Page 9

T he crowd was so damn loud. Chipper couldn’t focus on that, or the nerves would set in. Instead, he let Baylor rule his mind. He fought a smile so he didn’t look like an idiot sitting there smiling like a crazy person. Things had been damn good since Chipper chased him from Bandit’s place. He hadn’t left Chipper’s house or bed. It was like they silently agreed Baylor lived there now. Baylor had started his treatment and passed an ass-ton of work to Sacha. Thankfully, he also hired two additional people so Sacha wouldn’t drown. His one-man operation had quickly become a company supporting employees. Chipper would gladly help pay a few salaries if Baylor would stay home. There was a lot Baylor could still do without personally showing up at every venue. In fact, the only venue he had visited in the past few weeks had been the one they were renting for Eric’s birthday. That was fine since it wasn’t far, and Chipper got to go along. He knew he would have to let Baylor out of his sight eventually. Maverick was right, though. Chipper had some PTSD from the way his mom died.

“It’s time.” Maverick looked serious.

“Is Bay here?”

Maverick gave him a sharp nod. “Right up front. He’s with Zander.”

That was all Chipper needed to hear. With a quick nod, Chipper’s jaw set. He fell into work mode. His mind emptied as he went through final inspections. People chanted his name. All Chipper saw was Baylor. He held Chipper’s stare, looking completely confident. At the cue, Chipper headed inside the cage. At the last second, he looked Baylor’s way again and winked. Baylor’s smile made everything feel lighter.

He listened to the rules. There weren’t many. He stared down the man who wanted this every bit as badly as Chipper did. Chipper got it. He had once been the guy determined to snag the title. There was one thing Chipper had that he didn’t. Baylor waited for him.

The bell rang. His opponent immediately threw a punch. Chipper didn’t think. He reacted. He dodged and then pulled his trick move. Chipper hadn’t planned to try it this early in the match, but the wild swing—likely due to nerves—left the perfect opening. Chipper unleashed a spin kick, landing solidly before the other heel also collided. Before he fully accepted what happened, Chipper’s arm was raised in victory. The crowd was so loud, he couldn’t hear. He blinked at the guy on the mat, being looked over by a medical team. Chipper knew he would be good. They were built to take hits. Then, just as Maverick had described, his gaze automatically sought Baylor. A smile exploded across his face when he saw Baylor cheering for him. Ignoring the officials trying to run through the usual title announcement, he walked to the wire fence separating him from his heart. The announcers screamed into the microphone, trying to keep the crowd pumped so they didn’t feel like they wasted two hundred dollars to watch a fight end in seconds.

Chipper had to yell over the noise. “I choose you.”

Baylor looked confused. “What?”

“I choose you,” he yelled louder.

Baylor didn’t look any less confused, but he yelled back. “I love you too.”

Chipper’s heart stopped for a second. Somehow, his smile got even bigger. He would take it. Chipper would absolutely take those words over any response Baylor could have given if he had understood Chipper’s words.

He let someone pull him away to do what needed to be done. But Chipper walked backward and never looked away from Baylor. Baylor had said he loved him. That was the biggest prize he had ever won in his life. He got it now. Chipper understood what waited for him on the other side of this career. It was love and family. Baylor deserved a happy home and children. Fuck, he wanted everything with Baylor. He didn’t care how long they had known each other. They knew each other. Baylor was the realest thing to ever happen to him. He wasn’t alone anymore, and he wasn’t scared of what would happen next. Chipper had found his home.

Damn. Chipper looked sexy as hell. Larger than life. He only had eyes for Baylor. It was the hottest moment of his life. He could barely breathe while he watched Chipper go through the ceremony of hanging on to his title. Goddamn. That had been hot too. Chipper had landed that trick move perfectly. His opponent had hit the floor so fast, it had taken Baylor a second to realize he had been knocked out. He wondered if this was some sort of record. It was definitely badass. His man had done that. But the way Chipper looked at him now, that was… wow. Chipper had said he loved him in front of thousands of people. The pride he felt couldn’t be contained, but it also had nowhere to go.

After what felt like ages, Chipper stepped from the cage. He expected it would still be a while before they were together. He had ridden to the arena with Zander so they could all leave the arena together. Zander’s driver had dropped off Maverick and Chipper earlier in the day for all the pre-match bullshit that obviously took forever.

“Come on.” Zander took his arm and started the push toward the aisle. “I can get us in the back.”

