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“That sounds great.” Dad smiled happily. “Thank you.”
As we drove along, he started talking about his favorite fights from the past, ones that happened before I got involved in the scene, and I saw that spark of the old him returning—the one I’d known so well before he got sick. I hated that he was so ill. I hated that it felt like no matter how hard I tried, I was losing him anyway. It was damn near killing me, but I really didn’t want that to be today’s focus. I didn’t want to think about anything that had been happening with the decline in his health. I just wanted to concentrate on making him happy.
I smiled to myself as I listened to him talk about growing up in Mexico and how learning to fight in the streets had been a real art. It had been a rite of passage, and cage fighting reminded him of the days of old. He missed Mexico. Hearing about his childhood and tying it to a sport I loved, made me proud. Fighting connected us in ways that most couldn’t understand.
“Well, here we are,” I said, as we pulled up outside the gym. “Let’s go inside.”
As we walked through the hallways, with me showing Dad some of the titles Smiley’s had won before I joined the gym, I soon heard the voices of Teo and a new member who recently joined the gym as they approached us. Seeing Teo or anyone no longer filled me with the anxiety that it once did. Most of the other fighters and I now had a quiet respect for one another. For the most part, all the beef was gone. I was proving myself with my hard work and obvious show of dedication.
After a brief introduction to my dad, I asked the guys if Frankie was around because I was really not in the mood for his pompous attitude right now—with my dad witnessing it. I hated that Frankie was so difficult to read. You never knew where you stood with him either.
“Nah, no Frankie. Ari and Lotto are in the office, though.”
At first, my head snapped toward Teo, wondering if he was saying that in a suggestive way, telling me that he knew something. But there was a complete blankness to his expression. He was just telling me like it was, and there was no hidden meaning in his words.
“Okay, guys, see you later,” I said with a nod, tugging my dad away from them both.
“Ari?” Dad asked with his damn laser sharp focus. “Can I meet her?”
I sighed with a half-smile, really wanting to say no—mostly because I didn’t want to complicate things further, but I couldn’t turn down my dad. Not when he was looking at me so expectantly. “Fine,” I said. “But let’s make it quick. I’m sure she’s busy working.”
My heart pounded wildly as we headed toward her office. I was acutely aware that this was the first time we’d be in any kind of personal space together since we all had the exclusive talk, and I was worried of how we’d act around one another. I had seen her since, but it had always been when I was training. I wasn’t purposely avoiding her. I was not actively going out of my way not to see her. It was just the way it happened. I supposed that because we had all agreed to just see how it played out, it was difficult to know where we stood.
I tapped lightly on her door, hoping that she wouldn’t be mad about me disturbing her day unannounced with a surprise visit from my father, although, realistically, I already knew she wasn’t like that and would be polite and welcoming even if I escorted the Devil himself inside.
“Come in,” she called out in a smiling voice, already causing my insides to cool and calm. I didn’t know why I always got myself so nervous around her, when I was aware that she had such a calming effect on me. “Oh, hi there, Bones.” She grinned widely as I entered. “You just missed Lotto.”
“Hi, Ari.” I gestured toward my dad, instantly knowing he was going to love her. “This is my dad, Cisco.”
“Oh, hi, Cisco.” She jumped up and extended her hand out to him. “It’s so lovely to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Only good things, I hope.” He grinned at her, his eyes shining. I could see it in his gaze already. He was falling for her, hoping she was the one for me. He was probably damn well already picturing our wedding, naming our children. “So, tell me more about where you think my boy is going with all this hard work he’s been putting in. I’ve been watching closely, and I see huge improvement on what he even had in his prime. What do you think?”
