Over the following week, I spent more nights in Hunter's place than I did in mine. At this point, half of my stuff was at his place. When I opened his closet one morning, I found my bag empty and all my stuff neatly stacked in one half of the closet. My half of the closet.

Moving in with him should've freaked me out maybe. But I just couldn't muster the emotion. It felt too comfortable, too right.

After a long day at work, all I wanted to do was to come home to Stevie and Brownie and Tux and snuggle up with Hunter. And I didn't deprive myself of that.

When I came home, to Hunter's, that following Friday, I found a line of cars in our driveway.

Right. He'd mentioned his team coming over to discuss preparing for the upcoming fight. His comeback in two years.

I spotted Ava's car and growled under my breath. Ugh. No. Stop it. Be an adult. Yes, I was an adult.

I opened the door with the key Hunter had given me and was immediately embraced by canine love. I crouched down and petted the two dogs. Their tails were a blur, and Stevie's head kept poking at my bag.

When I glanced up, Six people were looking at me. Hunter, Ava, Antonio, two other men and one woman I didn't recognize. They were all huddled around the coffee table, filling the L-shaped couch.

"Good evening," I said with a polite smile. Hunter stood up and made his way towards me. He wrapped me in a hug and kissed my head. Taking my bag, he grinned, "another bag?"

"I think I might end up moving here before the end of the month," I mumbled, taking my bag back. "Go finish your business, I'll go take a shower."

He winked and whispered, "How about I join you?"

I punched his stomach. "Behave!"

I left them to it and headed upstairs. Dumping my bag in the closet, I went straight to the shower. My feet throbbed, and the hot water washed down the long week's exhaustion.

I put on one of Hunter's cozy hoodies and a pair of leggings, dried my hair and ventured out to the bedroom. Hunter's laptop was open on the bed. We'd been looking at fire pits yesterday. We needed one for the terrace.

I plopped down on the bed and moved my finger on the touchpad. The screen lit up, and I froze.

Right there, on the screen, was not the collection of fire pits we'd been looking through, but a diamond ring.

My heart thumped wildly. I scrolled down. He was looking at wedding ring styles. I touched the pale blue scrunchie around my wrist, butterflies wrecking havoc in my stomach.

I put the laptop back to sleep and stood up. Maybe he was just looking for... what? A gift for Thalia? Those were clearly wedding rings.

Was I freaking out? Why was I freaking out? Did I want to marry Hunter?

Yes. Yes, I did. He was it for me. My heart was beating wildly. But it wasn't anxiety. It was... excitement. Thrill. I realized I had a giant grin on my face.

I slapped my cheek. "Okay, stop! He didn't even propose yet."

My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn't had anything since lunch.

Okay, food first. Then we could freak out about the ring. Though why should I be freaking out? It wasn't as if a lot would change. We would live together, which we were practically doing anyway. I would be officially a pet mom, and... yeah, that was about it.

I smiled to myself as I headed downstairs. There really was no reason to freak out. Hunter and I were practically married.

Downstairs, they were still deep in discussion. Before going into the kitchen, I went to Tux's bathroom. The cat now slept on the couch and spent most of his time in the living room or the bathroom, sometimes in the kitchen if we were in the living room.

The door to his bathroom was cracked open just enough for him to slip in and out. I peeked inside without turning on the light. It took me a moment to find him, curled up on the toilet seat.

The beam of light sneaking in from the hallway caught his eyes, and they glowed. He just blinked at me for a moment. When he was sure I wasn't going to invade his sanctuary, he yawned, laid his head down on his paws, and went right back to sleep. I smiled to myself. It was taking time, but he was coming along.

I went straight to the kitchen. A glance in the fridge revealed a glass container with tofu stir fry. Hunter must've made it for lunch and saved my part. Heart warm, I got it out and poured it in a pan to heat up. Stevie and Brownie appeared by my legs. I usually gave them treats whenever I came home from work, and it had become a routine.

Today was a Friday. It was their bone day. I got the bones from the fridge. Their tail wagging tripled its pace as they accepted the bones and took it to their respective corners to munch on. Happy dogs are healthy dogs.