Baylor practically danced in place with impatience. It turned out he didn’t have to wait. While he had his head down, ensuring he didn’t step on anyone, Chipper appeared from nowhere and snatched him off his feet. His mind had a hard time reconciling, going from trying to get to Chipper to being over Chipper’s shoulder as he made his way to the back of the building. People shouted and cellphone cameras pointed their way. Security stayed tight knit around them. Maverick and Zander followed with what looked to be a private security team. He recognized two of the men. One had driven them to the arena, and the other had ridden in the back with them. Sometimes he forgot Zander was a big deal. Baylor had to focus on anything except his current position. In minutes, photos of him ass up would be all over the internet. At least they had gotten his good side.

Chipper didn’t set him on his feet until they were inside a locker room. It was huge—like it was normally used by the professional hockey team in the area, which made sense since this was their arena. It looked as if it had been reserved for only Chipper.

Baylor bounced in place. “You did it! I’m so proud of you.”

Chipper looked so damn proud. Baylor loved him so much. He didn’t know why they hadn’t admitted it before now. Chipper hugged him so tightly, he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t care. Chipper kept one arm around Baylor while he clapped hands and shook with everyone congratulating him. Maverick and Zander got hugs. The praise seemed never ending, especially for the winning move he had worked so hard to perfect. While Baylor was over-the-top proud and excited, he selfishly couldn’t wait until he had Chipper to himself. Chipper dressed while everyone talked. It looked like it would be a while before they celebrated alone. Baylor got it. Everyone was excited. Maverick had worked his ass off with Chipper, and Zander had sacrificed time with his husband.

“Visitor coming.”

At the loud announcement, Baylor’s gaze snapped to the doorway. Chipper’s opponent strolled inside, already dressed in street clothes. An inner groan ran through Baylor’s head. Baylor thought the guy’s name was Tip. He was all smiles, which confused Baylor.

Chipper met him halfway. They shook hands and hugged. They spoke for a while, out of earshot. Only briefly did Tip stop smiling. Then he simply nodded, looking like he hung on every word Chipper said. Baylor was curious as hell.

Maverick followed his gaze. “MMA is a family. Chipper understands how badly the kid wanted this. We all do. We’ve all been him. It just wasn’t his night. There are no hard feelings, but he needs to hear Chipper tell him he can still do it.”

Every day, Baylor was more impressed with Chipper. He was such a great guy. It hurt Baylor’s chest to think of all the time he spent alone, no one seeing beyond the fighter. Baylor hated he could be counted among those numbers once.

“You really love him.”

Baylor glanced Maverick’s way at the comment. “I do.”

Maverick looked serious. He gave a sharp nod. “Good. I’m glad to hear it. It’s been hard watching him win time after time and then go home to an empty house. Success isn’t enough to sustain anyone.”

Baylor nodded. “That I definitely know.”

Before they could say anything more, Chipper returned. He grabbed Baylor around the waist and kissed him several times on the forehead until Baylor couldn’t stop smiling.

Zander stepped in. “Unless you have some burning desire to go out and celebrate, we’ll escort you safely home, so you can savor your win privately.”

Baylor refused to look at Chipper and let him see his desperation to go home. The way he chose to celebrate his win needed to be his decision. “I appreciate that. Baylor and I have a lot to talk about.”

Wow. Chipper knew he had anxiety. He wouldn’t make it until they got home. Baylor snagged two handfuls of Chipper’s shirt and pulled him down for a quick kiss. While he had him, he kissed his ear and then kept his words between them. “You know I can’t handle a let’s discuss this later moment.”

Chipper kissed his cheek. “It’s okay, baby. I just need your advice.”

Baylor released him. He could handle that. His heart rate slowed. He linked his fingers through Chipper’s and headed toward whatever Chipper needed from him. He wouldn’t let him down. Still, despite Chipper’s claim, a hint of nervousness grew on the ride home. Zander’s guard, Yaro, drove. Chipper spent the trip constantly stealing kisses. He didn’t think Chipper had any plans of kicking him to the curb or anything. He worried about Chipper. It wasn’t like Chipper to have too many overly serious conversations. He was a big child, and that was one of the many things Baylor loved about him.

Yaro steered into the driveway.

Baylor spoke up. “Why don’t you all join us for a single toast before heading home?”

Chipper didn’t argue.

Baylor breathed an inner sigh of relief. They all piled from the SUV and headed for the door. Baylor subtly fell slightly behind Chipper as he unlocked the front door. The lights automatically flared to life at the motion of the door swinging open.

“Surprise!” The shout was deafening.

Chipper’s expression was completely worth the scrambled work it had taken to pull together as many of Chipper’s friends as possible in a short time. Thankfully, he was the king of party planning. Chipper’s shocked gaze turned his way.

Baylor beamed.

“What if I had lost?” Chipper sounded floored—like he didn’t know what else to say.

