by Ash, Nikki
“Kayla, let’s not beat around the bush. What’s going on? I need to get Bella to school and I have a couple potential jobs I want to check out.”
“Ok, hear me out before you say no.” I go to cut her off knowing where this is going and also knowing she knows my answer already. She doesn’t allow me to break in as she continues speaking a hundred miles an hour.
“We did it, Liz! We graduated college. We got our degrees. I think we have done a pretty good job with Bella so far. She isn’t completely traumatized and she is alive and in one piece. One night with a sitter isn’t going to kill you or her. You deserve this. You have focused on school and Bella for the last five years. Please come out with us Friday night. Hayley has tickets to this cool UFC fight and also has an open invitation to the after party. It is supposed to be off the hook. Please!”
Kayla and I met Hayley while working at the Bistro. She was also going to ULV but a few years ahead of us and majoring in sports medicine. We all instantly became friends and she is over here so often Bella calls her Auntie Hayley. She got a job a few months back at a UFC training center and is always begging us to come to the fights.
“Kayla, you don’t even watch UFC. Why do you want to go to a fight so badly?” I shake my head trying to figure out her motive. With Kayla, there is always a motive behind her madness.
“Um, hello! Have you seen their hot bodies? I don’t care what is going on with the fight. I just want to see their sweaty bodies and maybe do the dirty-dirty with one of those hot guys I will meet at the after party,” She says while wagging her eyebrows up and down.
Well, that makes more sense. Where there are hot guys you can you bet, Kayla will find them.
I try to keep a straight face but when Bella cuts in and asks, “Auntie Kay what’s a dirty-dirty?” I can’t help but laugh. Raising my eyebrows, I join in the fun.
“Yeah, Auntie Kay, What’s a dirty-dirty?”
Kayla’s eyes go wide when she realizes what she just said in front of my very impressionable four-year old and attempts to back slide by telling her it’s when people play in the mud together.
Now, I am laughing so hard I can feel tears streaming down my face. Kayla isn’t laughing, though. When I look at her through my blurry eyes I can see she is glaring at me. When my precious daughter responds, I completely lose it.
“That sounds like fun! I wanna go play in the mud! Can Tristan come play with me in the mud? He loves to jump in the puddles and get all dirty!”
Kayla’s eyes completely bug out as she looks to me for help. I give her one look that says Nope, ain’t gonna happen. You got yourself into this mess now get yourself out. Now she is full on shooting daggers my way, which is making me laugh even harder.
She looks at Bella and says very calmly trying to dig herself out, “No, you may not play in the mud with Tristan. Not until you have graduated from college, have a good job, and are married.”
Bella looks at her completely confused and begins arguing when I decide to help Kayla out and change the subject. “Oh, Bella look at the time. If you don’t want to be late we better get you washed up so you can be on your way to preschool.”
Hearing the word preschool, she immediately forgets all about playing in the mud and getting dirty with boys. Kayla gives me a look of gratitude and begins to clean up the dishes from breakfast. I mouth to her you owe me.
After dropping Bella off at preschool—and crying my eyes out at the fact that my baby is growing up—I head to a couple places to apply for an accounting position. I love numbers so it was a given I would major in business and accounting, but I never imagined it would be so hard to find a job in this field.
After filling out several applications, I make my way to the coffee shop on the corner near our apartment to get a cup of coffee and continue looking for a job. Right after getting my coffee and pulling out my laptop, I get a text message. I check it and sigh. I should have known she wouldn’t drop this.
Kayla: Please, Liz. Friday night 7 pm UFC fight
Me: Not happening
Kayla: One night out isn’t going to make you a bad mom. Pleeeeaaasssseeeee!
Me: I don’t even have a sitter
Kayla: I already spoke to Tristan’s mom and she said she could watch Bella for the night. No excuses!
Me: All night? You know how I feel about leaving her with someone overnight. I barely even let my mom take her.
