“Mia, you’re going to be at Chance’s fight, right?” Matthew asks and Mia and I exchange a puzzled look. It’s been two months since I won my last fight. With one glance of her there, in my corner, all the pieces of my heart were instantly put back together.

I would have done anything she asked of me, including stepping through those ropes and walking the fuck away from the biggest fight of my career. But she didn’t ask me to walk away, instead she asked me to kick his ass. I did exactly that, knocking him out in the fourth round.

I went in as the favored winner, but within the first round of my lackluster performance, I’d quickly become the underdog. My comeback had become news across the world. Some cynics cited it as a publicity stunt, to bring more hype to my next fight, but I don’t give a fuck what they say because everyone who matters to me is sitting here, at my dining room table, enjoying a meal cooked by my beautiful girlfriend and I. Yep, she’s been teaching me to cook and each Sunday we host a dinner for family.

That word has new meaning for Mia and based on the smile that has graced her beautiful face as of late, she’s come to define it the same way I have. I wish it were different for her, I’d give just about anything to see her reunited with Audrey, the one before the selfishness of addiction claimed her, but sometimes people can only save themselves. Audrey is one of those people.

Mia told me a few weeks ago that she’s come to realize, sometimes the family you fight for isn’t the one you were meant to have. As I glance around the table at Vic, Milton, Smith, Martha, Francis, Mia, and the boys, I couldn’t agree more.

My gaze lands on Mia, realizing she still hasn’t answered Matthew’s question. We hadn’t talked about her not being there. I thought it was given. My next fight is in a month and training has been more aggressive this time around than any other. I followed Vic’s advice, hiring a team of experts to help with my career, but a new trainer wasn’t one of them. Vic is the best there is, but now that he’s no longer my manager, he seems to have more time to torture me.

Mia’s eyes dart around the table nervously when she feels the weight of everyone’s stare. Her delicate neck shifts in a hard swallow then her gaze lands on Martha, lingering a little longer than necessary. I shift my attention across the table, watching as Martha’s eyes soften with a reassuring smile.

“Aw, shit. Chance is going to get his ass beat if you don’t go!” Brandon says, breaking through the tension. Vic stifles his laugh, hardly containing his smile as his gaze drops to his plate. Smith smiles, used to it, but it’s Milton who breaks into a full-bellied laughter. He hasn’t been around long enough to understand the issue Mia and I have with Brandon’s sudden and often offensive outbursts. They’ve gotten better in the time he’s lived with me, but you never know what may come from that kid’s mouth.

Mia looks down to where Brandon sits next to her at the table, scolding him. When he looks up at her with those dark puppy dog eyes of his, the very one’s she’s admitted on more than one occasion she has a hard time resisting, I think she’s going to cave. She shakes her head, mumbling something to him sternly and I smile. Not working tonight, little man. He smiles apologetically, wrapping his hand around her arm while leaning into her with a hug and I fall a little deeper in love with her.

Brandon’s therapist has remarked on his opening up in recent weeks and I can’t help but to give Mia credit for that. The way she takes care of him—of us—is the epitome of real love. The kind of love society conditions us to believe women give. The kind we never received…until Mia, that is. She loves unconditionally, with her whole heart and in turn the boys are learning to trust. That’s something that is still a challenge for me, but Mia makes it easy. I was an idiot to ever question her loyalty and damn sure won’t do it again.

My eyes flick back to Mia and I clear my throat, not forgetting about the topic at hand. Her eyes lock on mine and she turns pink as a slow smile forms on her lips. “Don’t you have a response?” I ask, lifting my eyebrow, waiting.

“Well, given how your last fight was going when I got there, there is a probability that if I’m not there, Brandon could be right.” The entire table breaks into laughter and I smile good-naturedly, able to take the hassling.

“So I expect that you’ll be there?” I say and her eyes drop. What the fuck?

