Tough Girl

by Bonita Van Gerve

  "What's wrong?" he asked, placing a kiss on my nose.

  "Just overthinking," I said and he smiled.

  "Is it because of last night?"

  I nodded.

  "I know it was too soon, so take all the time you need."

  I curled my hands into his hair and pulled him down for a kiss. He growled and pushed me up against the wall, from one small innocent kiss to a passionate kiss, full of need.

  "It is not too soon," I whispered against his lips.

  He pulled away slightly.

  "It was just shocked,” I continued. “I never thought anyone would love me again after Eddy. And to have you confessing it before me… It felt so unreal. I still think I’m dreaming and one day I’ll wake up and nothing of this will have happened," I explained.

  He smiled, cupping my cheek.

  "But it did happen. All of it. You and me against the world," he said, taking me into a hug.

  I chuckled into his shoulder. "I love you, Ryder." I pulled away and looked into his eyes.

  He sighed. "And I love you," he said, before capturing my lips once again.

  After showering—after making love in the shower—we got dressed and headed to the gym. Tonight was one of Ryder's important matches. I was standing on the sideline as the news and paparazzi asked him questions about his match tonight.

  He looked so calm, answering each of their questions in the best way. But then the cameras spotted me they went out control with questions about our relationship. He told them straight that this meeting has been called for tonight's match, not about his personal life. With that he stood up and took me out.

  We were in the locker-room before his match. I helped him warm up with punches and some kicks. There was ten minutes before he had to go on. We were sitting on one of the bunks, just talking.

  "Why did you freak out when they asked you personal questions?" I asked.

  "Because they have no right to my personal life. They want to make up stories to get their shows to make money. What we have has nothing to do with them. I don't want to hear their rumors. No one can tell us that we don't belong. We make our own future."

  "I like the sound of that."

  He turned to me with a raised eyebrow.

  "You’re right. No one needs to know what is going on, just that we are dating. You belong to me and I belong to you. I will fight for you and you will fight for me," I said.

  "Hmm. Quoting Jason Duralo?" he asked and I smiled.

  "It suits us. I’m just a plain girl from a small town dating the Ryder Cane. We need to fight for what we believe in."

  He took me in a side hug. "I will always fight for you," he whispered, placing a kiss on my forehead.

  There was a knock on the door and his manager walked in. "You are on, bud."

  I stood up. "I will see you in the ring," I said as I walked out.

  "Alex, wait," he said suddenly, making me turn around. He fiddled with his pants and then pulled out a necklace. "I want you to keep this with you. To remind you that I love you."

  My eyes widened when I saw it was his lucky ring on a necklace.

  "I don't need that ring anymore. You’re my lucky charm now," he said.

  I smiled, looking down at the necklace that was around my neck. "Ryder, I—"

  "Just be there for me and I will be happy. You are now the most important thing in my life." He gave me a soft kiss on the lips.

  I stood next to the ring and watch him walk through the crowd with his hands in the air. People went crazy, yelling his name, cheering him on. Cameras flashed everywhere. The fight started and Ryder was behind. His opponent was fast and observant. I was actually squirming in my seat every time Ryder met the mat.

  I stood up and placed my hands on the cage. "Ryder, get up. You got this!" I yelled.

  He looked up from his position flat on the mat. The guy was straddling him.

  "Come on, Ryder. Remember—lucky charm!" I yelled and he grinned.

  He gave the guy a headbutt and straddled him, beating the shit out of him. Then he got him into a lock. The guy tapped out on the mat and I jumped in excitement.

  Ryder chuckled once he saw me. When he came out of the cage I jumped into his arms.

  "Haha, you did it!" I cheered into his shoulder.

  "You know we are going to be all over the news now," he said.

  I nodded. "I don't care." I was grinning.

  He smiled and then crashed his lips against mine. The whole crowd cheered and I smiled against his lips.