“I knew you wouldn’t.”

He was engulfed by people congratulating him. They filed inside and champagne glasses filled their hands.

Sacha wrapped his arm around Baylor’s waist and swept him aside. He kissed Baylor’s cheek. “You did great, babe. He looks like you could knock him over with a feather.”

Baylor wrapped his arm around Sacha too. “It’s all thanks to you and your hard work.”

Sacha scoffed. “Please. All I did was make sure the vendors got here on time, and the buses picked up guests from the parking lot we rented. You did every ounce of the real work.”

Baylor had to because it was for Chipper. Everything had to be perfect. It was worth it to see his expression. For once, the party was for only him. He didn’t have anyone to celebrate him. Baylor wanted the job. He didn’t forget Sacha’s part or how the guy worked his ass off for him. “Still, you’re amazing. You have a salary increase coming on your next check.”

Sacha looked his way with raised eyebrows. “You just raised my salary when you took a step back.”

Baylor shrugged. “The work you do should always be properly compensated. You’re loved and appreciated. I want you to always know it.”

Sacha squeezed him. “Awww. You’re loved too.”

Bandit appeared with more champagne. “This turned out amazing. Of course, my two favorite people pulled it off, so of course it turned out perfect.”

Sacha blushed and accepted the fresh glass.

Baylor eyed the pair on the sly. He knew Sacha had a huge crush on Bandit. Sacha didn’t hide it very well. The thing was, Bandit had always been an oblivious idiot. He never recognized when people liked him. Baylor didn’t know how to help things along or if he should. They were his friends. If things went south, he would be stuck in the middle. Still, he felt good about love tonight.

“Oh. Do you two think you could do the honors of wheeling out the cake? I don’t think I trust anyone else to get it in here safely.”

Sacha didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”

Baylor kissed his cheek again. “Then I guess I should face the firing squad about allowing over a hundred people in Chipper’s house without him knowing.” He laughed as he walked away, but he actually was a little nervous. Chipper looked happy, but Baylor lived with a constant sense of dread in the back of his mind. He knew that was trauma and PTSD, but he was who he was. Now, he needed to see if it was warranted.

Discomfort settled in the moment Baylor walked away. Bandit had always taken Sacha a little off kilter. He was accustomed to being the most confident person in the room. Bandit was different from everyone else he dealt with. He was a strange mixture of too serious and yet silly. Sacha couldn’t explain it. It was almost as if he stayed at war with himself, and Sacha didn’t know what battle he fought.

Their gazes met. His unique blue eyes always caught his attention and held it. They looked so strange with his bright red hair and freckles. Sacha had actually looked up the stats. Blue eyes with red hair were the rarest combination in the world. Sacha wanted to ask how he had turned out this way—like the guy would know. He was tall and lanky—just like Sacha. Sacha always thought they would look good together. It was just wishful thinking. Bandit only thought of Sacha as Baylor’s employee. He might as well not exist.

Bandit motioned toward the dining room, where the cake waited. “Shall we?”

Sacha tore his gaze away and headed in the direction he’d indicated. He would keep his head down and this gigantic cake safe. This was his job, and Bandit was Baylor’s oldest and closest friend. The dining room light was off, hoping to deter people from wandering in. He had marked the room as off limits, but people never thought signs applied to them.

Sacha flipped on the lights.

“Whoa!” Bandit set his champagne glass aside and circled the cake, inspecting it. “Holy shit. This is cake? It’s amazing.”

Sacha twisted his fingers and stared at the intricate design. It was a cage surrounding an MMA ring. There was a tiny guy inside with his arms lifted in victory. He had also made one that was two fighters shaking hands. He planned to quickly switch them out if Chipper lost. Sacha hadn’t told Baylor that. “Do you really like it? I made it.”

Bandit’s chin shot up. He held Sacha’s stare. “You did this? Seriously?”

Sacha nodded. “My cake designs are how I met Baylor. He hired me to make a wedding cake and everything kind of took off from there. The entire thing is edible.”

Bandit shook his head and eyed the cake again. “Damn. I hate for it to get eaten. It’s too awesome.”

Sacha couldn’t stop smiling. He didn’t get to design cakes very often any longer. It was his biggest passion. He missed it. Bandit’s praise filled his chest with warmth. “Thank you. This was the one dream I had for myself.”

Bandit watched him like he saw too much. “Why aren’t you doing it, then?”

Sacha shrugged. “It isn’t the dream that came true. This position with Baylor is the next best thing and pays way more than I ever thought I would make. It definitely pays better than making cakes ever would. The economy beat me,” he added with a nervous chuckle. No one ever asked about his dreams.

