NOVPUBDamon knelt on the soft rug in the center of their wide living room, arms open and eyes locked on Ava.
A few feet away, Ava stood on uncertain feet, wobbling slightly with her tiny arms stretched out for balance.
She looked at him, her big eyes blinking, mouth moving as if already preparing to talk.
"Come on, baby," Damon encouraged softly, smiling as he opened his arms wider. "Come to daddy."
Ava took a hesitant step, then another. Her balance shifted forward, and for a moment it looked like she might fall, but she steadied herself.
Her little feet pattered forward with increasing confidence.
"Mama… Dada… gagah… nanana…" she mumbled as she walked, her voice full of nonsense, but with her favorite words always somewhere in the mix.
Damon's heart jumped with every tiny step she took.
"There you go… That's it," he said, practically holding his breath now.
She made it all the way to him, finally stumbling the last half-step into his arms.
Damon scooped her up instantly, lifting her with a grin that reached both ears. "That's my girl!" he laughed, pulling her close and spinning once before blowing lightly against her soft hair.
She giggled—pure, and contagious.
He tickled under her chin and she let out another small burst of laughter, grabbing at his beard with tiny fingers.
"Say it," Damon teased playfully. "Say, 'Daddy is the best in the world.' Come on."
Ava blinked, tilted her head, and without hesitation declared, "Dada… gajajakaka!"
Damon chuckled, holding her close. "Close enough."
She had started walking now—clumsy, uneven steps, but real ones.
Each day she grew steadier, more daring with how far she'd go before tumbling into something soft.
Damon stayed close, watching with quiet amusement as Ava marched across the living room like she owned it.
She kept her thumb in her mouth the whole time.
It was a habit she'd developed lately. Whenever she was still—watching cartoons, holding a toy, even just sitting in his lap, her thumb would find its way into her mouth.
As she sat down on the rug, thumb already in place, Damon crouched beside her.
He gently pulled it out. "You're gonna ruin those teeth," he said, half-joking.
She stared at him, blinked once, then shoved the thumb right back in without breaking eye contact.
Damon sighed. "Really?"
She didn't answer, obviously, just turned away and started poking at the leg of the coffee table with her other hand.
He pulled it out again. She pouted. Two seconds later, it was back.
"You're not gonna win this, are you?" he said, lifting her into his arms again.
Ava leaned into his shoulder with her thumb still in her mouth, perfectly content.
Damon didn't bother fighting it anymore. He just chuckled, shook his head, and let her be, for now.
Suddenly, Damon's phone buzzed in his pocket.
He shifted Ava into one arm and fished it out.
The screen lit up with a name he rarely saw—[Ronan Black].
His brows rose. Ronan didn't just call people without reason. Damon had a good idea what this was about.
Two weeks ago, Victor had taken his request to the UFA brass. He figured something was moving, but he didn't expect a direct call from the president himself.
He accepted and brought the phone to his ear, shifting Ava slightly on his hip.
"Yo," Damon said.
Ronan's voice came through sharp and direct, as usual. "Damon. I'm gonna get right to it."
"Figured," Damon muttered, already bracing.
"You want Ivan, yeah? You told Victor. I like it. Stylistically, it's a fun one. He wants the fight too."
Damon stayed quiet but listened, his hand gently rubbing Ava's back.
"So here's the deal—we're telling his team today. You'll both get the contracts by the end of the week. Once that's signed, it's locked in. Final middleweight title defense. Good fight, and it keeps the division clean before you move up."
Damon nodded to himself. "Appreciate that."
"You earned it. We were gonna give you someone else, some ranked name we owe a favor to, but this one makes more sense. Ivan's hot right now, and you're one win away from clearing the table."
"Sounds perfect."
Ronan's tone softened just slightly. "You're gonna smoke him, aren't you?"
Damon smiled faintly. "I plan to."
"Well, don't say that too loud, we still gotta sell the fight."
He chuckled and added, "We'll be in touch soon. Congrats, champ."
The call ended. Damon lowered the phone, still holding Ava as she started babbling nonsense into his chest.
He smiled, rubbing her back again. One fight left.
Damon smiled to himself as he slipped the phone back into his pocket. He wouldn't say it out loud, not to Victor, not even to Joey, but he knew the truth.
He had Ronan Black privileges.
Being a world champion helped, sure. But it wasn't just the belt. It was the star power, the consistency, the way the fans showed up every time his name was on a card.
That kind of pull meant Ronan picked up the phone when he called. It meant his requests weren't just heard, they were moved on.
He looked down at Ava, who was still babbling softly and patting his chest.
"Yeah," he muttered with a small grin, "daddy's got some weight now."
She blinked at him and said, "Dada," like it sealed the statement.
Damon hung up after calling Victor and Joey, both of whom had been quick to react, Victor with a firm "Good. That's the one we wanted," and Joey with his usual over-the-top hype.
He set the phone aside, still holding Ava, who had grown content now, gently chewing on her shirt sleeve.
Svetlana walked in through the sliding door, hair a little messy, hands dirty with soil, and an exhausted look on her face.
"How's it going?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She exhaled as she dropped onto the couch beside him. "Ahhh, I'm tired."
He glanced at her hands. "Still at war with the backyard?"
She wiped her forehead and sighed. "Yeah. I thought planting flowers would be relaxing. Turns out the soil is fighting back. And I think I underestimated how many plants I bought."
Damon grinned. "You didn't buy plants. You bought an entire botanical garden."
She rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Well, you're helping next time."
"Deal," he said, then looked at Ava. "You hear that, baby? Next time we plant flowers."
Ava responded by lazily saying, "Mama," and then shoved her thumb back in her mouth.
