“This isn’t related, and I figured it out before I went to Maryland, but I’m stepping down from the foundation. Soon, I think. At least, as soon as the board can name someone to replace me.”
“And have you decided what you want to do instead?”
He nods. “I want to take over the hockey camps. The teams, the clinics, all of it. John’s leaving at the end of the year and they need a replacement anyway. I want it to be me.”
I keep my expression neutral, but inside I’m a joyful, jumping mess ofI told you so. I don’t say anything though, because I sense there’s more here.
“It’s not just the hockey part I want. I want to work with Asher.” He grins a little. “I guess technically he’ll be my boss because he’s in charge of all the camps, but I just want to work with my friend. And I want to spend more time at the bar with Ben. I don’t want to be the big boss anymore. It sucks and I hate it. I just want to work with my friends and do things I love. I’m fortunate to have the freedom to do whatever I want, and what I want is this.”
He looks at me expectantly, like he’s waiting for my opinion.
“You don’t need my permission to do something that makes you happy, but if you’re asking for my opinion, I think it sounds perfect.”
He lets out a relieved breath. “Okay good, because no more running the foundation also means more time for you. For Maddy.”
A broad smile spreads across his face. “I’m going to teach her how to play hockey. She already told me she wants to be on the team next year. Girls’ hockey is on the rise, and she’s fearless on the ice. She’ll be such a badass player.”
Jeremy’s joy is palpable, and I love him with my whole entire chest. He reaches over and grabs me around the waist, hauling me into his lap and wrapping his arms around me. When I lay my head on his shoulder, we let out twin sighs, like we are both right where we need to be. Together.
“I asked you to meet me here so we could run since we always talk the best when we’re on the trails. But I think we talked fine right here, and I don’t feel much like running. Want to take a walk instead?”
I lift my head to look at him, giving him a wicked grin.
“I have a better idea.”
Unwrapping myself from him, I hop off the wall and reach out a hand for his.
“Come on. I’ll drive.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Jeremy
“What is this place?” I ask as Emma parks in front of a nondescript building near Bakery Square. The parking lot is empty except for a single pick-up truck parked in the corner, and the windows and front door of the building are all blacked out. The whole vibe is very,you’re walking to your death.
She gives me a mischievous look before getting out of the car and waiting for me to do the same.
“You’ll see.”
Emma pushes open the door, and the familiar smell of sweat and cleaning supplies hits me before my eyes adjust to the dim lighting. The space is far bigger than it looked from the outside. Glancing around, I see weight machines, a padded off section of the room with free weights and a couple bench presses, a bunch of heavy bags hanging from the ceiling, and two boxing rings.
“Is this…”
“My boxing gym? Sure is.”
I huff out a laugh
“Let me guess. When I told you I belong to a boxing gym, you were thinking of some bright, clean gym with a heavy bag or two and organized kickboxing classes.”
I wince a little. “I mean, kind of? Sorry, is my misogyny showing? I try never to do that. Not that you can’t belong to an actual boxing gym. Or you shouldn’t. Or…shit, sorry,” I mumble, cutting myself off before I dig a bigger hole.
Emma laughs and wraps her arms around my waist. “It’s fine. I know it’s a little…unconventional. I took a couple kickboxing classes when I first moved to the city. I liked the boxing, but I hated the organized classes. Way too many people and too much forced socialization for me.” She makes a face, and I laugh, knowing that any kind of surface level socializing is her worst nightmare.
“I started going to the gym late at night when it was mostly empty whenever I felt like I needed something extra after my run and spent a lot of time hitting the heavy bags. I guess the owner of the gym saw that I never touched any of the other equipment because one night he handed me a business card for his boxing gym and told me he could teach me the right technique and stuff. I was intrigued but was also worried he was, like, luring me to my death or something. So, I forced my friends to come with me the first time. Turns out he’s a really nice guy. A former fighter who owns actual gyms and trains boxers on the side. I’m no boxer, but he lets me come in whenever I want to hit the bags.”
I stare at Emma, fascinated by all of her layers. I wonder if there will ever be a day I stop learning new things about her. I doubt it. I hope not.
Before I can say anything, a man who looks to be in his fifties walks out of the back. He’s bald and is a few inches shorter than my six-two height, but he’s broad and muscled and built like a linebacker. When he spots Emma, his eyes light up and a grinspreads across his face, turning him from fighter to friendly and approachable.
