“I should get going,” I say with a hoarse voice.
She nods a few times fast.
“I’ll call you when we land.”
“Great.”
“You going back home tonight? I don’t want you here by yourself.”
She pushes me toward the door. “You do know I was a functioning adult before you came into my life, right?”
“That’s before. Now it’s my job to protect you.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “Well, I promise I’ll be fine.”
I kiss her one last time before heading down the steps with my bag. Right before I step into the truck, I stare at her in the doorway. My mom’s with her now, her arm through Nikki’s. I can’t imagine how those men who go off to war handle this because my heart is shredding from thinking about spending the next few weeks without her.
I wave and she waves back. Then I head into the truck, under the darkness of the tinted windows.
“You’d think you just broke up. It’s only a few weeks.” Craig slaps me on the knee.
“I’m fine,” I choke out, staring at her through the window.
“Man, she sure won you over fast. I’ve never seen a man fall so fast and so hard.” Craig laughs.
I refrain from making a crack about Zoe.
When we arrive at the Anchorage airport, Vince is already in the private jet. He does love to fly on my dime. The latest gossip magazine is on the table, and I pick it up and ask the flight attendant to throw it away.
“You should know what they’re saying,” Vince says.
“I don’t care what they’re saying.” I sit in my seat and strap in, as does Craig and all the other trainers.
“Being blind to the issue isn’t going to make it any better.”
“What issue is that?” I spear him with a look.
I’ve always loved Vince. He’s a great manager, always has my needs in mind, but after our confrontation about Nikki, I sense his displeasure with me finding someone to share my life with. And if he doesn’t want me happy in all aspects of my life, then I don’t really care for him to be in my life. Which brings the thought of retirement back up. One thing I do know is that I won’t retire unless I’m on top, so if I don’t win this fight, I’ll be going for the title again.
“The fact that you’ve never won a fight when you’ve been in a relationship.”
I roll my eyes. “You know that’s just a coincidence.”
“Still. Every time you’re in a serious relationship, you lose. Case in point, it’s clear to me since I arrived in that nothing of a town that your focus is split. I hope you can turn it around once we’re in Vegas and there aren’t distractions.”
“Watch yourself, Vince.” I shoot him a warning glare, and he looks away.
He’s not normally so vocal about his concerns with me. Then I remember a headline about Dale Campbell signing with someone else. Vince’s eggs are still all in my basket.
Before takeoff, I send one last text
Me: I miss you already. ☹
Three dots appear immediately.
Nikki: I miss you more. <3
I shut the shade, not wanting to see the mountains disappear and turn into desert, and put in my earbuds. My head falls back to my headrest and all I envision is my wife spread out naked on the bed for me. I’m going to have the bluest balls ever by the time she meets me in Vegas. I need to channel all that sexual energy somewhere else, so I pull up Rinaldo’s last fight to study his moves some more and figure out how I’m going to counter them.
I hate it, but Vince is somewhat right—having a wife is a distraction. A welcome distraction, but still, I’m thinking of our relationship a lot, and not one-hundred percent focused on the fight mentally like I normally would be.
Vince puts his tablet up in my face to show me an article that’s just been posted.
Place your bets now… rumor has it, Logan Stone and his new bride have separated already. Finally, all those who believe in the superstition that he’s never won a fight while having a girlfriend can rest assured he’s moving up in the odds in Vegas now that he’s single again.
I roll my eyes. Who would report we broke up? Then I shake my head, not really giving a fuck because they’re wrong. If someone didn’t bet on me because of that stupid superstition, screw them.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Your cheeks are flushed, dear, are you feeling okay?”
Nikki
My heart drops out of my chest when I see the article that says Logan and I broke up. It’s fake news. Just like Logan explained when we talked last night, some people will do anything to gain success or money. He’s been gone for a few days now, and I’ve been trying to keep myself busy with work and preparing for my podcast with Gavin Price, but none of it helps. I’m still always thinking of Logan in the back of my mind.
Since we’re very much still together, it isn’t the reported breakup that concerns me. It’s the fact he’s never won a fight while he’s been in a relationship. So I’ll be the reason if he loses? At least as far as the world is concerned? Why didn’t he ever tell me that before?
“I think you’re overreacting,” Mandi says, sliding into the seat across from me at her restaurant attached to her inn. “You’ll prove them wrong when you show up at the fight.”
“I told you to poison their food while they were here,” Chevelle says, crossing her arms and giving Mandi a glare.
“And murder someone?”
“I simply suggested a little digestive trouble. They deserve it for coming here and ambushing Nikki and Logan.”
I close my screen, unable to read it again. The tidbit about him never winning while in a relationship took me down a Google blackhole of Logan’s exes, only to find one I recognize. Melanie from the casino. She’s one of the girls who holds the numbers and struts around the cage. How fucking unoriginal is that? From what I gather, they were involved for at least six months, maybe a year, and he lost every fight during that time. After they broke up, he won again and has been on a winning streak ever since.
“I can’t afford a bad Yelp review,” Mandi continues to argue about something I don’t care about. I’m only half paying attention.
“Oh, screw Yelp. Do you know I got a review that said I was wearing too many clothes on the boat?” Chevelle rolls her eyes and flicks her long blonde hair behind her shoulder.
“Shut up?” Posey’s mouth hangs open.
Chevelle nods. “There was this group of guys and they were rowdy and really annoying and probably a little embarrassed that not one of them could catch a fish. When we docked, one of them grabbed my ass.”
“And what did you do?” Mandi asks.
“I was about to throw him in the water, but Cam saw and took care of it.” She shrugs.
Oh, Cam. When will that guy ever admit to wanting my stepsister? He’s been Fisher’s best friend forever, and though Cam and Chevelle argue like siblings, I still think there’s an undercurrent of desire too.