“Yes, but…”
“No buts! You’re going to get your ass in the cage. And now that word is out, you’ll have offers coming from every direction.”
“I’m gonna get you back for that one of these days,” I threaten her.
“I’m sure you will. But for now, I’m going to sit back and enjoy this moment,” she replies. “Besides, now that you’re stepping into the spotlight, everyone is going to forget there’s another Malone sibling. My career is going straight down the toilet,” Macy says with a thumbs-down while her mouth makes a raspberry. “I hope you’re happy about ruining my life.”
“That’s not true. I’m not ruining your life,” I tell her. “You’re gonna be known as the Malone sibling who wins all of her fights, and I’ll be the loser Malone who gave up law to get knocked out.”
“If anyone knocks you out, I’ll kick their ass myself,” my sister declares.
“Thanks, sis,” I tell her before reaching over to put her in a headlock and give her a noogie, laughing the entire time she yells and tries to escape.
It’s been nice talking to Macy and getting my mind off of my fuck up with Cass for a few minutes. That problem isn’t going to fix itself. I’m going to have to figure out some way to convince Cass to forgive me. The only good thing about being away from her for the next two weeks is that it will give me plenty of time to think, which I soon realize I won’t get here because my phone starts to ring with my dad calling…
“Hey Dad,” I say when I answer. “What are you doing up so late?” I ask as I glare at Macy.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you’re going to fight?” he asks, dropping one of his usual f-bombs. I remember the first time I said fuck in front of my dad when I was like sixteen and the lawnmower wouldn’t start for me. I thought for sure he would punch me in the mouth for swearing since I had never heard him or my mother ever cuss. Instead, he was relieved; said he was tired of watching his language and glad he could finally swear again now that I was grown. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you to make the right decision to join my side of the family business?” he asks me. “Where are you? I’m coming over. We need to talk so I can get all the details and we can come up with a training plan.”
“I’m at Macy’s,” I tell him. “But it’s late, so I think I’m gonna crash...”
“Stay there! Your mom and I are on the way!” he says in a rush, completely ignoring me before he ends the call.
“They coming over?” Macy asks.
“Yep.”
“Great! Now I have five minutes to get this place clean, so you’re gonna have to help since this midnight visit is all your fault,” she orders.
“It’s actually your fault,” I remind her. “But what else is there for me to do? I’m too hyped to sleep.”
“Good. Grab the vacuum while I do the dishes,” Macy instructs.
“So, you’re serious?” my dad asks, grabbing me by my shoulders in the middle of the living room as soon as he barges into Macy’s apartment without knocking. The fact that she doesn’t even bat an eye makes me think it’s a common occurrence. No wonder she doesn’t date.
“I’m serious,” I reply. “Tomorrow, I’m going to finish up loose ends in Seattle, and then I’ll be back in two weeks to start training at Havoc.”
My father’s dark eyes that I inherited suddenly turn all glassy like I’ve never seen before. “You’re moving home too? For good?”
“Well, yeah. I thought that was a given. If I’m going to do this, why not train with the best in the world?”
“Holy shit, this is great!” my dad says as he throws his arms around me.
“I think you’re gonna make him cry,” Macy deadpans.
“Leave your father alone,” our mother says from behind him. “We’re happy to have our son back. It’ll be nice to see you more than two or three times a year,” she adds before turning it into a group hug.
“It’s like watching a Hallmark movie right in the middle of my living room,” Macy mutters. And when I glance over while being squeezed to death, she mimes eating her invisible popcorn.
“So now that you’ve both heard my good news, it’s time to give you the bad news,” I warn them, and they both let me go with looks of concern on their faces. “I’m getting divorced,” I say and then hold up my palm to stop him when my dad opens his mouth to comment. “This isn’t a discussion. It’s a statement. I waited months before making this decision, so it’s not something I’m doing on a whim,” I explain. “Camilla cheated on me. And I don’t know if either of you have been cheated on, but it sucks. It hurts. Bad. The worst part is, I think I’m relieved that she messed up so that I would have a valid reason to walk away because I wasn’t happy with her or with working at the law firm or being all the way across the country when my family is here. This past week, Cass helped me finally figure out what I want for myself. This is what I want – a divorce, to give fighting a try, and to move home so I can be with all of you and with her, with Cass.”
“Those are a lot of big changes to make in a week,” my mom remarks.
“It’s not just a week, though. It’s ten years of my life that I haven’t been happy,” I explain. “I kept waiting for one phase to be over so I could get to the happy part, and it never came because I wasn’t on the right path. I didn’t want to take chances, so I took the easy road.”
“Well, if you’re sure these changes are what you want, then we’ll support you one-hundred percent,” my dad says.
“Thank you. I appreciate that,” I tell them. “And it would really help if you go easy on me. Don’t put too much pressure on me. I already do that to myself. I’ll probably never live up to your legacy in the cage. I know that.”
“We know you’ll do great at whatever you set your heart on,” my mom responds. “I just don’t want you to regret turning your back on the law after all the time and effort it took for you to graduate with that degree.”
“I won’t regret it,” I tell her. “I’m tired of the boring desk work and the long hours. It’s not what I’m cut out for.”
“I knew you belonged in the cage since the night you were born during my title fight,” Dad says with his chest puffed out. “You and Macy are both naturals with enough raw talent to go as far as you want in this profession.”
“Hopefully we’ll both win titles. And how much does this all pay?” I ask. “That’s something we probably should’ve talked about before I called my boss and quit my job.”
“You’ll make plenty, possibly more than you did as an attorney,” my dad informs me.
“Seriously?” I ask in surprise.
“More,” Macy says. “Just your name alone will rake in the dough. As soon as you win, they’ll be setting you up with million-dollar purses, you lucky bastard.”
“How much do you make?” I ask her, and she flips me off.