"It's over! The fight is over! Aiden Reeves is the winner by knockout!"
I push off of my opponent, standing up with my arms in the air and a massive grin on my face as the arenaexplodesaround me.
"Fuck yes!" Jax screams, pushing his way into the cage. His grin might even be wider than mine, the excitement visibly rippling through his body as he wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me straight up in the air with a gleeful whoop. "That's champ shit, baby! Fucking beautiful!"
My head drops back and a victory-drenched scream explodes from my chest.
I did it.I fucking did it.
When I open my eyes, my gaze clashes with Dani's. She's wearing a look of such joy, of suchpride,that seeing it immediately knocks the breath out of me. I'm more winded by the sight of a girl than I am after three rounds with a pro fighter.
Suddenly, I want nothing more than to rush toward the girl and away from this fight.
Jax finally drops me back to the mat, just in time for Coach to appear next to us with a proud smile. "Nice work, kid," he says, clapping me on the back. "That was a hell of a comeback. You should be proud."
More warmth blossoms in my chest at the praise. He rarely dishes it out, so I eat it up like the rarity it is.
We fly through the announcement and interview, Jax tugging a shirt with my sponsor over my head before I even realize what's happening. I'm not sure what I say to the announcer; I just know I'm desperate to get out of this cage and into the crowd to see Dani.
But that doesn't happen either—I’m hustled out of the cage and into the tunnel to the back, moved by the tidal wave of people so I can't even make eye contact with her before I'm swept along.
"Fuckyes,that was amazing!" Jax says, clapping me on the back when we finally make it to the locker room. He's hopped up on the adrenaline of the victory and too happy to realize I’m anxiously looking at the door. The most he manages to do is notice that I'm looking around for a pair of scissors to cut the tape off my hands. He does that, then goes right back to excitedly recapping the comeback.
When the door to the locker room opens, my gaze jerks to the entrance, but just as quickly my excitement plummets because I realize it's just Tristan.
"Fucking congrats, dude, that was incredible," he says with a big grin. Bigger than he's ever given me before. "Thatis exactly the kind of fight you go pro with. You're going to be a hot commodity after this."
"Thanks, man," I force myself to say. Despite being restless to get out of here, I can't bring myself to ignore the compliments of my teammates and coaches when this was clearly a huge victory. I just wish it wasn't happening when I was desperate to get back to my girl.
“The doctor has to come check you out, and you might have to go to the hospital to stitch up that cut, but we’ll get you out of here soon,” Coach comments, being the first to notice that I’m not all here. I only nod my acknowledgement.
With that confirming that it’ll be a little while before I can get out of here and go find my girl, I grab my phone instead. At the very least I’ll send her a text to wait for me.
But before I can do that, I see a text from her.
Dani: You were right, it’s not just sex. I’m so sorry about everything I said. And if you pull me into the ring after you win and give me a celebratory kiss, I promise to be every bit the supportive partner you deserve.
And as hope blossoms in my chest, as love fills every bit of my broken-down body, Dani chooses that moment to slink into the locker room. The guys look at her in surprise as she shuts the door behind her, clearly confused about how she managed to get into the fighter locker room without a VIP pass.
"Uh, we'll leave you to it for a minute," Tristan says, awkwardly ushering Coach and Jax out of the locker room. "I'll fend off the media so you have some privacy." Then he shoots me a wink and shoves Jax out of the room. "Good luck, pretty boy."
Stepping farther into the room, but still several feet from where I'm sitting on the massage table, Dani asks, "Pretty boy, huh? I thought I was the only one that called you that."
Her nervousness is palpable. After her seeing her in the crowd, seeing her text, I know why she’s here. But she doesn’t know howIfeel yet.
So I crack a joke, trying to lighten the mood and put her at ease. "You would be, except sometimes it slips out from Tristan and Remy. I think they’re secretly infatuated with me and trying to coax me into joining their little love nest. I forgot to tell you you're third in line."
The teasing look drops from Dani's face as she takes another tentative step closer, her uneasiness growing. "Third, huh? I would've expected the list to be much longer."
I hesitate, fairly certain I understand the direction of this conversation but not wanting to fuck it up or make her any more uncomfortable than she already is. Eventually, I manage to ask, "Yeah? Why's that?"
She reaches the massage table then, almost close enough to touch my legs, and she looks up to meet my gaze. Her eyes are filled with pain and she wraps her arms awkwardly around her stomach. She looks torn up in a way I never thought I'd see her. In a way confident, self-assured Dani has likely never looked before.
She swallows roughly before answering my question. It's almost like she's actively trying to keep her walls down, forcing herself to answer honestly so I can see into her mind.
It makes me fall in love with her all over again.
"Because you're the most incredible man I've ever met," she admits on a whisper, shuffling in place. She ignores the ways my eyes widen at her honesty, ignores the way my hands twitch with the urge to reach out and touch her. She just forces herself to continue. "Because you're charming, and hilarious, and you care about your friends in a way that should make anyone love you on the spot. You make me laugh more than anyone else, and you make me feel adored without it ever being stifling. You're… everything a person could want in a friend." Her gaze shutters, looking uncertain again. "And a partner," she finishes quietly.