Perfect Start

Maeve sat at the small breakfast table near the kitchen’s picture window. She nursed a mug of fragrant tea while Garrick placed a second plate beside her: scrambled eggs, sausage links, and buttered toast. His knuckles were swollen and pink from the night’s training, but he moved without complaint.

She took a cautious bite. Her jaw still stung from one mistimed hook at four a.m. To be honest, she