I sat down at the glass dining table and choked down more of my shake. "Me staying in the basement of your new Vegas house," I said.
"Tia would kill me," Aldous said. "Try again."
I shut my eyes. "Home base. Roots. Strength. Going out to fight and coming home to get stronger."
"Perfect. That's it. Think about that home base. What you need there. What there gives you strength."
It was Kya. Copper curls in the sunshine. Her green eyes crinkling at me from the next pillow. "Alright, coach, good talk. Now, let me choke this down in peace."
Aldous sat down across from me. "You know the more you share, the more solid the visualization."
"Leave the poor man alone, Aldy," Tia said. She leaned over and kissed her husband's cheek. "He doesn't need to tell us the obvious."
"Thanks. Wait, what's obvious? No, I don't want to know," I said.
Tia rolled her eyes and smiled. "You know Kya is terrified to come to the fight. She's got it in her head that she's there she'll distract you and make you lose."
Aldous chuckled. "I can speak from personal experience when I say that is possible. Though, I'm so glad I got blood all over that accountant's white shirt. Best blood I ever shed."
"I'm sure her clients want her there," I said. "She'll be there. She should be there."
"That's what I told her, but it had nothing to do with her clients," Tia said. "She and I are planning to sit together. Low and close, but a few rows back. You'll never notice."
That was good. Kya would not be in my direct line of sight. If I kept my head up like I was supposed to, I wouldn't see her. Maybe the top of her copper curls. If I looked I could spot her green eyes. I shook myself and finished the shake.
"There, I drank my super foods. I gotta check my messages," I said. I pushed away from the table and took my phone out onto the patio.
The first message was from Kev, as were the following three. He started off reminding me of MMA contacts I had met. Kev was great at giving me the details in voicemail form so I would not forget any important conversations.
Then, he veered off course. He slurred a few words here and there. But mostly, his speech was impeded by what I had seen was a sloppy grin. It had been permanent all night.
"It’s great, I'm telling you, Fenton, it's great. Just relax, just go with it. Just be yourself. What are all the other things those stupid chick flicks tell people? You know when you feel it. I know you feel it. I've seen it on you. Remember that, too," his message said.
The next one was more of the same. A few reminders of MMA contacts, launching into another soliloquy. "I mean, she saw right through me, man. She saw it was an act. I didn't think I was acting, I was just being me, but when she saw through me, I realized I'm someone else. I mean, I’m better. There's a better me, and Sandi saw it. We just met. I know it’s crazy, but I know you get it. It's great, it's really great."
I was about to hang up on voicemail, but the next message was from Kya. "I'm downstairs, but I shouldn't be and I know that. So, I'm just calling to say I'm sorry. I should have believed you. I think I do believe you. But, that's all that. I really just want to say good luck. Wait, I know you don't believe in luck. I'm the one that's lucky. I met you. So, there, I'm giving you that luck and no matter what, I will see you after the fight. I… I…I can't wait to see you, Fenton."
I sat up and held the phone with both hands. The message started to replay when Dana Maria appeared. She raised her eyebrows at me.
"Go ahead, listen to it again. I liked it," my sister said.
"I'm not. I have other messages," I said.
"Come on, Fen, you'll do better if you say it," Dana Maria said.
"Say what? That I care for her? What good is that going to do anyone, least of all her?" I asked.
"I think it will make all the difference to her." My sister sat down on the patio chair across from me. "You can love someone. Why do you always think you're like him? You're nothing like him."
"Dad? I've gotta be. Everyone says I look just like him," I said.
"And, that's as far as the similarities go. He thought love was about people admiring him. He thought family was something to escape. He hated being needed and he was never around. You were always there, you always loved Mom and me, and all you ever wanted was for us to be together as a family. So, no, you are nothing like him."
"I'm sorry I let us drift apart." I caught my sister's hand.
"Drift apart? Is that what you call sending a private investigator to find me?" Dana Maria asked. "You know the girls at work still think Matt Smith, or whatever his real name is, is my boyfriend?"
"Really?" I asked. "He seems like a decent guy. I like that idea. Whoa, wait, are you blushing? Have you gone out with him?"
"Maybe. We're talking about you here."
"What's to talk about? Kya is interesting. It'll never work. End of story," I said.
"It's already working. You can't tell me you don't think she's different. You feel differently about her than any other woman you've ever dated."
"Is that how you feel about Matt Smith?" I asked.
Dana Maria's smile faded as her thoughts wandered. Her face was serene and far away for a moment. "You know, I always thought it would happen quietly. One day, the right guy would just show up and be in my life. He wouldn't judge me, and he wouldn't want to change me. He would just want to see me and we'd end up spending time together. No big fireworks, no grand scenes or mountains of roses. Just someone I want to be with who wants to be with me."
I did not hold my breath. It just wasn't there. When it came back, I said. "I love that. I love that for you."
Dana Maria patted my cheek, hard. "And you, too, baby brother. I love that for you, too. Except you had to go ahead and have the fireworks."
"No," I said. "Think about it. Don't you think everything you just said is what Kya's saying about Jackson McRay? They're the ones that fit together. He just appeared in her life and he actually fits her life."
"Why would you say that?" Dana Maria asked.
I flinched thinking maybe her sisterly pat was going to turn into a slap. "Because I heard her say it. I accidentally overheard Kya tell Sandi that Jackson McRay is the man she is supposed to choose."
"What? That's what you think?" Sandi asked.
"Is everyone eavesdropping on me?" I asked. I stood up and faced everyone in the suite.
"The patio doors are wide open, man," Kev said.
"You were there, you heard the same thing," I reminded him.
"Well, I was there, too, and I was actually the one that Kya was talking to, so let me set you straight," Sandi said. She propped her tiny fists on her slim hips. "Kya said that Jackson McRay is the one she is supposed to choose. But you are the one she desires."
"Oooh," Dana Maria said. She fanned herself. "Now tell me which one you'd rather be."
"That doesn't mean she's going to choose me," I said. "He's the better choice, right?"