She turned around. “He said he’d call back later. I guess I should add he didn’t actually say it was Terry but I didn’t figure you’d have anyone else calling you at two in the morning.”
Brian didn’t hesitate or calculate the time difference. No other men called him, period. “It was midnight there but I get what you’re saying. He was probably getting back from something.”
She gestured toward the phone. “Sorry for answering your cell. I hope I didn’t cause a problem, but I hated for it to wake you up since you seemed so out of it last night. You started yelling about being hot and stripping out of your clothes before I could stop you.”
Brian tossed the device on the bed before swiping his hand over his eyes, horrified. “Don’t worry about the phone. Even if I swung that way, Terry’s too conceited to ever suspect me of cheating.”
“That’s funny.”
Not only did she not laugh, he hadn’t said anything humorous. Her remark left him confused. “What is?”
She unwound the towel from her hair as she answered. “The way you say he’s conceited. It came out sounding like an endearment rather than something most people find repulsive.” A mass of wet, red curls fell down her back. Oh. Now he remembered. She was dating the fighter with the blue Mohawk. For the life of him, Brian couldn’t remember the guy’s name. Of course, the memory of the way he’d left her at the bar without as much as backward glance after an extremely public and loud argument, came rushing back to him. One of these days, he would never drink again. It wasn’t for him. He’d been unable to resist helping out a woman in distress. Apparently, he did his best consoling while roaring drunk.
Now that the initial panic passed, the exhaustion came back full-force. He crawled back into bed, curling around the phone as if he could hang onto a wisp of Terry’s presence. He closed his eyes, comforted by the thought.
“I love that he’s conceited,” Brian admitted, hearing the tired note in his own voice. He tugged the blanket over his head to block out the sun, before adding, “Love everything about him.”
Chapter Eight
Kip’s message was the last he heard of Terry. For three days, Brian made every attempt to get ahold of him without any luck. He’d kept Kip with him for reasons even he didn’t understand but he imagined it was something Terry would’ve done. She was alone and pregnant. Terry would’ve helped her out. They’d only been in Austin for two days but he had four more days to kill before his next match and they’d be off to the next town. It was a damn good thing he’d won most of his matches. He had some money left in savings, but it wasn’t much. The prize money and bonuses he received were the biggest things keeping his ass afloat. Kip was paying her own way and he wasn’t sure why she chose to stay. Maybe he needed her more than she needed him. It was a good possibility.
Sequestered in their hotel room, he’d sat at the tiny table beside the window for so long his back had passed beyond cramping an hour earlier. His phone buzzed, moving across the top of the table. He snatched it up, praying he’d see Terry’s name. His heart plummeted when Kurt’s name appeared instead. Shame filled him over the reaction as he read the text.
“Baby Tayrn is here and healthy. Seven pounds, three ounces and nineteen inches.” Brian’s response was immediate. “That’s awesome. Pics?” He hated that he was having to dredge up a bit of happiness over something he should be ecstatic about. It didn’t take long for a series of images to appear across the screen. Everyone he cared about felt so far away.
“She’s beautiful.”
With his compliments sent, Brian stared at his phone until his pride broke. He sent a message to Terry. “I love you.”
The backlighting on his phone slowly faded, going black. Brian still didn’t look away. Every second without a response, seemed closer to an hour. He made excuses for him. Most likely he was with McKenna right now. He’d probably turned his ringer off to keep from disturbing such a wonderful family moment. In his heart, Brian knew the truth. They were over.
“I recognize that look,” Kip said, interrupting his thoughts. He ignored her. She wasn’t deterred in the least. “I know it well,” she added. “It’s the ‘please text me back’ stance.” Claiming the chair across from his, she mimicked his pose. Leaning forward and resting her forearms on the table, she set her chin on top of her arms. She stared at the device between them.
“What are you doing?”
“Lending you my will,” she answered as if it should be obvious. “Maybe between the two of us we can convince your phone to ring.”
