Chapter 11
Keaton
Coach Luis spent nearly two hours riding my ass for my lazy footwork. The worst part was that he wasn’t wrong. It was my first real day back training, and my focus had been shit from the second I walked through Titan’s doors.
Knowing Rowan would be visiting Florida soon was already messing with my head, and Devon being in the building made it worse. Every time someone walked past me, I expected it to be him. Whenever his office door opened, I checked it before I could stop myself. It was fucking exhausting.
After toweling off my damp hair, I grabbed my bag from the bench in the locker room and headed out.
Most of the afternoon class had already left, though a few guys still worked out near the cage while Derek helped a newer fighter with takedown entries.
Across the mat, Mason stood with his gloves tucked under one arm, talking to Enzo.
I was almost at the front desk when Devon stepped out of his office and spotted me.
“You got a minute?” he asked.
“Got a shift tonight.” Technically, that was true, even though I still had a couple of hours before I needed to be there. Mostly, I just didn’t feel like standing around making small talk with him. “Is it urgent, or can we talk tomorrow?”
He shrugged. “Just wanted to check in. It sounded like Luis was riding your ass all afternoon.”
I snorted. “What else is new?”
“Good point,” he said with a faint smile. “But I’ve got to make sure my fighters are okay, especially after coming back from a fight.”
I hitched my bag higher on my shoulder. “I’m fine.”
He studied me for another second, then nodded. “That’s all I wanted to hear.”
As he turned back toward his office, I continued to the front doors.
Before LA, we probably would’ve kept talking about training or whatever I was working on.
Instead, the conversation ended after a quick update.
We’d gone nearly two years since our split without a single issue coming up.
Devon had been my coach and someone I actually enjoyed being around.
And while I still wasn’t happy about him kissing me, it sucked that things had gotten awkward between us, especially when it was pulling my focus from where it needed to be: on my career.
My phone buzzed with an incoming message as I walked toward my car:
Rowan
You still at the gym?
A smile pulled at my mouth before I could stop it.
Leaving now
Wanna grab some food before you go to work?
Is that even a real question? You know I always want to eat after a workout
Burgers?
Hell yeah!
Rowan was already waiting outside the burger place when I pulled into the parking lot twenty minutes later. The second I parked, he climbed off his bike and made his way over to me. He was wearing a hoodie that looked familiar.
“You stole that,” I accused as I got out of my car.
He glanced down at the hoodie, then back at me. “I borrowed it.”
“Taking it without my knowledge isn’t how borrowing works.” I chuckled.
“It is if I look better in it.”
My eyes raked over him. “Can’t argue with that.”
His mouth curved as he reached over, squeezed the back of my neck, then pulled me in for a brief kiss.
Public affection still caught me off guard sometimes.
Not because he made it weird or because I wanted him to stop, but because I’d never really been in a place where I could act on my feelings.
Rowan hadn’t either, but somehow he’d adjusted faster than I had.
We headed inside and grabbed a booth near the back.
The place smelled of grilled onions and fries.
A Sacramento Kings game played on the TVs mounted above the bar.
We were down by six in the second quarter, which wasn’t exactly shocking, but I still found myself watching the screen as we slid into the booth.
Rowan followed my gaze. “Basketball was the one sport I could get you to watch. Too bad I never played.”
I leaned back against the seat. “It was one of the sports I could play by myself that didn’t require expensive equipment.”
The day we’d met, I’d just finished shooting some hoops. I didn’t have any friends that lived nearby, so whenever things got bad at home, I’d grab the basketball and go outside.
A server stopped by to take our drink order, and after she walked away, Rowan settled back into the booth, looking more relaxed than he had since we got back from LA. “So, is Mason still acting weird?” he asked.
I hadn’t told him about my conversation with Mason yet. It felt like something better talked about in private, rather than during Rowan’s stop at Titan earlier.
“About that, I learned something new about him.”
He sat up straighter. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. He told me he’s gay.”
Rowan blinked. “No shit?”
“Yep, but he’s not ready for anyone other than us to know yet.”
“I won’t say anything,” he agreed. “But I would never have guessed.”
“That makes two of us.”
The server returned with our drinks, and after telling her we still needed a minute, Rowan asked me, “How’d Mason come out to you?”
