June

For three months, Isaac had been sitting on a secret. After tonight, everyone would know. If he won, he would smile and say his goals had changed when he hadn’t been looking. If he lost, he’d have no other choice than to hang his head in shame and pray Drew Alexander didn’t boot him from his MMA training program.

The crowd inside Lummaxx arena was huge. It was the biggest crowd he’d fought in front of before. As the officials signed off on his gloves, Isaac tried not to bounce on his toes. His nerves were on edge. He couldn’t let them get the best of him. Things had changed for him before he knew what happened. One night, he’d been down in Key Largo, training with an ex-boxing-champ, Remy Dawley. Even though he fought the MMA circuit, he’d come to realize the ex-champ had a lot to offer. Remy had jokingly bet Isaac he couldn’t beat a boxer. That was where it started. They’d driven into Miami, found an open Friday night fight, and Isaac had signed up. To everyone’s surprise, he’d won. It hadn’t been a pretty win. It had been hard not to use his feet or holds. When it was over, Isaac had been pumped. He’d beat a man using nothing more than his fists and wits. Two weeks later, he’d searched Vegas for a match. He’d entered and won again. The obsession grew. He loved MMA. Isaac was good at it, but boxing… he was better. A month later, with a few more wins under his belt, Isaac had secretly changed his training around and gotten serious about taking down bigger targets. That was how he ended up here—in front of a screaming crowd and taking on an opponent who’d been on track for a belt for much longer than Isaac.

Isaac dipped between the ropes and hoped he wouldn’t puke. His cornerman—an old friend from school, Marcus—stood at Isaac’s back. The rules were read. Isaac rolled his shoulders. The noise around him turned into a buzz before completely disappearing. Laser focus settled in. He could smell the old sweat and leather. Everything became clear—like he held up a magnifying glass to his opponent. The man was taller, but it was all legs. Isaac had the reach. Gregor McCully—the man bouncing on his toes and giving Isaac the evil eye — knew he would win. Isaac was easy pickings, except Isaac wasn’t. He wanted this too badly. The thought of facing Drew about giving up his MMA dream with a loss weighing on his shoulders was too much. He had to beat this big fucker.

The bell rang. They danced. Gregor jabbed first. Isaac dodged. So, it began. The first four rounds were nothing. They both took hits and gave them. Neither of them showed any signs of slowing. Isaac had stamina. He could last. The bell rang again. Time slowed. Isaac’s vision narrowed to a pinpoint. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. Gregor shifted unexpectedly, dropping his hands, obviously intent on a left swing. Instead, Isaac stole his chance, striking quick. His hit his mark. He watched as the world slowed to a crawl. Gregor rocked on his heels, dropping his gloves. Isaac struck again, landing a solid right hook across the side of the man’s head before following it with a left. Gregor went down. The referee pushed him out of the way. Isaac hovered at the edge, holding his breath and watching the count. Gregor tried rolling to his knees. The count continued. Another bell ring declared Isaac the winner. His shock was complete. He’d done it. Isaac hadn’t failed. He had his new start.

Isaac didn’t even make it to his SUV before his cellphone rang. He glanced at the face, spotting Drew’s number. He almost didn’t answer. In the end, he decided a phone call beat a face-to-face any day of the week.

“Hello?”

“I’m guessing this means you hope I’ll take on training another boxer.”

By Drew’s tone, Isaac already knew that hope was futile. “I know things didn’t really work out with Remy, but—to be fair—his place was always with Aden.”

“It’s more than that,” Drew said, sounding tired. “The Remy experiment proved cross training doesn’t work at No Rival. That’s the whole reason I’ve got all of you on rotation, sending you down Aden’s way. As much as none of you want to accept it, I’m tired. I want to spend time with my kids. It’s getting to be about time for me to pass the reins on to someone else.”

Isaac tossed his gym bag in the back seat of his Tahoe and climbed behind the wheel. He chewed his bottom lip, trying to decide what to do. He’d always known convincing Drew to train him was a long shot. After all, Drew trained champs. Isaac didn’t have much hope of ever obtaining that level.

“I’m sorry, Isaac,” Drew said, sounding genuinely apologetic. “From what I’ve heard, you’ve got a real shot at this, but I can’t be your man.”

Isaac scrubbed his hand over his face. “It’s okay, Drew. I know you can’t be all things to all people.”

“Best of luck to you.”

Isaac nodded, even though Drew couldn’t see, and while wondering why it felt a lot like he’d been dumped. “Thanks. Talk to you later.”

“Yep. Congrats. You’ll work it out.”

He would. Isaac always landed on his feet.

* * *

Aden’s house was gorgeous. The large home was set high. Isaac assumed it was that way to avoid high tide or storms. He eyed the red Dodge and black F150 in the drive. It seemed both men were home. Still, he rang the doorbell, debating on whether he wanted it answered. He’d made the trip, putting a huge dent in his savings. It was ridiculous to let nerves get the best of him now. Isaac needed this.

The door swung wide. The red-haired giant stared out at him. For a moment, Isaac found himself speechless. Aden was shirtless, wearing nothing more than flowered swim trunks. He’d always known the man’s clothes covered some massive muscles. Isaac still hadn’t been prepared. Aden looked like he could snap a man in two.

He scratched at his scraggly jaw as if trying to figure out why Isaac was there. “Isaac. You’re a long way from home.”

