But when I hugged him tightly, I heard a heavy intake of breath and stepped back, my face paling as I saw the pain etched on his face.
“What is it? What happened?”
He shot me a sardonic smile, playing off how badly he was injured. “Just a little damaged from the last fight.”
“A little? You look like you can barely move!”
“Nah, just a little bruising.”
My dad and brothers exchanged a look that was filled with so many heated questions, but now wasn’t the time to grill him. I’d have time for that later.
“Well, it’s good to see you.” Stepping back, I pulled Wes closer, even though he rolled his eyes at me. “Guys, this is Wes. He’s staying with us. Wes, this is my dad and my brothers, Todd, Adam, Sam, Doug, and Matt.”
I was so excited that I had already forgotten about the food. And then I spun, slapping Parker across the chest when I realized what he had done. “You set this up!”
“Well, of course I did. I told you I would take care of you,” he grinned.
“Yeah, but…” My lip quivered as I stared at the man who so lovingly took care of my every need. “Stupid hormones,” I muttered.
He laughed, tugging me closer and pressing a kiss to the side of my head. “Good surprise?”
“Well, I won’t be shoving you through a window anytime soon.”
27
MICHAEL
“Have you told her yet?”I asked Sam as I handed him a beer.
Glancing over at his sister, he shook his head. “No. Haven’t even told the rest of them.”
His eyes drifted in the distance, and I knew all too well what he was doing.
Contemplating his future. With the latest blow he’d taken in the ring, it was get out and still have a life or continue in the life he was living and risk losing the use of his arm. He’d injured himself one too many times, and the last time was the end of his career.
Even if he continued in the ring, he’d never be at full strength, which put him in an even more dangerous position.
“Hey, you’ll like it out here.”
“Yeah,” he nodded, but I could tell his heart wasn’t in it yet. He needed time to recover, and there was no better place than out in the middle of nowhere.
“Any idea what you’re gonna do?”
He shrugged, the dispassionate look on his face all too revealing. “I have my winnings to fall back on for a while, at least until I figure out what’s next.”
“You could always join me at the sheriff’s department,” I grinned.
Huffing out a laugh, it was the first time I’d seen anything close to a smile on his face. “Yeah, that’s not exactly my line of work.”
“Well, we’ll be moved out in a few days, and then you get the tiny house, but I have to warn you, people around here tend to move the damn thing wherever they want.”
“I’ll just bolt it down.”
I chuckled, raising the beer bottle to my lips. “Good luck with that. We bolted it down at Mav’s. Ten bucks it’s gone when we get back.”
“Michael,” Ma said, bustling over to me with a crockpot in her hands that I instantly grabbed, taking the burden from her. “Thank you. Has Blake eaten today?”
I snorted in amusement. “What hasn’t she eaten? Why?”
