Blinking I looked to him and smirked, realizing he was protecting his woman. My gaze suddenly glided toward Syd and I wondered if I could ever be defensive over a woman.
Yes.
“My bad,” I grunted out loud, ignoring the voice in my head that answered without hesitation.
“Luke can’t help it. It’s probably been at least two hours since he’s eaten. He’s hangry.”
Grace giggled at Syd’s joke.
“I can actually agree with Luke on that account. I can get quite hangry myself. Luke, if you don’t mind waiting a bit, I can make up a roasted veggie pizza for you, without the cheese of course.”
I looked toward my brother whose face was unreadable. “I don’t mind waiting. Thanks,” I added.
“I’ll help,” Syd added, surprising me.
“She cooks?” Jacob questioned as he moved to me but peered across the open living room space to where the women talked in the kitchen.
I shrugged. “Have no idea.”
I regretted those words as soon as they parted with my lips. I prided myself on not asking too many questions of the women around me. It helped in not getting attached, but with Syd, I found that pride waning more and more. I suddenly wanted to be able to answer Jacob’s questions about this woman.
“How long has she been your trainer?”
I pushed my hand through my hair, feeling uncomfortable. I couldn’t discern if it was the fact that I was actually having a conversation with my brother or if it was the particular topic of the discussion. Or both.
“Almost two months.”
“And she’s got you eating plant-based?” He asked.
“That was my choice,” I countered.
“Was it?”
“I just said it was, didn’t I?”
He chuckled which is a reaction I wasn’t expecting, but probably should’ve been. My brother and I had a complicated relationship. One that was mostly forged in an extremely hostile environment growing up.
Then followed by years of my resentment for his abandonment. At least, what I’d believed had been his abandonment. Turns out, he was actually looking out for me even when he wasn’t around.
There’d been shit he’d endured I didn’t even know about, that he did his best to make sure I didn’t suffer. It took years for me to find all of this out. Now, we were working to rebuild a relationship that wasn’t based on aggression or whatever. Jacob was further ahead at this shit than I was.
“How’s it working out?”
I sighed. “Truthfully, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. I switched to these green juices in the morning, instead of the bullshit I was drinking, and I wake up with more energy. It’s only been a few weeks, but I notice it takes me less time to recover in between tough workouts. There might be something to this nonsense.”
Jacob made a contemplative expression before nodding. “Sounds like it might be doing what you need it to.”
“We’ll see.”
“Are you training for that fight with Rodriguez?” he questioned as we took a seat on the couch in the living room.
“Yeah. I’m giving Syd the next five months to prove herself as a trainer and then we’ll see where it goes from there.”
“You’re still going to fight after you win the title?”
“If I win the title,” I grunted. “The way my fucking fights have been shaking out lately…” I trailed off feeling disappointed remembering the Caldwell fight.
“Yeah, that was a tough loss,” Jacob added.