Brian scowled. “I know I’m pathetic. There’s no need to point it out.”
Shifting positions, Kip dug her phone out her back pocket. Placing it face-up next to his, she resumed her watchful stance. “There,” she said, sounding satisfied. “If you’re a sad case then so am I. At least now neither of us is alone.”
He rolled his eyes, but thirty seconds later, her phone lit up when she received an incoming message. In spite of the situation, he chuckled. “I guess you were right. Our combined forces worked for one of us, anyhow.”
She slid the device closer, swiping her finger across the face. For a moment, she simply stared down at it in silence. After a full minute passed, she tucked it beneath her crossed arms before resting her cheek on them. “Yep. I guess it worked.”
She kept her gaze focused and unblinking at the opposite wall. He didn’t know what to say in the face of her open devastation. He had no idea what that text said, but it had not been good news. It seemed his problems weren’t nearly as bad as hers. He hadn’t asked about what was going on with the guy who’d abandoned her in Tennessee, and she’d only disclosed enough for him to know the dude had wanted to fuck someone else so Kip was out.
Kip blinked and a tear spilled from the corner of her eye, rolling over her arms before landing on the table. As if the sensation pulled her from her haze she sat up, swiping at her face.
“I guess I’d better start thinking about finding a job and figure out where I’m going from here. It’s not like I can keep tagging along with you forever.” A strained smile touched her lips.
Brian didn’t as much as hesitate. “You’ll stay with me until you figure something out.”
She shook her head. “I can’t expect you to keep this up. You have a life of your own.”
“I know that you don’t expect anything and I wasn’t asking. You’ll stick with me.”
She leaned back in her chair. “Why?”
“Do you have another option?” He could almost see her searching her mind. When she shook her head, he added, “Then it’s settled.” He pushed his phone toward her.
“Terry has a new niece,” he said, changing the subject before she could argue. As she scrolled through the pictures, a smile touched her lips even as more tears swam in her eyes.
* * * * *
The guy had a “tell”. Every time he threw a punch, his shoulders bunched for a half a second before he led with his right hand. It was all Brian needed to avoid each shot. This shit was almost boring. The other guy was good enough that Brian couldn’t seem to pin him but too slow to land a blow. They weren’t doing anything more than dancing around on the mat, occasionally getting close enough for bit of dirty boxing. Deciding to play it his way, Brian waited until he’d worn the man down before going low, driving his shoulder into his gut. The double leg takedown was effortless once the guy lost his balance. From there, Brian had him pinned. Easy pickings. There should’ve been at least an ounce of satisfaction over the win. He searched his heart. There was nothing. Brian focused on the crowd. With the exception of Kip, he didn’t know anyone. The sure knowledge he’d be in a different hotel room in a different town by this time tomorrow, settled the matter to his mind. With his decision made, he couldn’t wait to get out there. He was going home and Terry would damn well talk to him.
Brian didn’t have any trouble exchanging his and Kip’s plane tickets to Delaware over to Las Vegas. Kip had been overjoyed at the prospect o
f settling in one place and agreed it was time for him to confront Terry if he ever hoped to find any peace. The only thing left for him to do was drop the news. He just hadn’t decided how to go about it yet. Halfway through packing, his cell phone rang saving him the trouble.
He checked the name before answering. “Hey McKenna. I was just about to call you.” The new baby Tayrn was crying in the background. “Uh-oh. Somebody isn’t happy,” he added, wondering if she could even hear him.
“She doesn’t sleep. It makes everyone sad.” McKenna’s tone was so matter-of-fact Brian chuckled. It wasn’t nice of him to laugh at his friend but better her than him. He also found it humorous two such serious people had created a dramatic baby.
“Maybe I can help you out when I get back home since I’ll be there by nine a.m.” He couldn’t hide the excitement in his voice. His words were met with silence. Even Tayrn stopped fussing. Brian held the phone out, checking to see if the call had been disconnected. The little timer was still running. He pressed it back to his ear.
