his family, he still needed the two most important women in his life to get along.
Watching through the window as they laughed and talked, he felt immense relief. There had never been a doubt about Hayes being perfect for him after he’d accepted the fact she was younger than he’d originally thought. Seeing the evidence of how well she would fit into his family was just what he needed.
After the incident at the gym with the new guy, he needed a little bit of good on his side. He also knew he’d made the right choice to walk away from the ring, despite the dozen phone calls he’d been getting from sponsors and managers in the official fighting world. He was done.
Anything he’d been missing in his life six months ago was now sitting on his front porch laughing and bonding. Opening his own gym would be icing on the cake. When the idea had entered his mind, he’d known, immediately, it was the right move for him.
If Hayes didn’t want to come on board with him, then he would learn to live with it, but he sure as hell hoped she would want to. Telling Nox and Lochlan was going to be tougher. Having his own business to run would mean leaving the family business, and Levi was concerned with how Nox would react to the news.
Backing away from the window as the girls returned inside, he waited nervously for any sign of distress from Hayes. When she smiled at him as his mother grabbed her arm to bring her to the kitchen, he blew out a huge sigh of relief.
Relaxing, he followed along behind them. “What’d ya make, Ma?” The aromas in the air had him salivating.
“You’re favorite.” She beamed at him.
“Lasagna?” He knew he sounded like an eager puppy after a treat, but he didn’t care.
“You’re not a vegetarian are you, dear?” Her question was directed at Hayes.
“No, ma’am.”
“Good. Go, b
oth of you, sit. I’ll be there in a second.”
Not one to argue where food was involved, Levi gripped Hayes’ hand in his own as they walked into the small dining room off the side of the kitchen.
“You doing okay?” he asked her quietly.
“Stop worrying, Levi. Your mom’s really nice. I like her.”
“Here we go!” Lorraine placed the meal on the table, and he felt no shame as he loaded Hayes plate first, then his own and dug in.
“So, Hayes.” His mother shot him a scathing look for digging in so quickly. “Do you have any siblings?” His entire body froze at the question. Looking to Hayes, he saw a flash of pain flicker in her gaze before she spread her napkin on her lap, delaying her response.
“I do, yes.” Clearing her throat, she continued. “An older brother, Ryder.”
Lorraine smiled, unaware of the pain revolving around the man. Levi hadn’t even been able to get Hayes to open about him. He agonized over what was going through her mind. “Does he live here in Loveland?”
“Ma,” he tried to warn softly.
Hayes spoke before he could get anything else out. “No. He’s never been here.”
“What does he do?” He tried to get his mother’s attention, but she was too busy fixing her plate.
“He’s dead.” Leave it to his girl to be blunt.
Lorraine’s utensils clattered on the table as she looked up startled. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.” Hayes became quiet after that, her head tilted down as she picked at her food. The light mood from earlier vanished into thin air.
His mom looked to him for support, helplessness shone in her gaze. He shook his head, hoping she knew there was nothing she could have done.
He hated that Hayes suffered any kind of pain where her brother was concerned, but he was aware that she needed to talk about it. She had so much agony buried deep inside that he had a feeling she hadn’t spoken to anyone about it yet.
“You mentioned an engagement party for Nox and Soph the other day, Ma. Does Loch know?” He was desperate to lift the mood.
“Yes!” She caught onto what he was doing. “Just something small, though that damn Anthony wants to go big. He just doesn’t get the poor girl.”
“She’s the girl at your shop?” Hayes asked him, still not looking up.
“That’s her.” He smiled, hoping she’d lift her head. Something.
“She was really friendly.”
“That’s our Sophia. Friendly to a fault.” His mom beamed. It was true. Soph didn’t have a mean bone in her body.
“My mom used to be an event coordinator in San Diego. I bet she’d help you,” Hayes offered. He hadn’t known that.
Lorraine reached across the table to touch her hand as she spoke. “I would love the help.” Joy lit the woman’s face.
“I’ll speak to her tonight. I can give her your number?”
“Have Levi give her directions to the house, and she can come on over whenever she’d like. I’d love to meet your parents.” Damn, he loved his mother. She had a special touch when it came to situations like this. Usually after she put her foot in her mouth. But she was always well-meaning.
After a quiet evening with his mom, Levi had driven Hayes home, and they were now sitting on the front steps of her house in the quiet night.
“Ryder wasn’t supposed to be on active duty.” She finally broke the silence, unable to mask the pain in her voice. “He was a technical analyst and logistics guy.” Blowing out a breath, she looked up at the stars wondering if he was watching down on her pain. “He was my best friend. We told each other everything.” Levi held her hand over her knee. “I had no idea he was so deceitful about his career. Turns out he was a SEAL. Went on missions all over the world and we were none the wiser.”
“I’m sorry, Hayes.” He didn’t know what else to say.
“We never even got to bury his body. They came to the house with his dog tags and nothing else. We received a flag and a headstone but never an explanation of what happened. Or why.” Tears streamed down her face. “My parents… They won’t say it, but they’re angry with me.”