I gave him the whole rundown about coming home from work to find Mason still awake and about how I’d finally asked whether he had a problem with us. Then I told Rowan about the question Mason had asked that changed the entire conversation.
“What made you stop hiding it?”
“He sounded nervous,” I explained. “I’d never heard him like that.”
“Yeah.” Rowan took a sip of his soda. “I definitely get that.”
“So do I.” I unwrapped my straw and stuck it in my drink. “I think he’s lonely.”
“He hides it well.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s not.”
The waitress returned to take our order, and afterward the conversation drifted into more casual territory.
It felt normal, and I was starting to realize how badly I’d wanted that with him.
Not only the big emotional moments or the sex, but enjoying dinner after the gym, hearing him laugh at something dumb I said, and looking across a booth without checking who was watching before I reached for him.
It was the relationship stuff I used to think only happened for other people.
As we ate, my phone buzzed on the table, and I groaned when I saw my mother’s name flash on the screen.
“Everything okay?” Rowan asked.
I read the message before responding. “I guess. My mom and my aunt are in Sacramento, and she wants to see me.”
“When was the last time you talked to her?”
I shrugged. “At least six months ago. She only reaches out when she needs something.”
He reached for a fry. “You want to call her back?”
“Nah. She’ll send another message if it’s important.”
When our food was almost gone, he blew out a long breath and wiped his hands on a napkin. “So, I decided to go to Florida next week.”
My stomach tightened immediately, even though I’d known he’d eventually make plans to go. “Okay.”
His eyes searched mine. “I want you to come with me.”
“I can’t—”
“I know you don’t want to move there,” he explained. “But I still want you to see where I might end up. I also value your opinion.”
I’d done my best to be encouraging about this new opportunity he’d earned, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have my doubts.
We’d just gotten back to each other after four years apart, and I hated the idea of him leaving again.
A big part of me was terrified the distance would ruin things, and now I was supposed to play the supportive boyfriend when all I could think about was him moving away.
Still, I couldn’t disappoint him. “I’ll probably need to switch shifts with someone.”
“That sounds like a yes.”
“It’s more of an ‘I’ll see what I can do’ kind of answer.”
A smile tugged at his mouth. “You do that.”
After dinner, Rowan followed me to the bar for my shift. Weeknights were usually slower, which meant I could actually talk to him between customers instead of sprinting nonstop from one end of the bar to the other. He claimed a stool near the corner where he could watch me work.
“You want something to drink?” I asked as I tied on my apron.
He rested his elbows on the bar. “Depends. What’s the bartender’s recommendation tonight?”
“Something simple.” I winked.
“I’ll take whatever IPA you have on tap that you think I’ll like.”
For the next hour, I went about my work. I took orders, made drinks, and talked shit with my regulars. Every time I looked up, Rowan was there, watching me. Not in a creepy, possessive way, but in a way that said just being in each other’s presence was enough.
At one point, a woman with glossy dark hair and a smile that’d probably worked on plenty of guys leaned over the bar as I made her drink.
“So,” she cooed, dragging out the word as her eyes swept over me. “Are you always here on Wednesdays?”
I set her cocktail on a napkin in front of her. “Depends on who’s asking.”
She smiled. “A woman who likes knowing when she might enjoy some eye candy with her drink.”
I leaned one forearm on the bar, gave her the grin that usually got me better tips, and glanced toward Rowan. “The bartender’s taken.”
Her eyes followed mine, and Rowan tipped his glass in her direction.
“Oh. Good for him.”
His mouth twitched as he brought the glass to his lips before the woman laughed, dropped a few bills into the tip jar, and walked back toward her table.
When I made my way to him a minute later, he lifted a brow. “The bartender’s taken?”
“You’d probably prefer that I wear a shirt that says property of Rowan Cross.”
“You joke, but I would absolutely buy one for you to wear.”
I laughed and took a quick swig of his beer.
“Pretty sure that’s illegal.”
“You’re drinking for free, so I don’t think you can really complain.”
As the night went on, customers came and went. Then out of nowhere, I heard a familiar laugh.
Rowan must’ve noticed the panic on my face because he asked, “What’s wrong?”
I jerked my head toward the entrance where my mom had just walked in with a man I didn’t recognize at her side. Aunt Carla trailed behind them, carrying shopping bags.
