“I am,” Luca said.
“For her,” Tony said.
“For her,” Luca confirmed. Silence stretched between them as the guys stared him down.
Rocco scratched the back of his neck. “You realize what you’re giving up.”
Luca nodded. “I do.” He could give up just about everything in his life—except for Sophia. He’d never be able to give her up again, and losing her wasn’t an option.
Tony studied him for a long moment, then said quietly, “You love her.”
Luca didn’t answer right away. “Yeah. I do,” he finally said.
Jonesy ran a hand over his face. “You know, promoters don’t forget this kind of thing. You back out of this fight, and you might not get another one.”
“I know,” Luca said. “But if I step into that ring while my head’s somewhere else, or if something happens to her while I’m gone, I’ll never forgive myself. No belt’s worth that.”
Tony stepped closer. “You’re not weak for doing this. I understand completely.” Luca knew that he did. Tony had gone through something similar with Aurora when they were first together.
Rocco nodded. “You’re choosing your fight, and right now, it’s Sophia.”
Jonesy looked between the three of them, jaw tight. “You understand I can’t protect you from the fallout.”
“I’m not asking you to,” Luca said. “I’m asking you to understand.”
Jonesy was quiet for a long beat. Then he sighed. “You don’t make choices halfway, kid. Never have.”
“No,” Luca agreed. “I don’t.”
Jonesy pointed a finger at him. “This doesn’t mean you’re done. It means you'd better come back hungrier than ever when this thing with Sophia is over.”
Luca nodded. “I will. I promise.”
As they walked back onto the gym floor, Tony clapped a hand on Luca’s shoulder. “You did the right thing.” Luca didn’t respond. His thoughts were already on Sophia. He spotted her up at the front desk with Aurora, and her smile faded as soon as she saw him. She could read him too well, and she was going to be pissed that he had given up the fight to protect her, but that was too bad. He’d do it all again if it meant keeping her safe. He’d walk away from every fight in the world if it meant keeping her by his side.
And if Peter thought otherwise? Then, Peter had no idea who he was dealing with.
SOPHIA
She knew that something was off. After they said their goodbyes, Luca promised Aurora that they’d be in the bakery for breakfast in a day or two. But that would mean that he couldn’t eat because he was training for a big fight. He told her that when he was training for a fight, he avoided Aurora’s bakery for fear of running into Jonesy. The only explanation she could come up with was that he had given up the fight.
“You turned down the fight, didn’t you?” she asked. He pulled into the garage and parked his truck, not looking at her.
“I did,” he breathed.
“Why the hell would you do that, Luca?” she asked.
“Because I can’t be present for the fight, and take care of your security at the same time. I made you a promise, first, and I plan on keeping it. There will be other fights, but there will never be another you.”
“Bullshit,” she whispered, swiping at the hot tears that spilled down her face. She got out of the truck and grabbed her gym bag, slamming the door shut on her way into the house. She needed to get her emotions in check before she had the rest of the conversation she needed to have with Luca.
She paced the length of the living room, dropping her bag by the couch and scrubbing her hands down her face. Her chest felt tight as anger and fear tangled together until she wasn’t sure which one she was shaking from.
Luca came in quietly a moment later, closing the door behind him like he was afraid of spooking her. “Sophia?—”
“No,” she snapped, spinning to face him. Her eyes were bright, furious, and wet. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to throw away your career and call it some grand romantic gesture.”
His jaw tightened. “It’s not a gesture. It’s a choice—my choice.”
