“But you still had your feelings.”

  “But I could pretend they weren’t there.”

  That’s why she ran out of bed in the middle of the night…

  We sipped on our coffee until the waitress came back with our food. It was my turn to grin as Elle took a bite of her pancakes. Her eyes closed, and her shoulders shimmied as she chewed.

  Must be good.

  A chuckle vibrated in my chest. Elle was delightful. She was this joyous ball of sunshine, and I couldn’t understand why anyone couldn’t like her. I love- My chest tightened. I snatched that thought out of my head, took it out back and beat it over the head with a baseball bat.

  Nope too soon for that. Way too soon.

  I stabbed a forkful of my eggs and tried to distract myself from the earth-shattering confession rattling around my head that neither of us needed to hear.

  “TO THE CAR!” The Dad at the nearby table shouted as he plucked up his two teething toddlers.

  The tiny pair giggled like crazy as the Dad marched out of the restaurant with exaggerated stomps. Shaking her head in mock disapproval the Mom couldn’t hide her grin as she picked up their newborn who was now tucked away in a car seat.

  “…Do you really think we can do that?” Elle asked in between bites.

  “I really do.”

  “More than one?”

  “Maybe. I mean, why not?”

  “I never really thought about being a parent before now. I always thought about parenthood as something real adults did.”

  “Same. But I’m onboard now. I’m all in on being a family. Twins? Triplets? You want it, we can do it!” I grinned.

  Elle shook her head, “Let’s handle Blobby for now.”

  “Okay, but you’ve seen the ultrasound. I make cute babies. Money-back guarantee! You’ll love your baby or your money back!”

  Elle rolled her eyes and returned her attention to her food. We finished eating and Elle rubbed her tiny baby belly with a satisfied smile on her face. The waitress collected our plates and left the bill. I reached for my wallet in my back pocket and grimaced. I moved my shoulder without caution, which was stupid. Mercifully, the pain had lessened to an annoyingly ache.

  “So, this group of guys that just came in are all wearing wrestling shirts.” Elle commented as she looked over my shoulder.

  Shit…

  I sank deeper into the booth. This morning was already confusing. My emotions were already contending with my injury, taking a month off, having a family, my feelings for Elle. I didn’t want to add fanboys on top of it all.

  “You okay?” Elle raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Didn’t really want to deal with fans today.”

  “But they keep you working. It cost nothing for you to be kind.”

  “What about you?”

  “You’re right. We haven’t talked about letting people know about us and Blobby. I’m a writer so behind the scenes is kinda my thing. I’m not sure the spotlight looks good on me. But we can always talk about that more later. I’ll duck out ahead of you and if they notice you, be nice to them. Sound good?”

  “Sounds good.”

  I watched her sexy ass as she walked to the car. A few moments later, I climbed out of the booth and, as I predicted, the group of fanboys definitely noticed me. They hooted and cheered at the sight of me. A blush crept up my neck at the spectacle of it all. With a pen borrowed from one of the waitresses I signed several napkins and posed for pictures. Despite our rowdy introduction, the guys were nice dudes. Before they could rope me into their game night, I ducked out of the restaurant. Elle smiled at me as I climbed into the car.

  “How’d it go?” She asked.

  “Good. Nice guys. They were trying to make me come to their D&D game on Friday night. Apparently, there’s booze and chips.”

  “Free booze and chips?! So, you going?”

  I rolled my eyes. “No!”

  We both laughed. She was right, it cost nothing for me to be kind. I needed that reminder. I was happy to have Elle to remind me of that. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I reached over and rubbed Elle’s stomach. She giggled, and I placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

  My girlfriend. My sweet, wonderful girlfriend.

  Elle

  “So, are you sure it won’t be weird?” I asked Logan as we walked through the back lot to the side entrance of Save Point.

  “I’m sure it won’t be weird. You’re just gonna hang out and work on your writing, what’s weird about that?” He smiled at me.