“Are you still there?”
“Yeah,” McKenna answered, sounding hesitant. “It’s almost funny. I was calling to tell you I think you should come home.”
She had his attention. “Why?”
“I have something I need to tell you.”
The way she said it, Brian knew he wouldn’t like whatever it was. Even though he didn’t need any more bad shit to happen, he still heard himself agreeing. “Okay.”
“The thing is, I’m not supposed to tell you. If I do, I’m breaking a promise, but it’s something I think you should know, you know?”
“No,” he answered, confused.
Her huff rang clear through the line. “You’ll be pissed off. I should’ve called way before now but I didn’t know what to do. On one hand, I promised and I do see his point. On the other, sometimes we don’t know what best for ourselves. In this case, I don’t think he knows what’s best.”
A sense of foreboding overcame him. They only knew one person mutually who would ask her to keep a secret from him. “Okay,” he repeated, incapable of articulating anything further. McKenna groaned.
“Oh. I know,” she cried. “How about this? What if I tell you as much as you’ll know the moment you set eyes on him? That way you’ll be forewarned but I haven’t actually given you any details. Therefore, I haven’t truly broken my promise. Of course, I really should break it since he told me he would tell you himself but he hasn’t and that’s wrong.”
Brian couldn’t stand another moment of the torment. “Is he seeing someone else?”
McKenna didn’t hesitate. “No. It’s nothing like that. Terry loves you.” A wave of relief washed over him. It lasted only long enough for her to take a breath. “He’s sick.”
Brian’s brain failed him in his moment of need. McKenna’s words didn’t make as much sense as they should have. “He hasn’t called me because he’s sick?” For some reason, when Brian said it aloud, the impact of the statement hit him. “Wait. How sick are we talking here? I mean, even if I was on my deathbed, I’d like to think I’d find a way to get in touch with him.” His question met with nothing but silence. His grip tightened on the phone. “McKenna, how sick is he?”
“I’m glad you’re coming home,” she answered quietly.
* * * * *
The trip from Texas to Vegas was the longest of his life. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get an earlier flight home. By the time they landed at McCarran International and people began pulling down their carry-ons, Brian was ready to barrel his way through them. More than one slow-moving passenger suffered his dark scowl. It didn’t help matters that his cell phone wouldn’t fucking work on the plane. He might’ve smashed the damn thing by now if he didn’t know how badly he’d need it later.
Kip remained silently at his side. She hadn’t tried to comfort him and he appreciated it more than he could say. He was one kind gesture away from a total meltdown. He’d ranted his way through three airports, since for some dumbass reason, they had to change planes in Orlando. Kip simply murmured her agreement when he pointed it out for the hundredth time how ridiculous it was to claim it was more cost efficient to fly hundreds of miles in the opposite direction. The moment his feet hit the terminal, he checked his cell signal again. Seeing he had one bar, he immediately called McKenna.
“I’m here,” he said without preamble as soon as she answered. “How is he?”
“Exhausted but the hospital plans to release him today.”
His grip tightened on the phone. “Does that mean he’s better?”
McKenna ignored his question, making him grind his teeth. “Of course, you know how doctors are. It will probably be later this afternoon before they actually sign off on the paperwork.”
He pried his jaw open. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t bite back the words. “You know, I might not ever be able to forgive you for this.” Silence stretched across the line. Brian almost snapped from the tension. Kip touched his arm, drawing his attention and he really looked at her for the first time since rushing her from the hotel. At some point, she’d piled her red curls on top of her head, securing them with a scrunchie, and there were dark smudges beneath her eyes. In spite of his panic, he experienced a pang of regret for the stress he was adding to her life. It wasn’t good for the baby.
“Is Terry okay?”
She was more concerned about him than herself he realized with a rush of affection. He didn’t deserve her friendship. Shaking his head, he shrugged. She frowned.
