Mace (Cocky Cage Fighter #4) (22 page)

Mace

I can’t believe she’s dancing with him. Some of the others maybe, but I didn’t peg the rich asshole as her type. Now I’m holding onto the bar, gripping it tightly as I contemplate ending that fucker’s life. The guys next to me cheer; and when I look over my shoulder, the winner is standing there with an enormous, cocky grin.

“Pay up, losers,” he says, holding out his palm. I half turn on my stool, slap the stack of bills into his palm and quickly turn back around without another word so that I won’t get charged with assault. “This should buy her a really nice breakfast tomorrow,” I hear him joke with the guys. Rage caused by his words, and knowing he’s worth more money than I’ll ever have in a lifetime, has my blood boiling. She wouldn’t, would she? I come out of my seat, ready to ram my fist in his face, but he’s gone. When I search the crowd and find him again, his hand is around Haley’s waist, guiding her out the door.

Oh fuck.

Now I have two choices, go pry his fingers from her as I break them off, or let her go home with him. I came to see her, to make sure she was okay and to try to explain where I was when she called the other night. She doesn’t know I’m here, and if she’s moving on…fuck, I don’t have any say in that shit. I wasn’t supposed to show up in the city, and maybe this is why, because she wants to date other men. Rich men.

This week has been pure hell. I’ve beat on Senn and the gym’s punching bags like never before until I go home and pass out from exhaustion. Before, I fought because I simply loved fighting, the awesome adrenaline rush and the pure satisfaction of knowing I’m fucking superior to the other guy in the cage. Now, I hate it because it’s the one thing that’s keeping me in North Carolina. It’s all I know how to do. Without a college degree and actual work experience doing any sort of real job, I’m stuck with fighting as my career of choice. If I win the fight in Vegas, I’ll get paid more money than all of my underground fights and…extracurricular activities, put together. It’s also a prime time, televised fight. The whole country will be watching me before the main headliner title fight. If I can put on a good show and win, I’ll walk away not just with fifty grand, but with a contract that could very well take me all the way to a chance at the championship. The potential for millions of dollars is what’s riding on this one fight.

So, yeah, that’s why I hate fighting, because even as important as Saturday’s fight is, I would give it all up for her if she would fucking let me. I would scrub toilets or flip burgers for the rest of my life. I would do
anything
to be with her, and she just left with some random asshole.

Walking out onto the busy street in an unfamiliar city, there’s no sign of Hailey, not that I thought there would be. Maybe I didn’t really want to face her because I just didn’t want to hear the rejection yet again. Seeing it was enough, making it clear where we stand.

Before I can even try to figure out what to do next, my cell phone starts vibrating in my pocket. I pull it out and see it’s an incoming call from my sister. Since it’s almost midnight, I quickly answer, worried something’s wrong.

“Claire? Is everything okay?” I ask, stepping into a quiet alley so I can hear her.

“Mason! Where are you?” she asks.

“Um, New York.”

“New York! What are you doing there? I thought we’re all supposed to fly out to Vegas tomorrow for you to start doing the promos.”

“Yeah. Tomorrow,” I mutter while scuffing the toe of my shoe over a pile of cigarette butts. What I wouldn’t give for a smoke right now.

“Senn said you…that-that you sold your car,” Claire stutters in disbelief.

“Uh-huh.” My legs feel so shaky and weak that I have to lean against the dirty alley wall, not from exertion caused by workouts at the gym, but because of the sacrifice I made. It was all for nothing. I sold my classic car for a 2004 POS Accord so that I could come see a woman that doesn’t give a shit about me. It’s all so fucking ironic I can practically hear Alanis Morissette taunting me. 

“What? Why did you do that, Mason? For four years you’ve worked so hard to fix up Sally. You loved that car.”

“I needed the money,” I mumble, so numb I can barely make my lips move.

“Win or lose next Saturday and you’ll have plenty!”