  I shrugged. Logically I knew he was right. Emotionally it didn’t really help. I didn’t want to be clingy, but I needed a change up from writing on the couch. Logan mentioned coming to the bar and I agreed but the optics of it all had slowly dawned on me. Logan paused and reached for my hand. The contrast between his rough, worn ‘working man’s’ hands and my small soft ones always amused me.

  “Everything will be fine. Trust me.” He gave me a reassuring squeeze.

  Hand in hand we walked into the back of the bar, down a narrow hall, past the kitchen, and into an office. A pair of paper covered desks sat near the door. Clearly these guys didn’t know much about organizing. An oversized leather couch sat in front of a TV for non-work related gaming. And at the far end of the room was a large table were the pony-tailed pair sat.

  “Hey guys!” Logan shouted.

  Nick and Zeke turned and exclaimed “Oooooooo!” in unison at the sight of us.

  My cheeks warmed and Logan rolled his eyes.

  “Elle is gonna get some writing done today.” Logan explained once their collective gawking faded.

  “Why does she have to do that here?” A tall, balding guy asked as he walked past us.

  I inched closer to Logan as he looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes at me.

  “You’ve already met Nick and Zeke. That asshole is Davis. Just ignore him, I do. Hell, ignore all these fuckers. Trust me, it’s for the best.”

  I laughed. Davis grunted as he sat down.

  “So, I guess now is as good a time as any to let everyone know.” Logan let go of my hand to drape his arm across my shoulders. My cheek settled into the soft linen of his button up. “Elle and I have made our relationship official.”

  Hoots and hollers erupted from Nick and Zeke. I glanced up at Logan, who couldn’t hide the impish grin on his face even if he tried. My heart swelled.

  “Most people do the whole pregnancy thing after getting into a relationship.” Davis noted.

  “Yeah, but I’m not most people. You know that.” Logan rebuffed.

  Davis shook his head. Only a bit perturbed, I wrapped my arms around Logan’s chiseled torso for a quick hug. Announcement handled and mostly accepted Logan and I walked over to the table. He pulled my chair out for me. Heat built in my cheeks as Zeke and Nick giggled like schoolgirls beside me.

  Have they ever had partners?

  “So how did things go at the doctor’s Logan?” Nick asked.

  “Mostly good. He just wants me to take it easy on the shoulder and I’ll be back in the ring in about 4 weeks.”

  “Cool. I was thinking we could do some extended hours on Wednesdays, maybe even do a special screening night where you pick some of your favorite matches and we show them for fans or something.” Davis mused aloud.

  “I wouldn’t call that good, but sure, whatever.” Logan sighed.

  I reached out and gave Logan’s hand a squeeze. The corner of his mouth lifted in a halfhearted smile that quickly faded. Davis’ disregard of his friend’s feelings didn’t sit right with me. But I was just meeting everyone. It wasn’t my call to pass judgement on his lifelong friendships.

  “When is the DDR game getting here?” Zeke asked.

  “They said today. Hopefully, they get it here before we open.” Davis shrugged.

  “You guys are getting a DDR machine?! That’s so cool!” I exclaimed.

  “Yeah! Do you play?” Nick turned to me.

  “I do. But not well.”

  We laughed.

  “I don’t know if he’s told you, but Logan is really good at it.” Nick smirked.

  “Really?” I glanced over at Logan while trying and failing to contain my glee.

  A noticeable red flush covered his cheeks.

  “Anyway. We should probably get things around.” Davis interjected as if he was the voice of authority.

  Keeping my mouth firmly shut, I followed the guys into the bar. The four of them went around, turning on the consoles and gaming systems. As the games started up, several different 8bit theme songs clashed. The infectious beats filled my ears and instantly transported me back to my childhood. A hazy childhood memory of getting so frustrated with Mario is Missing! that I cried flashed in my head. Retroactive embarrassment warmed my cheeks.

  Blobby will be so much so much cooler than me. I’ll make sure of that!