“What the hell for?”
“The knock on the door came minutes before the phone rang. We were basically dying together, Levi. Ryder and I, we did everything together. I hadn’t participated in the Olympics because I wanted to wait until Ryder’s contract was over. I wanted him to train me properly. I wanted him standing next to me as I ran for gold.” Sobs racked her body.
Pulling her into his arms, he tried to soothe her, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to relax until she had the answers she was searching for.
“I wish he never would have joined. I wish he were here every day. I wish it were me instead of him.” The impact her words had on him was vicious.
Cupping her jaw, he lifted her head. “You wish he were here and you weren’t?”
“Some days.” She admitted.
“What about me, Hayes?” He had to show her she had someone to live for.
“The guilt eats me alive, Levi.” Her bottom lip quivered as she spoke, and he couldn’t help kissing her lightly. “Heaven help me. When I met you,” she licked her lips, “I didn’t know what to make of you. Then you kept putting your foot in your mouth, and I knew Ryder would have loved you. Even after giving you the third degree.”
“Yeah?” He liked that she thought that.
Nodding, she continued. “He was such a hardass. He pushed me, some days, to the point I wanted to stomp all over his face.”
“Sounds like my brothers and me.”
“He’d be the same age as you now. He was always older than his years, though.”
“Sounds like someone else I know.” His lips twitched in amusement when she side-eyed him.
“He missed out on so much. Love, marriage, kids, life. I wish he were here, Levi.” Her last words were murmured as she looked up to the sky again.
“Hayes?” Her mother came out the door to check on them.
Standing up, he said, “Evening, Mrs. Morrison.”
“How are you, Levi?”
“Good, ma’am.”
“How was dinner?” Her question was directed at Hayes, and a crinkle in her brow showed she knew something had happened.
“Good, Mom. Would you be willing to help Mrs. Hogan with a party for Levi’s older brother and fiancée?”
“Of course, honey.” The older woman smiled, seeming genuinely interested in helping. Maybe even a little relieved.
After giving her the information his mother had requested, Levi bid the women good night and made his own way home. Thoughts of Hayes’ pain heavy on his mind.
Chapter Thirteen
You are my favorite distraction.
She was out to kill him. Levi would swear by it. He was preparing for his fight with Tiny in only a few minutes, and he still hadn’t heard back from Hayes. Her mother had called his, and they’d met up the day before to talk about plans, but nothing had been said about her daughter.
Between working at the shop and training, he hadn’t had time to go see her. After a dozen phone messages and even more text messages, he got the feeling she was ignoring him.
“Hey!” Casper snapped as he taped up Levi’s knuckles. “Get the girl out of your head.”
He didn’t even respond because for the first time, Casper was right. He needed to shake her from his mind. As his trainer left the locker room, there was a loud banging on the door. Pulling it open, he saw Brett and Alyssa. “What are you guys doing here?”
Alyssa looked worried as Brett answered his question. “Thought you might need something.” Levi was confused until he stepped to the side and Hayes stood behind him.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he fought back the excitement of her coming to watch his fight. Though, he was fucking pissed she hadn’t answered any of his messages.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Brett pushed them both into the room before closing the door and leaving them alo
ne.
Turning his back on her nearly killed him. “For what?”
She didn’t hesitate in walking up to him, her arms wrapping around him from behind. “Not answering you. Going radio silent.” He remained quiet. “I’ve never spoken about Ryder before. To anyone.” Her voice cracked, and he nearly broke down and faced her. “Telling you how I felt, the guilt swamping me over me living and him dying. No one else knows that.”
He did turn then. Their gazes clashed. Both full of anguish over her actions.
“I needed to figure a few things out. I wanted to be sure about my feelings before I made any decisions.”
“What decisions?”
“You… Me… Us.”
“What’d you come up with?”
“I love you, Levi.” Fuck. He softened. “More than anything I’ve ever felt before.” Her gaze lowered to his gloves. “I would do anything you asked of me. I’m sorry I hurt you the past couple of days.”
Leaning down so their foreheads touched, he murmured, “No more of this cutting me out shit, Hayes. I don’t fucking like it.”
“I promise.” Pushing up onto her toes, her lips met his, and they exploded from there. His arms wrapped around her waist as she climbed his chest, so he was holding her in his arms.
Her hands roamed every available piece of flesh she could reach as he squeezed her ass in his hands and plundered her mouth with his tongue. They dueled and made out like horny teenagers until Casper came bursting in on them.
“Knuckles, let’s go!”
Hayes slid down his body as he let her go. “You fight Tiny tonight, right?” Her words were barely spoken.
“Yup.”
“I’ll see you after.” Her hand slid down his chest as she walked away to meet her friends.
“Not a fucking word, Casp,” he growled when the man attempted to speak. He was so fucking done with the prick and his attitude towards his girl.
“Your funeral.” He smirked.
It wasn’t until he was announced and on his way to the ring that he understood Casper’s words.
