But now I’m not so sure that it is.
Because it also fuckinghurtsto be back here with him.
Chapter 16: Mae
A few days later...
Maybe I should have canceled my date with the MMA fighter.
But if I had, that would mean my night with Cody—the hot, sweaty,absolutely not professionalnight back at his apartment—was something more than a lapse in judgment. And despite the way my cheeks are still flushed, my body still humming from the way he touched me, the way hebrokefor me, I can’t let myself believe that.
Cody is about to go on tour in the middle of a very public scandal. Thelastthing he needs is another headline, another complication—especially one that involves him sleeping with his publicist while waiting to find out if he’s about to become a father. It’s messy. Dangerous. The kind of thing I’ve spent years keeping my clientsoutof, not walking headfirst into myself.
Beyond that, there’s a reason Cody and I lost touch after high school.
Sure, I could blame it on the fact that, within months of leaving for college, my face was plastered across every major sports magazine, wrapped up in the whirlwind romance of America’s favorite up-and-coming quarterback, my pregnancy making the headlines even juicier. But deep down, I know there was more to it than that. My parents were a wedge—a divide that keptgrowing until it felt impossible to bridge the distance.
And Cody…he didn’t fight hard enough for me.
I shake off the thought before it can dig too deep, tucking it away for a future therapy session—or at the very least, a late-night wine-fueled rant to Sienna this weekend.
For now, I push open the door to the beautifully styled Southern restaurant, smoothing my hands over my dress as I step inside. Time to focus. I have a date to charm, one that Dexterinsistsis perfect for me. Axel, the MMA fighter.
And if, somewhere deep in my chest, I already know he won’t stand a chance against the ghost of Cody?
Well. That’s just something else I’ll deal with later.
"Hello, table for two under Delco," I say to the hostess at the front, who leads me towards a more private section of the restaurant near the back. As I approach, I see Axel andwhoa, he looks even better and more intimidating in person.
The handsome fighter stands up from his chair and leans in for a greeting kiss with a wide smirk across his face. Dark, but buzz cut hair cut close to his scalp and bright blue eyes. I can see the muscles bulging under the fabric of his shirt as he moves.
"Hi Mae, it’s so nice to finally meet you."
"You too," I respond, genuinely because this will be nice, different, and perhaps a distraction.
He pulls out my chair, and I sit as our server joins us.
“What can I get you two to drink?”
“I’ll take a glass of merlot,” I say with a smile as Dexter orders just a water.
“No drinking during the season.”
“That’s probably wise.”
He smiles with a nod, revealing perfectly white, straight teeth. For a fighter, he’s got the build, but I guess I was expecting him tobe a little more… banged up? I’m really not sure.
"You’re even more beautiful than Dexter let on," he says, grinning.
"Dexter talks too much." I laugh.
He shakes his head. "I don’t think he talked enough. Feel like he was holding out. Keeping his publicist as his secret."
I blush at his compliment, then quickly divert the conversation back to him.
“So, tell me, what’s it like doing MMA? How’d you get into it?”
“It’s wild at times. My dad put me in jiujitsu as a kid and it turns out I had this natural knack for fighting. It was a way to cope with getting picked on. Unbelievably, I used to be a scrawny kid.”
