The guy had good reflexes. But then, Noah expected that from a former UFC fighter.
A minute in and Zane hadn’t made a single offensive move.
“You gonna throw a punch?” Noah asked, arms up.
“When I need to.”
Noah jabbed again, followed by a low kick to the leg. Zane absorbed it, barely flinching before finally throwing his own jab-cross combo. Noah avoided the first hit, but the second caught him in the shoulder.
Pain flared through his body—and it was exactly what he needed.
He retaliated with a kick to Zane’s ribs that landed hard.
The two of them continued like that for another twenty minutes, each hit coming hard and fast. Noah put so much focus on the fight that everything else in his world blanked, and for the first time in days, he could breathe. It was the fresh fucking air that he needed.
By the time they finished, Noah had nothing left. The taste of blood tinged his tongue and exhaustion pulled at every limb.
Zane straightened, not looking tired at all. But then, he hadn’t spent an hour at the bag before the sparring match. He nodded. “That was good. Feel better?”
“Tired.”
“It’s when we’re tired that we stop focusing on the petty bullshit that doesn’t matter.” Zane tapped his shoulder. “Anytime you want another round, shout out.”
“Thanks. You’ve opened a good place here.”
“So far, it’s proven to be a good decision. We’ll see if it remains that way.” He pulled off his gloves and left the ring.
Noah had a quick shower before leaving the gym. He was almost back at his truck before he noticed Addie’s father’s car beside his.
He frowned. “Mark, what are you doing here?”
“I went to your house, but you weren’t there. A neighbor said you’ve been getting home late with a gym bag. This is the only gym in town.”
Jesus. He was like a detective. Either that, or his neighbors had big mouths. “Everything okay?”
“No.”
His muscles locked, panic hitting him square in the chest. “Is it Addie? Is she all right?”
For a moment, Mark was silent, taking Noah’s measure. “My daughter is a strong woman. Some people think that because she’s young, she doesn’t know what she wants, but they’re wrong. She’s always known. And she wants you, Noah.”
He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. “I need to work through some things first.”
“I know. That’s why I’m here. To tell you that I’ve been where you are. I had some shit to work through when I got out, and I had to decide whether I was going to work through it alone or with Diana.”
“How did you decide?”
“I didn’t. I just couldn’t stay away from her.”
“So she helped you heal?”
“I’ll never fully heal. What I went through, what a lot of people in the military go through, is nothing that can berecoveredfrom. But itissomething we can learn to live with. And I wanted to live with Diana…just like you want to live with my daughter.”
“Sir—”
“Take this.” He held out a piece of paper.
“What is it?”
