“Seriously?” Theo’s smile widens. “That’s fantastic.”
I nod toward the office where the paperwork is waiting. “Get this—we’re officially rebranding. Oath MMA Club. Making inclusion part of our core values.”
“Oath,” Theo repeats, testing the word. “I like it.”
“Because we don’t break our promises,” I say, surprising myself with how right it feels. “To each other or ourselves.”
I walk into my office, letting the door swing shut behind us. The noise of the gym fades to a distant hum as I drop into my chair, exhausted but exhilarated. Before Theo can perch on the edge of my desk like he usually does, I reach for his hand and pull him down into my lap.
He lands with a surprised laugh, his weight settling against me perfectly. My arms wrap around his waist, holding him close.
“What’s this about?” he asks, draping his arms over my shoulders.
I look up at him, at this man who’s turned my whole world upside down in the best possible way, and something catches in my throat.
“I need to thank you,” I say, my voice rougher than I expected.
His eyebrows lift. “For what?”
“For not giving up on me.” My hands tighten at his hips. “For pushing me to be myself when I was too fucking scared to even admit who I was. For staying even when I kept hiding you away like some dirty secret.”
Theo’s expression softens, but he stays quiet, letting me find the words.
“You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I hid you.” I shake my head at my own stupidity. “I actually convinced myself I was protecting everything I’d built, when really I was just too terrified to let anyone see the real me.”
I reach up to touch his face, tracing my thumb over his cheekbone. “I’m gonna spend the rest of our lives making that up to you, baby. I swear.”
Theo leans into my touch, his eyes shining. “There’s nothing to make up for. We got here together.”
“Yeah, but you were ready from the start. I kept dragging my feet.”
“And now look at you,” he says with a smile, glancing toward the gym where my fighters—my family—are building something entirely new. “A revolutionary.”
I laugh, pulling him closer until our foreheads touch. “I’m still scared sometimes,” I admit. “But not of this. Never of you.”
Theo leans down and kisses me sweetly, his lips soft against mine. Unlike our usual heat and urgency, this kiss feels different—reverent, almost. His fingers thread through my hair, cradling my head like I’m something precious, not the brute most people see.
When he pulls back, his eyes hold mine with an intensity that still takes my breath away. “I love you, Victor Kaine. Not just the parts you show everyone else—the fighter, the businessman, the tough guy. I love the man who cries in my arms. The one who’s scared sometimes but faces it anyway. The one who’s building something revolutionary because it’s right, not because it’s easy.”
His words sink into me, filling cracks I didn’t know were there. I’ve spent my whole life being hard—hard body, hard mind, hard heart. But with Theo, I’m learning that softness isn’t weakness. It’s a different kind of strength.
“I love you too,” I whisper against his lips. “More than I thought was possible.”
Theo smiles, tracing my jawline with his fingertips. “Who knew the big bad fight club owner was such a romantic?”
“Only with you, wildfire. Only with you.”
He kisses me again, deeper this time, and I lose myself in it, in him. My hands slide under his shirt, not with intent but just to feel his warm skin, to ground myself in the reality that he’s here, he’s mine, we made it through the storm.
The door bursts open without warning.
“Boss! Holy shit, boss, you’re not gonna—” Micah freezes mid-sentence, eyes widening at the scene before him. “Oh. Sorry. I can come back?—”
“It’s fine,” I say, though Theo makes no move to leave my lap. “What’s up?”
Micah’s grin returns, practically splitting his face. “Reese just called. They locked down the collection name. They’re calling it the Oath Collection.”
Theo laughs against my shoulder.