Uppercut

by Terra Kelly

  “When you told him not yet?”

  “He said and I quote, ‘I should’ve known because you were never a good fighter.’”

  “Wow.” I didn’t know what else to say. “You hung up then, right?”

  “After I said fuck you.”

  “Good girl.” I pulled her up and wrapped my arms around her waist. “Because you’re goddamn amazing, and I can’t wait till you have the flyweight championship belt around your waist.” I kissed her cheek. “It can be your big fuck you to your dad.”

  “With a side of go suck donkey balls.”

  I burst out laughing at her words. “That’s my Charlie Bear.”

  “Where’s Evan?” I asked, stepping into the conference room. “We have five fighters getting a scholarship and one-on-one training with top fighters. How is one of the five missing?”

  “Breathe,” Julian said, rubbing my back.

  “Here he is,” Charlie yelled from the other side of the room. “He got lost.”

  “See.” Julian winked. “Everything’s okay.”

  I placed my hand over my chest and took in several deep breaths. It wasn’t working.

  Several weeks ago, we’d taken a trip back to the infamous storage unit in San Francisco—with cops this time. I needed photos, memorabilia, and anything else my dad had hidden in those many boxes.

  While I was there, I’d taken a trip over to my old gym and let them know what I was doing. Jake, my old trainer who was part owner of the gym, wanted to donate immediately. They had some images of Dad at the gym that were amazing. I borrowed them and made copies for the event.

  It felt like a lot of work ensuring this event went off without a hitch. Then I saw the images at the gym in San Francisco, and I knew I was making the right choice. There were several photos of Dad posing with now champion fighters. Some of those fighters considered him a mentor and asked to be a part of the event.

  We spent several hours talking about Dad and his many accomplishments. The best part of the evening was when the fighters took turns at the podium to share a story about Dad and how he influenced them.

  We spent three hours honoring a man I looked up to and loved with all my heart. I still couldn’t believe my mom tried to take that all away from me.

  The five men who were honored with a scholarship would be training at Fight It Out with Julian fucking Moore. My dad would be so happy to see the man he mentored now taking on that legacy.

  Julian walked up and kissed my forehead. “Let me join in on those many thoughts running around in there.”

  “You want to join in, eh?” I laughed and climbed up onto his lap. “Dad would be so proud of you.”

  “Me,” he said, scowling. “Don’t you mean you?”

  “You may not be able to fight in an octagon anymore, but look what you’re doing.”

  He pulled my body close. “I wouldn’t be.”

  “I’m not following?”

  “I was contemplating selling my half of the gym before you came into the picture.”

  I sat up. “What? No.” I jumped down off his lap. “Did Brooks or Tyler have a say in that decision?”

  “They were going to buy me out.”

  Now I was confused. “Where did you plan to go?”

  “California.”

  “Really?”

  At that moment, I found life really funny. Fate always had a way of ensuring it got its way. If Dad hadn’t died, I would have stayed in San Francisco. Which means, Julian would have come my way instead.

  “It was meant to be.”

  He kissed me. “Yes it was.”

  Did you love Lily and Julian as much as I did? Thank you so much for taking the time to read their story! Please consider leaving a review. They are so helpful not necessarily just for me (but I do love reading them), they are more for the readers to decide if they want to dive into the series!

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  On To The Second Round

  Dear Reader,

  When I wrote Lily and Julian’s story I never planned to include suspense. As I neared the halfway mark the ideas started popping in my mind. I loved adding the twists and I hope you did, too.

  Are you an MMA fan? If you are still on the fence with that answer maybe I made you curious. Hopefully. This is one of my most favorite sports. It actually tops football for me.

  We can’t just stop at Lily’s story though. There’s definitely more to see here.

  You met Charlie but were you wondering about her past and her awful father? Book two coming VERY soon!

  This series will take you on some wild adventures. Along the way you will encounter some seriously H-O-T couples. (Hint: Just wait till book three. *wink wink*)

  You can sign up here to be notified when the next book in the Fight It Out MMA Series releases.

  Side note: If you read my Falling Deep Into You series, you noticed the crossover with Lily’s story. If you have not read the series yet and want to know more about this mob boss. Well, hop over and check out my Falling Series here.

  Thank you for all your support and love it means the world to me,

  Sending love,

  Terra

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  (especially the cute furry kids).

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  About the Author

  Terra Kelly writes Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense.

  She loves walking her dog, snuggling with her two cats, and relaxing with her amazing hubby. A steamy romance book is never far from her grasp, and 2:00 a.m. seems to be the sweet spot to finally put a book down and sleep. She laughs loudly, smiles often, is a bit of a klutz, and tries to always find the positive in everything.

  Writing was not on the list of must-do’s for her career, but she always had stories swirling around her mind. Now, today she couldn’t imagine her life without writing. She enjoys writing when the mood strikes, and will stay up late to get all her thoughts out.

  She loves hearing from her readers, please stop by one of her social sites and say hello!

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  www.terrakelly.com

  terra@terrakelly.com

  Also by Terra Kelly

  Falling Deep Into You Trilogy:

  Falling Deep Into You (Book One)

  Take This Pain Away (Book Two)

  Rescue This Aching Heart (Book Three)

  Fight It Out MMA Series

  Uppercut (Book One)

  The Winters Family Series:

  Catch Me (Book One)

  Need You (Book Two)

  You’re Mine (Book Three)

  Let’s Dance (Book Four)

  Hope’s Gift (Christmas Novella)

  Stand Alone Book:

  Hannah’s Story: A Second Chance

  Acknowledgments

  In the Winter of 2017 I thought about creating a sports romance series. I wasn’t for sure what sport to focus on, but I knew how much hockey romance was loved. Now, I enjoy hockey but did I want to write about it? Then one night I thought, hey, what about mixed martial arts. I do adore MMA. Then somehow Lily popped in my mind and boom, I had a start to a new series. This series makes me so happy and I hope it will make you just as excited, too. Let me share everyone that was involved in making this book what it is. So many people to thank!

  Thank you to my angel and best friend, my husband. He has watched so many hours of MMA with me as I researched and fell more in love with the sport. He’s the best, right?

  T
hank you, Finishing Touch Editing for making my book beautiful.

  Thank you, Lee for taking on the job as proofer and giving the book a few more checks. PLUS, Becky and Ana are my two awesome readers that also took the time to share some issues that needed love. I so appreciate all the time you took with Uppercut!

  Thank you to my rock star ARC readers! Seriously, I may have the best readers in the world but I could be biased. I love you all so much for your support.

  Thank you to my super fun reader group on Facebook! I love having a space to chat and share all about my book fun. You make me laugh and smile all the time.

  Thank you Sammy and Maria for your amazing support and love. I really don’t know how I would have done this without you both. You keep me grounded along the way and encouraged me to make this series what it is today.

  Last but never ever least, my fans, readers, family, and friends, thank you for your continued support!

  Copyright ©2018 Uppercut

  by Terra Kelly

  All rights reserved.

  Kindle Edition

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  Cover Art by Balto Media

  This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical,

  photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the copyright owner and/or the publisher of this book, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

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