“Ouch. That must hurt,” Ronan commentated.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed several men and women milling around their boxing ring. Although having spectators during her matches didn’t unnerve her anymore, it didn’t feel right to continue sparring like some show-off against an unofficial fighter like Keenan.
She stepped closer to Keenan, letting her guard down for a moment and asked him, “Shall we call it a day?”
“Are you giving me an out to save face, darlin’?”
She ducked her head slightly, but he wouldn’t let her. With his glove softly lifting her chin, he waited for their eyes to connect before he said, “So strong… but oh, so sweet. Like I said: the best thing that ever happened to me.”
After blinking the stinging prickle away from her eye, she said, “If you’ll keep this up, I’ll not be able to stop falling for you, Keen.”
While standing in the ring, her adrenaline had never spiked as high as after her admission. She would rather simultaneously take on three Paula the Plower’s instead of confessing to Keenan she was falling in love with him.
She wanted to kiss the man stupid when he swooped her up in his arms, in front of everyone—but most importantly in front of his son. Because this was his call to make, she waited him out.
“Kiss her, Dad!”
He softly connected his full lips to hers. Over the cheering around them he said, “You heard him, Ry. Better brace yourself… with Tommy on board, I’m going to move heaven and earth to make us a family.”