Isaac nodded. It wasn’t as if he could claim he’d simply been in the neighborhood. “I’ve been needing a vacation, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and stop by.”

Even though Aden looked like Isaac’s explanation was about as clear as mud, he still took a step back. “Come on in,” Aden said as he turned, leading Isaac through the house. “Gunnar opened the gym today. If you’re here to ask permission to train while you’re in town, I’m cool with that, but I’d have to call and let Gunnar know.”

Isaac shut the door behind him and followed on Aden’s heels. “Thanks. That’s good to know. Actually, I hoped to talk to you about something else.”

“I hope you brought your trunks, because Remy is dead set on no work and all play today.”

This was about work. Isaac almost turned around right then. If he knew nothing else, he knew making Remy unhappy would guarantee Aden turned him down. “This will only take a second.”

Aden led Isaac to a small oak kitchen table. After taking a seat, he motioned for Isaac to sit as well. As Isaac did as bade, his gaze locked on the gorgeous emerald-colored water shimmering from the gulf through the French doors at Aden’s back. It was as if they were sitting directly on the water. “It’s beautiful here.”

“It is,” Remy said, appearing at Isaac’s back and startling him. He moved around Isaac to Aden’s side. Isaac’s gaze dropped to Remy’s ass as he passed. It was out of his control. He wasn’t attracted to Remy in that way. Not that Remy wasn’t incredibly sexy. He simply wasn’t Isaac’s type. The ass-ogling was for another reason. Remy wore a bright red speedo with the words “This ass won’t spank itself” printed across the back. Remy stopped next to Aden and poked his ass out, leaving Aden no other choice but to inspect it. The luminous smile touching Aden’s lips and swimming in his eyes had Isaac grinning like a fool. It was impossible to be in the presence of so much happiness and not be affected.

“You’ll have to wait until our guest leaves,” Aden said, his Irish accent thickening.

“I’m patient,” Remy said, snagging a barstool from the island that separated the dining room from the kitchen. “Hiya, Isaac. How’s it going?” Remy asked as he plopped down on the stool.

“Things are going good, thanks,” Isaac said, trying to fight his laughter.

It seemed the barstool spun—much to Remy’s delight. He turned in a circle while he spoke, repeating Aden’s earlier comment. “I hope you came to swim, because we’re on staycation.”

“Honestly, I only need like five minutes of your time.”

“We have trunks you could borrow,” Remy said, staring at the ceiling while spinning his chair.

Isaac waved off his offer. “Actually, mine are in my luggage in the car. I’m on vacation too, but I’m just here to ask a favor.”

“You could ask your favor while wearing swimming trunks and soaking up some vitamin D.”

Isaac’s cheeks ached at Remy’s stubbornness. It should’ve driven him nuts, but it was impossible to be irritated with someone like Remy. He was like an over-caffeinated puppy in designer clothes.

“I’ve decided to switch from the MMA circuit to boxing.” Remy stopped spinning at Isaac’s announcement. “Actually, ever since I won that fight in Miami, I’ve won several more.”

Remy brightened. “Ha. I brought you to the good side.”

“That’s not possible,” Isaac said with a wink before he could stop himself. He quickly reeled himself in before Aden thought he was flirting. “But I do need help.”

“No,” Aden said, coming to his feet, and bringing their discussion to an end before it began.

“You didn’t hear me out.”

Aden focused on him. His face softened. “Look, it’s not personal. You live in Vegas and I’ve already turned down Drew’s offer to work for No Rival. My heart is here,” Aden said, motioning toward Remy. “I won’t take away from him to give to anyone else.”

“What if I moved here?” Isaac asked without thought.

Aden didn’t answer right away. It gave him hope. When he finally spoke, Isaac felt hope slipping away. “Can you afford to do that? You do realize I’m expensive. Not to mention, the big fights are everywhere but here. Can you afford the constant travel? If not, you’d be better off staying at No Rival and letting Drew train you. At least there, you’d have access to pot fights.”

With every word Aden spoke, Isaac’s heart sank. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered those things. He just hadn’t wanted to look at things too closely. Isaac had thought if Aden was willing, then he’d find a way. It didn’t seem Aden was willing. He thought he might hyperventilate. Remy was back to spinning and staring at the ceiling. Isaac hadn’t wanted anything like he craved this, and he couldn’t see his way toward achieving it.

“He could work for us at the training center and stay in the empty apartment above the place. That way, he could save his money for travel,” Remy suggested, proving he was listening despite his playing around.

Hope reignited. His gaze locked on Aden, searching for any chance the man might cave. Aden looked thoughtful.

Remy stopped spinning and focused on his husband. “It would be extra work for you to train another fighter, but then again, it wouldn’t, because I’d help, and having him as an extra on-site employee would give you more time with me.”

Aden ignored Isaac’s presence while he stared at his husband. “I’ll do whatever you decide.”

Remy nodded. He focused on Isaac and smiled. “Grab your trunks and join us for the day. Let’s see if you can handle the mess that we are for longer than an hour at a time.”

So much had taken place in Remy and Aden’s conversation that would change Isaac’s life forever, he didn’t know what to say. What had started as an impulsive offer to move had transformed into a new job and a place to live in under five minutes. Isaac couldn’t stop smiling, but he feared he looked every bit as shell-shocked as he felt. “Sure thing. I’d love to spend the day with you.” Isaac meant it. He just hoped he didn’t pass out from living a life turned on its head.