Unbreakable

by Abby Reynolds

  “Do you want to fuck me?” I asked one night. “Because you’re always being gentle with me. You must get tired of it.”

  “I’ve been fucking my whole life. I never want to do that with you.”

  And we never spoke about it again.

  Scotty didn’t call me because he knew I was busy. He would text and check in once in a while. He said he had a few girls over so he wasn’t lonely. The house pretty much belonged to him. I should just sign the deed over since I was with Liam the whole time.

  When we were laying bed, I turned to him. “Yes.”

  He studied my face, trying to determine my meaning. “What are you agreeing to?”

  “Moving in with you.”

  Liam’s face broke into a huge grin. “You will?”

  “I pretty much live here anyway. And Scotty can have the house.”

  “You just made me the happiest man in the world.” He leaned over me and pulled my hips toward him.

  “We just made love.”

  “And those words got me in the mood again.” He pressed his face close to mine and slipped inside me. Nothing else was said the entire night. Anything we communicated was said with our eyes.

  I didn’t start moving in until a week later. I was too lazy to grab my stuff and bring it. And I didn’t need my furniture because Liam already had everything. I would have to sell it or make sure Scotty didn’t let anyone into the room.

  I considered selling my house but I loved it too much to give it away. Despite the pain I felt living there, it was still my home. I would think about it before I did anything drastic.

  Liam went to Bran’s to hang out, so I stayed at his house and organized my things. He emptied one of his dressers so I would have room for all my clothes. He didn’t occupy much space, but I had a bunch of crap. Luckily, there were extra bedrooms so I took advantage of the extra closet space.

  A knock on the door broke my concentration. I had no idea who would come to the door. No one ever paid Liam a visit. His parents would just call if they wanted to see him.

  I looked through the peephole and saw Bran on the other side. Confusion overcame me as I stared at him. Then fear clenched my heart. What if something happened to Liam? I opened it.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but Bran spoke first.

  “Is he ready?” He looked at his watch. “We’re already late.”

  What? “Late?”

  “Yeah.” He leaned forward and shouted down the hallway. “Hurry up, asshole!”

  Was I missing something…? “Liam told me he was hanging out with you.”

  “Damn. He must have meant to meet me at the ring. Is he already gone?”

  “He left hours ago…”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  “What ring?” I asked. What was a ring?

  “He has a match tonight.”

  “A match?”

  “Yeah,” he said quickly. “His ultimate fighting championship. He’s gonna take the big bucks home today.”

  Now I was even more confused. “He fights…?”

  “You didn’t know that?” He looked at me like I was crazy “Aren’t you living together?”

  I didn’t dignify that with a response. “Where is it at?”

  “The Sheraton. You coming?”

  “I guess…” I had to see this for myself. I didn’t know what ultimate fighting was, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to know why Liam hid it from me.

  He never lied to me…

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Liam

  Before the match began, I stayed in the locker room. I was shirtless and a towel was wrapped around my neck. This was the last fight I would ever do. Keira wouldn’t approve and she was more important. I could make a living doing something else, something that wouldn’t frighten her.

  Johnny, my agent, sat across from me. “The federation wants you to go pro.”

  I took a moment to process the words. “What?”

  He nodded. “They want you, kid. They’ll provide advances, sponsors, and the whole package. To be honest, I’m surprised this didn’t happen sooner.”

  This was a dream come true for someone else, not me. If I did this full-time, there was no way I could hide it from Keira. I should get out now. “I’m retiring.”

  Johnny stared at me, flinching. “What?”

  “This is my last match,” I said firmly.

  “Why?” His voice came out angry. “You’re at the top of your game. You could be huge.”

  “I’m sorry. I really am. But this isn’t going to work out. I’ll give it my best shot now, but that’s it. I’m done.”

  He shook his head and sighed. “You’re making a big mistake. Even with that degree you’ll only make a fraction of what you do now.”

  “I realize that. I completely understand what I’m doing.”

  Johnny was still pissed. “I thought you could go the distance. I was wrong.” He stormed out of the locker room then slammed the door.

  I stayed in the locker room alone and calmed my beating heart. The guilt was weighing on me. I misled Keira and let her believe I was hanging out with Bran. He was coming tonight, but it was still slightly untrue. And I felt sick to my stomach because of it.

  I was finally called to the ring. I moved through the crowd and kept a stoic face. Cheers and shouts went up around me. I knew people were betting their savings on this game, on me.

  I climbed inside the ring then tossed my towel aside. The mouth guard was in place, and my gloves were tightened. My opponent was thicker than I was and attempted a poor trick of intimidation. He stared me down, moving back and forth like a shark. Nothing scared me.

  When the ref blew the whistle, the match began. I never did the same thing more than once, so I attacked him first, punching him hard in the cheek and the shoulder. Stunned, he covered his face and stepped back. I heard the crowd gasp at my unorthodox move. I always waited for my opponent to strike first and tire out. But if I kept the same routine, I would be too predictable.

