I pull into the parking lot of Raise the Bar. The gym is in a large warehouse. The outside of the building is simple, nothing flashy like the gyms in Chicago. The name is proudly displayed in large, bold, black-painted letters across the side of the building. I hop out of my Jeep, sling my bag over my shoulder, and head inside.

I’m blown away when I walk through the gym’s doors. A boxing ring is in the far right corner, and two men are sparring while other fighters watch. There are punching bags suspended from the ceiling near the ring. Jump ropes hang on the wall and weight sets are tucked into the corner. The middle of the back wall has a series of doors, and I assume gym classes are held beyond them. The back-left corner is set up like an obstacle course. Scattered through the middle of the gym are the standard machines you would find in almost every workout place across America.

“And, there he is. In the flesh. Back in Texas,” a loud, booming voice calls from the right. I look over and see Hudson striding toward me with a shit-eating grin lighting up his eyes. We haven’t seen each other in years but kept in touch throughout college and after. We’d occasionally grab a beer when I was in town visiting family. Now that I’m back for good, he was one of the first people I called. “Hey, man,” he says as he gets closer. We clasp hands and pat each other on the back in a quick hug. “How are you doing? Happy to be home?”

“Yeah. It’s great to be back in Austin, close to family. I’m doing great. Almost fully moved in, not that I brought much from Chicago.” I rake my hands through my hair, exhaling a loud sigh of relief that seems to come automatically each time I realize I’m out of Chicago.

Hudson frowns as he looks down. He quickly looks back to me and claps his hand on my shoulder. “Yeah, I know your ma missed you around here. We all did, man. Let me know if you need help with anything.”

I nod my thanks, looking around the gym. “This place looks great.”

“It is. My buddy James owns the place. You’ll meet him soon. We’ll grab some beers later.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Let me show you around. Up for some sparring?” Hudson’s grin is back as he shadowboxes in front of me.

I punch his shoulder lightly and laugh. “You know it.”

* * *

After sparring in the boxing ring with Hudson, we take a seat on the bench to catch our breath. Hudson hands me a bottled water.

“Thanks, man.”

He nods and swallows most of the water in one gulp. “What brought you back to Texas? Last time we spoke, I thought you really liked it in Chicago.”

“I did like it. I liked my job, had some good buddies, and a great friend with benefits situation.”

“Sounds pretty great to me. What happened?”

“I don’t know, man. I was working a lot. I enjoyed it, but I hardly ever had time to use my vacation hours. Each trip home got shorter. And then it just got hard to leave Chicago. The winters were a bitch.” I don’t add the main reason I left Chicago without looking back. Everything I tell Hudson is true. I just leave out the biggest piece of the puzzle.

Being in Chicago was great for a long time. I had fun in the city when I started my job and even more fun in college, but I started to miss my family and friends in Texas. Most of the guys from college eventually moved to New York or back to their hometowns. The buddies I knew from work were cool to grab a beer with, but there was something missing. When I found a hobby to replace the monotony, shit turned ugly.

“I get that, but you know, I never wanted to leave this place. I was born here, and I’ll die here,” Hudson says.

Hudson has a large family. His parents were high school sweethearts. All of his aunts, uncles, and cousins are here. His family lives close to each other in the same neighborhood as my family. Hudson is now my parents’ neighbor and is incredibly close with his family. They’re all in a family construction business together, except for one brother who made his own path, Maddox Wells, my sister’s former boyfriend and all around badass. He joined the Navy straight out of high school, served two tours, and was honorably discharged. He’s now a detective with the Austin Police Department.

Hudson squeezes my shoulder, dragging me out of my thoughts. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“I am, too,” I mutter quietly, exhaling another sigh of relief.

“When do you start work?” Hudson asks, lightening the mood.

“I actually have another week before I start. I’ve got a lot to do. I bought my Jeep right away, but there’s some other stuff I need to buy.”

“Anything I can help with?”

“No, my mom and sister have taken over. I just show up with my credit card.” I run my hand through my hair, laughing and hoping my sister doesn’t max out my credit card in revenge for something that happened when we were kids.

