“I don’t know yet. I have to talk to Nikki still.”
“You’re throwing your entire career away for a piece of ass?”
Craig puts his hand on Vince’s chest, but I’m already there, pushing Vince to the wall. “She’s not a piece of ass. She’s my wife.”
Vince puts his hands in the air. “Jesus, Log, I didn’t mean to disrespect her. I’m just taken by surprise. I leave you here for a bit and now you’re so…”
I release him. “I’m a husband, and I will not tolerate anyone speaking about my wife like that.”
He nods a few times. “Okay. Okay. I’m sorry.”
“Better.” I nod.
“The place is nice.” He forces a smile as he looks around.
“Yeah, I’ve done a lot of the work myself.”
“I had no idea you were handy.” He jabs me with his fist in the upper arm.
I knew he’d change his attitude once he saw how serious I am about Nikki. Vince has always seen my girlfriends as a problem. That somehow they change me and not for the better. But he hasn’t been here to see me with Nikki, so maybe I should cut him a bit of slack.
I sit down in one of the chairs and nod toward the other two. “Then let’s sit and actually talk business that concerns my manager.”
Vince sits in the chair across from me. “I’m just watching out for you. That’s part of my job.”
“Then let’s get one thing straight—anything that has to do with Nikki doesn’t involve you.”
“Fine.” Vince crosses his arms. “You need to come down to Vegas at least two weeks early. I have promos set. Will you be coming alone?”
“I’m not sure yet. And I only planned for a week. Why the change?”
“Because the people paying for you to fight want you there so they can hype it up more. Hype equals dollars, you know that.”
Craig shoots me an expression to say Vince has got a point. But I’m not ready to leave Nikki early. We still have so many logistics to discuss. I guess tonight is the night to air them out.
“Fine, but you might as well roll up your sleeves, because I’m not leaving until this studio is done for Nikki.” I stand and open the door to tell the crew to come back in and work.
For the rest of the afternoon, Vince is on his best behavior—and who would’ve known he can use a nail gun?
The best news I got all day was that Vince didn’t want to sleep at the Linville house with Nikki and me, so he’s staying in Anchorage. A blissful forty-five minutes away.
After dinner, Nikki’s chilling on the couch, so I sit down beside her and bring her feet to my lap. I massage them, and she closes her eyes and moans.
“Keep making sounds like that and I’ll be massaging something else,” I joke.
“I wouldn’t complain.” She peeks her eyes open and smiles at me.
“I wanted to talk to you about a few things.” Her eyes open wide now. Maybe I should’ve started the conversation a different way. “Just hear me out before your mind goes crazy.”
“Okay.”
“I have to go back to Vegas two weeks before the fight. I thought it was only a week, but I was wrong. Vince told me this afternoon.”
She relaxes into the couch. “You scared me for a minute.” Sitting up, she kisses me on the lips. “It’s okay, but I can’t come until closer to the fight.”
“I know and I’ll send a plane for you. Does any of the rest of your family want to come?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know, but I’ll ask.”
She shifts to go back to lying down, but I reach for her so she stays on my lap.
“Not so fast,” I say. “I have one more thing to talk about.”
Her head falls to my shoulder. “What?” There’s a slight whine to her tone, and I doubt myself for a moment, wondering if now is the time to ask her.
“I know we’re only dating.”
She laughs and looks up.
“But I’d like us to discuss what’s going to happen after the fight.”
“Me too.” she says, her gaze growing serious.
“Do I come back here? Do you stay in Vegas? Do we continue to date? Do you change your name finally?”
“That’s a lot of questions.”
I nod, not taking my eyes off of her. “Let’s try one at a time. Do I come back?”
“I don’t hold the keys to the gates of Sunrise Bay.”
I push a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You know what I’m asking.” My heart is in my throat as I wait for her to answer.
“I’d like you to come back here, but I understand if—”
I put my finger to her lips. “That’s all the answer I need.”
I replace my finger with my lips. We get carried away, and soon I’m lying over her on the couch.
“I think that made Logan Stone happy.”
I draw back and stare into her eyes. “Very happy. Now we have to figure out where we’re going to live and how long it will take for you to change your last name.”
She laughs. “We’re still dating, Mr. Stone.”
“Not according to the world.”
She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “You have an answer for everything.”
“That’s right, I do. Oh, and I have some news for you. I solidified your first guest for your podcast.”
She shoves at my chest in a playful way. “You know you don’t have to do that anymore now that we’re… you know…. a real couple.”
I hold up my hand. “I’m a man of my word.”
“That’s very sweet.” She opens up her legs and my hips fall between them.
“I’m a sweet husband.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Are you going to ask who it is?” I kiss her neck and my lips move down to her collarbone.
“Who?” she asks a little breathily.
“Gavin Price.” I draw back to see her expression.
Gavin Price is an actor and a friend. He agreed to come up here and let Nikki interview him. It helps that he just got blasted in the magazines for not being easy to work with and the press is saying he’s washed up. She could do the interview remotely, but he said he’d be happy to get away from Los Angeles for bit and come visit.
Her mouth falls open. “But he’s so famous. He’ll come up here?”
“Try not to hurt your husband’s ego.” I pretend I’m hurt, but I understand her feelings. Gavin is pretty famous, and luckily, he loves coming to MMA fights, which is how I met him. “Now how could you make it up to me…”
“I can think of a few ways.” She unbuttons her blouse, teasing me with a glimpse of her bra. She almost has it completely open when her phone rings on the coffee table.
“Forget it,” I say, my head dipping to her cleavage.
“It’s Mandi, give me a second.” She snatches up the phone and answers.
I don’t stop my exploration of her body and she smiles, swatting me away with a giggle, but we both know she loves it.
“What?” She bolts up and I fling back across the couch. “Seriously?” She’s quiet for a second. “How do you know for sure?” She gives me these wide eyes like I’m not going to believe it. “Okay, thanks for letting me know. Yeah, he’s here. I’ll tell him. Bye, Mandi.” She hangs up and her head falls in her hands.