  The next morning I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face as I read the article about us. Ryder took me to a restaurant the morning for breakfast. I was curious and got the newspaper. There was a huge photo of us, me in his arms with my legs wrapped around his waist kissing him.

  Ryder cleared his throat and I looked up from the newspaper and saw we had company.

  "Hi, can we have your autograph?" one girl asked excitedly and I raised an eyebrow.

  "Mine?" I asked dumbly and she nodded. I shrugged and signed her notebook. She let out a squeal jumping up and down, then ran back to her parents.

  "See? People love you," Ryder commented drinking his coffee.

  "Yeah, because of you." I folded the newspaper. He raised an eyebrow, challenging me to go on.

  "Fine, I give up." I said and he chuckled.

  After our wonderful week in Miami, we had to go home. Ryder didn't seem happy; his mother was still back home in his house.

  And when we entered the house my smile dropped as I found his mother lounging next to the pool. She looked up when she heard us.

  "Oh, hi, darling," she said, pushing herself to sit up.

  I let out a low growl as I saw a girl getting out from the pool in the tiniest bikini I have ever seen.

  "You remember Charlotte," his mother said to Ryder and I saw him scowl.

  "Now that’s what you call a tramp," I huffed.

  His mother glared at me. "Says the one who throws herself at my son," she said.

  I glared at her. "Yeah, because he is my boyfriend and he’s just won a match!" I felt frustrated.

  Ryder placed his hands on my shoulders, which helped calm me down. "Let's go to your place."

  I nodded.

  "Ryder? That is rude. You have a guest," his mother scolded.

  "It’s your guest, mother. I want nothing to do with her," he said as we walked away together.

  "Can we go back to Miami?" I huffed.

  He chuckled. "Nowhere is far enough from her," he said, driving us over to my house.

  Ryder stayed overnight. I was downstairs showing Amy all the photos of where we’d been. I told her all the fun stories, and then headed upstairs to my room. Ryder was already in bed, going through his phone. I jumped onto the bed and landed on him. He chuckled and put his phone away.

  "So mature," he said, pulling me up.

  "I’m just enjoying myself," I said.

  "I love you," he said before turning us around.

  I was lying on my back with him on top of me. "And I love you, Mr. Cane, with all my heart."

  Chapter twenty-five

  "Explain it to me once again. What are you going to do?" I asked, looking at my brother, confused.

  "I’m going to ask Hilary if we can be only friends," he said.

  I raised an eyebrow. "Just friends, huh? Like, friends with benefits?" I continued.

  He groaned. "Alex…" he protested, running his hand through his hair.

  "It’s going to destroy her." I took a sip from my milkshake.

  "As if she cared, lying to me," he snapped.

  I rolled my eyes. "Yes, sorry. I forgot," I mumbled, pushing myself back.

  "How is it going with you and Ryder?" he asked.

  I smiled. "It is going great, like a relationship should go. His mom is just a pain in the ass though."

  He chuckled. "Why? Doesn't she like you?"

  I nodded. "She ha
tes my guts. She thinks I’m dating Ryder because of money. And she says I’m a slut. And… so much more." I folded my arms across my chest.

  "I thought you didn't care what people said or thought about you?" he asked.

  I narrowed my eyes at him. "I don't. It is just… She can't accept that I am dating her son. Or that her son loves me," I said.

  His eyes went wide. "He loves you?"

  I smiled nodding. "Yeah," I replied.

  "I haven't seen you smile like this in ages," he said.

  "Ryder makes me happy, Josh. I never thought I would find someone to love again," I said excitedly.

  "That's good. I am happy for you," he answered, but it didn't sound sincere.

  "My mom is inviting us out for dinner," Ryder said while I wrapped tape around my hand.

  "What's the occasion?" I asked and he chuckled.

  "She wants to get to know you better."

  I snorted. "Please, she wants to reveal all my darkest secrets and use them against me."

