Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 1266

"Who else would have? Some mysterious knight in shining armor?" Mira joked.

She had no intention of hiding her skills from him. They spent every day together; if she lied now, she'd have to invent a new excuse every single time they ran into trouble.

"Since when... since when are you such a badass?" he stammered.

"I've always been tough. I just never had a reason to show it off," she deflected smoothly.

She was deliberately playing down the truth.

"I don't buy it."

"Then let me prove it on you."

Mira dropped into a fighting stance. Intrigued, Ryan parked his bike; he genuinely wanted to see what she was capable of.

Mira didn't hold back. Before he could even brace himself, she executed a flawless shoulder throw, flipping him cleanly through the air.

"Whoa! Minnie, you're not messing around!" he gasped.

"Of course not. How else was I going to convince you?"

If she was going to convince him to train with her, he needed to realize his own weaknesses first. This was the guy who had protected her since childhood, and now it was her turn to help him.

She had, however, controlled her force, making sure to toss him onto a soft patch of grass rather than the unforgiving pavement.

"Wow, you've been holding out on me. Keeping secrets from your own family?" he laughed, rubbing his shoulder.

"It wasn't a secret. The old master in my dreams told me not to tell anyone. He teaches me martial arts every night."

"You are so full of it."

Ryan shot back as he climbed back onto his bike and started pedaling.

"Then how else do you explain these moves?" she challenged.

He thought about it for a long minute but couldn't come up with a logical alternative, leaving him no choice but to accept her absurd explanation.

"Minnie, are you being serious?"

"Dead serious."

She lied without so much as a blink.

"Do you think you could teach me?"

If word got out that his little cousin could kick his ass, he'd never live it down.

"Absolutely. We're a team, aren't we?"

"That's exactly what I like to hear."

They chatted as they walked, soon hearing the familiar barking dogs and shouting children of their neighborhood. Ryan glanced at her. "We're here, Minnie."

"Come over for dinner. You know my mom makes the best food," Mira offered as they reached her door.

She invited him warmly.

"Nah, my mom definitely cooked something. Things are tight enough for your family, I can't keep crashing your dinners every night."

"Alright, but come by afterward so I can help you study."

"Sounds good. See you later."

When Mira walked inside, Sarah had already finished cooking, and George was home from work. His tired, lined face immediately lit up when he saw her. "Minnie's home!"

It was as if all the exhaustion in his body vanished in an instant.

"Go wash your hands for dinner. Your mother made your favorite Hand-pressed Gnocchi. I even caught a rabbit today; I'll have her slow-cook it tonight so it's ready for breakfast tomorrow."

"That sounds amazing. Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Mom."

In her past life, they had adopted Mara Mercer, only to have their hearts broken and their efforts wasted. This time, Mira was determined to give them the beautiful, secure retirement they deserved.