Page 13 of Forever my Love

He’d grown up with parents who, after almost thirty years of marriage, still loved each other, and he knew that he didn’t want a relationship that was based solely on sex. Taking a full year to get to know Hailey, ease her into feeling comfortable about having a friendship first, had been important to him.

Now, it seemed, so was making sure she was comfortable physically around him.

He needed her to understand that, whatever happened between them, he wasn’t going to overpower her.

Honestly, he liked knowing that she could take care of herself, to stand up against any threat.

It was one of the things he found sexy in a woman, her ability to fight against any aggressor.

Maybe it was all the years of being bullied or because the main person who had bullied him had been a girl. Either way, every time she hit the punching bag, his feelings for her grew.

Whenever he saw her stand up for herself, his desire for her doubled.

When she talked about her past, he could see the pain and hurt. That had his emotions for her twisting as well. He wanted to protect her. It was as innate as his desire to protect his own family. He had spoken the truth. Hailey and her sister were protected by everyone in the small town.

They were a part of Pride now.

Just as he stepped out of the shower, his cell phone rang.

It was his manager, Aaron, and he answered the call as he wrapped a towel around his hips.

“Hey, Aaron.”

“Reece, buddy,” Aaron Hunt practically shouted.

The man was one of the best boxing managers on the West Coast. He’d been in the industry for over twenty years and had managed some of the best names to hold a title. The man was a household name to anyone who followed boxing.

The only problem with Aaron was that he always shouted. As if he’d spent one too many hours in a crowded arena and had lost control of his volume button.

“What’s up, Aaron?” Reece asked, reminding himself not to raise his own volume to match Aaron’s.

“Vegas, are you ready for your match?” Aaron asked.

“Sure am,” he answered with a smile. “I’ve been hitting the gym every day.” He sat on the bench and held his phone slightly away from his ear.

“Good, good. I’ve got everything arranged. You have a suite at the Aria. Your airline tickets are all set too. You should see all the details in your email.”

“Great.” He smiled as he thought about competing again.

It had been a little over a month since he’d stepped into the ring for an actual fight.

People weren’t all that interested in watching boxing during the holidays.

“Let me know if you need anything,” Aaron added.

“Will do.”

“See you there,” Aaron said, and then hung up.

That was another thing about Aaron. He was short and to the point, as if he had a million other things to do.

He got dressed and stepped out of the locker room. He decided to wait for Hailey to finish cleaning up. He knew she’d been enjoying the showers there, so it wasn’t surprising that he’d beat her out of the locker room.

He sat on a bench and sent his family a text message with his fight details.

His sister instantly replied with an invitation to dinner.

“Heard you and Hailey have been hanging. You should bring her to dinner next weekend before you head to Vegas.”

“Is Wyatt cooking?” he joked.

“No, I was going to make your favorite,” Hannah responded.

Reece frowned, remembering the last time his sister had cooked for him.

He loved Hannah. Really. Still, the last thing he wanted to do was to force Hailey to eat one of Hannah’s home-cooked meals.

It wasn’t that she was a terrible cook. Well, yes, she was a terrible cook.

Then Hailey stepped out of the dressing room, and he desperately wanted a dozen excuses to spend time with her. Even if that meant dinner with his sister.