  He took me in his arms and placed a kiss on my nose. "Nothing will make me leave you. No matter how dark your secrets are, there is no other Alex Anderson," he said.

  I cupped his cheek. "Good rescue."

  He gave me a peck on the lips. "Let's get started," he said and I nodded.

  "If she is nasty with you just do one of your throw tricks," Amy said, lifting her arms in the air.

  "Yeah, sure. She’ll just love me after that."

  She giggled. "She is just another person. Forget about her," Amy said.

  I nodded, slipping on my jacket. "I'll try to be nice to her," I said.

  Ryder arrived a few minutes early and drove us over to his house. "My mom has been at it the whole day. Arranged food, drinks—the works," Ryder said sounding tired.

  "Seems like she takes control over everything."

  He nodded. "You have no idea."

  He parked the car, then turned to me after shutting it off.

  "Whatever happens in there, don't worry about anything my mother says. My mother is uptight, she thinks she is better than anyone, and no one is good enough for her, he said.

  I nodded. "Believe me, I saw it first-hand," I said, getting out.

  We walked in and his mother threw her arms in the air. "Ah, you are here," she said and I saw Ryder raise an eyebrow. "I have someone here you have to meet, Ryder." She began pulling him away from me.

  "Mom—" he tried, but she ignored him. I stood there in the middle of the living room, watching him as his mother pulled him away.

  "Deep, slow breaths, Alex. You can do this," I whispered.

  I walked towards the kitchen. My jaw dropped as I saw there were other guests. I looked at the guy standing in a tux behind the drinks.

  "Server?" I asked and he nodded. I took a glass of champagne and walked through everyone.

  His mother found me and introduced me to everyone. She introduced me as a “friend” of Ryder. Pitiful.

  "What do you do for a living, Alex?" One of the guys asked. He looked like Richard Branson.

  As I opened my mouth to answer, his mother interrupted. "That's not necessary, Rudi."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" I snapped. She looked at me surprised. "I am sure he was speaking to me and not you. Last time I checked, my name is Alex," I hissed.

  "Who do you think you are?" she asked angrily.

  "A woman who is tired of your fucking shit. You think you can treat people like this? Let me tell you one thing, lady, you haven't seen a bitch yet and you are busy bringing the beast out of me." I downed my champagne and stormed out of the house.

  I sighed as I remembered Ryder had driven me there.

  I am not going back in there.

  I took a deep breath and walked over to the gym. Once I arrived at the gym, I grabbed some gloves and started to beat the shit out of the bag. I was fucking mad. Ryder said I should ignore her bickering, but she’d pushed the wrong button tonight.

  I threw a side kick and let out a scream as my ankle started to hurt. I crouched down and only noticed I was crying as tears dropped onto my legs. My ankle was aching; I sat down on my ass, ripped off the gloves, and threw them to one side. I took off my shoe and rubbed my ankle.

  Two warms hands grabbed mine and I looked up. Ryder looked angry. His eyes were dark and the scowl on the face wanted me to wet my pants.

  "Ryder, I’m—"

  He placed his lips on mine. I couldn't keep my hands still. Once his lips touched mine my hands disappeared into his hair. I pulled him closer while nibbling on his lower lip. There was no stopping us. He pushed me onto my back and hovered over me.

  After a while we broke the kiss to catch our breath.

  "Never do that again," I heard Ryder say, and he made me look up at the vulnerability in his voice.

  "Sorry, I just couldn't stay any longer," I said.

  He nodded. "I understand why you did it."

  I cupped his cheek. I softly traced the shape of his plump lips.

  "I know she is your mother and all. But that is no way to treat people. I have met people like that in my life and I can't take them. Just because they think they are better than you, it doesn't give them the right to treat you like crap," I said.

  He nodded. "Why do you think I don't like having her home?" he said, sitting down next to me. I was still lying on my back staring at the ceiling.

