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Chapter 2
Dylan
When the guys told me they were coming back to Sunville to recuperate and train before their UFC debuts, I didn’t hesitate to offer them a place to crash.
I knew firsthand how expensive the sport could be, so I didn’t see any sense in them shelling out what little sponsorship funding they had on a hotel when I had two perfectly functional guest rooms.
The operating word here beingfunctional. It wasn’t the lap of luxury, but my homestead on the outskirts of Sunville was my pride and joy. I had everything I needed out here.
Plenty of trees to chop down if I ever ran low on firewood, a small shed for supplies that I built with my own hammer and nails, and a cabin that survived year after year of rain, sleet, and snow.
I enjoyed a quiet, peaceful existence on my little plot of land.
So it made sense that Red and Cash would upend all of that. Combined, they were a tornado. Last I checked, my cabin wasn’t designed to be tornado proof.
“Come on,” Cash teased, elbowing Red in the ribcage. “Just admit it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I tossed my jacket over the back of the kitchen table, shaking my head. “Would you leave him alone? You know how shy he can get.”
Red sneered. “I’m not shy, I just don’t think it’s respectful.”
“What?” Cash snorted. “I was only saying that I think Julia’s very pretty. Don’t you agree, Dylan?”
“Leave your shoes by the front door, you animal,” I mumbled. “But yes, very pretty. Always has been.”
“Didn’t you date her younger sister?” Cash snapped his fingers, squinting as he searched his memories. “Winona Thatcher, right? I met her once or twice when you brought her to MMA practice.”
“Yes, but that was a long time ago.”
“Why’d you break up again?”
“You’re awfully chatty today. Please tell me you didn’t drink a Red Bull after conditioning.”
“I might have, but you’re avoiding my question.”
I shrugged. “We drifted apart. It wasn’t anything malicious. She wanted to ship off to college and I wanted to stay here. Hell, I’m pretty sure Winona was the one who broke up with me.”
Red brushed past us and tossed his gym bag down behind the couch in the living room. “I don’t want you getting any ideas, Cash,” he warned. “Patrick had to pull a lot of strings to get us this spread. He’s been working overtime since our PR rep went on maternity leave.”
Cash rolled his eyes, yanking off his shirt before starting down the hall to take a shower. “You’re not worried I’m going to rub her the wrong way, are you?”
“I just want you on your best behavior,” Red replied sternly. “She can decide to write literally anything about us, both flattering and otherwise. Piss her off and she could very well tank our careers before we’ve even started.”
Cash put his hands up in mock surrender. “Just admit you thought she was hot. Don’t think I didn’t notice how you got all tongue-tied.”
“Shut up and take a shower,” I told him. “And don’t use all the hot water this time.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m goin’.”
The second he was out of ear shot, I glanced at Red and smirked. “Now that he’s gone?”
My friend sighed. He might have only been a few months older than Cash and me, but sometimes he could really sound like an old man: tired and resigned and a bit annoyed at Cash’s antics, though in a brotherly sort of way.
“She was gorgeous,” he admitted under his breath. “Probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on. But don’t you dare tell him that. He’ll start getting ideas. Remember Michaela?”
I nodded, smiling to myself. A few years ago, Cash, Red and I had a sort of…arrangementwith a pretty redhead in Salt Lake. Michaela was a sweet girl, always down for a fun time. It didn’t last very long, but I often found myself thinking about our brief dalliance with fondness.
