Gage, I consider her practically my own daughter, which is why I have to ask you that if you do continue this relationship, or whatever it may be, please don't hurt her. Katy has been through enough pain in her life. More than you know.

That's what Lamar had told me not too long ago. And although I never doubted him, I never imagined Katy's pain reaching this far. It just didn't make sense to me. How could someone so bright and caring come from such a dark past? And how did I not see this before? Was I so consumed by my own issues that I wasn't able to look past them and see her pain? Damnit. Was I really that big of an asshole?

But then again, Katy did keep this part of herself sealed up tight and out of view. She didn't want anybody to know the truth about her past. Least of all me. And while I was sitting around complaining about my own issues thinking that I had it bad, she was hiding her own pain behind her cheerful smile as if it didn't exist. Her own darkness was slowly swallowing her whole, yet she remained silent in fear that she would disturb others with her troubles. That's just how selfless Katy was.

I have been such an idiot thinking I had Katy figured out from the very beginning when in reality I couldn't be further from the truth. She was not this happy-go-lucky woman that had everything figured out. Like myself, she was a victim of her past. Only instead of moping around about it, she actually tried to find the good in her horrid situation. It made me want to punch myself for ever believing that Katy was weak when, in reality, she was the strongest person I knew. Far stronger than myself. But even she had her limits. And on those days, she reverted to hiding it all behind that smile.

As much as I hated to admit it, she wore that same smile with me earlier when I walked in on her and her mother arguing over something. But I wasn't fooled. Still, it stung a bit when she carried on like everything was fine. I figured she would talk to me about it later on, but she never did. And whenever I asked her about what was going on she kept assuring me not to worry about it. Naturally, it only raised my concern.

Even now I could tell something was off by the way she kept quiet while getting ready for the competition. The Katy I knew would be rambling hardcore from all her nerves. Instead, she has only spoken a few words to me. It confused me because she didn't seem sad, she just seemed . . . off. I wasn't sure what her mother said to her back there at the vending machines, but whatever it was really affected her. More than she would admit it.

I promised her a while back that I would always be there for her, and I intended on keeping that promise. Even if she didn't want me to get involved, I have to to make sure that she was okay. Just like she always did for me. I was not going to let her fight her battles alone anymore.

I would always protect her.

"Are you ready to go?" Katy asked walking in from the bathroom while putting on her earrings. She looked beautiful, as always, but I could tell that her overly done makeup was hiding something more than just the dark circles under her eyes.

"Uh, yeah," I snapped out of my little daze. "I just need to grab the registration papers."

"I placed them on the table somewhere. I think under some packets."

I went over there to find our documents, grabbed them, and was about to head out when I turned to see Katy looking off somewhere. There was definitely something brewing in her thoughts. All day long I'd been holding back not wanting to push her any further, but I decided moments ago that enough was enough. Before we left this room, I was going to get some sort of answer. Katy would do the exact same thing if the roles were reversed, so I didn't hesitate any further.

"Katy?"

"Hmm?"

"Are . . . you sure you're okay?" I asked for probably the fiftieth time.

There was a brief pause before she looked at me and said, "I'm fine."

But her voice was weak. Just as I expected.

I let out a long, exasperated sigh before saying, "Please don't do that."

She feigned confusion. "Do what?"

"Don't lie to me. First of all, you suck at it," I held up my hand when she tried to interrupt, "And second of all, I really don't like you shutting me out."

"But . . . I'm not shutting you out."

"You're not?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "Then what do you call keeping your feelings a secret from someone important to you?"

The silence returned before she let out a long sigh and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Okay, fine. You're right, and I'm really sorry. It's just that, it's so much . . . well . . ."

"It's easier this way? Yeah. I get that," I leaned against the nearby table, watching her carefully as she looked more and more defeated. "You know I'm not huge on emotions. But I'm not a fan being in the dark either. Especially when something is clearly bothering you and I have no clue how to help you. Wouldn't you hate that?"

"Of course," her voice didn't falter this time.

"Then . . . please," I kicked off the table to walk towards her. "If there is something else going on, something more than . . . last night, tell me. Because I know you, and I know when something isn't right up here," I tapped her forehead.

Her blue eyes were trained on mine as if searching for something. I wasn't sure what it was exactly, but I made sure she could see how serious this was to me. And even if we had to be late to this stupid competition, I wanted to know that she was okay before stepping out these doors. Of course, there were several reasons why she wouldn't be okay and a few ways to help her, but the same went for me and here she was giving it her all. I vowed to always do the same for her.

A moment later she looked at me and took in a deep breath, signifying that she had made up her mind. "Okay. But I'm going to make this quick. We don't have much time before check-in ends."

"Fine by me," I shrugged.

She gave me a pointed look before composing herself. Once she was ready in every way possible, she began. Then she kept going. And then she kept going some more. And by the time she was finished telling me about what really went down with her mother, I could have sworn her face was turning blue. Mine, however, was turning red.

