𝐁𝐀𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝐈𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞||𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄

HARPER HAYES POV:

"And remaining undefeated boxer of all time...George Forbes!" The ring announcer raises George's arm in the air. The entire ring erupts into cheers.

George smiles, seeking me out on the ringside and flashing me a bloody grin. He wipes his hand across his mouth, his chest heaving up and down after the excruciating twelve rounds he just went with Sullivan O'Shea.

He won, of course, he did. He hasn't lost a fight In five years. Undefeated champion. Takes every punch and knock down on the chin, gets back up and goes for it again.

"I wanna see daddy!" Fern yanks her hand in mine.

"No," Winter shakes her head next to me. "When's he's in the changing room."

"No!" She stomps her little foot as the ring announcer puts his new belt over his head. "Now! Daddy!" She insists.

"Fern," I crouch down in front of her. "Be patient."

She frowns, leaning into my side. I don't let her watch the whole fight. Just seeing George banged up like this is more than enough for me. A boxing match is no place for a child but I've drilled into her that it's a sport, violence isn't the answer. Her daddy is a well-trained professional.

Fern isn't interested, anyway. Last month she wanted to be a gymnast ballerina. Then it was a dancer ballerina (?) and now, thanking god, it's just a ballerina and she's loving. Been at her little club for a few weeks now and she's actually stuck with it.

"Daddy!" She screams at the top of her lungs but only the people around us can hear her ear-piercing screech.

"Fern, stop it!" I tug on her hand, don't like telling her off in public. It's embarrassing, something I'd never do with her.

George takes the microphone, then, holds it up. "This is for my little girl—where is she? Can someone bring her here?" He calls, nodding his chin at Blake who's standing in the corner of the ring with Albie while reporters swarm them.

I shake my head but before I can walk with my five-year-old, she's sprinting down the walkway and pushing herself through the bodyguards, running under their legs.

The crowd bursts out in laughter as she shimmies under the rope with help from Albie. George picks her up onto his hip, her little face lit up from the big lights.

We only let her watch the ending, when the actual fight is over. She stays in the changing room with Winter depending on where the fight is being held and at what time. The four a.m. ones in America, she doesn't come to.

Fern wraps her little arms around her daddy's neck as he speaks to the reporters. The screens surrounding the ring, focus in on the moment. I'm burning with embarrassment while Winter's silently chuckling beside me.

"It's not funny—she can't just run off like that, that's so dangerous," I whisper to Astrid on my other side.

She waves a hand through the air. "Oh, don't worry, I've lost Henri hundreds of times in the supermarket. If he gets kidnapped it will seriously be his own fault."

"Oh my god," I splutter out a laugh. "You can't say that about your own son, A."

"I'm fairly certain he won't hear it," She shrugs. Charlie's back in the changing room with their son because he fell asleep. Whilst I like to keep to my rules about children and boxing matches, Astrid and (mainly) Charlie think it's good for Henri to see it. He likes it. After all, he will be following in his dad's footsteps.