Mia hasn’t moved back in—she won’t. She lives in an apartment over Martha and Francis’ garage where she continues to pay rent rather than move back in here. She insisted on us dating first, wanting a traditional relationship over what she said was the very unconventional one we had before. Reluctantly, I’ve given her that. I told her I’d give her everything, but to consider missing my fight, that’s a hard line for me.

“We need to talk,” I say, my voice tight as I stand. Mia’s eyes dart around once more before slowly rising from her seat and following me into my office.

I turn, folding my arms over my chest as I lean against the edge of my desk. “Are you seriously considering missing my fight?” I ask, meeting her eyes. My breath catches, waiting, knowing I may not like the answer. Mia said it almost killed her to see me being beat that night, but I’ve repeatedly assured her it won’t be like that again.

“I don’t know,” she whispers, biting her lip.

“Mia, I’ll give you anything, you know that,” I say questionably and she nods. “I’ve allowed you to set the pace of our relationship, not saying anything when you insisted on living on your own, to dating when what I want is to move you in here and take care of you. For you to be the first person I see when I wake up and the last person I see before I go to sleep. I want all of that, but I’ve been giving you space to show that no matter what, I love and support you, but I need you in my corner in—”

“What if I don’t want that space anymore?” she interrupts softly, stepping toward me.

“I’d say I’ll race over to Martha’s right now, pack your shit and move you in before nightfall. I’ve done it before, you know I will.” I smirk.

She smiles. “What if I said it wouldn’t just be me. That moving me in would lead to moving someone else in too?”

I feel my smile fade, Audrey coming to mind. Unbeknownst to Mia, Smith is still working with the police to build the case against Paul and he keeps me informed of Audrey’s well-being. So, I know for a fact that she lives the majority of her life high.

“It’s not Audrey, Chance. I would never bring her poison around my family,” she adds, reading my mind, her tone hardening at the mention of her sister. “You know how deeply in love I am with you?” The soft melody of her voice returns. I smile, loving the sound of those words from her pretty mouth. She stops in front of me, her head tilting up as her caramel-colored eyes look into mine. My arms uncross and my hands find her slim hips.

“And you know how deeply I am in love with you,” I say, positioning her between my thighs and meaning every desperate word of it. I know I’m whipped. Smith, Vic and even Milton has gotten in on the fun to poke me about it, but I don’t care.

Mia and I spent some time in recovery mode after we returned from Las Vegas and after hearing the numerous sacrifices she’s made for her sister over the years, all while dealing with her own grief, I can positively say she’s one of the strongest, selfless people I have ever known. Letting me love her and her loving me in return has been more than I would’ve ever known to ask for before meeting her. So they can poke fun at me all day, but they’re all single and I have this beauty.

She presses her lips together in an adorable pout. “I wanted to do this in some cute way, but I only just found out and Matthew’s question sort of put me on the spot. I didn’t want to tell you in front of everyone, I wanted it to be our moment, but now I’m afraid I’m out of time and just have to say it without the element of surprise. You know what I mean?” she asks, blowing out a puff of wind with a laugh and I smile at her nervousness.

“I haven’t a clue what you mean. Why don’t you tell me?” I pull her closer, rubbing my hand up and down her back.

She looks up, her eyes meeting mine and I see the hesitation. “I’m pregnant,” she whispers and her gaze falls. My hands lift, framing her face, tilting it so I can see her

“Say it again,” I say softly, a lump forming in my throat.

“We got carried away. It happened before we even broke up and—”

“Say it again,” I cut her off, knowing exactly how this happened. I don’t need a sex education lesson. I’m going to be a father.

“I’m pregnant. I—” I cut her off again, this time with my lips in a hard kiss.

“You know what this means, right?” I mumble against her lips.

Breathless, she leans back and locks her eyes on me. “We’re going to have a baby?”

I grin. “We’re going to have a baby,” I repeat slowly, my grin widening, really liking the way that sounds.

“You’re going to be a daddy, Chance.” She wraps her arms around my waist, resting her head on my chest and I’m at a loss for words. I knew the moment I laid eyes on Mia that she was knock out. I just didn’t know she’d be responsible for delivering one to me.