  "What happened to you and Eddy?" Ryder asked after a few minutes.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

  "We were a month away from getting married when I found him sleeping with a girl in our home," I said. "I was so in love with him. He was the perfect guy. Always bought me roses and took me out on dates. And I didn't even think twice when he asked me to marry him. But behind that perfect guy was a cheating bastard. He made me feel so ugly; the girl I caught him with was a model." I sat up. "That’s why I have such a low image of myself," I said.

  "That's why you were afraid," I heard him say. I nodded. "I will never do that to you," he said, draping his arm over my shoulder. "You deserve to be treated like a queen."

  Chapter twenty-six

  "She did what?" Amy asked, surprised.

  "You heard me," I mumbled into my hand.

  "And Ryder wasn't mad at you for leaving?"

  I shook my head. "Not one bit. He came for me and kissed me."

  She smiled at me, and it was quite creepy.

  "What?" I asked and she shook her head.

  I heard the doorbell and pushed myself up. I was still dressed in my pajama shorts and tank top. And don't let me get started on my hair. I groaned when I saw my mother standing outside the door. I opened it with a frown, my mother looked me up and down when she saw me.

  "Aren't you going to work?" she asked.

  "Going in a little later," I said with a yawn.

  I invited her in and she greeted Amy. I made her some coffee and a small plate of cookies.

  "How are you?" Mom asked.

  "Good so far," I said, sitting down.

  She placed her hand over mine. "It is good to see you this happy. I have been waiting forever to see you like this. I know I wasn't the best mother when it came to you. I know you’re different than your two sisters. But you’ve found someone who appreciates your ways," she said.

  It made me smile.

  "I have never been disappointed in you. I am actually very proud of you. You have overcome so many obstacles. I wish I could be more like you. To be positive about life and determined and believe in so many things that people these days forget about. You’ve stayed faithful to your dreams, you believed you were going to meet Ryder one day, and look at you. You finally did, and the boy loves you."

  I stood up and hugged my mom tightly. "It is because you never gave up on me, Mom," I whispered and I felt her sigh.

  She hugged me back and placed a kiss on my cheek. "My little tough girl," she said, making me grimace.

&n
bsp; "Mom," I whined, pulling away.

  "You always will be my little girl."

  I smiled, shaking my head.

  ***

  I walked into the gym and greeted Tony. I still couldn't believe he was Ryder's father.

  "How are you, kiddo?" he asked, putting the weights down.

  "I’m good. And you?"

  He smiled. "Have you ever seen me complain?"

  I chuckled, shaking my head. "Tony, can I ask you a question?"

  "Anything."

  "How come no one knows you’re Ryder's father?"

  "It was his time to get in the spotlight, and he deserved every moment of it. He was a hard working boy and his dream was to become one of the best MMA fighters. It was his moment, not mine. I supported him and he supported me. Whenever he is on vacation or taking a break, he comes home and helps me out," he said.

  "What about your wife?"

  "You mean my ex-wife."

  "Oh, I didn't know. Sorry."

  He shook his head. "She couldn't let Ryder enjoy this moment. She wanted it all. She wanted his money and a share of his fame," he said, sounding disappointed.

  "Well, he grew up to be a good man."

  "Have you seen yourself, Alex? You’re a good person, and good fighter. You don't see the negativity in anyone. You don't look down at people. My son made a good decision dating you."

  "I think I am lucky," I said.

  He tapped me on the shoulder. "He needs someone like you to make him see that girls with your standards still exist." With that, he walked off, leaving me alone.

  I turned around and walked towards the sparring cage. I would love to get back in the cage… that feeling of adrenaline pumping through your veins, the excitement of your fist making contact with the other person’s face or when you escape a lock position.

  I winced as one guy got in a solid punch. I even heard the popping of the guy’s jaw. He dropped like a sack of potatoes, just lying there.

  The cage is made for wild people. Enter the cage at your own risk. Once you defeat your opponent, you walk out as a champion. Not just to everyone, but to yourself. You overcame that fear.