Caprice acted all brave and mouthy, but she was too scared of what I would do or say to truly push me.So she’d stayed quiet and left Ali alone ever since.
Muting the television, Ali turned her body so she was reclining in the corner of the couch, giving me her full attention for this conversation.Tucking one leg beneath her, she put her other foot in my lap.Unconsciously, I skimmed my thumb over the top of her foot, up her leg, and circled her knee before retracing downward.“Okay.Is there a specific reason?”
Dropping my head back, I stared at her for a long moment, simply soaking in how beautiful she was before answering.“That road leads to disaster, daisy girl.”
“Why do you say that?”
“No matter how hard I work, practice, meditate, and convince myself I’m the one in control, there is going to come a time when I lose myself during a fight.Eventually, I’m going to do something I can’t come back from, and I don’t ever want to become that person.That man would be unworthy of you, Ali.”
Regret darkened her eyes.“You’ve always wanted to go into MMA, Sixx.If this is about what happened at that warehouse, please reconsider.You were incredible that night.If things had been different, if we had been there under any other circumstances?—”
“Ali, baby, stop.This has nothing to do with that.”I squeezed her leg, trying to reassure her.“No, that’s a lie.It has a little to do with it, but I was thinking about this before that night.That fight just reinforced my decision.There was a point when I didn’t know if I’d killed Gaviria or just knocked him out, and I had this moment of panic.I wanted him dead, but I didn’t want to be the one to end his life.Because I knew it would cause you distress.”
“I didn’t care if you killed him or not,” she said after a small pause.“My fear was that you would be the one in a body bag.Or in cuffs.You actually killing someone doesn’t bother me nearly as much as you are probably imagining it would.”
For a few minutes, we sat there in silence, simply looking at each other, letting the truth of her admission linger between us.I smiled, giving her knee another squeeze.“I still don’t want a career in fighting of any kind, babe.”
“What do you have in mind, then?”she asked, leaning forward so her head rested on the cushion, our noses only inches apart.
“After I become the youngest world BJJ champ” —she beamed at how confident I was— “I’m considering starting my own school.Specifically for neurodivergent students.It would be a nonprofit, available for kids and adults.We’d focus on touch aversion and even offer one-on-one classes for those who have sensory sensitivities to loud noises.”
Her eyes softened as she listened to me lay out the rough plan I’d been working on.I’d been researching nonprofits and taking notes, making lists of what I needed to do to get the ball rolling when it was finally time.
“I want to put together a business plan and approach Mestre with it.We would need certified teachers who are trained specifically for any special-needs students.It has to be fully inclusive or it won’t make the impact I’m hoping for.”
“God,” she whispered, her eyes glittering.“How did I get so lucky to fall in love with such an amazing man?”
“I’m the lucky one, Ali.”Stealing a kiss, I pulled back just enough to talk.“And I’ll still compete in any BJJ tournament that interests me.It will help with sponsorships for the school.I haven’t talked to Mom and Dad yet, but I’m hoping they won’t mind using their celebrity status to bring in funds and get attention for the nonprofit.”
She listened to me until I ran out of words, the two of us staying on the couch, absorbing all the new goals I’d set, the path I was going to place us on.Eventually, a small frown pulled at her brows.“What’s wrong, baby?”
“I’m trying to figure out the timeline for when we can get married now,” she said with a shrug.“We originally said once you were established in your career and I had college figured out.That wouldn’t have taken more than a few years.I was estimating by the time I turned twenty-one.Twenty-two, tops.This will set us back a few years because I think we should focus on getting as many kids into your school as possible.”
That damn itch didn’t start slow and build—it was a fucking inferno straight out of the gate.Needing Ali to stop speaking, I crushed my mouth against hers to shut her up the quickest way possible.Tangling my fingers in her hair, I pulled her head back, deepening the kiss until she was so breathless she couldn’t say another word.
Pulling back, I rolled my forehead against hers.“There is no timeline for when we get married.There never has been.When you tell me you’re ready, that’s when we fly to Vegas and exchange our vows.I don’t fucking care what’s going on around us.You say the word, and it all gets placed on pause.Making you happy.Keeping you safe.Spending my life with you.Those are the only goals that matter, Ali.Careers.College.This school.Those are all second to our relationship.”
“O-okay,” she breathed.
“Tell me you understand,” I commanded, kissing the tip of her nose.
“I understand.”
“That’s my good girl.”Pulling her head to my chest, I started playing with her hair.
“Sixx?”
“My daisy girl?”I hummed.
“I love you.”
“I love you back.”
Ali
Sixx—16
Ali—16
