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I reach my hand out for Tate to grab, pulling him to the side of the wall that has hooks on it.

I wrap the light resistance band around one before I look back up at him.

“On your stomach. I need you to curl this.” He does as I say with zero complaint, wrapping the band around his ankle, I gently place my hand on his hamstring as he pulls his ankle toward his butt.

The muscle jumps under my hand as he passes a certain point, causing him to hesitate.

I pull my hand away, moving toward his head so I can look at him. “What's your pain level?” His eyes snap open as they harden on mine.

He grunts, and the sound brings a feeling of familiarity.

One that I’d usually associate with Jerk Tatum, but now, it’s one that pulls at something in my stomach.

One that feels like a blooming flower on a spring day, slowly opening to something beautiful.

I’ve seen behind the walls he’s built so high around him, and while there are still some days I wish I didn’t, I couldn’t be more thankful that it’s me he’s let them down for .

When he doesn’t answer, I purse my lips. He rolls his eyes in response, “Two or three. It doesn’t hurt, just feels tight. Pulls a bit when I move too fast.” I believe him, but I also am not risking him doing any more damage to it. I pull out a foam roller and give him a list of exercises to do.

He looks disappointed, so I throw him a bit of a bone.

“You sit here and stretch out, and I’ll pay you back for your little kitchen show.

This time, though, it’ll be a stretch and a show instead of dinner.

” I kiss his cheek before pushing up off the ground and hopping into the ring to do my own warm up.

Jen smiles at me, her motherly smile is so warm it makes me wish they’d have more kids, just so I could see it more often.

“Happy looks good on you,” she says as she throws a wink in my direction.

“Maybe share some of those pastelitos with him.” She doesn’t wait around for my response; she already knows it, and then she disappears through the front doors of the gym.

With that, I wrap up my hands and get to work.

While it’s kind of distracting to know he’s here, I may work a little harder just to give him the show I promised.

“Wanna come over?” I ask as we head to our cars. It was raining earlier, so it only makes sense that Tatum’s blacked out SUV is in the parking lot instead of his bike. He nods, looking around as we walk. “See you there?” His gaze swings to mine, the smile he gives me makes my knees wobble .

Happiness radiates from him in a way that makes me want to bottle it up and keep for a rough day.

“See you there, Tink.” He says as he breaks away from the formation we were in, stopping quickly before turning to look at me over his shoulder, “I’d kiss you, but Samuels is standing inside the gym looking at us.

” My head snaps in the direction of the door, and sure enough, Sameuls, Reed, and Wilson are all standing there with their arms crossed over their chests.

My eyes narrow on them as a groan escapes me.

I’m never going to hear the end of this one.

Were they in the gym while we were? If they were, I didn’t even notice.

Let’s be real, though, I didn’t notice anyone but him.

I kissed his cheek! Oh Lord. I can feel all the shit they’re going to give me already. Whatever, he’s worth it.

As I get to the car, the overwhelming scent of gas assaults my senses.

I unlock my door, throw the bag in the front, and then look under the car.

There’s no wet spot on the pavement, so my car isn’t leaking anything.

Weird. It’s then that I realized I forgot my plate of cheesy goodness sitting on the bench in the locker room. No way am I leaving that here.

I slam my door, lock it, and run back inside.

Ignoring the curious looks from the Hawks players who are now huddled around the squat rack, I extract my plate of deliciousness and walk back outside.

Tatum’s parked to the left of the doors with his flashers on.

Aww, he waited for me. What a sweetheart, I wave and smile at him as I hold up the plate.

He lifts his hand that was resting on the steering wheel in acknowledgement.

Clicking the button on my key fob, I remote start my car.

Except the second it roars to life, it goes up in flames, knocking me on my ass in the process.

What. The. Hell? My mouth drops open, and I vaguely recognize Tatum’s frantic yelling in the background, but I don’t have any idea what he’s saying.

My car, the first big girl purchase I ever made, is burning, and my only thought is that it could have been him. I could have lost him.

A strong arm wraps around my waist, pulling me from the ground and into his familiar chest. I can’t tear my eyes away from the blaze.

“Abby.” His voice is strained, but I can’t make my voice work.

“Abby!” he yells as he turns me in his arms. His eyes are wild, and people from inside the gym have come out to see what all the commotion is.

All this time I’ve spent wondering if the threats were serious, I guess we know the answer now.