Page 20 of A Little More Love

“You look good; hitting the gym more?” Tyler asked.

Hell, he looked like he lived in the gym.

“Yeah. I thought retirement would cause me to lose a bit of muscle, but now that I have more free time, I find myself in the gym just as much as before.”

Tifton had retired from the UFC circuit last year. He had been well known, unfortunately not to Tinsley and me who didn’t follow UFC. I think it relieved Tyler to know Tifton was going to do something less damaging to his body. Apparently that’s why we didn’t video chat. It bothered Tyler too much to see his injuries.

Before I could say anything, a waitress approached our table. “Four?” she asked, counting out menus.

“Actually five. We’re waiting on one more,” Tifton said.

Chapter Seven

Tyler

“Five?” I asked Tifton. I wasn’t aware he was bringing anyone.

“Yes. Maci is joining us today.”

Maci. My heart instantly clenched painfully in my chest. I’d never met her, but I knew she was important to Tifton. She had been married to Tifton’s best friend Mason. Mason had been killed in a car accident several months ago and from my understanding, Maci was lost without him. My eyes stung and I blinked back my tears. Just the thought of navigating life if anything happened to Tinsley or Elliot gutted me. I put my arm around Tinsley and kissed her forehead when she looked up at me.

“I’ll have whatever’s on tap, and she’ll have an apple juice,” Tifton told the waitress.

“Same for us, two beers and an apple juice,” Elliot ordered.

“Maci?” Elliot asked after our drink orders had been taken, looking at me over Tinsley’s head. He and I had spoken about the tragedy briefly.

I nodded and wasn’t surprised to see him place his own arm around Tinsley too.

“She and I have gotten close over the last few months. A lot of us have gotten closer to her, actually. She’s the reason I have a new job on the horizon,” Tifton said, playing with his napkin. The way he twirled the black linen around his fingers showed he was going to tell me something significant.

“Oh, you’re looking at a new career?” I asked, trying to look supportive. I would be proud of Tifton no matter what he did.

“Yes, she’s opening… well, we’re opening a themed bed and breakfast.”

That was unexpected.

“That will be different for you,” Elliot said. Bless him. He must have known I was at a loss for words. I’d expected Tifton to say he was going to start a gym or training camp, a bed and breakfast hadn’t even crossed my mind.

“Yeah. I planned to talk to ya’ll about it tonight,” he said.

“Pancakes!” Tinsley squealed, interrupting the conversation. Immediately her signature blush covered her face. “Sorry,” she said, sheepishly. “I really like pancakes.”

Tifton chuckled. “I know, your Papa has shown me your chart. It’s impressive.”

“Tell Uncle Tifton where we had lunch today,” I said, relieved Tifton had brought up our dynamic. I knew he was accepting, but being able to speak freely was so much more comfortable.

“Pancake Palooza!”

Tifton smiled at her excitement and my heart melted just a bit. Watching my Little one interact with someone who accepted her was so special. I was so lucky because we had such a good tribe back home.

“I love Pancake Palooza. Your Papa and I used to go there every Sunday with our grandparents. What kind of pancakes did you have?”

“Cookies!”

“Oh, those are the best!”

“Yas, huh,” she said, nodding. “Wanna come?”

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