by Emilia Finn
“Andi?”
I cough to clear the lump from my throat. “He’s okay. Healing up, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“Um, yeah… Ya know what?” I push my thumb against my eyeball to stave off the beginnings of a headache. “I actually don’t want to talk about Riley. He’s okay. He’s alive. Can we drop it for now?”
“Of course. Are you okay? Did you need something?”
“Just a friendly voice for a minute. I promised Marc I’d call you, but I’m only just getting to it now. I’m sorry. You sound busy, so maybe we’ll have to get a raincheck.”
“No! No raincheck. Come to the gym. We’re just hanging out.”
I open my eyes and study the glistening lake fifty feet away. We had so much fun in that freezing lake. So much passion. Way back when he still tolerated me. “The Rollin Gym?”
“Yes.” Like she’s cracked the door open again, the groaning and sounds of messing around come louder again. “I’m at the gym right now. Come here and see me, then we can hang out.”
“I don’t want to interrupt you–”
“I’ll see you in five minutes! Run like your ass is on fire.” The call clicks to silence, and pulling it from my ear, I smile. She hung up on me because she knew I’d argue.
Pushing my keys into the ignition, I pump the gas a little and start the car, and less than three minutes and one set of traffic lights later, I pull into a crowded gym parking lot and blow warm breath into my hands. The day is dropping degrees by the minute, to the point the sun is barely holding in there as gray clouds take over and threaten an eternal winter.
“Alright, Nacho. I probably should have mentioned you first, huh?” I’m not sure about the Rollers’ policy on farm animals in the gym, but just like at Lakeview, I vow to keep her in my bag and sneak her in. Pushing the car door open and slinging the satchel over my shoulder, I recoil at the heavy blast of cold air that stings my nose. Climbing out, I pat Nacho close and slam the car door closed.
Moving toward the front doors, I feel none of the nerves I used to feel coming here. I was a newb to the gym, but not a newb to all gyms, and despite my outer exuberance and the fact no one would dare accuse me of being insecure, meeting new people still makes me nervous. Especially a gym full of champion fighters and all the muscle that implies.
Stepping up to five champion fighters, and their sexy wives can be somewhat intimidating when you’re not one of them.
Distracted, I slide on icy concrete and push the snow off my hair to avoid frizz. “Woah.” I hold Nacho close and slow before I fall on my ass. The sounds of fists slamming on muscle bring a smile to my face, but the snow in my hair annoys me. Turning at the doorway, the breath explodes from my lungs when I slam against a heavy chest and fall backwards.
Nacho squeals as we fall. Instinctively, I throw my arms out to catch me, but I still slam to the frozen concrete and land on my tailbone and elbows. “Ah! Fuck.”
“Oh shit!” One of the fighters – Aiden Kincaid, I think – bounds forward and springs me back to my feet so fast, I get whiplash. Almost tugging my arm from the socket, then patting my jeans down, he holds my arm and squeezes too tight. “I’m so sorry, Andi. Jesus, I’m sorry. Are you hurt?”
“I think I broke my ass.” Groaning, I reach back with my spare hand and rub my tailbone. “And my ass is soaking wet. Dammit.” Well played, karma. Well friggin played. Threaten Riley with wet pants; fall on your ass.
Aiden Kincaid – it has to be Aiden, because I know Jimmy, and this sure as hell isn’t the world champion fighter, Bobby Kincaid – watches me through gray eyes and grinds a square jaw. He’s sorry, even a blind chick could see that, but he’s stronger than he gives himself credit for, because his squeezing hand is about to snap my arm.
“It’s okay. I’m steady now.” I pry my arm from his grasp, then rub it to get the blood flowing again. “Just…” I breathe through the throbbing in my ass. “Ow! Just give me a sec to catch my breath.” I drop a hand into my satchel and pat Nacho’s ears. Thankfully, I didn’t land on her. In fact, I think she landed on me.
Aiden doesn’t back up, and when a blonde bombshell steps out the front to find us standing huddled barely beneath the eaves, her smile turns to curiosity.
And mine turns up about thirty notches.
“Hey. What’s going on?”
“Your husband busted my ass, Tina. Like, smashed it good and proper. I won’t walk normally for weeks.”
It’s almost comical how wide his eyes flare. “What? No! She fell.” He turns. “Peaches, she fell.”
