by Marie York
I turned, not expecting him to be so close and almost spilled the water. He took it out of my hand, his fingers grazing mine, and sending a shiver down my spine. “Thanks,” he said, and all I could manage was a nod.
My younger self would be mocking me right now. I was always the first one to say something inappropriate, and not let anyone have any effect on me. There was just something about Bronx that turned me into a speechless loser.
It made me second-guess if asking him to live with me and Joy was really a good idea. My apartment was my safe haven, the place where I was always comfortable and didn’t have to worry about anyone.
Bronx placed the glass on the counter, and left his hand there, trapping me against him and the oak. “I just wanted to thank you again. You did something for me that I had been too scared to do.”
“It was nothing,” I assured him.
He tilted his head down, his forehead just shy of touching mine. He stayed there for a moment, and it felt like we were suspended in time. Finally, he shook his head and looked back up, those beautiful brown eyes staring straight into my soul. “No, it was everything,” he said as he reached up and tucked my hair behind my ears.
“Sometimes, you just need someone to kick you in the ass. I’m good at that,” I joked, feeling the need to make light of the situation, and diffuse the sexual tension, before I latched onto him again like a deranged octopus.
“So, you’re an ass kicker?”
“Better than an ass kisser, if you ask me,” I said, with a wink, and then stepped around him. “I’m glad it went well. Did you train at all?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said with a laugh. “I probably won’t be able to move tomorrow, but it’ll totally be worth it. Ray wants me to start getting into a routine again. He said start off by training, and then we’ll schedule a few fights once I get back into the groove of things.”
“That’s really great. Are you going to go after the title?”
“I have to. I need something to work toward. I can’t guarantee Knox will fight, but I can always try to go after another title.”
“Let me take care of the Knox thing,” I said.
He arched a curious eye at me. “What are you going to do?”
“You just need to get hype around your return. From there, you make it known that you want a rematch. Eventually, he’ll have to cave to the pressure. You’ll get your chance to win it all back, I can promise you that.”
“If you can make it happen, I will be in total awe of you.”
“You mean you aren’t already? I’m going to have to up my game,” I said, the flirt in me completely taking over all rational thoughts. I shoved her back down, and reminded her we still had things to discuss. “I also have another proposition for you.”
“Really? And, what’s that?”
“It isn’t much, but I hate to think of you training all day, and then not having a real place to go back to. A car isn’t a home. So, if you want, you can stay here until you get back on your feet.”
Shock streaked his face, and he ran a hand over his chin. “Are you serious?” he asked as a puzzled look crossed his face.
I shrugged. “I am, but there are rules.”
“I’m all ears,” he said.
“One, no drinking. None whatsoever. I do not want my daughter around a drunk.”
“Understandable,” he agreed.
“Two: you sleep on the couch. It might not be high luxury, but it’s sure as hell of a lot better than the backseat of your car.”
“Done.”
“Three. No cursing.”
“That, I’m going to have to work on, but I’m sure, if I slip up, Joy will remind me.”
I laughed. “Oh, you can count on it. And, there’s only so many times I can convince her that you washed your mouth out with soup before she stops believing until she sees it.”
He held his hands up. “Enough said.”
“And four. Friday nights are Princess night.”
His lip quirked. “What the hell’s a princess night?” he asked, clearly amused.
“We watch Joy’s favorite princess movie of the week, paint our nails, and eat popcorn.”
“I’ll watch the movie, and eat the popcorn, but there is no way in hell I’ll be painting my nails.”
“Two out of three ain’t bad. I think we can compromise there.”
“Is that it?” he asked.
“That’s it. Easy stuff, but break one of my rules, and its back to your car.”
I held my hand out to him, and he accepted it. “Deal,” he said.
Chapter 10
Bronx
The gym was booming with people who were working their asses off. It felt good to be surrounded by the energy and the drive. It pumped me up, and made me remember why I loved the fight so much in the first place.
I cracked my neck and stretched, relishing in the fact that I didn’t have any aches or pains from sleeping in my car. Kenzie’s couch might not have been five star accommodations, but it was the best thing I had slept on in months.
“Show me what you got,” Ray said, holding his padded hands up.
I went at him, with a jab to the right and then the left.
“Good, now show me the fancy shit you used to love to do,” he said, and I did as he asked.
I went right into a spinning back kick, and then quickly followed it up with my signature move, the flying knee. Though, thinking back to that fight two years ago, my signature move became my weakness. Knox knew it and, because of that, was able to avoid it and eventually use it against me.
A signature move wasn’t going to win me a title. It was only going to give my opponent a one up on me. I needed to mix it up, and keep them guessing. Each fight would be a different set of moves, so that way no one would be able to pin me down. I wouldn’t allow that. Not again.
I faked an uppercut, and went for the hook, looking for new ways to bring my A game. “Good,” Ray said, and then stopped me from continuing. “You can beat the shit out of these pads all you want, but that doesn’t mean shit.” Ray turned around, and put his hands over his mouth like a megaphone. “Hendrix, get over here!” he yelled.