Kayla: Your mom lives in Florida! You can’t compare the two. One night. Bella will love staying up and watching movies with Tristan. You have known Ashley for three years and she is a mom just like you! Plus, she is a Kindergarten teacher! C’mon…. do this for me!
Me: Fine.
Kayla: Seriously? You are really going to go?
Me: Yes
Kayla: Your one-word answers are scaring me…
Me: Good, you should be scared. I am not happy about this.
Kayla: Yay!! I am so excited. I will be home around 3 so we can go buy new dresses for Friday. C-ya later!
It’s Friday night and I seriously can’t believe she has talked me into this. I should be immune to the craziness that is Kayla but I’m clearly not. For starters, I haven’t worn a little black dress since before I got pregnant with Bella and if I remember correctly it was that damn LBD that got me into that position in the first place. Although, I can’t really be upset about it because it got me Bella, and I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world. But that’s not the point.
The point is I don’t want to be wearing this dress and going to this fight when I can be home hanging out with Bella until she goes to bed, and then reading one of my romance novels that I live vicariously through since my own sex life is non-existent. Well, except for in my dreams.
After our mini-shopping trip we pick Bella up from preschool, where she explains to us the entire way home in detail every second of every minute of every hour of her first day at school.
“Mommy, I love preschool so much that I have decided I am going back tomorrow.” Well, that’s good because she doesn’t really have a choice.
I do my best to stifle the laugh I have building up because she is being dead serious right now. I guess it is good she has decided she’s going to continue her education on her own because trying to force Bella to do something she doesn’t want to do is like pulling teeth.
After dropping Bella off at Tristan’s house with my friend Ashley, we head over to the stadium. I met Ashley through a mommy-and-me class we attended with our kids and she is probably the only person outside of my family I trust to watch Bella. As luck would have it our kids also ended up in the same preschool class.
Hayley had to be there early since she is working at the event so she left us tickets at will-call. We take our tickets and head to our assigned seats.
I am sitting here in my little black dress and heels looking around at this mad house of event wondering why I am so gullible that I let Kayla talk me into this shit. The entire place is packed. Music is pounding through the speakers, women are everywhere dressed to kill, and everybody is clearly pumped up for the event. I never realized how popular the UFC is.
It appears Hayley has hooked us up with decent seats. We are sitting pretty close to the front… or middle I guess? In the center of the arena is a huge stage looking thing with a fence that runs around the perimeter. From where we are sitting the guys can practically sweat on us when they are fighting. To our left is a black carpet that leads from what looks like the dressing rooms or is it fitting rooms? Shit, I don’t even know. It is some type of room where the guys will come out of and walk down the carpet to get to the stage.
One by one the fighters get announced along with their opponents to fight. They each have their own song and they walk out almost in a trance. Most of them have an entourage accompanying them, and many of them are wearing headphones.
Each fight goes a few rounds, until one guy either gets knocked out or they both last and judges tally up the points, and then a winner is announce
d. I have no idea what they are fighting for but it must be something major because these fighters are taking this entire thing extremely personal.
Fortunately for Kayla, every guy who comes out of the dressing room has to walk by us and she is definitely taking advantage of the situation by snapping pictures left and right.
The fights are crazy to watch! These guys are no fucking joke. I wouldn’t last a second in that ring. In every fight, they both walk away beat to shit. Bleeding everywhere; parts of their body have got to be broken.
I am beginning to wonder how many of these fights are going to take place tonight. There is only so much blood and gore a girl can take. Suddenly the lights dim down and it is announced that coming up is the main event of the evening. Kayla is bouncing up and down in her seat and I am starting to wonder if she has the attention span of my four-year old.
The first guy enters to Imagine Dragon’s Radioactive. He has a hoodie on and he is surrounded by a bunch of guys. He is shaking hands and smiling wide for everybody to see, like he knows he’s got this shit in the bag. And hot damn he is a big guy! I don’t know who the other guy is but I can’t imagine anybody beating this guy. Heads are going to roll and I doubt it will be this guy’s head. He walks to his corner of the ring and his entourage starts getting him ready for the fight.