“Did you shove her over, Aiden Kincaid?”
“No! It was an accident.” He flounders, stammers, and waves his arms in a way that totally ruins whatever cool status he previously possessed.
Laughing, Tina takes my arm right where Aiden did, but much gentler and pulls me toward the door. “He’s a brute, Andi, but he means well.”
“I think I broke my tailbone,” I whisper. Because it really does hurt, and my moment of embarrassing the silent Kincaid has already washed away. “Somebody’s gotta get out there with a shovel.”
“Sorry.” Her blue eyes meet mine, genuine apology shining bright. “You’re right. Jimmy already shoveled once, but this crappy storm is coming in and ruining my day. Mac and Benny!” I jump when the boys in the blue boxing ring stop sparring and swing around to see who’s calling. I haven’t seen Benny in days, so seeing him now makes my heart swell.
Panting and sweaty, Mac rips the Velcro open on his left glove and ribs his palm over his thigh as though to massage away an ache. He’s a teen, on the younger end of teen, and yet, he’s taller than most boys his age and the way his hair hangs in his eyes gives him an air of danger. “Yeah, Mrs. Kincaid?”
“I need you both out front to shovel the path. Andi fell and busted her ass because it’s slippery.”
Of course, Benny hurdles the ropes and sprints forward like I’ve been set alight. “You okay, Aunt Andi?”
“Yeah, baby.” Stepping onto my toes, I pull him down and press a noisy kiss to his cheek. “Can you help Tina out and go shovel? I went splat outside, so it’s kinda dangerous. What if an old lady comes here to visit?”
“I got it.” He pulls me in and crushes me against his chest until the breath explodes from my lungs. He still wears heavy boxing gloves and has a sweaty chest. Despite the cold outside, he’s wearing only shorts now, having tossed his shirt and hoodie to the floor beside the ring. “I missed you yesterday. I thought you would come for dinner.”
“I’m sorry, honey. I got busy, but I’ll come over soon.” I step back when Nacho panics in my bag. Used to her now, Ben rolls his eyes and smirks.
But Tina’s eyes flare wide. “Umm…?”
“Sorry.” I open the bag and let Nacho poke her head out to say hello. “I didn’t stop at home to drop her off. I hope it’s okay I brought her in.”
“It’s fine.” She leans in and scratches little pink ears. “She’s welcome here, but maybe don’t let her on the mats. The guys are weird about respecting the mats.”
Laughing, I pull Nacho out of the bag and nestle her against my chest. “I won’t put her down. Scout’s honor.”
“Cool. Boys, go please.” As soon as they race each other toward the door, Tina turns and makes me think of a horror movie the way her eyes turn to fire. “You two! Get out here now.”
It takes me a moment to realize she’s not talking to me. Turning, I glance over my shoulder and catch sight of a couple teen girls with sheepish grins.
“I’m sure you have something better to do than watch those boys train.”
“We were strategizing, Mom.” Evie Kincaid is her mom’s bombshell twin, but where Tina’s blonde hair is straight, Evie owns tight curls. Even sweaty, even tied back so the ends dangle at the middle of her back, Evie’s hair is big and frames her face in a truly beautiful way.
“Strategizing? Girl, let me strategize how to beat your ass for looking at boys when you should be tra
ining for your fight. You wanna get your ass kicked next month?”
Evie laughs. A legitimate, arrogant, I’m-the-most-gangster-girl-I-know laugh fills her chest. “I don’t lose, Mom. You know this.”
“Really?” Tina’s brow pops with dare. “Wanna spar with me? I’ll show you what happens when you pay attention to Benny when you should be keeping your eyes to yourself.”
My ears perk up at the mention of my boy. “You got the hots for my nephew, Evie?”
“No! We were strategizing for my fight. You might think they’re dumb boys, but those dumb boys have real moves that Uncle Jack won’t teach me. So I watch Mac and Benny, then Bean and I spar and I kick her ass.”
“You kick my ass?” Bean – aka, Jimmy’s little girl – turns with a murderous glare. “You don’t kick my ass! I won the last fight!”
“And I won the last two before that.”
“I won the fight before that one!”