A wall of a man jogged toward the ring. There was no way he was a lightweight, not even a middleweight. He had to be a light heavyweight, if not a heavyweight. Ray was out of his fucking mind if he expected me to fight him.
The guy climbed into the ring, and Ray slapped him on the back toward me. “Bronx, this is Hendrix. He’s going to be your new training buddy.”
Hendrix ran a hand over his buzzcut and smiled. “Nice to meet you,” Hendrix said. “Was wondering if you’d ever come out of hiding.”
I gave him a dirty look, wishing he could have just let it go and not say anything. Instead, he went right for the jugular.
“Yeah, well, what can I say? I missed the sunlight.”
Ray stepped between us. “Hendrix is a heavyweight, and makes you look puny, but, if you can take him down, you should have no problem taking down someone your own size. He’s willing to help you out, so don’t fuck this up.”
“I appreciate that,” I said.
Hendrix nodded. “I know what it’s like to fall from grace. I’ve been there.”
Neither of us said anything else, just went right into sparring. I was impressed by his moves, and how quick he was on his feet for such a big guy. I didn’t know much about him, and would have to ask Kenzie if I could borrow her computer later to look him up. But, there was one thing I knew for sure. I would not want to go head to head with him in the cage. I wouldn’t care if I were in his weight class. This dude was fucking intimidating as hell.
“Nice,” he said, as I dodged a fist, and pretended to get him in the side.
Time became nonexistent as we went over move after move. I soon realized that Hendrix wasn’t intimidating at all. He was a super nice guy with a wicked sense of humor.
My eye caught on the clock across the gym. “Shit,” I said. “I have to go. I have two girls waiting on me.
”
“Mr. Casanova over here,” Hendrix said, and I didn’t dare tell him the truth. Princess night would be happening in an hour, and I needed to hit the showers. I made a promise to Kenzie to follow her rules, and I wasn’t about to start breaking them. Besides, it was all Joy had been talking about for the past two nights. She was so excited, and I couldn’t imagine not being there.
“What can I say? The chicks still love me.”
“Nice!” Hendrix exclaimed, and I was beginning to realize it was like his catch phrase. “Same time tomorrow?”
“I’ll be here,” I said, and gave him a fist pound before hurrying off to the showers. I had a princess night to get to.
Chapter 11
Kenzie
I created Bronx accounts on all social media, and started hyping up his return. It would be only a matter of time before the media swooped in and started covering it. He used to be a smack talking little shit, so I made sure to carry that tidbit of his past into his return. The more obnoxious, and the more controversial, the better. Nobody ever made the news by playing nice. So, I also made sure to send a few comments Knox’s way. I didn’t expect him to see them. He probably got thousands a day, but I was hoping that someone would, and it would spread.
I glanced over my shoulder to where Joy was napping, and made sure she was okay. When I was satisfied that she was breathing, and still in the same place I left her, I went back to work. I had two hours left before I had to head out for an appointment.
My eyes lingered on Knox’s name. I hadn’t cared about him, or my sister, since I took off. Didn’t care what the fuck they were doing with their lives, but, for some reason, my curiosity was piqued. I clicked on his name, and went through his feed. There wasn’t much, other than a few announcements about his latest movie. It didn’t even seem like he posted himself.
I clicked out, and found myself typing in his name into the search bar. The first headline that popped up made my stomach drop, and sadness wash over me. Knox McArthur to marry longtime girlfriend Mila Greene.
He and Mila had gotten engaged. Tears threatened their way to the surface, but I forced them back. There was no use crying over what I couldn’t change, but that didn’t keep me from taking a jog down memory lane, thinking of all the times Mila and I spoke about one day getting married. She promised me that, no matter what, I would be her maid of honor. Now… I wouldn’t even be getting an invite.
I scrolled away from the headline before the tears overpowered me, and clicked over to images. There were a million of Knox, but also a few of him and Mila. They looked happy. So happy. Too happy for a girl whose sister ran away. It was as if she finally had the life she always wanted, without me. It hurt to my core, burned my insides, and made me angry.
Anger wasn’t who I was anymore, though, so I turned the computer off and walked over to Joy. Whenever I started to hate life, or get mad over something, I would look at my daughter. Looking at her calmed me, and helped put things into perspective. Nothing else mattered. Only her.
Her blonde curls were a wild mess, and her limbs were going every which way. She made tiny noises as she breathed in and out, and it was enough to bring a smile to my face.
The door eased open, and Bronx slowly walked in. A few days ago, he walked in when I was in a towel and, after a long moment of staring, he quickly left as I hurried my ass to the bathroom. Since then, I made a habit of bringing clothes with me, and he made a habit of entering with caution.
“I’m decent,” I said with a humorous smile, which he returned.
“How was training?” I asked.
He dropped his duffle bag on the couch, and sat beside it. “Good,” he said, keeping his voice low, so as to not wake Joy. “It’s all starting to come back. It really is like riding a bike. You don’t forget how. You just have to get your body used to it again, and I’m getting there. I think I finally have blood pumping through my body again and not booze.”
“That’s good. Alcohol is so overrated anyway. I never really saw the point.”
“Have you ever been drunk?” he asked.
