“Will they care if I’m sleeping here with you?”
He shrugs. “The Chief has his own private bedroom. Plus, what are they going to say to me? I’m sleeping with the chief’s daughter?” He winks, grabs my waist, and then pulls me in for another kiss.
Chapter 25 – Clay
Nash locks the weights back into their hooks as I move from spotting him, stepping around the bench. He sits up, sweat dripping from his forehead, but before he can catch his breath, I give him a playful nudge to scoot over.
“Move, old man.”?
I slide under the bar and effortlessly un-rack it, cranking out ten more chest presses in a row than he managed to perform. He chuckles from where he’s standing overhead, his eyes tracking my every movement with a mix of amusement and admiration.
“If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were training for something.”
I smirk, twisting the bar back into the clips and stand up. It wasn’t that I’d sworn Jovie to secrecy about my fighting, I’d never ask a married woman to lie to their husband, especially not one as good as Nash, I’d simply mentioned it might not be thebestidea to tell him about it considering the way we both knew he’d react. Jovie understood how my brother could be.
“My job requires me to stay in shape or it isn’t safe.”
He grunts and nods, taking the bench again for his next set. “So, it’s yourjobthat’s preventing Wylie and I from seeing you muchlately?”
Guess now’s the time to break the news to him.
Savannah’s wedding is this weekend, and I had planned to tell them about Maggie then. But it works to my advantage to address it now, so it won’t come as a complete shock later. I already mentioned to Wylie earlier this week that I was seeing someone and had secured a date, but I didn’t reveal who. I’m pretty sure Nash will run and tell him as soon as he leaves here anyway.
“No, that would be the time I've been spending with my new girlfriend.”Partially the truth.I have been spending most of my free time with Maggie outside of training and work.
Nash pauses the barbell midair causing the weights to wobble slightly over his chest. I step forward, guiding them into the hooks so they don’t drop.
“Geez old man, don’t scare me like that,” I joke.
He sits up, turning to face me, his expression serious now. “It’s been eight years since Savannah and you broke up. I haven’t heard you call anyone your girlfriend since. Seen you put your dick in almost everyone in this town but no one who has lasted more than a night. And then this last year, it seemed like you’d become a monk.”
I shake my head because he may be right, but it doesn't feel good to be reminded of how I poorly I reacted when Savannah left. “Well, she's not like anyone else.”
Nash raises a brow and wipes his forehead with the towel. “Who is it? Someone I know?”
“Maggie.”
His eyebrows bunch as he watches me. “Maggie Hollister? Like your boss’s daughter?”
I nudge him out of the way and take the bench again. “That’s the one.”
He watches me silently as I finish my last set. I can almost sense the judgment rolling off him, perhaps questioning the obvious age gap between us or considering how serious I could possibly be about her. But I don’t care.
The truth is, I’m not just pretending this relationship with Maggie to placate them—I genuinely like her. Ienjoyspending time with her. Yes, she's thoughtful, kind and gentle, but I've seen a side of her that she doesn't show to the rest of the townsfolks. She's funny, witty, intelligent and damn near the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.
But I know it can’t continue.
I know she’s leaving for school in just a few weeks, but when I’m with her, there’s no need to pretend. I want to touch her, tell her she’s beautiful, and spend every moment with her. It’s true—I can’t sleep without her beside me anymore. There’s no pretending on my part; this is all very real.
“Damn, well good for you,” Nash responds finally.
I rack the weights and sit up, “What? No snarky remark about how I’m practically her father’s age?”
He laughs and shakes his head. “I’mher father’s age. You might be older than her, but it’s not that weird. It kind of makes sense. Plus, I’ll leave the snarky comments to Wylie. I’m sure he’ll have plenty when he finds out about this.”
Now it’s my time to be confused. “How does it make sense that we’re together?”
“You’re both good people. Always looking out for others. That and you’ve fucked just about everyone your age in town, so I guess it makes sense you’d make a drastic leap to find someone you haven't already slept with.”