“You never know. Life has a way of leading you exactly where you’re meant to be. I think you were meant for this.” He motioned toward the cake. “You’re not given this much talent for nothing.”

He was so fantastic. It hurt Sacha’s chest a little. While it was one thing to have a small, secret crush, it was a whole other to see him like this—flawlessly supportive. “Thank you. Maybe it’ll happen someday.”

Bandit’s gaze never wavered from Sacha. “I believe in you.”

Fuck his life. Sacha was a goner.

To say Chipper rode cloud nine would be the understatement of a lifetime. Hell, he was on cloud twenty-nine—a type of cloud that hadn’t even been discovered yet. It was all due to Baylor. He thought he would scream before the final guests finally left. Chipper closed the door behind Zander and his bunch and leaned against it. He held Baylor’s stare.

“I can’t believe you did this.”

Baylor shifted from foot to foot. “You deserve to be celebrated.”

Damn. He wanted to shout his happiness at the top of his lungs. “This is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“You matter to me.”

Chipper crossed the distance between them and hauled Baylor into his arms. He squeezed him against his chest. “You make me stupidly happy.” He had so many things he wanted to say to Baylor. Chipper didn’t know where to start.

Baylor kissed his chest. “You said you needed to talk to me about something, which almost made me regret this party. This has been the longest fucking night, waiting to hear what you have to say.”

He kissed the top of Baylor’s head. Chipper kind of regretted saying anything at the arena. He knew Baylor had anxiety.

“I’m sorry.” He led Baylor to the couch. Rather than sit next to him, he towed Baylor into his lap. He took a deep breath once they were settled. “I think I’m done.”

Baylor’s every muscle froze. “You told me not to worry!”

Chipper realized how he sounded and rushed to fix it. “With fighting, baby. I think tonight was my last bout.”

Baylor didn’t relax much. He looked one part horrified and three parts like he didn’t know what to say. “Why?”

Chipper’s shoulders relaxed at the question. For whatever reason, when Baylor questioned him, Chipper felt safe to pour out his heart. He had never had this—a real place to land. “In a way, it goes back to what we talked about that night when you were in the tub. For a while now, I’ve stressed hard over failing and what I would do when I did. Tonight, when I realized I’d won, it also hit me why it scared me so badly to lose. Until now, I’ve literally had nothing else that mattered to me. I’ve kept going because it’s not like I had a life to come home to. MMA is the only family I’ve had since my mom passed. I’ve been exhausted for a long time, but I didn’t know how to quit just to spend the rest of my life alone.”

Chipper brightened. He never stayed sad for long and he held Baylor. That made it twice as hard to feel down. “But the moment I turned and saw you, waiting and cheering for me, I knew I could stop. I have something better at home.”

Baylor’s eyes were filled with tears.

Chipper panicked a bit. “Was I wrong? I guess I shouldn’t have assumed.”

Baylor kissed him, cutting off the anxiety-filled flow of words. He gently held Chipper’s face. He may as well have had Chipper in a headlock. Chipper couldn’t move. Baylor’s tongue brushed his in the sweetest of motions. Chipper’s heart soared through the roof.

Baylor pulled away and brushed noses with him. “I love you. God knows, it’s probably crazy, but I do. Being with you is healing me in ways I never thought could happen. If I’m doing the same for you in some small way, then thank God I’m not alone.” He touched his forehead to Chipper’s and took a deep breath. It sounded ragged. “I know this isn’t the time to do or say this, but I have to leave town for a couple of days tomorrow.”

Chipper jerked backward. “Why? Can it wait for one day? I have to do a few interviews tomorrow, but the next day, I could go with you anywhere.” That would be one benefit of retiring. There was no reason he couldn’t always travel with Baylor.

“Just trust me this one time. This is something I need to do alone.”

Damn. When Baylor put it like that, he couldn’t balk too much. “But I’ll miss you.” He knew he sounded childish. Chipper didn’t care. He had made this huge life decision, and he wanted Baylor at his side.

“I’m sorry. If this wasn’t important to me, I’d never do this to you. I promise it’ll be the last time we’re apart.”

Chipper pressed his forehead against Baylor’s again and nodded, squishing foreheads with him. “Okay.” He sounded exactly like a petulant child.

“Tonight, I plan to suck your dick.”

Chipper immediately brightened. “Okay.”

Baylor stood and took Chipper’s hand. Chipper followed him down the hall with his heart in his throat. Maybe he didn’t show it, but loving Baylor scared the shit out of him. He was hyper aware he might never measure up to Freddie. Chipper wanted them to have their own version of a happy life. Freddie was the one thing Chipper worried would keep that from happening. He didn’t know how to lose this.