“Girlfriend? What? You don’t like that word? You don’t want to put a label on what we are? Are youthatguy?” Her tone started off teasing, but she sounded borderline offended by the end of her mini rant.
“I was only trying to think of a word that accurately described how much you mean to me, but girlfriend is fine with me.”
“Oh.” Her eyes briefly fell from mine. “Okay.”
“Jax!” Trevor shouted from the other room. “Let’s go.” I’d never been so happy to be interrupted because things were starting to turn awkward between Sophie and me.
The entire ride to the arena was tense, unspoken warnings emanated off my team. Or was that my inner voice warning me not to do something stupid once I saw Jay and his manageragain? I refused to refer to him as my father, because he wasn’t, and he never had been.
Sophie occasionally glanced at me during the ride but never uttered a word. I’d like to believe I knew what she was thinking, but the truth was, I had no idea, my own thoughts occupying me more than I wanted them to.
Flashes of last night mixed with memories from my past, and it took every ounce of my mental energy to not revert to the uncontrollable angry guy I used to be. No one would describe me as a happy-go-lucky man, but I had better control over my emotions than I used to, last night being the exception, of course.
“We’re here,” Lance announced, locking eyes with me. “You good?”
“I think so.”
“All you have to do is weigh in, pose for a few pics, and then we’re out of there.”
“Thanks, I know what happens at weigh-ins.”
Lance’s frustration was palpable as he opened his door. “God, please let this go smoothly,” he said right before he stepped out.
I repeated the same six words to myself, praying for restraint once I came face-to-face with my past once more.
44
The tension wafting off Jackson was tangible as we entered the building. I walked next to him, placing my palm firmly in his because this was going to be hard on him.
There weren’t as many people here as last night, but it was barely nine in the morning. And those who were present looked official. Right before Jackson walked up the steps to the stage, Trevor pulled him to the side, and my hand slipped from his. We locked eyes, and I couldn’t help but feel he tried to tell me something, but his attention was stolen when his trainer shoved at his arm.
“He’ll be fine,” Lance said beside me. “He knows what’s riding on this fight.”
“And what exactly is that?” I asked.
“As you found out yesterday, there is bad blood between him and Jay. If he lost to him, I don’t know what that would do to him. I’m not being dramatic when I say it would be catastrophic.”
The sound of a door slamming pulled my focus to the back of the room. Jackson noticed as well, because his muscles bristled as soon as he saw his brother and father appear. I hoped theydidn’t approach him like they did last night because there was a good chance Jackson wouldn’t hold back.
“What happens next?” I asked. I’d researched the logistics but needed Lance to distract me from a potentially disastrous situation.
“Each fighter will strip down and step onto the scale. If they each hit their weight, then the fight happens tomorrow.”
“Do they have to be exact?”
“No, but it has to be within a specific range.”
“Who goes first?”
“Since he’s the champ, Jackson will weigh in first.”
As if on cue, Jackson ascended the four steps and started removing his clothing, leaving only his underwear.
I shouldn’t be lusting after him right now, but my hormones shifted into overdrive the second Jackson shed his clothing and stepped onto the scale. Even though his flexibility, agility, and strength were what had ensured his career, I couldn’t help but be captivated by his physique. I’d seen his body countless times, but I could stare at him all day long; he was that perfectly sculpted.
The older, stalky man next to him adjusted the levers, then marked down the weight. “One hundred and eighty-five exactly,” he announced. Jackson shared a grin with Trevor, stepped off the scale, and took several steps to the side. “Monroe, you’re up.”
“Is Jay younger than him?” I asked, hoping Lance wouldn’t clam up at my question.
