Page 33 of Heal Me, Love Me
“Thank you.”
“I don’t throw that around. I know it was your MMA debut, but you didn’t fight like a guy getting his first taste of the cage. You stayed calm, adjusted quickly, and didn’t waste the opening when it came. A lot of guys rush the finish or hesitate too long and lose it. You didn’t.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I watched it four times before I messaged you.”
“You did?”
Keaton arched a brow, but I continued to listen to Grant.
“Yes. There’s still a lot to work on, but the raw talent is there.”
“I know I still have a lot to learn.”
“I also found some footage from your Air Force boxing days. Different sport, obviously, but pressure and footwork translate. Composure definitely translates.”
“But?”
Grant laughed under his breath. “You hear a few compliments and start waiting for the bad news?”
“I know there’s always abut.”
“There is,” he replied. “But it’s not bad news; it’s work. Your striking needs to adapt to MMA, and you need the right training room that can sharpen what you already have while building what you lack.”
I turned a little, not away from Keaton, just enough to keep my focus on the call. “You know where I train?”
“I know you fight out of Titan Elite.”
“Then you know Titan has a good reputation.”
“It does,” Grant answered. “Devon’s built something solid. I’m not calling to take shots at him or his gym. Titan has structure, and structure matters. You don’t look undisciplined. You look trained. But I don’t think Titan is where you should stay if you want to make the jump you’re capable of.”
Whatever I’d expected him to say, it wasn’t that, but I forced myself to ask the next question. “Where do you think I should be?”
“Tampa,” Grant replied.
I turned away from the river, pacing across the grass before stopping again. “Florida?”
Keaton’s gaze snapped to mine. Florida wasn’t just a simple gym recommendation. It was an entirely different life.
“Yeah,” Grant continued. “There’s a gym in Tampa called Atlantic Combat. I’ve placed fighters there before and know the coaches. It has a better wrestling room, better southpaw work, more fighters around your weight, and a staff that knows how to build pressure fighters without turning them reckless.”
Florida.
“That’s across the country.” I rubbed the back of my neck and glanced toward Keaton. He hadn’t said a word, but I could see him trying not to react.
“It is.”
“I’m in California.”
“I know.”
“And you think that’s the move?”
“I wouldn’t bring it up this early if I didn’t.”
Grant kept talking before I could think of another question. “Look, Rowan, I’m not saying to pack a bag tonight. I’m not asking you to uproot your life because some guy called you after one fight. That would be stupid.”