Evie might be fair – hair, eyes, skin – and her cousin the opposite – brown eyes, brown hair – but they’re equals in the arrogance and sass department. They’re both full of themselves and take after their uncles with the ‘I’m the best fighter in the world’ superiority. So to avoid a beatdown when my ass still hurts, I push Nacho forward until Evie takes her against her chest and snaps her mouth closed.
“Evie, Bean; meet Nacho. Nacho, meet next decade’s UFC champions, but they don’t get to be champions until they stop staring at boys when they should be training or studying. Boys are dumb; don’t stoop to their level.” I look into Evie’s eyes. “Nacho doesn’t much like men, so don’t pass her around. She’s not allowed on the mats, so don’t put her down. And she scares easily, so be gentle. She’s allowed to eat anything, but don’t be excessive. She already had a cupcake today, so shouldn’t be hungry.”
Bean’s wide eyes come back to mine. “We’re allowed to hold her?”
“Yep. I need you both on pig-sitting duties while I visit. Can I rely on you to be responsible?”
“Yes, Miss Andi.” Evie kisses Nacho’s nose. Wet, noisy kisses that make her mother gag. “We’ll take care of her, we swear.”
“Good. Thank you.” I take Tina’s hand and lead her away. “You’ve got so much trouble coming your way. Jesus, Tina. Your kid has the hots for Benny?”
She scoffs. “Don’t I know it? It’s a disaster. Aiden’s ready to rampage every time he catches the girls watching them. He’s ready to run over to Oz’s place and lay down the law; he doesn’t give a shit that Oz is the law. But I’m not even stopping him; I wanna beat Benny’s ass, too. They were all sneaking out last year, did you know that?”
“Benny?”
“Benny, Mac, and both the girls.” She leads me into the long hall that has locker rooms on each side. “Rumor has it Mac was the instigator there, but still, Benny’s the oldest and I almost beat him up.” Her eyes come to mine. “He’s a teenager, and I almost went to war and tore his face off.”
No longer smiling, my eyes narrow. “He’s mine, Tina. He’s a good boy, and I’m feeling kinda protective listening to your plans to beat on him.”
“Sorry.” She opens a double door and lets me step into the room. “It’s just a natural reflex. I was in a relationship way too young, and my baby is approaching that age. It’s giving me indigestion.” Looking up, she gestures toward the room full of men in black sweatpants and the gym’s purple insignia. I expect to find them sparring, or hitting bags, or… something. But what I see is Meg at the top of the class, in downward dog pose, while four of the five Roller champions groan and attempt to copy.
Four men, all more than two hundred pounds each, some more than others, bend and fold their bodies in ways I’m not sure they’ve ever tried before. Meg manages a perfect bend with impeccable form, while Bobby Kincaid attempts the same on the end – and whimpers from the stretch.
“Bring your feet closer to your hands, guys! We’re stretching, not presenting our asses and hoping to get knocked up.”
“It burns!” Jimmy balances on one hand and uses the other to shoot a rude finger toward a laughing Meg. Jimmy’s wife stretches right beside him, her pose as perfect as Meg’s, while Jon Hart – Bobby’s best friend – is on her other side, his face painfully red as he tears his hamstrings rather than admit it hurts.
“If it burns, you got the wrong hole, Jimmy. Stop being a sissy.”
Tina snorts ands draws the attention of the men in the room. Aiden follows us in, chuckling when Bobby falls on his face and grunts.
“I wanna do the kiddie pose again.” Bobby lies on his side and pulls his knees up. “I’m too old to learn shit now, Megan. I don’t wanna stretch, I wanna fight.”
“Yeah?” Slowly standing, she arches her back and lifts her hands above her head. “Imagine how much better you’ll fight when your legs kick higher? You could gain an extra foot or so of reach if you stopped being a little bitch and actually stretched your muscles out.”
Jon drops to his knees and presses his forehead to the floor. “Suck it, Peacock. You got told.”
“Shut up, Fart! Baby!” Bobby arches his neck and searches for his wife. “Where’s Kit? Kick his ass, baby.”
“She’s not in here, dumbass.” Jon grunts and turns to his back. “She’s working with the kids today. She’s not stupid enough to sign up for a torture class.”
“Torture.” Scoffing, Meg rolls her eyes and knocks Jimmy to the floor as she passes. “Swear to hell and back, we’re stretching, not scalping you. I’ve never in my life met a whinier bunch of badasses. Andi.” She stops in front of me and pulls me into a tight hug that sets off aches in my body. I might’ve hurt more than just my ass out front, because now my left thigh hurts, and my elbows ache and are starting to make me think they’re bleeding beneath my coat.