“This couldn’t wait,” I tell her. I needed to see Hailey and find out if she meant what she said or if she had moved on. I couldn’t go another day without knowing because I was going insane. This isn’t exactly how I saw everything going down when I decided to come see her. How could I have been so wrong about the two of us?

“God, Mason. Is she really worth it? Sorry, you know that’s not what I meant. I think Hailey’s great, but what I mean is, are you gonna be okay if things don’t work out? I’m just worried about you, and I can’t even talk to Linc about what’s going on with Hailey because I don’t want to rat you out.”

“I’m fine,” I lie. I’m so far from fucking fine I may never see it again in this lifetime.

“If you love her as much as I think you do, then you’re not fine. You’re probably miserable and I bet she is, too.”

I slam my head back against the wall knowing that right now she’s with some rich motherfucker. His hands on her… “She didn’t exactly look miserable when she just went home with some random asshole.”

“Oh no! I’m so sorry, Mason. Don’t do anything crazy. Just come home. What better distraction than Vegas? It-it will get better,” she says, but now I know she’s lying. I saw her fall apart every day of the three months that she and Linc were apart. It only got better when they made up. And home? What home? My apartment sure as fuck doesn’t feel anything but empty, lonely. Home was the week I spent under the same roof as Hailey.

“I’ll be back before the plane leaves tomorrow,” I assure her right when my phone beeps, warning me that my battery is dying. “Look, I’ve gotta go. Love you, sis.”

“Love you, too,” Claire says before I end the call.

I guess there’s nothing more for me to do here. I need to get back to Raleigh and then figure out how to convince myself I can live the rest of my life without Hailey.

…

Hailey

“Hello?” I pause in the process of unlockin’ my apartment door as soon as I see Claire’s name on my phone. She and Linc are supposed to be on their honeymoon.

“Hailey! I know we’ve only been related for a week, but what the fuck?”

When the normally calm and sweet woman uncharacteristically yells at me, I can’t help but cringe.

“Um, you’ll have to be more specific about which fuck you’re referrin’ to.”

“More specific! You know
exactly
what I’m talking about! You’re trampling all over my sweet brother’s heart. Why? Why are you doing that to him?”

“It’s complicated…and none of your business,” I say softly, hesitantly. If I tell her, she’ll tell him.

“It is my business when I know my little brother is a mess over you! He sold his car to come see you and you just went home with some other guy!”

“What?” I gasp. “Why did he sell his car? He loves his car!”

“I know! But he loves you more. He said…he said he needed the money and it couldn’t wait until after the payout from his fight.”

“Oh God.” I lean my forehead against the apartment door and contemplated slammin’ into it over and over again. Tears overflow from my eyes when I think of how much Mason adored that car.
Sally
he called it. He worked so hard on it, and now it’s gone. For me. For him to come see me, and what did I do? I left the club with someone else.

“Mason is head over heels in love with you!” Claire exclaims. “What’s your problem, Hailey? Do you just not feel the same about him?”

“I told you, it’s complicated.”

“What’s complicated? He loves you. You love him. That’s all that matters, right?” she asks.

“Fine, how about this,” I say before swipin’ away the tears. “When you and Linc started datin’, would you have made him choose between you and fightin’?”

“God no. He loves fighting more than anything but his family.”

“Right,” I say. “And you wouldn’t want your brother to give up fightin’, either, right?”

“No, of course not. His career is about to take off-”

“Exactly,” I say again.

“But why can’t he have both?”

“Because he can’t,” I tell her. “And I refuse to let him give it up for me. I’m not worth it.”

“Hailey, that’s not true. Yeah, fighting is important to him, but it’s not everything.”

“It’s everything he loves and needs right now. Maybe…maybe we can try again, you know, like in a few years.”

“Years!” she yells into my ear. “I don’t think he can wait that long.”

“I’m not askin’ him to,” I clarify.

“No, I mean, he’s gonna go crazy without you.”

“He’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

“And what about you? Are you gonna be fine?”

That’s debatable, so I don’t even bother lyin’ and sayin’ I will be. But I’m not the only bad guy here. I tried to call him. “If he cares about me, then what’s with the girl stayin’ in his apartment? And why did he go off to a sorority party the day after he told me he loved me?” I ask her.