Voices travelled to the kitchen from the living room, and I couldn't help tuning into their conversation as I sautéed my dinner. I turned off the stove, poured the stir fry into a big bowl and leaned against the counter to enjoy it. That put me directly in line of sight of the people in the living room, who were all watching something on the TV. The other woman I didn't recognize was holding the remote.

"Your comeback fight is going to bring in a shitload of viewers. So whoever you choose to fight is going to make a cut out of it as well."

"What about Cullen?" one of the two men I didn't know was saying.

"No," Hunter basically growled. "That bastard isn't getting a dime out of my comeback."

"Well, you need to choose," Antonio said. Through the kitchen's archway, I could see him reaching for something in his pocket. He got out a pack of cigarettes.

"If you're going to smoke, smoke outside," Hunter said without taking his eyes off the TV. "No smoking in the house."

Antonio scowled and put the cigarette between his lips, speaking around it. "Since when? You were always okay with it."

"Since now," Hunter said, turning his dark gaze to the older man.

Antonio grumbled something under his breath, huffed and stood up. He headed to the French doors leading to the backyard, but not before giving me a loaded look. Good to see the distaste was mutual.

I chewed on my stir fry. Yum.

Hunter shook his head and stood up as well. "Let's take a break."

He joined me in the kitchen and wrapped me in a hug, careful of the bowl.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Good. I had a feisty cat," I said after swallowing my last bite. "She almost scratched my cheek."

He pulled back and brushed his finger across my cheek. "Do you think Tux will ever be as feisty?"

I grinned and put the bowl in the sink. "We can only hope. Everything going fine?"

Hunter ran his fingers through his hair, the motion pulling the t-shirt tightly over his biceps. "Mostly. Come meet everyone."

We joined the others in the living room. Their hushed chatter immediately quieted down when we approached, and three pairs of eyes looked at me. Ava, sitting on the couch, just scrolled through her phone more furiously.

"This is Sapphire-"

"Milton's sister," the younger of the two guys said. He immediately shut his mouth, and his cheekbones turned a light shade of pink. He was young, probably in his early twenties, and he was built like a track and field athlete but with broader shoulders.

"Yeah, that's me." I gave the guy a smile. He seemed slightly relieved.

"This is Coby," Hunter said. "He's going to make his debut fight in UFC around the time I make my comeback, so we'll be training together."

"Nice to meet you," Coby said.

"Melissa," Hunter indicated the woman sitting next to Ava. Her hair was an ashy blonde, wispy strands of it falling to her shoulders in a long bob and framing her small, round face.

She adjusted her rose gold glasses and gave me a nod. "Nice to meet you, Sapphire. Hunter's been more tolerable lately, I think we have you to thank for that."

I bit back a smile. "Glad to be of help."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "And this is Jamal. He's my nutritionist."

Jamal grinned, his dark cheeks dimpling. "Nice to meet finally meet you," he said.

"And you know Ava," Hunter said. I glanced at him. He looked stoic, but I could see the teasing smile lurking in his eyes. Ava looked up at me, clearly as unamused by Hunter as I was.

"Of course," I said. "Ava."

Ava nodded. "Sapphire."

I looked at the TV. "So who are you fighting? Have you guys decided yet?"

"Lots of strong candidates," Melissa said, waving the remote around.

"Half his weight division in the UFC want to take Hunter down," Jamal added. He gave Hunter a long look. "What's your weight at?"

Hunter just huffed.

"Don't worry," I told Jamal with a grin. "I'll be sure to starve him out for you before the weigh-in."

Jamal fist-bumped me. "I like you already."

I looked at Coby. "What weight class do you fight in?"

"Featherweight. Do you know the sport?" Coby asked, his blue eyes bright. He reminded me of a golden retriever.

"A little bit," I said.

"Nice. Not a lot of girls are interested in it."

"What are we, chopped liver?" Melissa asked with a raised brow.

Coby's puppy eyes widened. "I didn't mean- No offense- I just-"

I chuckled. "That's fine."

"Sapphire is the one who got me into boxing," Hunter said, squeezing my shoulder.

"Really?" Coby asked, leaning forward. "Do you also fight?"

"I'm a vet," I said. "I do a bit of boxing as exercise."

"But she's good at breaking noses," Hunter said with a small grin.

"I haven't broken any since high-school," I told him. "But I'll make an exception for you."

