She shrugs, moving around behind the back of the hospital bed and unlocking it before we wind back through the cold, hospital hallway. The entire way I’m reminded of how right McKenna might be. Maggie's still young and should be able to make this big decision on her own without my influence.
Without me telling her exactly how much I don’t want what we have to be pretend any longer.
Chapter 30 – Clay
Three weeks later…?
The past three weeks leading up to the tournament had been pure torture, and now that it’s Thursday, just two days away from the start, Dallas had finally given me a rare morning off from training. But that didn’t mean he’d let me rest completely. Of course, we still had to meet up at his farm so he could yell at me.
I woke early, at my usual time, kissing Maggie’s peaceful, sleeping face as she curled around her pillow tightly, still wrapped up in my bed.
Her pillow.At least, that's what it'd become since she's spent practically every night in bed with me this summer.
As much as I wanted to stay, wake her up with my face between her thighs, I headed out, driving over to Dallas’s place to talk.
Fighting in MMA isn’t just about physical strength; it’s about mindset—mental toughness, confidence, resilience, and emotional control. I’ve been training for years, fighting for almost as long, but it’s only in the last eight months that I’ve really locked in. I’ve dialed in on my nutrition, training, and exercise routines and cut out all the bull shit in my life. Now,everything is focused on the fight ahead.
“How are you feeling, Clay?” Dallas asks.
This morning, he's wearing just sweatpants and a white tank top, standing barefoot in the middle of his back yard while clutching a mug of coffee that says,Dove & the Valor,printed on the side. For a former marine and California boy, he’s embraced the country aesthetic these past fifteen years since moving to Texas.
“Good, strong, focused and ready.”
He nods, pleased with my response, just as Dove steps out of the house and into the yard. It’s only five in the morning, but the late July heat is already creeping in, thick and sweltering, with bugs buzzing around blissfully amongst the thick humidity.
“Dove, good to see you,” I greet her.
She walks over, still in her pajamas, wearing that signature smile of hers. Always one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever laid eyes on, I’ve never missed a chance to give Dallas hell about how the most famous—and frankly, one of the prettiest—women in town ended up with his gruff and broody self. But truth be told, they make a solid pair.
Dove’s rock star energy—sweet, wild, and full of life—balances perfectly with Dallas’s calm, restless, protective nature. He slips an arm around her waist and plants a kiss on her forehead, the two of them fitting together in that effortless way they always have.
“Will Maggie be at the tournament opener Saturday night?” she asks.
I nod. “The hospital gave her the whole weekend off.”
Dove smiles. “Well, I’m happy for you two. You’re two of the kindest people I know in town. Feel like in a way I got to watch you both grow up and I'm going to enjoy watching you grow together now.”
Dallas huffs as he shakes his head. “Maybe you’d have a real shot at something permanent if you told her how you feel. Doesn’t she leave for Houston in a week?”
I stretch my arms overhead, loosening up even though I know we’re not sparring this morning. Touching my toes, I shift side to side, feeling the familiar aches in my hips and back from another night of holding Maggie while I slept.
Worth it.
Always, worth it.
“She does. But I’m not saying anything yet. She’s graduating in a few months, and I want her to choose where she wants to work first without my influence.”
Dallas shakes his head, but before he can say anything, Dove playfully slaps his chest.
“I agree with Dallas that you should tell her but giving me the space to follow my dreams and make my own decisions was the best thing he ever did for me when we were younger. I get why you’re doing it, Clay, but make sure she knows you care. I’d hate for her to leave thinking you don’t.”
“She knows.”
“She knows in the context of her thinking you’re faking it,” Dallas shoots back.
“No, she knows I really care for her. We’ve spent pretty much every single night together this summer. We didn’t have to do that. That wasn’t a part of the agreement. Sheknowshow I feel.”
“You did that because you’re a horny bastard who was celibate for way too damn long.”
