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I would’ve asked Jesse for the book title and author if I hadn’t been so consumed by the sight in front of me. The gym was massive and could’ve rivaled some of the biggest chains. Cardio equipment was off to my right and what seemed to be every kind of weightlifting machine in existence was on the left. Free weights and stretching equipment were lined against the wall of mirrors underneath a massive television mounted to the wall. And smack in the middle of the room was a large area covered only in mats with two giant, extremely gorgeous men circling each other.
The first was dark-skinned with a clean-shaven head and a tightly-trimmed dark beard threaded with a few grey strands. He looked slightly older than the rest of the group, maybe mid to late thirties but it didn’t seem to be slowing him down.
The man was fast, matching his opponent’s moves with one of his own, making sure to never get pinned down. He wore a burgundy tank that was cut down the sides showcasing cut obliques every time he lifted one of his arms. I’d always wondered why men cut their shirts that way but I was absolutely appreciating it on him. His legs were covered by tight black sweatpants and I would’ve been drooling if not for the other man that he was circling.
This was clearly Gage’s territory and he fought with a ferocity that would have terrified me had I been the opponent. He was dressed in a tank as well but his fit snug against his body, teasing me with what I knew was underneath. His tattoos swirled darkly over his exposed arms and I bit my lip when his ass flexed in the jogger-style sweats he was wearing. His hair was up in the usual bun, but a few strands had escaped and clung to his sweaty neck, sending a punch of lust throughout my greedy body.
My trance was broken when he took the other man to the ground and it felt like the ground shook beneath my feet. Then, I was envisioning Adam pinning me to the mats with his big, sweaty body. I shook the thoughts away when they jumped back to their feet and started all over again.
Reminding myself of why I’d come in the first place, I stomped toward the mats, ignoring the surprised looks of everyone standing around.
Adam’s back was to me and the other man saw me first, his brow furrowing with confusion when I stepped onto the mats. Taking advantage of his distraction, Adam knocked the other man down. He must’ve noticed something was off after that, because Adam turned his head and looked over his shoulder, his own brows going up in surprise when he saw me standing there.
“Mia? What are you doing here? Are you okay? Is Miles?”
I planted my fists on my hips, ignoring his questions as well as the loose strands of hair that hung around his face. The whole sexy, sweaty man thing he had going on as well as his obvious concern was quickly diminishing my mental capacity to stay mad at him.
“How about you answer why I woke up alone in bed this morning?” I lifted my chin in the air and tried my best to exude bad bitch energy.
“Ohhhh,” echoed around us.
Rolling my eyes, I gave Roe my best disapproving mom look. I should be embarrassed that everyone was standing around staring at the two of us like we were the hired entertainment. Even the man who’d been sparring with Adam had sat up on the mat, his eyes bouncing between us.
Adam sent every person in the room a withering glance that did nothing to erase their curiosity. A small, terrified squeak had me turning to see Jesse hightailing it out of the gym door.
My mouth opened to yell at him for scaring the poor girl when the shrill ring of my cell phone cut me short. I pulled my phone from my pocket, it wasn’t often I received phone calls and when I did, they were usually spam. Everyone I knew contacted me via text, with the hours I worked it was the best way to get in touch with me.
But it wasn’t spam. My stomach dropped when the number for Miles’ elementary school flashed on the screen. Cold dread filled me and I swiped my thumb across the screen before the call could go to voicemail.
“Hello?” My voice was unsteady as I prepared myself for the worst.
“Mrs. Delgado? It’s Nurse Emma from school. I have Miles in my office and I think you need to come down here.”
I’d already started moving toward the door, not bothering to correct her and say I wasn’t married. I was too busy thinking about traffic and what would be the fastest route to the hospital. Because if she was calling me, then things were bad.
“I’m on my way. I can be at the school in about ten minutes. Has he already used the rescue inhaler?” I jolted when a hand pressed reassuringly into my back and I turned my head to the side to find Adam walking next to me, his touch helping to keep me grounded.
“He has, it’s been about fifteen minutes and the symptoms aren’t getting better like they usually do. I can put you on speaker if you’d like to talk to him.”
“Please,” I swallowed back tears, not wanting my baby boy to hear how scared I was.
“Go ahead, Mrs. Delgado,” Adam’s fingers clenched and I would have rolled my eyes at his behavior if I wasn’t so freaked out.
“Miles? It’s Mommy, I’m on my way, baby. I want you to try and breathe for me, okay? Relax and focus on breathing in and out. In and out. I love you. I’ll be there soon.”
“He’s nodding,” the nurse answered and I took a shaky inhale myself, hating that this was a pain I couldn’t take on for my child.
After ending the call, I looked around not recognizing the parking lot we were standing in. Adam had steered me toward what must be the back of the building because I recognized his truck a few spaces away. Without a word, he guided me to the passenger side and I climbed in, grateful that he’d be driving because I was not in a good headspace to be behind the wheel. I gnawed on my lower lip as he started the car, allowing fear to consume me and the tears I’d been holding back to fall.
“He’s going to be okay,” Adam gripped my hand in his and squeezed, not letting go during what felt like the longest car ride of my life.
When we arrived at the school, I was grateful he drove us right to the front door and parked. I bolted through the front doors, scaring the receptionist half to death until she recognized me. Her eyes grew wide when she looked over my shoulder and spotted Adam.
“He’s with me, can you buzz us in? Please?” I tacked on, hoping that she’d overlook the usual check in policy considering why we were here. When she did, I pushed through the door and into the nurse’s office that was attached to the main reception area.
My fear eased slightly when my eyes landed on my son. He was sitting in a child-sized chair, one hand fisted on his knee while his shoulders rose and fell with each wheezing breath. His other hand was gripped tightly by a tiny girl with frizzy French braids and pink cowgirl boots.
“I tried to send her back to class, but she wouldn’t leave him and Miles grew agitated when I pushed so, I figured there was no harm in letting her stay.”