  My opponent was caught off guard by the unexpected attack. The bloodlust in his eyes was replaced with fear. And I knew I had him.

  He rushed me, giving me his all, but I threw him down then gave him a savage punch to the head. He was back on his feet and thrusting his fists into my stomach. I never flinched at the pain. I tightened my muscles and took it like a man. He got a good punch to my face, drawing blood.

  The anger inside me was gone. Keira put me back together, finally forgiving my parents and accepting my sister’s death. Being angry and livid wouldn’t change anything. All it did was drag me down. But Keira opened my eyes and let the light into my life. She taught me how to be a better man. Without that fire, I wasn’t nearly as strong. It was my greatest asset.

  I flexed my body and charged him, giving a good punch to his stomach then his ribs. He gasped as I hit the right spot. Then I tripped him and knocked him over. When he was on his back, I gave him a dozen punches to the face. The ref eventually blew the whistle and ended the match. I immediately retreated to my corner and wiped the blood from my mouth. I had a lot more bruises and cuts this time. Keira would question it. And I’d have to be honest.

  I left the ring then headed back to the locker room, the sounds of cheers following me. Security walked with me until we reached the hallway. But I stopped when I saw the most horrifying thing.

  Keira was sobbing, covering her face while Scotty comforted her. I knew she saw everything. My carnal behavior frightened her. My lie hurt even more.

  I moved from the path and headed toward her. “Keira!”

  She immediately stepped away, her hands held out in fear. It was the same look she gave me when we played basketball the first time.

  “Keira, let me explain.”

  “Get away from me.”

  “I—”

  “Get away from me!”

  Now she was drawing a scene. Scotty put his hand on her arm and tried to calm her. She jerked away then headed to the exit, still crying. I s
natched my shirt from my assistant then sprinted after her. If she got away, I wouldn’t be able to get her alone again.

  I saw her running to her car in the parking lot. She was the fastest runner I knew, but my adrenaline and fear kicked in and pushed me forward. She got her keys out and tried to insert them in the door, but her hands were shaking.

  “Keira, listen to me.”

  Her eyes widened in fear when she saw me sprint at her. She abandoned her keys then ran around the car, stumbling to the ground in her attempt to get away from me. “Leave me alone!”

  I reached her then grabbed her arm.

  She pushed me off like I was a stranger. “Don’t touch me.”

  I held my hands up. “Please listen to me, baby.”

  She crawled away then got to her feet.

  I still held up my hands. “Hear me out. Don’t go.”

  The tears on her face dripped down her chin. She inched away, gripping the car for balance.

  “I won’t come any closer. Just don’t run away from me.”

  She stilled, breathing heavily.

  At least she stopped running. I felt like all the progress we made completely vanished. “Baby, it’s still me. I would never hurt you. What you saw in there isn’t real. It’s just a job.”

  She still cried. Her arms wrapped around her waist.

  “This has nothing to do with us. I would never lay a hand on you. All I ever want is to see you smile. The past four months have been the best of my life. Don’t pull away from me now. We worked too damn hard to get here.”

  She breathed, her mouth open and her eyes still dribbling with new tears.

  “Baby, I promise I’ll never hurt you.”

  Keira looked at the ground. I had no idea what she was thinking.

  “Can I come closer?” I couldn’t risk doing something she wasn’t ready for, not when she was like this.

  “A little…”

  That was good.

  I inched around the car so I stood at the front tire. She stood at the back one. She was an arm’s length away. “Keira, I was going to tell you but I wanted to wait until tonight.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that was my last fight. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to scare you off. I’m officially retired and I’ll never do it again. I’m done.”

  She eyed me, her eyes glancing at my hands. “How can you possibly do that to someone else…for money. It’s disgusting.”

  “Keira, it’s a mutual sport. It’s still professional. No one is seriously injured, and if it does happen, it’s very rare and purely accidental. I’m not hurting someone. I’m fighting—it’s totally different.”

  “Why do you do it? You enjoy hurting people? You have to.”

  I couldn’t lie about that. “I did…because I was so angry. It relieved the pain I felt. I didn’t know what else to do with myself, and this was the only way I could function normally. I did it because I needed it. But that changed when I met you. I realized I didn’t need it anymore and wanted to stop. But after I found out about you…the anger came back. I needed to relieve it.”

  Keira leaned against the car then slid to the pavement. She pulled her knees to her chest and made herself as small as possible. I knew she was drawing away from me.

  “Baby, let me come closer.”

  She didn’t look at me. Finally, she nodded slightly.

  I moved to her and wrapped her in my arms. She didn’t fight me and let me hold her. “I’m sorry I lied. I was going to tell you the truth. Ask Scotty. He’ll vouch for me.”

  “He told me,” she whispered.

  “Okay. That proves my sincerity.”

  She didn’t speak.

  I pulled her face to mine and kissed her. Her lips were lifeless and immobile. She was scaring the shit out of me. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

  “I just…can’t believe you did that. Seeing you be so violent…it made me sick.”