  I gave my stomach an affectionate rub. Blobby was unable to object. Smirking to myself, I turned my attention to finding the perfect spot for writing. I wanted to be as out of the way as possible. Not too close to the distracting temptation of the games. Pregnancy bladder meant it had to be a proper distance to the bathroom. Close enough that I don’t pee my pants, but far enough away that it can’t gross me out. A good angle for watching TV. So much to consider. After a moment of scouting, I set up my writing spot at the end of the bar near the wall. As I pulled out my laptop, Nick appeared out of thin air and hopped onto the barstool beside me. I raised my eyebrows warily at his wide smile.

  “Hi?” I mumbled.

  “Hi Elle. So, I’m sure Logan’s already told you that Zeke and I are the head chefs here. Even if we’re not cooking every night, we’re the ones who create the menus.”

  I nodded, unsure where he was going with all this information.

  “Cool. Cool. So, I was wondering, can we make you anything?” He asked.

  “Oh. Um. I’m not sure? Do I need to open a tab or something?”

  “Of course not!” He laughed. “You’re the first girl I’ve ever seen Logan with. And you’re having his kid! I just want to make sure you’re comfortable.”

  “First girl really?” My eyes danced with curiosity.

  “Yep. He had a boyfriend when we were all in Japan, but when they broke up, Logan shut down. I mean, he kinda muted himself. Since then, he’s always said he’s never had the time or energy to seek out a relationship. Wrestling is more important. Most people want someone to share their life with… I guess I’m just glad he found you.”

  “Wow… Thanks Nick, that means a lot.” I stammered, truly flattered.

  “No problem. No problem.” He shrugged.

  “So… I totally have to ask what you mean by muted and also what was his ex like?”

  Nick laughed, and he shook his head, “Sorry, but that’s not my story to tell. You’ve gotta ask your boyfriend that yourself.”

  Mockingly, I rolled my eyes. “It was worth a try, right?”

  “Absolutely. I’d think less of you if you didn’t try to squeeze any information out of me.” He narrowed his eyes at me.

  After a brief pause, we both descended into a fit of laughter. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a befuddled Logan as he passed us with confusion etched onto his face.

  “So, what can I get you?” Nick asked again after our laughing died down.

  “A water and some mozzarella sticks?”

  “On it!” He exclaimed as he slapped his hand onto the countertop.

  I shook my head in disbelief as he ran to the kitchen. I opened my laptop, put on my headphones and attempted to absorb myself into the world of The Fury and The Flood.

  Several hundred words and half a Maroon 5 album later, a tap on my shoulder widened my surroundings. I looked up to Zeke, grinning at me as he slid a massive plate of mozzarella sticks, a side of sauce, and a glass of ice water onto the bar.

  “Ooooo!” I exclaimed as I pulled off my headphones to rest on my shoulders.

  “Made sure to give ya a couple extra.”

  “A very generous couple extra.” I giggled.

  Zeke shrugged as he slid onto the bar stool beside me. “I don’t know what kind of monster would keep a pregnant woman away from deep fried, melted cheese, but I never want to meet them.”

  “Fair point.” I said as I grabbed a mozzarella stick.

  The warm gooeyness melted on my tongue. I shimmed my shoulders.

  “I’ll take that to mean I did a good job?”

  “An amazing job!” I gushed in between bites.

  Zeke laughed. “Elle, you’re something.”

  “What’s that mean?” I asked as I attempted to slow my inhale of mozzarella sticks.

  “I’ve known Logan for like ever, and I never figured he’d end up with someone like you. Hell, I never thought he’d end up with anyone.”

  “Uh… Ouch. I have no idea how to take that,” I returned my last bite of mozzarella stick to my plate.

  “Ah… I didn’t mean it like that! I’m sorry!” Zeke rubbed the back of his neck. “I just mean you’re like a ball of sunshine and not like Logan’s a grump or anything, but he’s well, you know, him.”

  He’s speaking in romance tropes.

  “Yeah, I do.” I nodded.

  Zeke and I exchanged smiles. “Well, I guess I let you get back to your writing.” He climbed off the barstool.

  “Hey Zeke. Can I ask you a question?” I called out.

  “Sure. Shoot.”

  “What was Logan’s ex like?”

  Zeke's fingertips reddened as his grip tightened on the back of the barstool, “Uh, I don’t know if it’s my place to say anything about that.”

