Page 39 of Bodybuilders for the BBW

I slapped one fist into my other hand, making clear I was ready to fight this out, if that’s what it took.

“Calm down, horse boy,” Garrett said, grabbing me by the shoulder to slow my roll.

“Bulls are all slow and methodical,” I told him. “Right up until something catches their eye. Then they go charging right in. Looking forward to seeing you lose control, Garrett.”

“Oh, this is gonna be good…” Drew muttered to himself.

Rhett dropped his fists as we came to stand beside him. Sweat was rolling down his face, but he just stared us down.

“I’m not backing down.” I knew what he was feeling. His blood pumping furiously through every vein, forcing him to stand straight, breathe deep, and note how alive he felt right now. “Spent too damn long watching that idiot, Dave, mess Katie around. If she says she’s ready… If she’s willing to take a chance on me, then I’m going for it.” He knocked his gloved fists together. “With everything I’ve got.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less.” I walked up to him, stiff legged as a dog looking for a fight. “But just so we’re clear, the same goes for me.”

We turned then to look back at Garrett, who shook his head and then let out a ragged sigh.

“Looks like we’re all in then, but…” The look he gave us was the same one we got when we tried to use a knife on the kitchen counters. “Can I suggest that we make amends first?” He scratched at his head. “Not sure what for, but that feels right.”

“Whatever she wants.” Rhett jabbed a fist at me, forcing me to dodge out of the way. “I’m there. Make sure you keep up, because I will leave you all behind.”

“See?” I told Drew as we went back to the weights. “We’ve got a plan. It’ll all work out in the end.”

“Or it’ll end you.” He pursed his lips. “Promise me this time that you won’t let it break you like it did last time.”

“No need.” I threw my arms wide. “This time everything will be perfect. Natasha wasn’t the right girl, but Katie.” My hands went to my heart and Drew rolled his eyes. “She’s here already. Just gotta get her to let me in.”

As Garrett loaded the bar with weight, I scrolled through my phone, finding the website of the florist I’d selected before. Drew told me to cool my jets, but that wasn’t the way I worked. Go hard, or go home, that was my motto, so I added bouquet after bouquet to my cart and then as Garrett started doing bar squats, I paid for the lot and organised for them to be sent to the veterinary surgery Katie worked at.

“So are we ready to start really lifting?” I asked as Garrett huffed through his reps. “Or are we still fluffing around like a pack of old ladies?”

Chapter20

Katie

This is where I should’ve gone as soon as I heard the news, because when I pulled up the driveway to the animal shelter, something settled inside me. I hadn’t spent enough time here lately, getting distracted by other things, but the feel of the cool night air on my skin helped settle me in ways the conversation at the club hadn’t.

I hadn’t had anything more to drink so I was safe to drive home, yet somehow I found myself on the road out here, not parked in front of our apartment. I got out of the car, pulling out my keys, and then walked around the back to the dog kennels. I unlocked the big gate and then slipped inside.

Dogs jumped to their feet, some barking, some just watching me as I walked up the centre of the cages.

“It’s OK,” I hissed. “It’s Katie.”

I hadn’t really thought this through. Of course the dogs would get all riled up. In for a penny, in for a pound. I went past each cage, pressing my fingers into the mesh and earning myself some little licks as I passed, until I reached him.

Bronson looked like some kind of polished marble statue in the moonlight. It pooled in through the window of his cage, illuminating his profile as his head lifted slowly.

“Bronson?” I whispered. “Bronny?”

He scrambled to his feet, rushing towards the gate. To anyone else, forty kilos of dog tearing towards them would be terrifying, but not for me. His high-pitched whines made clear he knew exactly who I was. I opened the gate and then stepped inside, watching his stumpy legs move in an excited little trot as he whirled around me.

“Hey, fella!”

I dropped down onto the ground and he was in my lap, sniffing me vigorously, then climbing onto my lap. His heavy weight, the way he pressed into me, it helped ground me. Who gave a shit about anything when you had a cute dog to cuddle?

“Hey, bud.” I rubbed his velvety ear, feeling my breath catch in my throat, just like it did every time I touched the hard ridge of a scar. “Hey, buddy. It’s OK. You’re OK. Everything’s going to be fine now. You’re…” His head jerked up, and he stared into my eyes with that kind of preternatural focus only he seemed to possess. “This will be your last night here. Tomorrow…”

I stopped as I saw the three guys walking up the driveway towards the shelter. It’d just be Garrett, I reasoned, but that’s not what I saw right now. Them walking into the admin building and filling out the final forms, then bundling Bronson into their car, that new collar and lead I’d helped Rhett pick out around his neck.

“Tomorrow you’ll be going to a new home.” His ears pricked up, one crooked still. “You’ll be away from all this noise. A nice home.” I glanced at his mattress. “A new bed. It’ll be amazing.”

---