Rowan twisted in his seat. “Guess she didn’t want to wait for you to call her back. Who’s that guy with her?”
I shrugged. “No idea.”
“Keaton!” Mom waved the second she spotted me behind the bar.
Every part of me wanted to disappear into the stockroom. Instead, I forced a smile. “Hey, Mom.”
They reached the bar a second later, and Aunt Carla gave me a distracted hello while typing something on her phone. “Look at you.” Mom beamed, but there was a hint of judgment in her eyes. “This is definitely a step up from Sal’s Pizza.”
“Gee, thanks.”
She laughed as if I’d said something funny, then motioned toward the man beside her. “This is Dave.”
He immediately stuck out his hand and shook mine. “Nice to meet you.” He glanced around the bar. “So is this your full-time gig?”
The question came across as condescending as hell, and it showed that my mother likely hadn’t told him a thing about me before introducing us.
“Nah.” I tossed the towel over my shoulder. “I fight too.”
He blinked. “Like professionally?”
“Yep.”
“Huh.” He looked at my mother. “You never mentioned that.”
She waved a dismissive hand through the air. “I just knew he worked at this bar. He never told me about fighting.”
I almost laughed at that. Of course, I hadn’t told her. Since she moved away, she’d never made an effort to ask me about what was going on in my life. She had no idea I spent most of my days training, no clue I’d signed with Elevate, and probably couldn’t answer a single question about me.
“Bartending pays the bills,” I said evenly. “Fighting’s my career.”
Mom shrugged, then looked at Rowan, and her brows drew together. “Wait. I know you.”
Rowan nodded. “I’m Rowan Cross.”
Recognition seemed to click instantly. “From next door.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“He’s my boyfriend,” I announced, not wanting to reduce him to someone from our past.
My mother blinked. “Oh.” That was it. One word, no shock, no questions. Without further comment, she moved on to the reason for her visit. “Well, you’re not the only one who found someone.” She held up her left hand, and a diamond ring glittered under the bar lights. “Dave and I are engaged.”
“Wow.” The word came out flat, but I couldn’t fake being happy for someone who didn’t even try to act like a mom to me. “When did that happen?”
“A few months ago. We’re planning on getting married soon.”
It wasn’t surprising that I was only learning this now, despite how long she’d been engaged. She’d always waited until the last minute to tell me anything important, if she even told me at all.
“Congratulations,” I forced out.
“Thank you.” She reached across the bar and squeezed my hand. “I knew you’d be happy for me.”
Happy wasn’t the word I’d have used, but being honest wasn’t worth the argument it’d likely cause.
All three of them ordered a drink. Carla continued looking at her phone, while Dave enjoyed his beer, and my mother launched into details about venues and outdoor ceremonies as if she hadn’t just dropped the wedding news on me out of the blue.
“We found a beautiful place outside of Napa. It’s expensive, but Dave here”—she placed her hand on his chest—“agreed the location was perfect.”
He gave me a rueful smile. “Weddings are apparently a great way to go broke.”
“Which actually reminds me.” Mom brightened as she looked at me again. “I wanted to ask if you would be willing to bartend the reception for us? Now that we’re spending more money on the venue, hiring a professional bartender is a bit outside our budget, and you know what you’re doing.”
I searched her face for any sign she was joking. “You want me to work your wedding?”
“Just for a couple of hours,” she replied like she didn’t understand why that was a shitty thing to ask.
Rowan’s eyes met mine as if he were checking whether I was still holding it together, but I was fine. For now.
“Send me the info, and I’ll see what I can do,” I said, knowing nothing good could come from calling her out at my workplace. I’d just make sure I had “plans” when she sent me the date.
Eventually, after enough hints from Aunt Carla about how late it was getting, they left.
“You okay?” Rowan asked as soon as the door shut behind them.
I snorted. “She came here because she needed something. That’s it.
She barely reacted when I told her about us.
She brushed off my career, introduced me to her fiancé like I’m some random bartender, then asked me to work her wedding.
” I rubbed a hand across my jaw. “I don’t know why I expect things to be different any time I talk to her. ”
He reached across the bar, gently catching my wrist. “Because she’s your mom. No matter how many times she lets you down, some part of you is always going to hope this time will be different.”
I looked down at his hand wrapped around mine. “I guess hoping she’s going to change is a hard habit to break.”