“Ten minutes,” Elton shouted from the doorway.
My heart raced the closer the fight got. I believed Jackson would win this time, but I was still nervous for him. There was always the chance he could get hurt in the ring, just like any other fighter. But I didn’t want to think about that. I wanted to focus on what this win would mean to the man I loved.
He told me a month ago that this was going to be his last professional fight. He’d put his body through rigorous training and fighting for years, and he was tired. Plus, he didn’t want to do any more damage to his shoulder, as next time, it might not heal. He was considering training up-and-coming fighters as a new career.
For him to retire on top would mean the world to him. Not to mention kicking his brother’s ass for what happened last time. Jay pulled a cheap shot by dislocating Jackson’s shoulder, and although it wasn’t an illegal tactic, it was still a cowardly move. The entire team believed there was no way Jay would’ve won otherwise, even with Jackson having been distracted by me leaving my seat. His loss wasn’t my fault, but I still carried a shred of guilt over the whole incident.
After Trevor finished with Jackson, he squeezed my shoulder in reassurance before moving toward Abby. Everyone left the room, but they weren’t going far. They’d wait in the hallway until it was time for Jackson to walk out.
“Come here,” he said, yanking out his earbuds and hopping off the table.
My feet propelled me forward, and once I was in front of him, a peace settled over me.
“Hi.”
He winked at me. “Hi.” His sultry smile made my stomach flip, and I wanted to throw my arms around him and have my torrid way with him, but I would have to wait. Hopefully, he wasn’t too banged up after the fight.
“Are you nervous?” As soon as I uttered the words, a wave of nausea rolled through me. My eyes got big, and my mouth watered.
“I’m fine. Are you? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I quickly answered, not wanting to talk more than I had to because I was on the verge of throwing up.
He pulled me closer and pressed the back of his hand against my forehead. “You’re a little warm. Are you coming down with something?”
“I’m not sick.”
“Are you worried about me? Because I’m fine. I’m in a better place this time. I got this.”
“I know you do.”
“Then why do you look like you’re going to vomit?”
Hearing the word vomit made my stomach roll once more, but luckily, I breathed through it before the contents of my stomach traveled up my throat.
All I could do was shake my head.
“What?” he pressed. “Sophie, I’m not going out there until you tell me what’s going on.”
“I can’t tell you. Not now. I don’t want to ruin it again.” My emotions suddenly took over, and I started to cry.
“What the fuck is going on?” He gently wrapped his hands around my upper arms, the warmth of his touch doing nothing to stop the onslaught of what he perceived to be nerves.
“Two minutes, Jax,” Elton shouted from the doorway before disappearing back into the hallway.
“Don’t worry about me. Go. Have a great….” I swallowed once. Twice. “Have a great fight. I’ll be watching from here. As much as I can.” I squeezed my eyes shut, sucked in a deep breath through my nose, and released it from my mouth.
“That’s it. I’m not fighting,” he shouted, concern weaved into every word he spoke even though he sounded angry.
My eyes popped open. “You have to.”
“No, I don’t. The only thing I have to do is make sure you’re okay.”
“I am. I’ll tell you everything after you win.” The best smile I could concoct ended up crooked.
“You’ll tell me now.” His forceful tone told me he wasn’t budging until I told him what was going on with me. This wasn’t the way I wanted this to happen, but here we were.
An ancient memory flashed through my mind, but I shoved it aside because that wasn’t my life any longer.
