MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat - Chapter 834

Chapter 834: Chapter 834: A Question from Joey

Damon walked into the kitchen, stretching his shoulders as he reached for a bottle of water.

Joey followed behind, still buzzing with energy even after the long trip back.

“So, how’s the family?” Damon asked, twisting the cap. He hadn’t seen Ashley or Theo in a while, and the thought crossed his mind as things quieted down.

Joey smiled, leaning against the counter. “About that… I was actually meaning to ask you and Svetlana for a favor. Or—well, maybe more like another question.”

Damon raised an eyebrow, drinking before lowering the bottle. “Mm? Sure. Everything okay?”

“Oh yeah,” Joey said quickly, his grin widening. “Everything’s fine. In fact, better than ever.”

Joey spoke, his tone carrying a nervous excitement. “Well, me and Ashley have been going strong, and with Theo growing up, and us about to get a house… I wanted to ask her to marry me. I figured I’d get some advice.”

Damon paused mid-drink, then set the water down with a grin. He reached out, dapping Joey up firmly. “Finally, man. About time.”

Joey chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, yeah. So, what do you think? How’d you even do it with Svetlana? I’ve been nervous, overthinking everything. I want it to be right.”

Damon leaned back against the counter, a small smile tugging at his face as he thought about it.

“Before I asked her,” Damon said quietly, “I kept going in circles. I’d think about the timing, the place, the perfect words. But honestly… that stuff wasn’t what got to me.”

Joey tilted his head. “Then what was it?”

Damon looked down for a second, thumb tapping against the bottle. “It was the weight of it. I remember sitting up at night just… staring at the ceiling. Thinking if I was enough. Not about money or success, but about me. Was I the guy who could stand next to her forever and not let her down? And if we had a kid—” he glanced toward the hall where Ava’s room was “—could I be the dad she deserved? The husband she deserved? That’s what scared me.”

Joey stayed quiet, listening.

“So I asked myself one thing,” Damon continued. “If tomorrow went to hell, no belts, no fame, nothing, would I still want her there? And the answer was easy. Yeah. Every time. Once I knew that, the nerves didn’t matter. I could’ve asked her with a ring from a vending machine and it still would’ve been right.”

Joey smiled slowly, taking that in. “So it’s not about making it perfect…”

Damon shook his head. “Nah, man. It’s about being sure you want her to be the first person you call when life hits hard and the first one you want to tell when something goes right. The rest is just noise.”

Joey let out a quiet laugh, a mix of nerves and relief. “Damn… you’re making it sound simple.”

Damon smirked. “It’s simple if it’s real. You already know it is, or you wouldn’t be asking me right now.”

Joey exhaled, his shoulders loosening. “Yeah… yeah, you’re right.”

Damon grabbed his water again and tapped it against Joey’s arm before taking a sip. “Now all you need to worry about is how you’re popping the question. And if you freeze up, just remember, she already said yes the day she chose to stay.”

Joey chuckled, shaking his head. “Man, that’s good… I might steal that line.”

Damon grinned. “Go for it. Just don’t mess up the knee part, that’s mandatory.”

They both laughed, the tension breaking as the conversation shifted from nerves to quiet excitement.

Damon smirked as he took another sip of water. “Well, hopefully Ashley doesn’t faint before you propose,” he said with a small laugh. “Honestly, as much as people stress about it, it really doesn’t matter where you do it. I asked Svetlana while she was lying on a hospital bed.”

Joey shook his head, half laughing. “Man… okay but how’d you know she was going to say yes?”

Damon paused, his smile fading into something softer. He looked down at the bottle in his hand, then back at Joey. “I didn’t… or I just did. I don’t know.”

Joey frowned slightly, waiting.

Damon shrugged. “I just never really thought about her saying no. From our relationship, from everything we’d been through, I knew she wanted the same thing. So I never doubted it.”

Joey nodded slowly, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Yeah… I don’t think Ashley will say no either. Besides, us having a kid is a big reason enough to say yes.”

Damon chuckled. “She loves you, man. And trust me, that’s bigger than anything else.”

They both went quiet for a second until Damon laughed under his breath and shook his head. “But man, how the times have changed. Look at you, Joey, worried about marriage now.”

Joey chuckled with him, rubbing his neck. “Yeah… crazy, huh?”

“I’m happy for you, man,” Damon said, genuine this time. He reached out, giving Joey a firm pat on the shoulder. “Really.”

Joey smiled back, a little more certain now, and the two stood there for a moment, quiet but content, before moving on to talk through details and plans.

Damon nodded, leaning against the counter. “So what do you got planned out?”

Joey scratched the back of his head. “Well… we haven’t really gotten time to go on dates since Theo was born. We still do sometimes, but it’s rare. So I was planning something special recently. Her birthday’s coming up. She used to spend it at her parents’ house, but, you know… since she got with me, her parents basically disowned her.”

Damon’s face softened a little at that. “Yeah… I remember.”

“So I just thought I’d do something nice, make the day about her,” Joey continued, shifting a little. “But man, I feel like I’m making it all about me with the proposal.”

Damon smirked, shaking his head. “Nah, you’re overthinking it. It’s her day, and proposing doesn’t change that, it makes it better. You can do it at the end of the night. That way she’s already having a good day, and you just top it off.”

Joey let out a breath, looking a little lighter. “Yeah… you’re right. End of the night sounds good.”

“Trust me,” Damon said with a small grin, “it’ll go well.”

Joey chuckled quietly. “Man, I hope so.”

Damon clapped him on the shoulder once more. “It will. You know her better than anyone, just make it about you two. That’s what matters.”