  For all the silence around Logan’s past relationship, it was amusing as hell to know the ponytailed brothers were on the same page in more ways than one.

  “Can you blame me for trying?” I shrugged, a sly smile on my lips.

  “…Yuki is a sweet guy, and the dude has one hell of a kick. Will take a man’s head clean fucking off.” Zeke turned on his heels and scurried off to the kitchen from which he came.

  Yuki…

  Matt’s lips being a bit looser than his brother’s played to my advantage. A few well-worded searches later and I’d found a Wikipedia page and several fan blogs for Takarai Nobuyuki. He was a tall, toned, handsome man. Even in the ring his jet back hair lay swooped against his forehead with a neatly placed side part. As I stared at the profile picture on his bio page, I realized that he was the guy looming over Logan in that old show poster in his merch room.

  I gnawed on my bottom lip as I scrolled through the images tab and came across some well done graphic fan art of him and my boyfriend. Apparently, he and Logan would play up their relationship for the fans. If I had been watching Japanese wrestling at the time, I totally would have fangirled over these two hot dudes grinding all over each other. These fans were talented. But their NSFW art was bound by a lack of knowledge.

  Logan’s dick looks much better than that!

  I shook my head and closed the browser. Zeke and Nick’s coyness came from a place of concern for my feelings, not one of any murky motives. The ponytailed pair were sweethearts underneath the several layers of goofiness. I let out a quiet giggle before attempting to turn my attention back to writing. No sooner than my fingers started hitting the keys Davis’ shouting cut into my writing bubble.

  “Careful! Careful!”

  I yanked off my headphones and looked over my shoulder at two older guys doing their best to lug the oversized DDR machine into the bar under Davis’ grumpy tutelage.

  “It’s here! It’s here!” Zeke and Nick exclaimed in an extremely high pitch as they ran from the back like kids on Christmas.

  Logan and I exchanged smiles as he walked in from the back office. Once the oversized machine was placed in its spot, Davis paid the older men and shooed them from the bar.

  “It should be plug in ready,” Davis said as he locked the front door.

  Logan plugged the game into the wall and after a breathless beat, bright lights and bass heavy music filled the bar.

  “It works! It works!” Davis grinned.

  “Has it been modified to take our tokens?” Logan asked.

  Davis nodded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Save Point token. He tossed it to Logan and said, “Give it a go.”

  Logan grimaced. “Eh, I’m not sure with my shoulder and everything…”

  Davis rolled his eyes. “Two things. One, it’s DDR. And two, your feet are fine.”

  Nick and Zeke gave him 4 thumbs up paired with very wide grins. With a heavy huff, Logan unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders. Without looking back, he tossed it over his shoulder. Zeke swooped in a caught it before it hit the ground. All of us watched with bated breath as Logan lazily stepped onto the platform. His lips jutted out in a cute thinking pout as he shuffled through the songs until he found a track he liked. Carefully, he rolled his shoulders before pressing start. A joyous techno track started, and technicolor lights flashed in time with the beat. Logan’s pouted lips curved up into a small smile as he rocked on his heels, waiting for the arrows to come up on the screen.

  Like someone had pressed a switch, Logan sprang alive. His whole body reacted to mashing the arrow pad. Up, down, left, right, up, right, right, left, up, down. His foot work was effortless. The muscles from his calves up to his shoulders clenched and unclenched as he danced in time to the beat. A very noticeable imprint shimmied between his legs.

  God bless baggy pants…

  My hands circled my glass of water. The coolness on my palms helped ground me and damper my perverted thoughts. My eyes feasted on the display in front of me. Much like his in-ring work, Logan’s movements were so fluid. Everything the man did was so impressive. As the song ended, his friends clapped at the demonstration. Logan turned towards me, winked, and blew a kiss in my direction. I snatched the kiss out of the air and held it to my chest. Nick and Zeke laughed like the secret teenagers they were, and Davis rolled his eyes.

  “I’m kinda rusty, but now we know the game works.” Logan laughed as he stepped off the platform.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Showoff.” Davis sighed.