all of these years. And as I found him yelling at a new fighter, in the thick zip-up sweater he always wore, I couldn't help but laugh. I couldn't imagine Uncle Mack doing anything else.
I snuck up behind him and as I put my hand on his shoulder, he reached up and patted my hand without taking his eyes off his fighter, as if he had been expecting me.
"It's about time you came to visit, Becca," he said gruffly.
"I was in the neighborhood so I figured I would stop in."
Uncle Mack turned and tilted his head at me in a similar way to how Cinder looked at me when she was confused.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
"Everything's fine." I said with a shrug, but slowly my nose scrunched.
Mack shook his head in disbelief, then snorted. "I know bullshit when I hear it, Becca. Remember, you and me…we go way back. I know I didn't raise you, but I sure as hell know you just as well as your parents did. And I can tell when something's troubling you."
I tried to clear my face of any expression. I didn't want to talk to Uncle Mack about what was on my mind.
"I really can't talk about it. And trust me, you don't want to hear about it."
"I don't need to hear about it, I can see what this is about. It's about a boy, isn't it?"
"A boy? I know you're my uncle, but please don't talk to me like I'm twelve."
"Fine," he said gruffly. "When you're ready to talk about it, I'm all ears."
I knew he meant every word he said, but I couldn't imagine talking to him about Gideon and my friends with benefits relationship. It felt too much like I was talking to Uncle Mack about sex, which was just weird.
"Thanks, but it's really no big deal. I'll be fine."
"Well, Becca," he said. "I'll tell you right now if there's one piece of advice I can give you about men, it's that we always think with our dicks. Look around this gym. You're surrounded by nothing but testosterone; this is the language I speak. None of us here are any different. We're men, if we see something or someone we want, we go after it. We don't pussyfoot around, especially not when it means something to us. It's when we care about what we want that things change and the power shifts from our dicks to a little more north." He patted his chest with a gentle smile. "I don't know what's going on with you, sweetie, but whoever he is, he's a lucky man if you're spending time with him. I know my niece doesn't waste time with just anyone. If he's worth his salt, he'll tell you exactly what you mean to him."
Uncle Mack’s words sank deep. They were exactly what I needed to hear. I hugged him tight as he patted my back with a smile.
"Thank you for that," I said. "That was exactly what I needed to hear."
"That's what I do. If you ask any of these guys, they'll tell you I give the best advice out there, both in and out of the ring." He chuckled as he wiped at his watery eyes.
I gave him another quick hug and a kiss on his cheek before I left the gym. Gideon and I never had that talk on New Year's Eve, and it was time that we did that. Uncle Mack was right, Gideon told me months ago that he loved me. I knew how he felt, I knew he meant what he said, but I wasn't ready to hear it then so I convinced myself it wasn't real. If we weren't together now, even just as friends, I only had myself to blame.
As I stood outside, I pulled out my phone and texted the man I fell in love with months ago, the man I fell for before I even realized I loved him. I'd do anything to get him back.
Becca: I miss my friend.
Chapter Seventeen
Gideon
The conference room was a fishbowl. Behind me, the windows looked down upon downtown Canyon Cove. The rest of the glass surrounding us showed off a swanky corporate office. Had you told me four months ago I'd be sitting there, I would've told you you were fucking out of your mind.
Mason Abernathy paced the room as he told the shareholders about me. Every so often, I'd catch one of the old farts glance towards me. They didn't want me there. I wasn't
I snuck up behind him and as I put my hand on his shoulder, he reached up and patted my hand without taking his eyes off his fighter, as if he had been expecting me.
"It's about time you came to visit, Becca," he said gruffly.
"I was in the neighborhood so I figured I would stop in."
Uncle Mack turned and tilted his head at me in a similar way to how Cinder looked at me when she was confused.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
"Everything's fine." I said with a shrug, but slowly my nose scrunched.
Mack shook his head in disbelief, then snorted. "I know bullshit when I hear it, Becca. Remember, you and me…we go way back. I know I didn't raise you, but I sure as hell know you just as well as your parents did. And I can tell when something's troubling you."
I tried to clear my face of any expression. I didn't want to talk to Uncle Mack about what was on my mind.
"I really can't talk about it. And trust me, you don't want to hear about it."
"I don't need to hear about it, I can see what this is about. It's about a boy, isn't it?"
"A boy? I know you're my uncle, but please don't talk to me like I'm twelve."
"Fine," he said gruffly. "When you're ready to talk about it, I'm all ears."
I knew he meant every word he said, but I couldn't imagine talking to him about Gideon and my friends with benefits relationship. It felt too much like I was talking to Uncle Mack about sex, which was just weird.
"Thanks, but it's really no big deal. I'll be fine."
"Well, Becca," he said. "I'll tell you right now if there's one piece of advice I can give you about men, it's that we always think with our dicks. Look around this gym. You're surrounded by nothing but testosterone; this is the language I speak. None of us here are any different. We're men, if we see something or someone we want, we go after it. We don't pussyfoot around, especially not when it means something to us. It's when we care about what we want that things change and the power shifts from our dicks to a little more north." He patted his chest with a gentle smile. "I don't know what's going on with you, sweetie, but whoever he is, he's a lucky man if you're spending time with him. I know my niece doesn't waste time with just anyone. If he's worth his salt, he'll tell you exactly what you mean to him."
Uncle Mack’s words sank deep. They were exactly what I needed to hear. I hugged him tight as he patted my back with a smile.
"Thank you for that," I said. "That was exactly what I needed to hear."
"That's what I do. If you ask any of these guys, they'll tell you I give the best advice out there, both in and out of the ring." He chuckled as he wiped at his watery eyes.
I gave him another quick hug and a kiss on his cheek before I left the gym. Gideon and I never had that talk on New Year's Eve, and it was time that we did that. Uncle Mack was right, Gideon told me months ago that he loved me. I knew how he felt, I knew he meant what he said, but I wasn't ready to hear it then so I convinced myself it wasn't real. If we weren't together now, even just as friends, I only had myself to blame.
As I stood outside, I pulled out my phone and texted the man I fell in love with months ago, the man I fell for before I even realized I loved him. I'd do anything to get him back.
Becca: I miss my friend.
Chapter Seventeen
Gideon
The conference room was a fishbowl. Behind me, the windows looked down upon downtown Canyon Cove. The rest of the glass surrounding us showed off a swanky corporate office. Had you told me four months ago I'd be sitting there, I would've told you you were fucking out of your mind.
Mason Abernathy paced the room as he told the shareholders about me. Every so often, I'd catch one of the old farts glance towards me. They didn't want me there. I wasn't
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