Extreme Love
Page 24
He pulled back. “Think you can get used to waking up to this ugly mug every morning?”
Gazing up into his battered face, she smiled. “I think I can handle it.”
As long as she had him, she could handle anything.
Epilogue
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
Cait squealed and slapped her hands over her eyes. It didn’t matter how many times she watched, seeing Dante eat a fist never got any easier. She peeked through her fingers and relaxed. The punch hadn’t fazed him. He was still on his feet, defending his title for the first time.
After a long break, she’d been thrown back into his world. With another huge fight on the horizon, the interest in them as a couple had increased tenfold. Surprisingly, she’d found it wasn’t the horrible place she’d thought it would be.
The pride she felt for Dante as he interviewed and signed autographs surpassed any residual panic she still battled. But with each day, this became her world, too. Hell, she’d even been interviewed on occasion, letting the fans know the trials and tribulations of being an MMA star’s girlfriend, the weeks of barely seeing him as he trained hard. But she didn’t resent the time away from him. She spent those long weeks submerged in her program, which had taken off and spread throughout the South at record speed. Dante proudly stood in her corner and supported her dedication to helping others lose weight.
And she supported him, wanting him to achieve every goal he set out to win.
Loving Dante had taken her far outside her comfort zone, and she couldn’t be happier.
The bell dinged, signaling the end of round one. She fidgeted in her seat while Dante sat in his corner, Mike barking out orders. When the bell sounded again, he shot out of his chair and ended the fight with one punch. His poor opponent crumbled to the ground.
Cait jumped to her feet screaming and clapping. The octagon filled with people and when the announcer came to Dante’s side, her man took the mike from him. The announcer’s eyes widened but he didn’t protest.
“Caitlyn, come here.” Dante motioned for her to come forward.
She froze. She wasn’t supposed to enter the cage. Her place was right here, supporting him.
Mike, with a look of defeat, sighed. “Go on up, Cait.”
She glanced at him. Their relationship had gotten stronger; she now considered him like an uncle. “What’s going on?”
He rolled his eyes. “Just go.”
She hesitantly climbed the stairs and entered the ring. It felt so weird to be on this side of the action, among the flood of people, the cameras, the bright lights. She shuffled to Dante’s side and smiled shyly at the lens thrust in her face.
He took her hand. “I wanted to win this fight for you.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to do this.”
He bent on one knee and Cait’s eyes widened. Everything around them faded. Only Dante existed.
Mike appeared at their side and handed Dante a black velvet box.
“Caitlyn Moore, you are my life, my future, my love, and I want you in my corner always. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
As the fans screamed, he popped the box open to reveal a teardrop diamond ring with a white gold band. Cait pressed her free hand to her mouth, tears filling her eyes. “Yes.”
Dante slipped the ring on her finger and rose, taking her in a long kiss. As the cameras flashed and the crowd whistled, she smiled against his mouth and held him tight.
She’d slain her dragons and her reward was a lifetime of happiness with this man.
Her warrior. Her champion. Her love.
Acknowledgments
This book has been six years in the making and there are so many people to thank. Extreme Love was a very long road that started with me needing a catalyst for my own weight loss journey. There have been multiple revisions to this story, and each one has brought it closer and closer to the book it is today. I’m very proud of the book it has become, and I thank everyone that had even the smallest part in helping me create it.
First off, I want to thank Entangled Publishing and Liz Pelletier for believing in the story and truly getting it. Your excitement as we spoke on the phone means more to me than you will ever know. And thank you for the freaking hot cover! It screams Dante and I love it!
To Robin: You kicked my butt during edits, and I appreciate it. The ending is more than I could have ever imagined it to be now. Thank you for holding me accountable and making me dig deeper. I may have muttered a few curses and lost some hair in the process, but even at my most stressed, I knew you had the books best interest at heart, and you really helped me bring this book together. Deeply, I thank you.
To my publicists, Morgan and Babs: You guys rock! Thank you for being a kickass publicist team and helping me get Extreme Love out there into the world!
To my CP’s: Alison, Angie, Christina, Christyne, and Tina, I love you!
To all of writeromance: The support this group gives is like none other. You girls are seriously the best.
To JJ: Dude, you’re awesome. Thank you for being my special CP during this project. Yeah, I know you had to suffer through some “girly” scenes, but thank you for toughing it out. Your vast knowledge of MMA helped me bring the sport to life in the way I wanted.
To RHEK: Thank you for allowing me to come and sit in on some training sessions. I learned a lot by seeing things firsthand.
And as always, to Ophelia and Rupert: Mommy loves you.
About the Author
Abby Niles has always loved to read. After having twins and becoming a stay-at-home mom, she started doodling stories to keep her sanity. She didn’t plan for writing to become an obsession, but it did. Today, she juggles work, home life, and writing. It’s not always easy, but hey, who said life was easy?
When Abby’s not writing, you can find her playing ‘Just Dance’ with her kids or trying to catch up on her never-ending to-be-read list. She also loves Zumba, and refuses to admit she looks more like Animal doing his Muppet flail than a sensual Latin dancer.
www.abbynilesauthor.com