“Until you have to get back to the office,” I remind him.
“Ugh,” he huffs. “Until I have to get back to the office.”
“Unless you quit so you can train…” I trail off.
“Not gonna happen. That ship has sailed,” he responds.
I turn around to face him before I get a crick in my neck. “Or the ship’s just been gone on a long journey and finally returned to offer you a second chance.”
“I can’t!” he says with a scowl that I know is full of regret.
“At least talk to Macy or your dad about it while you’re home to see if they think it’s a crazy idea or not.”
“No way,” Xavier huffs, running his fingers through his black, tussled hair. “If I even mention me and fighting in the same sentence, my dad’s face will light up like it’s fucking Christmas, because he’s always wanted me and Macy to follow in his footsteps. And if I tell Macy, she’ll tell our parents, so no.”
“Well, there has to be someone you can talk to? Maybe a coach at Havoc?” I suggest. God, I wish the stubborn bastard would just admit he hates being in law and just go after what he knows in his heart he wants. Not to mention that if Xavier does quit his job to fight, there’s a chance he would move back home, maybe permanently to train with his family.
“You’re not gonna let this go, are you?” he asks me through narrowed eyes.
“Not after what you said last night about your dying wish. That’s what friends are for! And time is running out. It’s not too late now, but it could be soon since you’re not getting any younger. So why waste another day of your life doing something that doesn’t make you happy?”
His face finally softens, and he mutters, “Why do I let you boss me around when I’ve always been twice your size?”
“Because you love me and you know I’m always right,” I respond with a triumphant grin. Xavier is the most indecisive person I’ve ever met. He always needs a little push in the right direction.
“That’s unfortunately true,” he says with a chuckle. “Even though it’s really fucking annoying sometimes.”
“So? You’re going to give fighting a shot?” I ask, bracing my hands on his hard shoulders. Jeez, his skin is so warm and smooth.
“I’ll go to Havoc and try to talk to Coach Briggs. That’s all I’m agreeing to.”
“Fair enough,” I agree, knowing that once Xavier walks back into that gym he grew up in, he’ll know it’s what he still wants deep down inside. “You may as well take your tight little shorts and get in a workout while you’re there.”
“Maybe my tight shorts and I will.”
“Good,” I say, dropping my hands from his body.
“Great,” he replies. “I’ll head over there tomorrow since we’re going fishing today.”
“Only for a few hours. You could still go by the gym this afternoon,” I suggest.
“Fine.”
“Okay,” I say, happy to see he’s finally being so amenable to this dream of his today.
“You want to come with me?” he asks.
“Sure,” I agree. “Will Macy be there?”
“Probably so,” he tells me. “She practically lives at Havoc.”
“Then that’s even more reason for me to tag along. I haven’t seen your sister in a few weeks.”
“All right,” Xavier agrees. “Then we should probably get moving.”
“You’re the one holding us up, sleeping in until lunchtime and still needing a shower,” I remind him as my eyes lower to his chiseled chest and eight-pack of abs. He’s been keeping up with his training despite his desk job, that’s for sure. And damn his red sweatpants for blocking his lower body from view.
“Then you should probably move so I can get to the bathroom,” he replies.
“Oh yeah,” I say. “So there’s a bathroom down the hallway on your left or right. Feel free to use either.”
“Would you recommend the left or the right?” Xavier asks while making the correlating pectoral muscle jump.
“They’re both fully stocked,” I say while trying not to laugh at his hot body antics. “But the right has a shower radio.”
“Then right it is,” he agrees, bouncing that pec again.
“God, you’re ridiculous,” I tell him with a smile and shake of my head when I finally step out of his way.
Xavier
Cassidy is spoiling me.
She has all of my favorite toiletries in the bathroom, the cabinets and fridge are packed with all the foods I love, and we have barely seen each other in years. I’m surprised she still remembers it all.
But the truth is, I haven’t forgotten anything about her either.
The lake is calm and beautiful. Most of the poor local saps are at work or just starting back to school during the day, so it’s like Cass and I have mother nature all to ourselves.
“I miss this,” I tell her as I lean back in my seat, holding the fishing rod loosely in my hand. “Back home I don’t get out of the house or office much.”
“Long hours?” Cass asks.
“Yeah, a lot of overtime I wasn’t expecting.”
“That’s one of many benefits of owning your own business,” she says, tilting her face up to the sun. “I get to come and go whenever I want.”
“How many hours do you usually work a week?” I ask.
Cass shrugs a shoulder. “Like twenty-five or thirty? The rest of the time I’m outside testing the equipment.”
“Testing the equipment,” I repeat with a chuckle.
“How can I know what to recommend to customers unless I’ve personally tried every brand?”
“Must be nice. Who tries it out with you?” I ask curiously.
“Ah, Mike joins me if climbing is involved, but usually I’m on my own.”
“You hike, bike, and camp out on your own?” I say in disbelief.
“Well, sometimes my dad joins me. And Macy’s hiked with me a few times.”
“What if something happened to you when you’re alone in the middle of nowhere?”
“I always have my cell phone,” she says.
“Most national parks don’t have cell reception after you get deep enough into them. You, of all people, should know that,” I point out.
“They also have rangers patrolling.”
“Yeah, one or two rangers in thousands of acres. You would die before one of them found you!”
“Die of what?” she asks with a laugh.
“Anything? Everything?” I answer.
“I’m pretty tough,” Cass says. “I could last weeks out in the wilderness on my own.”
“Even so, you shouldn’t have to,” I mutter. “You need a partner.”
“A partner would be nice, but I’m not going to let my lack thereof to keep me from going.”
“I’ll go with you anywhere you want to go this week,” I tell her.
“Anywhere?” she asks with a grin.
“Anywhere. I’m pretty tough too.”