“Who is that?” McKenna asked, cutting into the silence. “It’s my friend, Kip.”
“Bring her to me. You and Terry should have some time alone.”
Brian switched his attention back to Kip. “Are you cool with staying with McKenna while I figure things out with Terry?”
“You can drop me at the nearest hotel. I’ll be fine. Worry about yourself right now. I’ve been making my own way for a long time. I just didn’t want you to make the trip alone.”
Brian rolled his eyes. “She’ll be there in half an hour.” Kip sighed at his words but didn’t argue and Brian didn’t back down. “She’s in dire need of some TLC. I’ve been dragging her all over the country and she’s five months pregnant.”
“Sounds like we both have some explaining to do,” McKenna said in a dry tone.
“No,” Brian answered immediately. “Only you.” Without waiting for a response, he disconnected the call. After slipping his phone back into his pocket, he relieved Kip of her bag. “Come on. Let’s find a cab.”
* * * * *
Brian had stopped trying to call and sending him messages three days ago. Even though Terry knew it was for the best, his heart didn’t give a shit. The future was nothing but bright lights for Brian. Those days were over for Terry. It did sting a bit to know he’d never get to fight again, but some things were more important—like living.
The moment Terry stepped through the door and he noticed the alarm had been disengaged, he knew. Dread rose in his throat and he tugged his stocking cap down tight. Leaving his suitcase by the back door, he went in search of Brian. He found him in the living room. With his stocking feet kicked up on the coffee table and his fingers linked behind his head, Brian followed Terry with his eyes as he entered the room. He looked tired and so fucking sexy. It made Terry’s heart ache. A pair of soft, worn-looking jeans encased his legs. His maroon shirt strained against his biceps.
“You haven’t been retuning my calls.”
Avoiding his gaze, Terry sat down on the loveseat. “You’ve been busy. I didn’t want to bother you.”
Brian didn’t respond until Terry met his stare. “I’m never too busy for you.”
Terry didn’t say a word. Between travel, training and matches, Brian probably hadn’t had a chance to even breathe, but yes, he did know Brian would’ve dropped everything for him. That was the problem. Terry tried changing the subject, pretending as if this was a social call rather than his ju
dgment day.
“You’ve kept an eighty-five percent win ratio so I imagine Rhys will be more than happy to accept your challenge.” Brian dipped his chin in acknowledgment. He didn’t look happy. “Congratulations,” Terry added. “I’m proud of you. Not that I haven’t always been proud of you,” he added, developing a never-heard-before ramble. “Of course, hopefully, you knew that already.”
Thankfully, Brian interrupted him before he managed to make a total idiot out of himself. “I have regrets.”
The statement made Terry want to plant his fist in the center of Brian’s face. There wasn’t a single thing he could think of that could’ve cut more to the bone. He couldn’t hold the bitterness on the inside. “I can’t believe you regret being with me. Maybe I’m not perfect, but damn. I did think I meant a little something to you.” He shook his head, still in disbelief. Fuck. He could’ve gone his whole life without hearing Brian confess to such a thing. A humorless laugh escaped him. “I’m exhausted.” Really. What else could he say?
Brian eyed him a full minute before speaking. “Are you done?”
Terry gestured helplessly, holding his tongue. No. He wasn’t finished, but he’d be damned if he begged the man to say it wasn’t true.
“I should’ve asked you to go with me.” Terry opened his mouth, ready to say he wouldn’t have gone. Brian held up his hand, stopping him. “Then I should have forced you when you refused.”
Terry snapped his teeth together, deciding it was useless to point out Brian couldn’t force him to do anything he didn’t want to do. Brian’s lips lifted into a knowing smile as he added, “When you still refused to go, I should’ve blackmailed you by threatening to never compete again if you didn’t come with me.” His expression sobered. His eyes seemed almost sad as he admitted, “I hate I didn’t do that, because I think I broke something between us by going away.”
Unattainable (No Rival Book 5) Page 9