“A few times, but only because everybody else was. I never really liked it.” I scratched at my hair, debating how open I felt like being, and then thought fuck it. “I preferred to smoke weed, actually. Loved the high more than anything, but gave that up once I got pregnant.”
“Really?” Bronx said with amused shock. “I never would have pinned you as a pothead.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t get knocked up at seventeen by being an angel.”
“Good point. So, what happened to that girl?”
“What girl?”
“The one you used to be?”
“I left her in Vegas where she belonged. Once I got pregnant, I realized that I couldn’t be selfish anymore and, oh wow, was I selfish. Everything was the end of the world. I was very dramatic,” I said, with a roll of my eyes, remembering how stupid I once was. “Being a mom changes things and, even though I wish I would have waited, I wouldn’t change a thing.” I looked over to my daughter, thanking God for giving her to me, and then back to Bronx. “Joy forced me to grow up, and, at the time, it was exactly what I needed.”
“You’re far wiser than your nineteen years, that’s for sure,” Bronx said. “You make me feel like a twelve year old.”
“You are a twelve year old,” I said, lifting up a pillow from the couch, and hitting him with it.
“Oh! Oh!” Bronx leaped across the couch, and started tickling me. I screamed out, squirming beneath his fingers.
I twisted and turned, but I couldn’t get away. Laughter poured out of me and, when he hit a particularly sensitive spot, I screeched. “Oh, my God, stop!” I managed through my giggles.
His fingers slowly stilled, and, suddenly, I realized I was beneath him. He hovered over me, his lips a whisper away. We hadn’t kissed since that night on the dance floor, but I had thought about it every day since.
He moved his head, angling his mouth. My heart sped up at the anticipation, and I readied myself for the intense desire that I knew would consume me.
“Momma,” Joy’s voice broke through the cloud Bronx and me were in. We both startled, and I went to get up as he went to bend down. We smacked heads, and both let out a loud groan.
“Son of a bitch!” Bronx said, holding his head.
“I’m getting the soap, mister!” Joy declared, and stomped off to the bathroom.
I looked to Bronx, both of us holding our heads, and we broke out laughing. Loud, boisterous laughs that caused stomach cramps. I had one hand on my head, and one hand on my stomach, when the phone rang.
Joy stomped back in, holding a bar of soap, and I decided to let Bronx deal with the consequences as I got the phone.
“Hello?”
“Sweetie, it’s Frieda. I know I’m supposed to take Joy in an hour, but my sister fell and broke a hip. I’m at the hospital now.”
“Oh, no! Is she okay?”
“Doctor says she’s going to be fine. Old broad is still tough as nails.” Frieda and her sister had the same age difference as Mila and I, and it always made me sad when I thought about how, after all these years, they still needed each other.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I’m just happy she’s okay.” I said goodbye and hung up, wracking my mind for whom I could call. But, then, I remembered I had no friends or family.
“What’s wrong?” Bronx asked from the couch, and, when I looked over to him, my heart nearly melted. Joy was curled up in his arms, using his chest as a runway for Sally.
Words fled me, but, after a few silent moments, I managed to find them again. “Frieda was supposed to watch Joy for me. I have an appointment, and now I’m going to have to take her with me.”
“I can watch her,” he said.
“Really?”
“Yeah, me and short stack can go to the park and swing on the swings. Get some ice cream.”
“Ice cream!” Joy exclaimed. “Bronx, lets go get ice cream.”
>
“I think you just became her new favorite person. But I don’t want to impose or anything.”
“Kenz, please. You let me stay here for free. The least I can do is watch your kid for a couple hours.”
“I won’t be long,” I blurted.
“Take however long you need. I don’t mind really.”
So, after writing down every phone number from mine to the pediatrician to Lou’s, I finally left. As I walked out the door, I heard Bronx say to Joy, “You ready for our date, short stack?”
And, that time, my heart did melt.
Chapter 12
Bronx
I didn’t know what I was thinking when I told Kenz I’d watch Joy. I was pretty confident at first, but after she started writing down all those damn phone numbers, and going over the Heimlich with me, I was completely freaked out.
The minute the door shut, I felt the panic rise inside of me. It was more terrifying than stepping into the cage when you knew you’re weren’t prepared for the fight. But, when I looked at Joy, suddenly the fears disappeared and I was calm.
The kid was fucking cute as hell, and pretty damn entertaining.
“What’s a date?” she asked.
“A date is when someone takes you out and they buy you things.”
Her big green eyes doubled in size, and a ridiculously large smile spread across her face. “I get presents? I like presents. Is it a princess?”
I laughed. “Why don’t we start with ice cream and go from there?”
Luckily, I had another royalty check come in, and, since I wasn’t wasting money on booze, I had a few bucks to spare.
I grabbed the bag that Kenz insisted I had to take with me. I just wished it wasn’t pink, and took Joy by the hand. We headed down to the restaurant, and she walked in like she owned the place. She might as well have. She waved to all the patrons, and offered hellos to the ones she knew by name.
“This is Bronx,” she said to one old couple. “We’re going on a date which means he’s going to buy me ice cream and presents.”