Melissa and Jamal laughed, joined by Coby when he realized I was just joking. Even Ava looked like she was fighting a smile.

I let my bitterness for her go. Just because we started on the wrong foot didn't make her a bad person. Or maybe she was. I didn't know, and I didn't particularly care. We could be civil towards each other without being best friends.

Right then, Antonio slipped in through the backdoor, along with a gust of wind and cigarette smoke.

Hunter pursed his lips in disapproval. I patted his back. "I'll be upstairs," I mumbled.

He kissed my forehead and let me go. And I escaped without glancing at Antonio.

I could be civil with Ava. But Antonio was another matter altogether. I would just avoid him for now.

*** **** ***

My plans of avoiding Antonio didn't last long. He, along with a team of coaches and trainers, regularly visited our home.

We'd renovated the pool house into a gym, and that was where Hunter trained most days. His next fight was scheduled, and he was in preparation mode.

He hadn't brought up the ring, and I hadn't mentioned it. But I did go shopping for a man's wedding band. It was hidden at the bottom of my underwear drawer in our shared closet. For now.

Saturday mornings were ours, Hunter and me. All we did was chill around in the house. No work, no training.

"I think we should have a little gazebo nearby," I told Hunter.

We were sitting in the backyard, near the pond, where Brownie splashed around. The bridge was finished last week. The water in the pond reflected the clear sky, glimmering under the sunlight. Spring was in the air.

When he didn't reply, I looked at him. Hunter lay on his back, a wide smile stretching his lips.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I'm just happy."

I raised a brow. "Okay...?"

Hunter chuckled and sat up, putting an arm around my shoulders. "You're speaking about the house like it's yours. I'm glad."

"Isn't it mine?" I grinned.

"It is. I built it for you."

I patted his chest. "Very romantic, aren't you?"

He winked. "That's me. And the gazebo is a great idea. It's going to be good if you nephews or Stella come to visit. They don't have to stay in the sun all day."

I smiled. "Mhm. I miss Lander and Landon."

"We can go see them," Hunter said. "On a weekend."

I frowned. "I work on Sundays, though."

"Do you have to?" Hunter asked.

Did I have to? I was my own boss. I chose to work on Sundays. Mainly because I hadn't had a life much outside my work. It took all my time. But now... I looked at Brownie and Stevie and Hunter. I guess I no longer had to busy myself in work.

"No. Maybe I should take another day off."

"That would be nice," Hunter said, running his hand down my back slowly. He smiled. "I can think of a few ways to spend our time together."

I snorted. "Is that why you want me to take more days off?"

He wiggled his eyebrows. "Why else?"

I laughed and slapped his chest. Hunter's face softened. He closed the distance between us and kissed me.

Stevie barked, breaking us apart. I laughed when he barked again. He would come to the pond, stick a paw in the water and startle back, then proceed to bark at the pond.

"What an idiot," Hunter said fondly.

I jabbed my elbow in Hunter's side. "Don't be mean. The poor boy is blind." I whistled. "Stevie!"

The poodle's ears flickered and he ran towards us, sticking his head between us as he always did, his fluffy tail wagging.

Hunter grabbed him and wrestled him to the ground. Stevie loved it. I left the two males and joined Brownie by the edge of the pond.

"Males are so savage, aren't they, Brownie?" I asked. She splashed closer, her tongue lolling out, and nudged my hand. "We need finish that pool very soon. This pond is too small for you, isn't it?"

She barked in agreement, her brown fur glistening. She was going to make a mess inside. But water made her happy, and that was what mattered.

"Sapphire," Hunter said, his voice pitched low.

I glanced at him. He was fending off Stevie's attacks, but his attention was on the house. I followed his gaze.

Right there, on the back porch, Tux was sniffing at one of the chair legs. His belly was close to the ground, and he looked ready to jump inside in case the chair attacked him.

It was the first time he ventured outside when we were in the garden. He turned his head and saw us. Crap. We shouldn't have looked. But Tux just ignored us and kept discovering the porch.

Hunter and I beamed at each other. Baby steps.

My phone rang in my pocket. I fished it out and frowned. Scott? What did he want?

"Open the doors," he said as soon as I answered.

"What?"

Someone honked in the phone, and the sound echoed in the air around us. I sighed and looked at Hunter. "My brother is here."