The music ends and the next song begins. This time, the guy is walking out to Eminem’s song ‘Til I Collapse. Like the first guy, he is wearing a hoodie but unlike the first guy, he keeps his head down and doesn’t shake anybody’s hands. It’s not that he isn’t sure of himself; it’s more like he doesn’t feel the need to be cocky about it like the other guy. He’s focused and his song matches his mood perfectly. His entourage following him acts the same way. They walk out determined like they are here to do a job. I take it back; this guy will be the winner. There’s no doubt about it. He is about to fuck this guy up.
“Oh. My. God, Liz! Is that Kaden? Wait, is that Bentley?” Kayla starts tapping on my arm while jumping up and down, trying to get a closer look.
Everything in my world goes still as I finally catch a real glimpse of the guys surrounding the fighter and a loud gasp comes out. It’s loud in here so nobody can hear it but I can hear myself. That’s when I take a look at the fighter, like really look at him, and I see it, on his right arm is the dragon tattoo that I will never forget from five years ago.
Holy mother of God, it can’t be. There’s no way.
My fingers go up to my necklace. The boxing gloves he gave me. He told me he practiced MMA.
Well isn’t that an understatement of the year.
Kayla continues to shout at me but my mind is all foggy and I can’t focus on anything but the man walking away from me towards the ring. It feels like the boxing gloves resting on my neck are suddenly burning a hole through my skin. The music stops and the guy on the loud speaker introduces the two fighters.
‘And now three rounds in the UFC Middleweight division. Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner this man is a valid judo fighter holding a professional record of twelve wins and zero losses, standing at six feet two inches weighing in at 165 pounds fighting out of Los Angeles, California, he is The Ultimate Fighter season winner Damian The Massive Garcia. And now introducing his opponent fighting out of the red corner with a record of eight wins and zero losses, he stands at six feet three inches tall weighing 170 pounds fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada, he is Liam The Raaaaaage Cooper.’
Holy hell. I cannot believe it. A few things come to mind when I hear his introduction. First of all, Cooper is his freaking last name, not his first name! And that makes me wonder if maybe I did come across him online but didn’t realize it!
Second of all, he is a famous fighter! That explains why he has to stay in shape.
And third of all, Rage? Well Goddamn that explains our daughter’s temper…
Kayla and I lock eyes, both having an entire conversation without even saying a word. What the hell are the chances of running into my daughter’s father here?
Seven
Cooper
I step into the octagon and tune everything out around me. I need this win. Not only will it keep me undefeated but it will also ensure me a place in the title fight in a few months at the MGM Grand. This is what I have been working my ass off for, for the last ten plus years. This is why after five years of hell being around my father, I am still in Las Vegas.
I look around me and see my dad in the corner along with Kaden, who is still my trainer, and Bentley who hasn’t left my side all these years. I know Caleb is out there watching. I don’t know what I would do without these guys. They are my fuckin’ rock. I would never have been able to deal with my dad all these years without them pushing me.
Three rounds. Three. Fucking. Rounds. If I can beat this guy, I am one step closer to the title fight and everything I have been through will be worth it.
I look out into the crowd like I do before every fight. Watching them scream my name is a complete ego boost not to mention their enthusiasm helps to get me pumped up. I hear someone calling Cooper, which isn’t something I normally hear. Normally, the fans are yelling Rage. I look towards where the voice is coming from and my eyes lock with hers. I realize it isn’t her voice screaming my name but her best friend’s.
It takes me a second to make sure I am not hallucinating. This girl has been in every fantasy of mine for the last five years. The guys have a bet as to when I will mention her name again. She is my girl who got away. There have been times when I was walking down the street and could have sworn I saw her, only to come face to face with a stranger who has a similar skin tone or hair color or the same curvy body. Well, not the exact same because everything about Liz is one of a kind.
