Twelve months later
“Winner by a knockout, the new MEFC middleweight world champion and holder of five MEFC title belts…Slayer!”
Zack raised his arms in triumph as Blade Saw announced his arrival at Redemption, playing to the packed gym going wild for his return from his championship fight in Vegas. Even after a two-day media junket, he could still feel the sheer and utter thrill of holding the title belt in his hand. He had done it. He had come back from oblivion, defeated the Terminator, and achieved his dream. And he couldn’t have done it without the Redemption team.
He hadn’t come to Redemption to return to fighting. He had come to recruit another body for the MEFC stable. Who knew his entire life would change the moment he walked in the door? Not only had he found the ballerina who had stolen his heart, he had found redemption, and he had found a home.
“Welcome back,” Sadist said, clearing a path through the eager fans. “How did it go?”
Zack shook his head. “It was easier before everyone and his dog started streaming their broadcasts. I lost count of the number of interviews I did. MEFC had a team of publicists, and even they couldn’t keep up with the requests.”
“I saw the one of you with Shayla after the fight. You were great together. Very entertaining.”
A new MMA streaming service had asked for a joint interview with Zack and Shayla, who had become a hot celebrity couple after they had announced their engagement. Media interest had intensified after Shayla won the amateur featherweight title belt and was signed by MEFC, prompting them to elope to Glenwood. They’d had a small outdoor wedding with only their family and close friends in attendance, including, of course, the entire Redemption team.
“I’m looking forward to picking her up and just having a quiet night at home.”
“Yeah. About that…” Sadist grimaced. “Something’s come up.”
“What are you talking about?” Zack followed Sadist’s gaze as he looked around Redemption, but everything appeared to be business as usual. Cheryl and Shayla had finally convinced their colleague, Joe, to join the gym, and Cheryl and he were sweating their way through Fuzzy’s Punch or Perish class. Blade Saw and Homicide Hank were sparring in one of the cages. Doctor Death was rolling on the mats with Renegade. The Predator was drum rolling a speed bag, and Makayla, Sia, Amanda, and Penny were clustered together on the bleachers, whispering like they were up to no good.
“You’d better ask your Daredevil.” He gestured to the practice ring at the far end of the gym where Shayla was sparring with Sandy.
A smile spread across Zack’s lips. After Shayla had won her amateur title and signed her professional contract with MEFC, the team had put her “Shilla the Killa” name to bed and asked him for a ring name worthy of Redemption’s top female fighter and California’s newest women’s featherweight amateur champion.
What was she like when you first met? they’d asked.
Fearless. Unstoppable. A risk taker. Just like she is now.
Zack crossed the mats toward the practice ring, taking in the enormity of what was now considered to be one of the top MMA training gyms in the state. With three title belt holders and a shelf full of amateur cups, Redemption was fast becoming the place to be.
His place to be.
Torment had put Zack’s picture on the wall the first day he had come out of retirement and started to train. Zack had been deeply moved by the gesture. He hadn’t earned his title belts at Redemption, but Torment had recognized his achievements alongside those of his fighters. It had made Zack even more determined to reclaim his title so he could credit the team. Shayla’s picture now hung beside his own, the fulfillment of a promise he had made to her the night he had traded his ring for a path to Redemption.
Torment was standing outside the ring with his daughter, Brianna, on his shoulders, watching Shayla and Sandy fight. Zack felt a curious sense of longing as he gave his favorite toddler a high five. He had never wanted kids, never thought he could be a good father because he had no good role model in his life, but Shayla had made him see that he’d been his own role model. Taking care of his sisters had been all the training he needed to be a good dad. And now that Viv was in remission again and living with an intern she’d met in the hospital and Lily was married, he only had one person to look after and room in his heart to welcome another.
Sandy’s gaze flicked to him as he climbed through the ropes, hoping to surprise Shayla by coming up behind her. He’d pulled the same trick the first day he’d come to Redemption when he’d had the shock of his life, seeing her in the ring.
