Read Online Broken Lion by Devon Hartford - Free Book Online Page B

asked. There were questions about martial arts in general, about his career, about whether or not he would continue fighting after his knee healed. He answered everything with a sense of humor and humility. There was no sign of the cocky arrogant asshole who came into my ECU several weeks ago. But his playfully adorable grin shone the whole time.
    When the Q&A was officially over, Lion thanked everyone and was immediately surrounded by people on the mat. He signed autographs and took pictures with his fans.
    “If anybody is interested in taking classes here at the dojo,” Lion said, “we’ll be having a free intro class this weekend. Grab one of the instructors in a gold uniform if you want to sign up.”
    “Mom!” Daniel said. “Can I go? Please please please? He said it was free!”
    “Why don’t we talk to your dad first.”
    Lion said to everyone, “Please keep in mind, class space is limited. So sign up quick before it fills up.”
    “Mom!” Daniel begged.
    “I don’t know, Daniel.”
    He shook my arm. “Mom! We need to sign up now!”
    “Okay! Calm down.”
    I let Daniel drag me inside. I looked for the nearest instructor. Maybe I could sign Daniel up and get out of here before Lion noticed me. It was pretty crowded. Then Donald could take Daniel to classes, and Lion would never know Daniel was my son because his last name was Wright. I crossed my fingers.
    “Brigid?” That voice .
    Ooze .
    Damn fingers. Crossing them never worked.
    I ducked my head and hid behind the nearest tall person.
    “Dr. Flanagan?”
    Ooze.
    “Mom!” Daniel whispered. “He’s talking to you! The teacher is talking to you!”
    “I know, honey.”
    “Excuse me,” Lion said as he wheeled toward me. People made room for him. “Hey, Dr. Flanagan. What are you doing here?”
    “How do you know my mom?”
    Lion’s eyes landed on Daniel. He looked at my son thoughtfully for a long time.
    That’s when it hit me. The few men I’d dated since the divorce had run for the hills when I told them about Daniel. I put my hands on his shoulders and smiled. “Lion, this is my son Daniel.”
    “Nice to meet you, bud. You can call me Lion.” He held out his hand to shake. He waited. “How long you gonna leave me hangin’, Dan the Man?”
    Daniel grinned and they shook. I could tell he liked his new nickname and was already looking up to Lion. I imagined most people did. Except me of course.
    “What’d you guys think of the demo?”
    “It was awesome,” Daniel said.
    I asked, “How is your knee?”
    “Doing good. Still waiting for the surgery. Prehab is great. Been doing all the exercises. My range of motion is almost back to normal.”
    “That’s terrific.”
    Lion smiled at Daniel. “You gonna come out for our free class?”
    Daniel looked at me, “Can I, Mom?”
    “We have to talk to your dad.” I watched Lion’s eyes for a reaction.
    Daniel gasped, “But if we wait, we might miss out!”
    “Don’t worry, Dan the Man. I’ll save you a spot.” He winked at him.
    “Are you sure?” I asked. “I wouldn’t want to have some other boy or girl miss out.”
    “Don’t worry, Brigid. I’ll make sure no one gets left out.”
    “That’s very generous of you.” It wasn’t lost on me that Lion was doing everything he could to make room for my son. I also noticed he wasn’t flirting. Just trying to help Daniel. That either made Lion the most manipulative man I’d ever met, or a decent human being.
    “Excuse me, Mr. Maxwell?” It was a random man with his teenaged boy who wore a gold #TeamLion T-shirt. “Can we get your autograph for my son?”
    “Sure,” Lion smiled at the man and signed a glossy color photo of himself with a Sharpie pen and handed it to the teenager.
    “Thanks,” the kid said. He obviously wanted to talk more with Lion.
    “We should go,” I whispered to Lion. “You’re busy.”
    “If you want to stick around, I’ll be here until we close.”
    “That’s okay. I don’t want to get