"No offense--okay, fuck that. I mean complete offense when I say what the hell is wrong with your family? Are they seriously that fucked up?"

"They are worse, actually. But it doesn't matter. I denied her offer."

"Of course you did. You're nothing like them. You wouldn't stoop to their level. Damnit, this pisses me off so much," I ran my fingers through my hair a little roughly. "Why can't they just leave you the fuck alone?"

"I don't know, Gage. I really don't. But I'm not going to worry about it. At least not anymore. I mean, yeah all of this sucks and it would be great to have a guaranteed win, but like you said that's not me."

"Damn right it's not."

She flashed a sweet smile before continuing. "I guess . . . I've just been thinking about what happened all day. It wasn't great, but if anything it just proved something I always believed: my family really doesn't know me. If they don't think I'm talented enough to win this competition on my own, then they have no right to call me their daughter. They have never believed in my dreams, which is exactly why I spent these past years perfecting it. They think they have control over me because they can wave dirty money in my face although that doesn't work," she rolled up her sleeve to show the fake tattoo I drew on her arm last night of the lotus flower. "Just as you said, I am not the same girl they knew before. I am reborn, and better than ever when I'm with you. Together we will show them just how wrong they are. Together we are strong. Together, we will win this without their aid."

I don't know when it happened, but suddenly before my very eyes, the same girl that once showed up to my place at midnight in bunny slippers just became a badass.

And she was all mine.

"You are so amazing," I had to tell her.

A rosy color formed on her cheeks. "Thank you. I know I've been acting off all day. And shutting you out wasn't my intention. I guess . . . I'm just sort of like you in a way. When something is bothering me, I keep it to myself. But I know that's wrong when you're in a relationship. I guess I'm getting used to that aspect when I've been keeping things hidden for years," she leaned her head against my chest. "I really do love you, Gage. And I'm so sorry for all of this. I just didn't think that there was anything to worry about. I've just been lost in my thoughts I guess."

I placed my head on top of hers and started rubbing soothing circles on her back. "I love you, too. It's kind of too late for me not to worry about you. And you don't have to apologize. I'm glad you told me what was going on. We can work on this whole relationship sharing thing together because, to be honest, I'm not good at it either. But as you said before, when we are together we're better," I pulled her in even closer. "And you're right, we are going to win the competition. Not just for the money. But to prove your parents wrong."

I could feel her smile against my chest. "I'd like that very much."

"Then let's get going," I kissed the top of her head before releasing her. "Like you said earlier we don't have much time left before check-in is over."

Katy's smile increased before she said, "Right!" and quickly grabbed her things. She was pumped up now, maybe a little too pumped up because she ran into the table . . . twice. But still, I was glad to see her in higher spirits.

She still looked tired, but her familiar glow was definitely back. I hated that her parents couldn't see this sort of goodness in her. But in a way, I guess her parent's mistake was what led her to me. If she hadn't run away, she wouldn't have come to Doral to start her business and eventually meet me. Our pasts were not ideal, but without them, we wouldn't be together. Destiny was a real bitch given the way we had to meet, but in the end, it all worked out.

+++

When we reached the bottom floor, hand-in-hand, we quickly went to a room near the back of the hotel that other contestants were lined up at. We took our place behind two contestants who kept arguing about something in a foreign language. It was highly entertaining, although I had no clue what they were saying. Their thick accents reminded me of Mr. Vasnev though. Once we reached the front I had to release Katy's hand to give our registration papers over to the older lady behind the table. After a few signatures, she gave us our identification badges.

"You will be in Ballroom C right around the corner," she informed us. "Just make sure to find the station with your number and bakery name on it and you are all set. Everything will start in about twenty minutes. Good luck in the preliminaries!"

"Thank you," Katy gave her a kind smile before taking the badges and walking off.

I followed behind her a little confused by something the woman said. When we were alone, and nobody could hear how stupid I was about to sound, I asked, "What did she mean by the preliminaries?"

Katy raised her eyebrow at me. "We have to go through a preliminary round before advancing to the actual competition. That way they can weed out the good from the bad. You didn't know that?"

"Not really."

"They talked about it at the debriefing."

I scoffed. "There's a reason why I didn't last in college."

"You said you didn't last was because you couldn't pay for it."

I thought about it for a second. ". . . Right."

Katy's familiar smile made its appearance. "You know, I bet you would have listened if the debriefing was about Breaking Bad."

I opened my mouth to argue but quickly shut it. She had me there.

At that point, we had reached Ballroom C where a man at the doorway checked our badges before letting us inside. Once there, both Katy and I fell back into silence but for a completely different reason. It almost didn't look like a ballroom anymore with all the rows and rows of baking stations everywhere. On one side of the setup was a small, white counter sitting directly next to an oven. I assumed that they were gas since they weren't plugged in anywhere. Next to the counter stood what looked like a miniature closet or pantry. Probably pantry.