Stepping back, Meg holds me at arm’s reach and checks me out. “I missed the shit out of your pretty face. How are you?”
“I’m decent.” I look her up and down and take note of her tight sweats and massive boobs. “You’re looking pretty fresh for a brand-new mom. Marcus buy you new boobs already.”
“No! These are milk boobs. Aren’t they amazing?” She cups her boobs and grins while every man in the room makes himself busy not watching her fondle herself. “I was so mad at Marcus for knocking me up, I totally thought he’d ruined my boobs, but so far, so good. They’re better now than they’ve ever been, and I never have to wash dishes again.” Turning back to her class, she adds, “I’m disappointed in you sissies. Today’s class sucked – get better, do better, be better. We’ll be back tomorrow, so I wanna see you touch your toes.”
“Our toes?” Bobby’s disbelief turns to a silent yes ma’am as soon as Meg’s eyes narrow. “Okay. Yep. Okay.” He nods like a bobble head and avoids her gaze. “I’ll work on it.”
“Good. I’ll be back at the same time tomorrow, even if it’s storming. I wanna see improvement.”
The room clears of men in a heartbeat. Even Aiden skedaddles when his brothers do, which leaves just me and the girls and a bunch of mocking laughter as the guys flee for their lives.
“Wow.” I turn to look around the large room, the red mats on the floor, the yoga mats rolled tight and resting against the wall, and a boxing bag shaped like a human hanging from the beams above. “Did you get a job at the gym, Meg? Or were you yelling at them just for fun?”
“Just for fun, mostly.” Laughing, she takes my hand and drops to the mats so we’re sitting with terrible posture. “I’m bored at home, so I came in here to visit. It took me three seconds to notice how inflexible some of these guys were, so I called a meeting.”
“It was a bait and switch,” Izzy laughs. “She wanted a meeting. Said it was serious and it needed all the guys.”
“Which got them moving,” Tink adds. “Because when a woman says something’s up around here, the men jump.”
“I got them in here, told them what was up and announced we would work on our flexibility today.” Meg blows on her fingern
ails. “They had no clue what was coming for them. Bunch of inflexible wussies.”
“Alright.” Glancing toward the clock on the wall, Tink nods toward Tina and Izzy to not get comfortable. “We’ll let you and Meg catch up. Kit’s finishing her class now, so we’ve gotta organize some stuff. But we’ll be around.” Bending, she drops a kiss on my cheek. “Come out and find us if you wanna hang.”
“Alright.” I reach up and take Izzy’s hand when she offers. She squeezes it in hello and goodbye. “Oh, Iz, your daughter was watching Mac train. You better get onto that.”
Her face turns angry in an instant. “We’ve talked about that. Dammit, I’m gonna have to whoop her ass.”
“Atta girl. Show her who’s boss.” Laughing, I fall back onto the mats and lie down, because sitting hurts my tailbone. “Talk to me, Meg. How’ve you been?”
Following my lead, she lies on her back and turns her head to study my eyes. The sound of the door closing indicates the girls left, which leaves the room almost silent but for a soft strumming coming over the speaker system somewhere. “Not much is happening in my world. Chance is getting bigger, but he hardly sleeps. He’s a boobie man and helps keep me plump. Marcus is kinda annoyingly perfect.”
I laugh. “Perfect is annoying?”
“You betcha! He does everything, and he does it so well. He’s never tired or frazzled. He changes most of Chance’s diapers, and the one time I tried to clip Chance’s fingernails, I made him cry, so now Marcus does that, too.”
“You’re mad because your man is perfect.” Staring at the ceiling, I rest my hands on my belly and laugh. “You’re insane.”
“I’m not mad.” She pulls in a long breath and lets it out on a contented sigh. “I’m so happy, Andi. I’m really, truly happy in a way I’m not sure I’ve ever felt before. My divorce is final, my son is healthy and started smiling, and my man is the most attentive, sweetest, kindest, unselfish man I’ve ever known. And now that I can have sex again…” She shakes her head. “Woah.”
My chest bounces on silent laughter. “And to think, I was this close to bagging him before you.”