“Oh my Lord.” Sandy’s eyes widened. “Look who it is.”
Taking advantage of her lack of focus, Shayla lunged forward and wrapped her arm around Sandy’s neck in a choke hold.
“It’s…Slayer,” Sandy wheezed.
Shayla’s head jerked up, and her gaze locked on his. A lifetime of memories filled the space between them. The day he’d found her at the bottom of Devil’s Hill. The touch that had woken his soul and stirred a fierce protectiveness in him that even now he could not contain. The friendship that had sustained him during his darkest times. Stolen kisses and furtive cuddles. Desperate longing. Sexual awakening. The night they had come together and broken apart. And the day he had found her again.
She had wanted to make something of herself, and she did. Twice over. Prima ballerina with the New York Ballet, winner of the amateur featherweight title belt, and now professional MEFC fighter. She was her ring name personified. A “Daredevil” in every sense of the word. But he knew what kind of woman she really was. The woman of his heart.
Frozen in shock, Shayla loosened her grip. Sandy spun out of the hold and clipped Shayla a good one in the chin.
She stumbled back and lost her balance, but before her head could hit the pole, Zack was there. He caught her and spun her around, pulling her into his chest.
“Still determined to protect me, I see.” Shayla smiled at him as he bent to kiss away the hurt on her chin. “Welcome home.”
“You two can have matching bruises.” Sandy gestured to Zack, who was still sporting the evidence of his championship fight. “Did the Terminator spend all his time pounding on your face?”
“You mean in the seven seconds before I knocked him out?”
Sandy laughed. “I hope we can get a play-by-play over drinks tonight.”
“Another time.”
Shayla mocked a frown. “Someone isn’t very sociable this evening.”
Zack pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, “Someone just spent the day giving interviews, flew in from Vegas, and came straight to Redemption to pick up his wife whom he hasn’t seen for two days. Drinks are the last thing on my mind.”
She looked up at him through her dark lashes. “What is on your mind?”
“Fucking you wearing your title belt and nothing else.”
“We’ve done that six times already.”
“Then we’ll do it six times with you wearing my title belt.” He nuzzled her neck. “Once in every room of our apartment.”
“Think how much better it would be if we had a house.” She smoothed her hands over his chest. “We would have a yard to lie out and look up at Vega and Altair and extra rooms for christening title belts or even for visitors.”
“What visitors?” His skin prickled when Shayla pulled away. Turning, he realized they had an audience. The entire Redemption team—kids and significant others, too—were crowded around the ring.
“This visitor.” Shayla handed him a small white box with the Redemption logo emblazoned on top.
“What’s going on?”
“Open it.”
Zack glanced up at the smiling faces of his teammates and lifted the lid off the box. “What is this?” He held up a tiny pair of red Redemption fight gloves. “Slayer” had been printed across one glove and “Daredevil” across the other.
“I figured we should get our baby started early.”
“Our baby?” His gaze flicked from the gloves to Shayla and back to the gloves. “You’re pregnant?”
“Two months. I found out last week, but I didn’t want to distract you from your training.”
Emotion overwhelmed him, and he pulled Shayla into his arms, burying his head in her hair as the team cheered around them.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I can’t believe we are going to be a family.”
“I’m sorry it had to be so public. I was so excited, I had to tell someone.”
Zack sighed. “You told Sadist?”
“No. I told Cheryl, and she told Joe. He went for drinks after class with Fuzzy and let it slip. Of course, Fuzz told his sister, Sia, and she told the Predator and…well, you know how it goes here at Redemption. Sadist is still annoyed he was the last to know.” She moved to pull away, and he tightened his grip.
“Hold on a minute longer. I’ve got something in my eyes.”
“I hope those are happy tears,” she whispered.
“I thought I couldn’t be happier than the day I found you again,” he said. “But then you agreed to marry me, and I thought my heart would burst. But now I’ve got it all. You, our baby, my career, and Redemption.”