I stand before David's grave, the spring rain soaking everything it touches. The events that have happened in the past couple of days have caused me to second guess my strength.
My feelings for Faye have grown, there is no doubt about that. But my feelings about this fight have changed as well. I was confident, sure that if I trained hard enough I could beat him. But he stole that confidence from me. Carter James is the main character in this chapter of my life.
"My family is afraid of the outcome to this fight." I speak to David, kneeling before him. "Even I know it won't be good." I stare at the engraving on the stone.
'David Edward Anderson, the greatest fighter at heart.'
"I know if you were here, you'd tell me to go with my gut and my gut is telling me to not fight in this championship." I say. "But I can't pass it up this easily. He can't win."
~••~
The day is spent preparing for the fight and there are interviews with tv hosts at the gym. The ache in my side has almost dissipated but I know it's still there every time I move.
Rick keeps a close eye on me, making sure I take the pain meds. I haven't seen Faye yet and I can't seem to concentrate without her here.
"Where's Faye?" I ask Rick as we get ready to leave for the arena. There are fans outside of the gym, a lot of them.
"She's going to meet us there." He says. "She had some meeting earlier today."
"A meeting?" I frown. "What kind of meeting?"
"She didn't say much. She was in a rush but she sounded excited." He says. I begin to wonder why she hadn't called me but remember dropping my phone when those two pricks jumped me.
As we make our way out of the gym, I take a few pictures with some fans and sign some autographs. Some even ask about the bruises on my face but I tell them I was training too hard. I try not to wince and pull away when one of the girls wraps her arm around my waist for a picture, squeezing my side. We make it to the car and I sigh, lifting my shirt after the door shuts.
"Put this on it," Rick hands me an ice pack. "It'll numb it for a bit." I take the pack and place it over the bruise, cringing as Rick wraps me with adhesive tape to keep the pack in place. I let my shirt fall back down again, relaxing against the seat.
The car ride over is quiet. I don't want to speak because I am already nervous as hell and I know whatever Rick has to say will only make me more distressed so we both remain wordless.
You can hear the roar of the fans even before we get to the building. Traffic is heavy so Rick and I leave the truck with a couple body guards to lead us through. I wave to my fans as we make it inside, checking in and making it to the prep room. Someone comes in to weight me in after one of my crew attempts to cover the bruise with some sort of foundation. It kind of works, making the bruise lighter than it really is.
"Step up." The short man says, his clipboard in hand. I step onto the scale, keeping my head up. The last time I was weighed, I was disappointed. I worked harder than before to gain the muscle I needed for this fight. My body aches entirely from the training but I know as soon as I step into that ring, the adrenaline will kick in and I don't have to worry any longer. "176."
I let a breath of relief out as my crew applaud and holler. I laugh lightly at them as I step off the scale.
"You have a visitor." Rick says, cocking his head towards the door. There Faye stands with a grin on her face. I don't think I've ever been more delighted to see her. I wrap her in my arms and lift her small body as she laughs, her arms around my neck.
"Let's give these two some privacy." Rick suggests before the crew exit the room. Rick winks at me before shutting the door and my lips are on hers before she can get a word out. She hums, her hands on my face.
"Harry." She mumbles against my mouth, tearing her lips from mine with a smile on her face. "Henderson's Agency wants me."
"What?"
She giggles, smiling excitedly. "They called me this morning after you left. I went to meet with Alex, the CEO. He gave me a job as an agent."
I smile at her, beaming. She's finally getting what she deserves and it makes me feel at bliss. My mind is reeling with things to say, to show how happy I am for her and the words that decide to come out are
"I love you."
I'm shocked at my own words, the expression on her face showing she is surprised as well. But I can't hide it anymore, there's no way in hell.
"I do." I breathe, my hands on her face. "I love you so much." My eyes are searching hers for a response, tears building behind hers. And finally, her lips lift again, the corners of her eyes crinkling the way they always do when she smiles.
"I love you." She breathes, nodding her head as a tear strolls down her cheek. We laugh together as I wipe the tear before kissing her deeply. My heart is beating in a different way now, in a way I've been waiting for.
Even if tonight ends good or bad, this is the moment I will think about years from now. This is the moment I will look back on and smile because this is the best reward I can ever receive.
I'm the champion of her heart and she is mine.
~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~••~
