Various responses rattled through my head, but if I regaled him with the entire story, he would not only try to talk me out of taking the job, but he’d show up and give Jackson a piece of his mind for mistreating his daughter. Our father was very protective of his girls, which was one of the reasons I never told him about the issues in my marriage while I was still with Mitch.
“I got the job.”
They both delighted in unison, our dad hugging me before my sister slung her arm over my shoulder to pull me closer.
“Now we have double cause to go out and celebrate,” Abby said, handing me a piece of vanilla cake.
“I’m not in the mood to go out. I’d much rather stay in, watch a movie, and eat my weight in dessert.” The white frosting slid over my tongue, and I released a tiny moan of appreciation. I tried to eat as healthy as I could, but there were days when I indulged. And my birthday was one such time. Not to mention,after the day I’d experienced, I had every excuse to smother my thoughts and feelings with dense sugar.
“Because you’re my favorite sister, I’ll allow it.” She wrapped her lips around a large forkful of cake. She physically took after our dad, with her dark hair and almond-shaped eyes. They even had the same smile. I, on the other hand, resembled our mother with my dark red hair and light blue eyes. My father often told me how much I looked like her, and whenever he did, he seemed to be lost in thought.
Our mom died from breast cancer a year after she had Abby, so I was only seven. I barely remembered her but had countless pictures of her to gaze at whenever the mood struck.
“I’m your only sister,” I countered, diving into a second bite.
Abby was twenty-three, six years younger than me. I couldn’t imagine my life without her, especially considering she was my only friend as of late. Unfortunately, I’d become distant from everyone I used to be close to because I’d allowed my ex-husband, Mitch, to alienate me from my friends. It’d been one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Nonetheless, I had every intention of reconnecting with them, but I wanted to get settled before I made contact. I was embarrassed enough to be going through a divorce before the age of thirty. I wanted to secure a job and move out of my dad’s house so I didn’t feel like a complete failure.
With each forkful of flour and sugar, I pondered the best way to break the news to my family that not only would I be moving out, but I’d be gone by this weekend.
4
“Get your hands up, Jax!” Trevor’s voice shook with irritation, the intensity of his annoyance etched into the deep lines in his forehead. The scent of sweat and determination filled the gym as he snapped, “What the hell is wrong with you today?” He motioned up and down my form with a swift flail of his hand, emphasizing my lack of focus. “The fight with Jay is in three months, and you’re nowhere near ready. Not like this.”
The frustration coursing through my veins fueled the fire burning in my muscles. I clenched my fists, the tendons straining against the pressure, aching with every movement. Sweat dripped down my forehead, stinging my eyes as I tried to swipe away the saltiness with the back of my glove.
As I circled the ring, my breathing turned ragged. My heart pounded in my chest, matching the rhythm of my footsteps. I swung at Nico, the thud of my fist connecting with the side of his jaw echoing through the room. I felt a pang of guilt. He was just doing his job by helping me train, and here I was, taking out my anger on him. I needed to regain control and find my focus, but it seemed to elude me like a fleeting shadow.
Too wrapped up in my own head, I wasn’t paying attention when my sparring partner’s foot left the ground and collided with my hip. Pain surged through me, intensifying the frustration that had been building.
“Come on, man.” My trainer’s pacing mirrored my own internal restlessness. His subsequent words were barely audible over the sounds of grunts and shuffling feet. Whatever he muttered, I’d wager none of it was encouraging.
I’d been at it for three hours, and my concentration wasn’t any better than when I started. Unable to pinpoint the source of my distraction, I twisted my neck from side to side, the tension in my muscles palpable. Every bounce on my feet sent a ripple of discomfort through my shoulder, an old injury coming back to bite me in the ass, adding to my irritation.
“You wanna stop for a bit?” Elton, my loyal manager, broke through the chaos with his calm voice. He had been with me since the beginning, understanding me better than I understood myself. He saw through my façade right now, his eyes filled with a blend of understanding and worry.
Continuing in this state of mind would lead to one of two outcomes. I could unleash my irritation on Nico even more, prompting him to back down from sparring with me. Or I could push through and worsen my shoulder injury, which would mean no training for two days. Neither scenario would be ideal. Especially when I was in a time crunch to be at my absolute best for my bout with someone whose name I barely ever uttered.
My answer to Elton’s question was to duck between the ropes, the heavy thud of my feet hitting the ground absorbing a fraction of my stress.
Before I headed toward the showers, my attention briefly veered toward Lance, who’d been glued to his phone for the past twenty minutes. Was he talking toher? I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about the redhead from the other day.What a colossal fuckup I made. But I had faith that Lance had smoothed everything over with her so she didn’t end up going to the cops. The last thing I needed right now was more bad press. The altercation I had outside a nightclub in Vegas last month would’ve been enough to get me banned from the league because of the strict no-fighting rule. Luckily, my team had made the incident disappear.
“Wait up,” Lance said, tucking his phone into his back pocket. Within several strides, he was next to me, his steps falling into sync with mine as we entered the locker room. The familiar smell of sweat and stale air assaulted me.
“You gonna ride me for quitting early?” I asked as I glared at him, my muscles coiling with anger in preparation for an argument.
“I should, but no. I just wanted to tell you that Sophie is coming by later to check out the empty apartment upstairs.”
I halted midstride. “Who?”
“The woman you almost accosted.”
“Why is she checking out the apartment?”
“Because we need her on call, so I offered it to her. It’ll work out for the best. You’ll see.”
“You hired her?” Adrenaline surged through me. My body felt electrified, as if every nerve ending was on edge.
“Of course I did. You need someone to help you warm up and cool down. Stretch you and loosen you up. It’s vital for you to be your best in the ring.”