For five long years, I have lived with the regret of walking away and not taking her number or giving her mine. When we first got back and I couldn’t stop thinking about her, I asked Bentley if maybe he had gotten her friend’s number but when he said he hadn’t, I knew there was no way I would ever find her again.
Kaden, screaming my name knocks me out of my fog and our connection is lost. I want to try to find her but right now I need to focus on this damn fight.
“Bro, what the fuck is wrong with you? Focus!” Kaden says to me while wiping Vaseline on my face to prevent too much bleeding.
I look over at my dad and see him scowling at me. He can tell I have lost my focus and he’s wondering what the hell just happened. The few times he overheard the guys and I talking about Liz ended with us arguing. If he knew she was here he would definitely lose it. I can’t even imagine the lengths he would go to, to ensure my focus remains on fighting.
I know better than to mention anything about a woman to my dad, not if I want to remain on his good side. So, I shake it off for the moment and get my head back into the fight.
Three rounds. Three. Fucking. Rounds. I just need to get through this fight and afterwards I will find her. There is no way I am letting this girl go, again.
* * *
Liz
Somebody pinch me because I must be dreaming. I remain standing, staring at this guy that looks even more like my daughter than I have imagined over the last four years.
I look over at Kayla and she is in just as much shock as I am. No words are spoken. We just watch in silence while the majority of the crowd chants, “Rage. Rage. Rage.” Some of the women are holding up signs that say things like, “Marry me Rage” and “I love you Rage”. Eww! One sign even says, “You can take your Rage out on me.” I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
I am in shock. I don’t even know what to think right now. The many sleepless nights when Bella was first born and would wake up with Colic, I would hold her in my arms and rock her back and forth while I imagined what it would be like to have Cooper by my side. I would make up scenes in my head where I am out with Bella and we run into him. I tell him about his daughter and we ride off into the sunset. Ok, not really ride off into the sunset but you get
the drift. Not in any of those scenes did I ever imagine I would run into him at a UFC fight where he is fighting in the main event.
In all reality, does it really matter how I found him? The fact is, we are both here, and I will finally be able to tell him that our short but amazing time together created the most amazing, beautiful little miracle.
I come out of my head and hear the bell ding. The fight begins and Cooper owns up to his name. He goes after the other guy in pure rage. They both go back and forth swinging punches. I wince several times at the hits they are each getting in. The other guy gets him good in the eye causing it to bleed but Cooper doesn’t even seem affected by it. It’s like he is in a zone.
The fight can’t be more than a couple minutes in, when Cooper throws a punch straight to the guy’s chin that knocks the guy to the ground. The referee jumps in front of Cooper to stop him from continuing his attack on the guy who is now motionlessly lying on the ground. The medics run over to the guy to check him out. Holy shit! Cooper must have knocked him out cold because the guy still isn’t moving. The crowd goes wild. They are screaming and chanting his name. The arena is a damn nut house!
The announcer declares Cooper the winner and raises his arm in the air. He doesn’t even crack a smile but I notice he is scanning the crowd and when his eyes meet mine once again, he raises his two fingers to his eyes, and points to me. Kayla nudges me, a grin spreading across her face. I am in such shock I cannot even move or respond. I try to make my head shake up and down but I have no idea if it is working.
The other guy finally gets up with the help of the medic and walks out of the fighting ring leaving Cooper there with his entourage.
I recognize his three friends from the club that night. Time has definitely been good to all of them. Also with them is an older gentleman who looks to be in his late forties, built like Cooper, with the same color hair and eyes. If I had to guess, I would say that has to be his dad or somebody related to him. He doesn’t smile like Cooper’s friends do. While his friends are patting him on the back and shoulder and giving him hugs to congratulate him, the guy just stands there and stares, the look on his face sending chills up my spine.
