Page 36 of Sunflower Persona (Classic City Romance #2)

Once that’s done, I pull out the containers of snacks from the bottom.

There’s nothing fancy about the food, but Kori’s face lights up when she sees the array of snacks as if I’ve just pulled a gourmet five-star meal out of my bag.

She grabs a pack of the gummies I saw stashed in her room and plops down on the blanket before I finish unpacking.

“You made me a picnic?” she asks with wide eyes.

“Um…yeah. If you don’t like it, we can do something else.”

“Shut your mouth before you say more stupid things. I love it. You got all my favorite snacks. How did you even know I liked these?”

I shrug and sit next to her on the blanket. She grabs a handful of gummy packs and a few cookies from another container before moving closer to lean against me. I wrap an arm around her and pull her even closer, and for the first time in years, I feel completely at peace.

“Thank you for doing this, Gage. No one has ever done something like this for me before.”

“You deserve the world, Kori.”

I’m sorry I can only offer you this.

Things would be so much better if money wasn’t a concern.

Simple snacks could have been a full meal, and I could have gotten her a gift like I wanted to.

I looked, but nothing felt right. I thought about getting her flowers again, but that felt redundant in a garden, and anything else I found I thought she would actually like was out of my budget.

Who knew vintage Godzilla paraphernalia cost so much?

“But I’ve never done this for anyone before either,” I add on. I don’t want to ruin this by sulking.

“Never? I figured you treated all your girlfriends this good.”

“That would require me to have had a girlfriend before.”

“Wait, what?” She sits up straighter and pulls back to look me in the face.

“I told you before, I’ve never been in an actual relationship.”

“How? Why? I’m sure you’ve had more than enough opportunity. I mean, look at you.”

My throat tightens as the urge to shut down this whole line of conversation nearly chokes me.

This is the exact type of thing I wanted to avoid today.

I don’t want to ruin our date by talking about me, but I also don’t want her to think I’m hiding anything from her.

Goddamnit. Morgan said to be vulnerable, and there isn’t getting any more vulnerable than this.

With a sigh, I lie back on the blanket and wrap my arm around my girl so I can pull her down with me. She comes readily, resting her head on my chest, and I’m sure she can hear my heart beating wildly in my chest.

“Fighting in the UFC was always my dream. It’s the only thing I can ever remember wanting, and I wanted it with everything in me. I lived and breathed to train, and that didn’t leave any time for me to devote to being in a relationship, so I didn’t. And after…”

Just thinking about that night makes my leg ache.

“After what?”

“I had been fighting in the local circuits, making a name for myself, while Coach tried to use his connections to get me a fight in the big leagues.

Things were going well. My record was favorable, and I was riding a win streak that was getting the right type of attention.

Then it all ended with one bad kick to my knee.

“I completely ruptured both my ACL and MCL, and there was significant damage to my meniscus as well. Everything I had ever worked for was ripped away from me with one kick. I wasn’t in a good place after that. Getting in a relationship was the last thing on my mind.”

I take a breath and brace for her reaction. People tend to fall into one of two camps: pity or judgment for how much I let it all affect me. I don’t want either from Kori. She is quiet for a few moments as she rubs her hand up and down my arm.

“They couldn’t fix it?” she asks in an oddly even tone.

“I had the reconstruction surgery, but I don’t have insurance, so I came out of it with more debt than I knew what to do with.

Recovery time with rehab is supposed to be a year, but there were issues with the first surgery, so I had to go through it all again, which only added to the mountain of debt and my recovery time.

“It was almost two years before I was able to get back on the mats, but by that point, it was like starting all over. I didn’t have the same time to commit to training because I had bills to pay, and even if I did, the surgeon’s warning about reinjury rates made it clear that I would only be setting myself up for more pain if I continued to push myself the same way I had been.

I had to make a choice, and the risks involved with continuing competitively seemed too great. ”

“Gage, I’m so sorry.”

“Wasn’t your fault. Wasn’t anybody’s. Just an accident that could happen to any fighter when they step into the cage.”

“Are you in a good place now?”

“Yeah, I am,” I lie.

Having her around these past few weeks has gotten me the closest I’ve been in years, but I don’t think “good” is ever in the cards for me.

“Coach David helped me through the worst of it, and he wouldn’t let me quit the sport completely when I tried. I’ve had my ups and downs over the years, but I made peace with what happened a long time ago. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

She goes quiet again, and I am more than content to lie here with her in my arms.

“What is your dream now?” she asks after a few moments.

“I don’t have one. I’m just trying to survive.”

“That’s no way to live. What do you want? Right now, in the moment.”

You.

“Right now, I want to finish our snacks and show you around the garden.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

She grabs a few more cookies and shovels them into her mouth like they’re the last thing she’ll ever eat.

“No need to rush. We have all afternoon, and I’d like to lay with you for a little while. Only if you want to, though. We can go explore.”

I start to get up, but she pushes me back down, giving me the cutest attempt at a mean mug as she does.

“I want. Now lie down so we can cuddle.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I tell her, and she lets out a content hum as she snuggles up against me.

I have to fight the urge to pull her tighter to me and relax with her in basking under the sunrays.

“That cloud looks like a chipmunk doing ballet.” Kori breaks the peaceful moment by pointing at a cloud.

It looks nothing like a chipmunk or any mammal, but I nod along anyway.

She smiles and continues to point out the shapes she sees in the clouds.

I’m not sure if she actually sees these things or if she’s just spitting out the first things that come to her mind.

Either way, she finds joy in it, so I point to a cloud and ask for her input.

From the look she gives me, you would think I gave her everything she’s ever wished for and more with that one question.

Fuck me if my pride doesn’t grow; I put that look there, and I never want it to go away.

I don’t care what it takes, I will give this woman the world because she deserves nothing less.

An idea strikes me like a bolt of lightning. I can’t give her a lot, but that doesn’t mean I can’t spoil her in my own way. There’s no way I can pull this off on my own, but this is what friends are for, right?

With Yellow thoroughly distracted by the clouds, I send a quick message to Morgan, laying out my idea and asking if he can help. His response is quick, and with that, my plans start to solidify. It’s not the world, but it’s a start.