Page 71 of Hot Summer Nights

“You want to head by the gym? I can show you around really quick and then we can head home.”

“Sounds good,” I say as I turn back in my seat, putting the strip club and that part of my life behind me.

EIGHT

Kit

I holdStella’s hand as I drive a couple of blocks over to my gym. I was so pissed when I saw that guy try to touch my Princess and I reacted without thinking, knocking him on his ass. Stella’s boss had been by our sides in seconds, along with two bouncers. They had fired her and kicked me out for life. That latter wasn’t a problem for me. I would never have set foot in that place in the first place if Stella hadn’t of been there.

Stella was less than thrilled with being fired. I don’t blame her. I know that she wants to take care of herself and I’ll respect that, up to a point. That point just so happened to be when some asshole tried to touch what was mine.

I pull into the gym parking lot. It’s empty at this hour and so I can park right up front by the door. I help Stella out of the truck and unlock the front door, leading her inside. I flip on the overhead lights as I go and keep a tight grip on my Princess’s hand as I show her around. The gym is set up like most.

There’s a front desk right when you walk in with a bulletin board overhead advertising different community projects and a couple of ads for roommates or things for sale. Past the desk is the gym equipment, free weights, mats, and machines. The locker rooms are over to the left, down a short hallway. I show her all of that before I lead her to the back of the gym. In the very back, there are two boxing rings that we use for sparring and lining one side are some punching bags. Past that is an enclosed room lined with windows. That’s where we teach the classes.

I lead Stella into the office which is located next to the classroom. I flip the lights on and I can hear Stella gasp behind me.

“Oh my god! It’s a mess in here, Kit,” Stella says as she pushes past me and into the office.

I watch as Stella spins in a circle, taking in all of the paperwork, the stacks of folders and flyers on top of every available surface. There are two filing cabinets in the corner but I never actually got around to filing anything yet.

“Yeah, I guess it is a bit of a mess but-”

“A bit?!?” Stella cuts me off.

“But,” I stress, “I can help you get everything organized and then it won’t seem like so much.”

She spins to face me and I give her my most charming smile. She shakes her head at me and I laugh, walking over to her and wrapping my arms around her. I cradle her against my chest, kissing the top of her head before I lift her up in my arms and carry her back out to the truck.

I have to set her down to lock up the gym but then I’m carrying her over and setting her inside the truck. I buckle her up before I hop in beside her and start the car. I drive us home, asking her questions about herself and this time, she actually answers me.

I ask her about her childhood and I can feel the mood in the car plummet. I had already guessed that about her but it still sucks to have my suspicions confirmed. She tells me about growing up with her mother who was a drug addict and how she never knew who her father was. It sounds scary and I thank my lucky stars that my Princess made it out of there alive. Her mother died when she was sixteen, an overdose, and she spent three years in Dallas, working at any bar or club that would hire her.

Eventually, she got bored and tried to head north. She made it to Pennsylvania before she ran out of money. She stayed in Pittsburgh, getting hired at Landing Strip right away and working there for the last year. Her childhood seemed lonely and I promise myself to make sure that she never knows another day like what the last couple of years has been like.

I tell her about my own parents. My father was in the military and died in combat. My mom raised me right here in Pittsburgh all by herself. She worked as a nurse at the local hospital to support us. I tell Stella about how she had been the best mother anyone could ever ask for. My mom had supported me when I had shown an interest in boxing and MMA style fighting, driving me to competitions and showing up to every fight. She had been so happy and proud of me when I had signed on to fight competitively.

I tell her about how it felt the first time I took a boxing lesson and how that had turned into my passion for MMA. How much I loved the feeling of fighting, how much I loved learning new techniques. I try my hardest to explain to her how much I love MMA but it’s nothing compared to how I feel about Stella.

My mother passed away a year before my injury and she was part of the reason that I had moved back to Pittsburgh. I had wanted to feel close to her. I know that she would have been proud of me opening my gym and how successful I’ve managed to make it already. She would have been even happier about me finding my Princess.

“My mom would have loved you. She always told me that I would find the one girl for me. She told me that I would know her when I saw her, that I would feel this connection with her.”

Stella raises an eyebrow at me but I can tell that she wants to believe me.

“It’s true. She told me to save myself, that I should only be with someone that I loved and I had followed that advice.”

I can see that Stella is surprised when she realizes just exactly what I’m saying. Yes, I’m a twenty-nine year old virgin. I had never really believed my mom about the whole connection thing before, but I loved her too much to tell her that.

“My mom was right,” I tell Stella quietly as I look Stella right in the eye.

Stella blushes and I turn forward, pulling the truck into the garage and helping Stella inside. We hold hands as we make our way inside and up to our bedroom.

“Are you hungry?”

She shakes her head no, leading me up the stairs and into our room. She turns in a circle in the room, fiddling with the hem of her dress as she looks anywhere but at me. I know that she’s feeling exposed after sharing so much with me in such a short amount of time and I don’t want to push her any further.

“Ready for bed, Princess?” I ask, pulling out a plain white shirt from the dresser and passing it over to her.

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