“I don’t know,” she replies with a sigh. “But if I had to guess, I think Sabrina practically lived with him, and the sorority party? Well, he probably didn’t tell you how he pays rent and all his other bills, did he?”

“Ah, no,” I reply. I never really thought about it before, but he wouldn’t get paid trainin’ at
Havoc
several hours a day.

“He dances. You know, takes his clothes off for bachelorette and birthday parties?”

“Seriously?” I ask, not likin’ the idea of other women seein’ him mostly naked or…or touchin’ him. Do they touch him? Those dirty bitches!

“Yeah,” she says. “It pays more than most minimum wage jobs, and he only has to work a few nights a week, which fits into his schedule so he can train during the day.”

“Oh,” I mutter in understandin’.

“And if I had to guess,” Claire starts. “I bet he’s stopped seeing his…harem. I mean, would he have sold his car to come all the way to New York unless he wanted you and only you?”

“I need to call him,” I tell her, not waitin’ for her to say goodbye before I end the call. It goes straight to Mason’s voicemail.

Turnin’ around, I hop in a cab and go back to the club where I find Elle dirty dancin’ with some frat boy, but there’s no sign of Mason. For the next few hours I keep tryin’ to call him, but when the sun starts to rise I know I’m shit out of luck. He’s probably on his way back to North Carolina by now, and soon he’ll be headin’ to Vegas for the chance of a lifetime. I need to see him and try to explain; because if he feels half as devastated as I do right now, he might lose this fight and a future he’s worked so hard for.

Mace

I step out the front doors of
The Grand
after the press conference and official weigh-in, going in search of food. I’m pretty sure there’s a
Hard Rock
right around the corner, so that’s the direction I’m heading in when I hear my name. Not just my name, but my name spoken in a slow, southern drawl. It couldn’t be. I must be hallucinating from lack of sleep and lack of sustenance after making weight, so I keep walking.

“
May-Son
!”

The second time I hear it, I stop and look over my shoulder, certain I’m hearing things, but…well, fuck, I guess I’m seeing things too, because there stands an image of Hailey in her sexy white strapless dress and high heels, her thick, blonde hair down and flowing over her perfect breasts. When the familiar apparition starts walking toward me, I turn all the way around to watch her for the few seconds before she disappears. Right on cue, Frankie Valli’s smooth voice starts crooning the lyrics to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
.
”

The mirage doesn’t disappear, not even when she’s only standing a foot away from me. I reach out and try to brush her hair over her shoulders to see if she really is here or if my mind is playing tricks on me. I mean, I did have to lose ten pounds in twenty-four hours, so I’m sort of out of it.

The blonde silky locks I stroke feel the same way I remember between my fingers, and the smell of expensive flowers is the exact scent I came to love. “You’re really here?” I ask.

“Ah, yeah. Are you okay?” she asks.

“Hungry. And thirsty. Just had weigh-in,” I tell her.

“Oh,” she mutters, and then looks down at her shoes.

God, what’s wrong with me? I’m talking about food when the woman I’ve tried
everything
to get is finally standing in front of me. She came all the way across the country for me.

“I’m really glad you’re here. I’ve missed you so damn much,” I tell her, and her sad blue eyes flash back up to mine.

“I-I’ve missed you, too,” she says softly. “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry about the other night at
The Griffin
.”

“How did you know I was there?” I ask, letting her hair fall from my fingers.

“Well, the guy that came up to me described you, and then Claire called and told me,” she explains. “I didn’t really go home with him or bring him home with me. I just…I just didn’t want to give you a reason to stay.”

“What?” I ask in confusion with my hands on my hips. I’m relieved she didn’t screw that fucker, but I don’t understand why she didn’t want me to stay.

“When I realized you had come all the way up there for me, I was afraid you would stop fightin’ and stay with me if I told you how happy I was that you came to see me. But I
was
happy,” Hailey says and rapidly blinks away the tears in her eyes. “I just wish you wouldn’t have sold your car to do it.”

