I give him a look. “Is that little birdie Brent?”
“Yeah.”
I’m not surprised. Patricia and Elijah weren’t the only ones keeping in contact with Kayden. I know Brent talked to his brother on the regular. And like his mom, he respected my boundaries when it came to Kayden.
I rest my cheek on my knees, facing him fully. “I’ve been helping Julian at UFG more. And I’ve also been training.”
“With more clients?”
“No,” I say. “I’m actually training for myself. I’m entering tryouts for an all-female MMA promotion soon, so I gotta get in top shape.”
The first time I announced it to my family and friends, they were stoked to hear that I was finally going to fight for real this time. I’m finally at a point in my life where I’m determined to put myself first and get in that cage to prove to myself that I’m more than just an MMA trainer.
Julian was ecstatic when he heard that I’d entered. It’sabout time you got out of your comfort zone, he’d said. And I agreed, deciding to put my trainer duties on hold, at least for a little while, for a chance to compete. But I assured him that I’m very much interested in coming back to my job once I win a few matches. There’s nothing that’s going to pull me away from running UFG when he’s retired. That’s still going to be my future.
But at least the journey there is going to be one hell of a ride.
“You’re fighting?” Kayden’s expression lights up with a disbelieving smile. “No way.”
I nod, smiling back to match his excitement.
“Yeah,” I say. “I remember that you said I shouldn’t waste my talent, and fight in promotions instead. And the advice stuck with me. I think it’s good to have actual combat experience under my belt before I start running the gym full time. And I figure I’ll do it now before I get too busy, you know? I’m still going to finish my degree, do my master’s in athletic training, but at least I have the real combat experience now too.”
“That’s awesome. I’m proud of you,” Kayden says brightly. His hands look like they want to reach out to me—to hug me—but he stops himself and straightens his back instead, offering me a friendly smile while his hands dig into the coarse sand behind him. Then he says, a little hesitantly,
“You’re looking for a sparring partner, perhaps?”
“You mean you?” I laugh hoarsely. “I don’t know. That’ll mean you’ll have to be staying in Boston longer than a night.”
A knowing grin from Kayden makes my spine go rigid.
“You’re moving back?” I say, baffled.
He nods.
I push my knees down and sit cross-legged, scooting closer to him, eager to know more about his plan.
“Real y? How . . . ?” My voice trails off.
“I’ve got some money saved up,” Kayden explains. “So I’ve decided to go back to college.”
“Where?”
“Boston University.”
A permanent, giddy smile stretches across my face.
“That’s interesting. Because I study there too.”
“What do you know?” He says, smiling. “Must be a coincidence.”
Shit, he’s so cute.
“So what changed your mind?” I prod.
The sea pulls his gaze away momentarily as he heaves a sigh, a hand drifting over his forehead. “Running away was a stupid thing to do. I realize that now. So I wanted to come back and fight the real fight. I’ve decided I’m going to quit the underground and pursue becoming a social worker. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, but I always stopped myself short because I didn’t think I deserved it. But now . . . I feel like I do. And I want to make Clarissa proud. I want to help foster kids go into better homes, to see that they’re cared for and loved. If I can prevent other kids from ending up the same way that Clarissa did, that means I can save lives.”
I’m powerless from stopping the huge smile growing on my face. Kayden really has come so far since the last time I saw him. There’s an air of confidence around him now in the way that he speaks and holds himself that had always been there when he was in the cage but that has finally followed him out and bleeds into every other aspect of his life.