Hudson laughs, clapping his hand on my shoulder. He knows my mom and sister well. I look up as a shadow falls over us. A large man is standing next to the bench. He has his arms folded across his chest and a scowl on his face. He’s taller than my six-two frame by a few inches. His dark hair is cropped close to his head, gray eyes staring hard at Hudson. The fully inked arms cross over his chest as he tilts his head.

“Shit,” Hudson says. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and looks at the screen. “I’m not late yet.”

The mammoth raises an eyebrow.

“It will only take me a minute to set up,” Hudson insists, waving his hand toward the man. He looks back to me and must see the confusion on my face as he explains, “I teach a basic boxing class to some kids. The class starts soon.” Hudson looks back at the guy and jerks his thumb at him as he says to me, “I volunteer, but he likes to pretend he’s my boss.”

The man huffs in frustration, but still doesn’t say anything. I stand and hold my hand out, “I’m Liam. An old friend of Hudson’s.”

He shakes my hand and says, “James.”

Hudson stands now, too, smirking at James. “James owns the gym. He doesn’t talk too much, but you get used to it and can start reading his expressions pretty easily.”

James rolls his eyes and faces me, turning his back on Hudson. Hudson laughs and tries pushing him out of the way, but the mammoth doesn’t budge. He doesn’t even acknowledge Hudson, as if he’s a fly buzzing around and not a six-foot man trying to shoulder his way back into the conversation. “Passing through?” James asks me.

“No, man. I grew up here and just moved back from Chicago.” The tension in my shoulders eases a bit more as the involuntary sigh escapes.

A dark look passes over James’ face at the mention of Chicago, making his features tighten even further. He gives me a curt nod. “Nice to meet you.” He walks away without another word. I look at Hudson, wondering what the hell just happened.

“Yeah, he’s always like that,” Hudson tells me. “He’s a great guy. You get used to it. You’ll see when we grab beers.”

“Sounds good.” A steady rhythm against a punching bag snags my attention off to our left. I look over and see a girl punching and dodging. She’s wearing a tank top and loose sweats. She’s obviously not here to impress anyone like some of the women I saw here earlier. Or like the girl following James around right now. This girl is focused solely on her bag and her punches are precise and efficient. A light layer of sweat shines on her creamy skin.

“She’s not one you want to mess with,” Hudson says.

“Do you know her?” My question comes out as a demand when I look back toward her, unable to break my gaze.

“Yeah. Savannah. She takes a lot of classes here. Cool girl.” Hudson shrugs nonchalantly.

“Savannah,” I whisper. She’s stunning with a strong and enticing body. Even through the loose sweats hanging on her narrow hips, I can tell she has a luscious ass. Her dark hair is pulled into a ponytail. I can’t take my eyes off of her. She looks up at me as if she can hear the dirty thoughts scrolling through my mind. Her eyes are a bright and vivid green with an intense gaze. She stares back at me for a fraction of a second before her gaze slips away and slides around the room as if she’s looking for someone. She’s lightly holding the bag with one wrapped hand. When her gaze falls on Hudson, she gives a nod of acknowledgement to him before she continues punching the bag.

“I think you’re drooling,” Hudson tells me, laughing and shoving my shoulder. “I think most guys here have tried to ask her out. She’s turned every single one of them down. James keeps pretty much every guy away from her now.”

“Are they together?” A strange, jealous feeling swirls through my gut.

“Nah, they’re just good friends.”

I still can’t take my eyes off Savannah. She pauses the punching again, holding the bag away from her body. She’s breathing heavily now. Her small chest rising rapidly. She scans the room again until her eyes meet mine. We watch each other for a beat until James comes up to her, hugging her briefly before completely blocking my view of her. He glances over his shoulder, and turns back to tell her something.

I think Hudson may be wrong. Maybe they’re secretly together. I’m not going to mess with something like that. I turn back to Hudson. “Text me later about tonight.” I walk past him to gather the rest of my things and leave. When I approach the door, I turn to look at Savannah one more time. She is easily the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.

Savannah is back to punching with a determined look on her face. Right before I turn to leave, her gaze locks on mine. She gives me a smirk and goes back to the bag.