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14
GABE
IknewHanatoowell by this point to let her insecurities lie. She was a creature of habit, and as lovely as Nicky was, she disrupted the flow of things in our home.
After breakfast, I stole Hana away. It would’ve been a good chance for her to get to know Nicky, but there would be other opportunities. Plenty of them, I’m sure, if Billie had their way. Right now, I needed to make sure Hana felt safe and comfortable with the shift that had happened.
She’d dressed herself in a hot pink athleisure set with a sports bra and three-quarter-length leggings, her hair slicked back into a ponytail that swished behind her as we walked. When we got home she could burn off her frustration, but a walk away from the chaos of the house would be a decent warmup and time to digest.
“Talk to me,” I said, taking Hana's hand in mine as we hit the trail.
“Not ready yet.”
I nodded. Hana came to things in her own time, and pushing had never resulted in anything except a fight. Instead, we sipped our iced teas while we wandered the boardwalk, pausing every so often to watch the ducks.
“I always forget to bring food for them,” Hana said, as she leaned on the railing at a viewing platform over the wetlands.
“I’ll add extra frozen peas and corn to the grocery list.”
Hana leaned into me, rubbing her cheek against mine, staking her territory with a fresh scent mark. “Thank you for taking me out.”
“Gotta take care of my girl.” I turned my head to catch her in a kiss, the sweet mint of her scent flourishing.
By the time we finished the boardwalk loop, Hana was only marginally less broody. We talked about nothing important as she drove us back home. Even small talk was good for keeping her from sliding too deep in her own head, so I kept it up until we pulled into the garage.
The tension returned to Hana's body with every step inside. I went in ahead of her and found the main floor empty. Roscoe chirped a greeting to us and wove around my ankles. There was no sign of Nicky or Spud.
“I think she's gone home,” I said.
Hana's shoulders dropped before hiking up again a moment later. “Makes me feel like a dick that I got happy about that.”
I ushered her further inside. “Nothing wrong with being glad to have your own space. Time for downstairs?”
She nodded, and we swept down to the gym. This was where Hana shone, her insecurities faded and her confidence blazed bright as the sun. All of us were pretty fit, but the only way any of us could ever take Hana in a fight was with a four person dogpile.
After readjusting her ponytail, she picked up the paddles we used for kickboxing and handed them to me. We started off slow, easing into the flow of strikes and movements. Every time we did this I was reminded of how we met—a coed kickboxing class where she had promptly knocked me on my ass.
I’d been gone for her instantly.
A lot of people had tried to flatten me over the years, especially when I started working as a bouncer, but Hana was the only one that succeeded, and there was nothing quite so hot as her pinning me to the mats, sweat making her skin shine, and a satisfied smirk on her lips.
She hit hard. The force of each strike rippled through the paddles and into my hands as I matched each blow. When she lost herself in this it was all I could do to keep up. She shoved all of her power into a kick that had me retreating to keep myself upright.
Now we were getting into the meat of her stress.
Her movements got a bit sloppy as she pummelled the paddles, forcing me back, step after step.
“How was she?” Hana finally asked.
“I think you’d like her,” I said, catching a kick that drove me to the edge of the mat. “I bet she would melt for you.”
I circled back around and Hana followed in a flurry of strikes.
“Don’t play games with me about this.” She huffed and puffed, but kept advancing.
“I’mnot. And I didn’t fuck her if that's what you’re worried about. You know I don’t go that far without talking to you first.”
She had never discouraged my exploration with anyone, but she needed a little extra comfort whenever someone new showed up on the scene for any of us. It had been a few years since anyone had made it back to the pack house, so it was an adjustment for everyone. I was more than content with the pack, and, after years with them, I think we had forgotten what it felt like to have those dynamics shift.
