Phoenix gave a small approving nod. “You look ready.”
“I am.”
Everyone else gave him quick words of encouragement, but my feet felt rooted to the floor. I was watching him. Memorizing him. His shoulders seemed broader somehow. His jaw was more defined. His focus sharper. Like he was already halfway in the cage. He turned toward me last.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
The question caught me off guard.
“I should be asking you that,” I let out a nervous laugh.
He smiled. “I feel good.”
For a second, we just looked at each other. My chest tightened, and I felt the overwhelming need to just say the three words that sat at the edge of my throat.
I love you.
But dropping something that big on him minutes before a fight felt unfair. Like I’d be putting something heavy on his mind when he needed to be completely focused. So instead, I took his hand.
“You got this,” I said to him.
“Yeah.”
I swallowed. “Okay,” I said softly. “Then go win.”
His fingers tightened around mine. “See you after,” he said, giving me a quick kiss on the lips.
“Good luck.”
We parted ways with Asher. I went to the bathroom with Elise and Soleil.
“Wow, you and Asher seem really close,” Soleil noted.
“We are,” I admitted. I didn’t talk about our relationship with friends from work because I was dating the boss, and that already crossed a line.
“I really didn’t see Asher as the settling-down type. I guess I was wrong.” Elise shrugged.
This was the last thing I wanted to focus on before the fight. I used the bathroom, while Soleil and Elise were chatting about how Asher broke his cardinal rule by dating an employee. My nerves were already frayed and them bringing that up didn’t help. I went to wipe and noticed a red streak across the toilet paper. I’d gotten my period. A pang of sadness hit me once again, even though I hadn’t planned for a baby, and the thought made me nervous. It did explain why my emotions felt heightened. I got out of the bathroom and washed my hands, and then we all went to take our seats. The arena lights were blinding. The crowd’s cheers were deafening. We took our seats next to Asher’s brothers and Jonah. All I could see was the cage and Asher stepping into it. My stomach twisted. His opponent stood across from him. He was larger and heavier through the shoulders, with sharp looking eyes and a predatory look on his face. They touched gloves, and the bell rang.
The fight exploded instantly, with the other guy charging forward, throwing punches like a storm.
My breath caught. “Asher,” I whispered.
He slipped the first punch and countered with a sharp jab that snapped the other fighter’s head back. The crowd erupted in cheers and hollers. I held my breath, grabbing the edge of my seat. They were circling each other now, with fists snapping through the air. Another punch flew toward Asher and connected with his shoulder. I flinched instinctively.
“Dammit,” I breathed.
“He’s fine,” Eric said calmly beside me.
Asher answered immediately with a brutal combination. Left. Right. His fist slammed into the other fighter’s jaw. The man staggered, and the crowd roared. Then Asher stepped in and drove a punch forward with force.
His opponent crashed to the mat. I jumped to my feet. “Yes!”
For a moment, I thought the fight was over. But the fighter rolled and scrambled back up almost instantly. The bell rang, signaling the end of round one, with my heart in my throat.
Round two started slower. They circled cautiously. His opponent’s leg snapped out. His foot slammed directly into Asher’s knee, the crack of impact echoing through the arena.
I gasped. “Asher!”