“But why…”

“I know about the ‘image’ and the contract for the IFC,” she tells me. “I didn’t want you to give up such a huge opportunity just for me.”

“
Just
for you?” I repeat. “What about for myself? What if I wanted to give it up so that I could be with you and actually be happy for once in my life? I don’t need to fight. I can live without fighting. But you…I’m not sure I can live without you.” 

“Good,” Hailey says when she inhales in a shaky breath. “Because I don’t care anymore if I’m being selfish. I want to be with you. I love you, May-Son, so much that it hurts-”

Hearing those four words has me launching myself at her, shoving my fingers through her hair to bring her mouth to mine in a kiss so forceful it might leave bruises. Hailey’s arms go around me, her palms pressing on my back to keep me flush against her as our tongues dive desperately in and out of each other’s mouths.

We don’t break apart until sometime later when a man’s deep voice starts singing, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Hailey and I both laugh as we look over in the direction of the Elvis impersonator serenading us. About that time, a white neon light flickers on over his head, right as darkness falls. And for the second time in my life, time stands still when I read the words. Tonight, this isn’t all just a coincidence. Like the first day I saw Hailey, there’s something…bigger going on here. This is where she and I are meant to be, at this exact moment. It’s destiny. She’s wearing white for Christ’s sake!

So, I blurt out the two words that I’ve never been so sure of in my life.

“Marry me?” I ask at the same time Hailey says, “Yes,” like she was already anticipating the question.

“Yes?” I repeat with a smile when I stare into her beautiful blue eyes. In them, I see our two souls weaving together, joining in an indestructible bond that’s stronger than any piece of paper. “Yes, you’ll marry me? Right now?”

“Yes,” she says again with the stunning smile I could spend the rest of my life worshiping. “If you’re sure about the consequences it’ll have on fightin’, and…and if you can promise me you’re done with every other woman in the world.”

“I’m absolutely sure about both. After I win tomorrow, I’ll have enough money to figure out what I want to do if I can’t fight,” I tell her. “And as far as I’m concerned, there is no other woman in the world but you.”

“Are we nuts? We are, aren’t we?” Hailey giggles as we both stare at the neon sign for
The Little Wedding Chapel.

“No, it doesn’t seem nuts when I think about spending the rest of my life hearing you laugh and seeing your smile,” I tell her before kissing her again. I can’t wait another second to do this, so I take her hand and practically drag her across the street to the chapel. I’m tempted to carry her, but I want her to make this decision, following me on her own two feet. She can run the other way at any time, but I know she won’t, just like I know this is the best decision of my life, and I’ll never regret it.

We casually stroll into the front of the chapel, and a few minutes later, we walk out the back, following the warm glow of lights into a white gazebo with the dazzling City of Sin as our backdrop. Once we step inside, we take turns saying vows that we’ll love each other for better or for worse, through sickness and health, for richer or poorer, and exchange the wedding bands we just bought five minutes earlier. Neither of us stop smiling or release the hold we have on each other’s hand. I wouldn’t be able to identify the man who is marrying us from a police line-up because I can’t take my eyes off my bride.

Maybe I’m young and stupid, but this decision doesn’t have anything to do with either of those things. Life is too damn short, and I don’t want to live another day without her. I also know that this is what Hailey needs so that she’ll never doubt how much I love her, and only her.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride,” the man I’ve never actually seen tells me. It could be the Elvis impersonator for all I know.

“Wait,” I say when a thought suddenly hits me. “Are you moving home or am I moving to New York?” There’s no way I can live in a different state from her.

“I’m moving back home,” she says without hesitation.

“Are you sure?” I ask. “’Cause I could move to New York if you want to stay.”

“I really want to live in North Carolina. I lied the other day,” she answers.

“Good,” I reply with an exhale. The mysterious man clears his throat as if he’s waiting for us to do something. Oh yeah! “Can I kiss my wife now?” I ask.

“Go for it,” the faceless man says, so I do.