Free Broken #5 (The Broken Series - Book #5) by Claire Adams

wait for my husband to return from the
gym and take his offspring to daycare so that I can work.
    The children bound away from me
joyfully. They are happy kids, and I often wonder how they will turn out. They
have two very different parents―one who is immersed in the arts, and the
other who likes to beat people up. We are on separate ends of the spectrum and
yet we complement each other beautifully.

 
    Jet

 
    My body is sore as I leave the
gym. These days I have an entire training team that follows me to the gym every
day. They tell me what to eat, and how to train. It makes my life so much
easier. I have been fighting for the UFC now for over five years, and I have
never loved something so much in my life. Well, except Natalie and the kids;
they certainly take the cake. I have a son who was our firstborn, and then a
little girl, who stole my heart, and is holding it ransom until she gets
everything she wants out of life.
    I finally got the career I always
wanted, and the respect I earned from my dad. He never truly believed I would
make it, but to his credit, once I did, he did everything in his power to right
those wrongs. I forgave him instantly, of course, because there was no point in
holding anger toward a guy who really never understood your dreams in the first
place. Besides, my brother, Craig, happily took over the company in my absence,
and has done wonders for it. He built it up far higher than my father did, and
it my opinion, things worked out exactly as they should have.
    I was on my way home to tell my
beautiful wife that today I decided today to retire, to hang up my gloves
professionally and permanently. There were aches in my body that were never
there before, and I knew that my many years of fighting had finally taken their
toll on my body. I wanted out before there were any permanent injuries that
would affect my life forever. I had made a fortune during my fighting career,
so my family never wanted for anything. Natalie was now a famous photographer,
so there was no reason I needed to continue working; we had more than enough
money to keep us very comfortable for the rest of our lives. It was now time
for me to stay home, take care of my kids, and watch them grow up. I hadn't
always been able to be there due to the travelling involved in training and
fighting for the UFC.
    I wasn't concerned about what
Natalie would say. She had been supportive in every decision I made with my
career, and she would accept this one in the same manner. Whatever made me
happy was her motto, and I knew that hanging up my gloves would make me happy
at that point. I wanted us all to travel more, and I wanted to take Natalie
back to Paris, where I proposed to her. I had big plans for the family, and
getting out of fighting was exactly what I needed right now. I was a top title
fighter with the UFC, and I would have to give up my belt to someone else once
I retired. It would be bittersweet, but it was an inevitable part of the game.
    I pulled into my driveway and got
out of the car. I walked up to our home and slipped through the front door. I
wasn't stealthy enough, however, because the children bounded down the hallway
and launched themselves into my arms. I kissed their heads, and once again
wondered how I had been so lucky to get everything I had ever wanted in life. I
loved my family deeply, and I had everything right there at my fingertips.
    Natalie came down the hallway
then, and I was still in awe every time I saw her, because I couldn't believe
how she managed to be more beautiful eight years later than the day I met her.
Her long red hair still flowed wavy down her back, and despite having two
children, she had one of the hottest bodies I had ever touched.
    She came to me then, and kissed
me hard on the mouth. Her kisses never stopped being passionate, and she still
kissed me as if she would die if she didn't.
    “Hi, sweetheart, welcome home.”
    I kissed her again, not quite
ready to let her lips go. “I'm