Page 20 of Boxer Next Door

Both of us turned to Lydia at her question. She was looking at me with a surprised expression.

“Yeah,” I said, shrugging. I glanced at the kid and decided they didn’t need to hear about my complicated childhood just yet. “I started learning with a neighbor of mine, but I really got into it in high school.”

She frowned, her eyes drifting down to look at Bryson. “I’m not sure if that’s something I want my son getting into, though. What if he got hurt?”

I turned to the kid, who was looking up at the two of us with a hopeful expression, first at me, then at Lydia.

“Um,” I started slowly. “You could always let him try? It’s not like I’m going to have him start punching people or getting punched, Lydia. I didn’t even get to do that until I was in my junior year in high school. I’m good at training, I’ve worked at a gym before, and I’m great with kids.”

Bryson’s hands pressed together in a pleading gesture and stared up at his mom, bouncing on his toes. I turned to her, waiting for her answer, too. Her reluctance was obvious on her face, and I couldn’t blame her. My parents had been surprised when they realized I was so into boxing, and it had been a year before they even found out about the neighbor who got me into it. He was always there for me, taking care of me on the occasions I got home to find the house empty.

But with the hopeful look her son was giving her, she caved in quickly.

“Fine,” she said. Then, she narrowed her eyes at me. “You better take good care of my son, Ken,” she warned.

“Definitely,” I said quickly.

Immediately, she was smiling again. “Oh, great! Would you like to come over for dinner, so the two of you can talk more? I’d like to hear more about it myself, too.”

I opened my mouth. You’re not supposed to be getting too close to her, I reminded myself. Dangerous territory, remember?

But what came out of my mouth was, “Sure, I’d love to!”

I couldn’t say no to her. Not with her looking at me like that, cheeks still flushed from her activity, her eyes dancing.

“Great,” she chirped, her smile widening.

Not at all, I thought, giving in with a sigh.

10

Lydia

What the hell am I doing?

At that moment, I was in my kitchen making dinner. Only, it wouldn’t just be Bryson and me, since I’d invited Ken to join us, and he’d said yes.

Fuck, I even used my son as an excuse! That made me feel very guilty.

Still, I was happy to have Ken in my house.

I’d felt a little worried when I had to leave him with Bryson. I couldn’t see them from where I stood as I cooked. But I could hear just fine, and they seemed to be having a lot of fun. Of course, Bryson kept talking about boxing like it was the coolest thing ever. I was worried about the lessons…

But a part of me did trust Ken to look after him, or I would have to put up a bigger fight, and I wouldn’t have caved so easily. Which meant I was already in a little too deep.

“All right, guys,” I called when the food was done and I was setting up the table. “The food is ready, get in here!”

There was a short silence, then the sound of little feet running into the kitchen. Instead of heading straight for the table, Bryson moved to the counter. He opened one of the drawers, where I kept the spoons, forks, and knives. As usual, he helped me set the table, while Ken stood to the side with this awkward look on his face.

“Do you need any…”

I waved the offer away with a small laugh. “No, you can just sit. Bryson and I do this all the time, but you’re the guest here. Isn’t that right, honey?”

Bryson nodded, his expression one of concentration as he set up the cutlery around the plates, putting a knife beside two plates and not his own. I kept an eye on him as he handled the knives. He wanted a little more responsibility, so I let him help, but even though the knives weren’t that sharp, accidents could happen.

We set the table quickly and sat down to eat. Bryson sat next to me, with Ken across from me.

“So, Ken,” I began. “Tell me a little more about how you got into boxing.”