Page 247 of The Monster and the Masochist

“Close enough. Hey! Is this it? It looks awesome!” Nolan exclaimed as the Uber pulled up to Theo’s new gym.

I had to agree.

It looked great.

The tasteful black sign was stretched wide and proud over the front of the small commercial space she’d rented.

It said: Theo’s Gym: Self-defense for the Girls, Gays, and Theys.

Her unit sat in a row of old brick mixed-use storefronts that lined one of the streets of downtown Silent Hollow. It was a great location. There was parking in the back for anyone who needed to drive, but also a lot of curb appeal for people who might just be wandering by as they shopped.

After we’d killed the reverend, Theo had told me about her idea to open a self-defense gym.

At first, I’d assumed she was asking me to help her invest in it… but it turns out that Theo was kinda loaded.

It made my eye twitch when I found out exactly how much money she had just sitting around doing nothing in a fucking checking account… but that was neither here nor there.

What mattered was that she had more than enough to get this gym of hers started. Between Theo, Jerry, and me, we’d been able to secure this small commercial building for her, and today was her big opening day.

Gnomes had helped with getting social media channels set up for her, and she’d helped Theo film a few tutorials and demonstrations for her to post as reels. A couple of them had really popped off, and before we knew it, the bookings had started rolling in.

So, to my delight, she and Jerry already had a pretty full schedule.

Thanking the driver, I stepped out of the Uber and entered the gym to find Theo and Jerry already setting up for their first-ever lesson.

Theo turned to see who’d come in as the bell on the door rang, announcing my arrival, and my breath caught in my chest.

The smile on her face made me weak in the knees, and I felt my throat close up with emotion at how excited and happy she looked.

“Hey, princess!” she called, jogging over to greet me. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d be at work for another few hours.”

I couldn’t help the goofy, love-sick smile that spread across my face as she leaned in to kiss me. Wrapping my hand around her nape, I melted into her, nipping at her lips as the whole world faded away.

For a long moment, it was just the two of us, standing there in each other’s arms, safe, happy, and finally home.

“I couldn’t miss your big day. I wanted to wish you luck with your first class in person.”

Theo’s smile curved against mine, and she dropped one more kiss on my mouth before pulling away.

“Well, thanks, baby. I’m really excited. Everyone should start showing up soon. I hope it’s a good crowd.”

She wrung her hands together nervously, but she still had that big, gorgeous grin on her face.

“I’m sure it will be.” I laughed as Nolan rolled up to say hi.

He let out a low, appreciative whistle as he reached out to clap hands with my wife.

“Theo! This place looks awesome! Love the sign.”

“Thanks, man, Cass’s sister helped with all the marketing shit. She’s a little creative genius.”

“No kidding. This looks hella professional. Look at you go! You have a whole ass brand now!”

Theo’s cheeks flushed, and I fought off the sudden aggressive urge I had to pinch her face between my fingers.

God, she was so fucking cute.

I didn’t think I would ever get over how in love with her I was.