Fighting Myself by Shae Michaels

Emmit Novak has spent his life trying to be something other than just ‘one of those Novaks’. And with four older, queer siblings, that means holding tight to his straight identity with both hands. But when life knocks him for a loop, a new job as the receptionist at the LGBTQ-friendly Knockout Gym brings new people into his life. One in particular, an MMA fighter and mentor named Alfie, has Emmit questioning whether it’s time to stop fighting his own heart and desires.

Alfie Diamond knows all about life knocking you around and he’s learned to settle for coming out as the loser. However, the new receptionist at the gym he trains at has him thinking it’s time to re-enter the fight. He won’t let anything stand in his way; not his own demons, an unexpected reminder of his troubled youth, or even Emmit’s own pre-conceptions. Not when Alfie has the chance to win the most important fight of his life—winning Emmit’s heart.