  “I know,” I whispered. “I know. But I’m not like that outside the ring.”

  “I just can’t stop picturing him in my head.”

  I knew she was referring to her ex. “I’m not like him. Don’t ever compare me.”

  “I can’t be with someone who would do that.”

  What? No. “I already quit. I won’t do it anymore, Keira. It’s not who I am. You’ve fixed me.”

  More tears fell down her face. “I’m sorry…”

  “No. What about the rest of me? The man you fell in love with? He’s still here.” I put her hand over my heart. “He’s still here.”

  She pulled her hand away. “I can’t…”

  “No,” I said firmly. “We’ll work through this.”

  “It just reminds me too much. It makes me sick every time I look at you. I just can’t.”

  I couldn’t believe this was really happening. My world was falling apart. My eyes burned with tears. I couldn’t stop them. Like a leaking pipe, they spilled out. “Baby…please don’t leave me.”

  She rose to her feet and hid her face. “I…I have to go.”

  “No…”

  She went to the other side of the car and grabbed her keys, still sobbing.

  “Keira, please work this out with me. I don’t want anyone else but you.”

  “You slept with me without telling me,” she snapped. Her voice became louder. “I gave myself to you because I thought I knew you. You kept this to yourself, knowing exactly how it would make me feel. And you did it anyway. How can I ever forgive you for that?”

  “Because I fucking love you. And you love me.”

  She unlocked the door and opened it.

  “Keira, please. Don’t do this. We’re too good to throw away.”

  She got inside then slammed the door.

  I stood back from the car, the tears falling down my face. She started the car and drove away, not looking at me. I felt the blood drain from my face when the reality hit me. Keira was gone. I lost her.

  I fucking lost her.

  I understood Keira enough to know when to back off. So I gave her space for a few days. Even though it killed me, I didn’t call her or stop by her house. When she had enough time to think it over, she would realize how unfair this was. I completely understood why she was upset, but it was something we could work through. We had to.

  Losing her wasn’t something I could afford. She made my life so much better and I didn’t want to live without her smile. I would return to my old way of life, empty and hollow. I didn’t want that.

  By the fourth day, I was going crazy. Her stuff was still here. I took that as a good sign. Sleeping alone every night was unbearable. Most of the time, I went in the basement and shredded my punching bag with my knuckles. They were bloody and sore when I was done.

  On the fifth day, someone came to the door.

  I dashed to it then threw it open. When I saw Scotty on the other side, I released a disappointed sigh.

  His hands were in his pockets. “Hey.”

  “Hi.”

  He stood there awkwardly. “I’m here to get her things.”

  “What?” My voice came out like an alarm. “No.”

  Scotty ran his hands through his hair and shrugged. “I’m sorry, man. I tried to talk some sense into her, but she wouldn’t listen.”

  I clenched the door with my hands. “This can’t be happening…”

  “I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, she’s mad at me too. She feels betrayed that I kept the truth from her.”

  “Fuck. This can’t be happening…”

  Scotty stepped toward the door. “I’ll be in and out.”

  I held my arm out. “No. If she wants her stuff, she has to get it herself.”

  He stilled as I blocked him out. “She said she doesn’t want to see you.”

  “We aren’t breaking up,” I said firmly. “If she really wants this relationship to end, she’ll have to come here and get her stuff on her own. I won’t change my mind.”

  Scotty stepped
back. “Okay.”

  “How is she?”

  He shrugged. “Depressed. She cries all the time.”

  “I know how that is,” I said bitterly.

  “I’m sorry, man. I don’t know what else to say.”

  I stepped out of the house and locked the door behind me. “You don’t have to say anything.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To talk to her.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

  I headed to my truck. “I’m not letting her go. I’m the best damn thing that ever happened to her. And she’s mine.” I got inside then pulled out of the driveway.

  When I arrived at her house, I knocked on the door loudly. Her car was in the driveway so I knew she was home. And I knew her better than anyone. She would stay locked up in the house forever if she could.

  I heard footsteps stir behind the door. When she looked through the peephole, she gasped.

  “Open the door.”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Open it or I’ll use my key.”

  Silence stretched for a minute. I waited for her to open the door.

  “Don’t call my bluff,” I said. “You gave me this key and said I was welcome to come and go as I please. You can’t take that back. I’ve given you a few days to think things over. But now I want to talk.”

  She fidgeted with the door then finally cracked it open. Her face was pale and her lips were lifeless. She looked dead, like she hadn’t eaten or moved in days. Her eyes were downcast, unable to look at me. “There’s nothing left to say.”

  I pushed the door open then barged into her house. “I have plenty to say.”

  She flinched then stepped back while I moved forward. But she didn’t cower away from me or scream. She didn’t put her hand up to shield an attack. Reason had settled on her in the past few days. I would never hurt her and she knew that. “We’re over,” she said weakly.

  “No.” I grabbed her hips and pulled her to me. “I don’t accept that.”

  “I don’t see you in the same way. You’re different to me now.” She pushed against my chest but I kept her in place.