In the very back of the room, I noted a stage filled with a few long, brightly clothed tables all placed in front of a large projector screen that displayed the logo for the competition. The tables weren't the only bright colored objects in the room though. Everywhere we looked the colors blinded us. The decorations, the dishes, everything.

Katy was in heaven.

When we found our station in the middle of the room, she ogled over our sign that was, you guessed it, in bright pink colors. After taking multiple pictures of it and sending those to Violet she started inspecting our space as if checking out a new car.

"Nothing like the shop, but this will do. Lamar would flip at the small counter space," she said running her hands along the counter before furthering her search. "Do you think that it has--aha! Here's the cooking supplies," she opened the cabinet door underneath the counter revealing different pots and pans. She looked through them briefly before frowning. "These are in horrible quality."

"Kind of like a certain pair of sponsors," I mumbled as I looked around what I discovered to be a closet. I couldn't find any ingredients, but my eyes did land on something hanging in the corner. I plucked it from the hook and groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Katy straightened up to see my expression directed at the clothing material in my hand and smiled. "It's a baking competition. Of course there will be aprons."

"I told you from the beginning I don't do aprons."

"It's for the competition."

"I'm not wearing this."

"But it has your name on it."

"It says 'Kiss the Baker'."

"It's cute!"

I blinked a few times. "You do realize that if Jason ever found out about this I would have to leave the country."

She tried, and failed, to hide her laughter. "Well, I guess it's a good thing he's not here then."

"Yeah, but--"

My argument was cut short when the sound of soft music started playing from the back of the room. Even the people around us all stopped whatever they were doing to see what was going on. At first, I thought it was a technical difficulty, but when people started clapping I realized what was going on. Katy must have too, and her playful mood was put on pause to clap along with everyone else.

It was time.

Almost instantly the intensity of the situation started to hit me. We had to get through this round to make it to the one that really mattered. So that meant we had to give it hell. I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel a little excited about it all. Regardless of the real reason why we were here, I enjoyed baking. And as a boxer, I've always liked competition. So to have the two combined? Yeah, this was pretty fucking great. If only we weren't here to get me out of debt this would be a lot more enjoyable. Still, I wasn't going to ignore the slight adrenaline running through my body like I usually got before a match. Even if it wasn't as intense, it was there.

Suddenly a tall man in a fitted purple suit came from the side of the room along with four others trailing behind him. They all wore shirts with the competition's logo on it, so I knew they were important. All five of them waved and smiled back as they took to pairs standing next to the man in the suit. When the music and applause died down, he adjusted his clear-framed glasses before grabbing onto the standing microphone.

"Thanks, everyone. Not gonna lie that felt pretty cool," next to me Katy snickered. "It is an honor welcome you all to the preliminary round of the annual Orlando Cook-Off Competition. I always thought it was nice to start with the baking section first, although my mother always taught me to eat my dessert after dinner, but I digress," he paused when there were rumbles of laughter.

"Anyway, for those of you who don't know me, my name is Bao Ming, but you can just call me Bo. I was fortunate enough to be selected as your host for the preliminary round today. Basically, that means I will let you know when to start and stop the round as well as provide information about what it will consist of. And although I know that sounds super awesome, it's the people next to me you really want to rub elbows with," Bo took a step back to gesture to the people wearing the logo shirts. I knew they would be important. "You have probably seen these four talented people on television lately. They are currently the finalists of the British show Baking Bliss," someone from the crowd cheered, "and for today only they will be our judges for this round. So let's give them a warm, welcoming hand."

The crowd erupted into applause once more. After getting the formalities out of the way, like where the exits were and a few ground rules, Bo continued. "Awesome, awesome. Okay. So usually this is the part where I get to the goods, but I have just been informed that one of our sponsors would like to come out and say a few words before we begin," instantly Katy's cheerful expression dropped. "With that being said, please help me in welcoming Mr. Malcolm and Christina Devenue to the stage!"

But Katy and I didn't. And probably to the others we seemed rude, but if they knew the type of people those two really were, they wouldn't be cheering either.

We watched in disgust as Katy's parents, if you could even call them that, walked up to the stage with broad smiles on their face soaking in all of the attention. From the outside I had to admit they seemed like your everyday couple, minus the expensive clothing that probably cost more than my debt, but we weren't fooled.

Next to me I expected Katy to react in some sort of way, but instead, she kept her eyes on the pair emotionlessly as if she was observing anyone else and not her abusive parents. She had completely cut off all emotional connection with them, but I knew she wasn't as unaffected like she is trying to be now. So I gently took her hand in mine to show her I was here. Instantly she relaxed.

"Thank you so much, Bo and everyone else. We really appreciate it," Malcolm said with a broad smile when he took over the mic. "As sponsors of the Orlando Cook-Off competition, we felt it was necessary to say a few words before it all begins. And although I admit I am not very knowledgeable in the baking area, I do know that I have always had a soft spot for desserts."

I felt like ninety-nine percent of the stuff he said was absolute bullshit.

"I am honored to be a sponsor for the competition and supplying you all with the finest equipment," Katy coughed