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“What’s wrong with you?”
When I turn around, Imogen’s standing in the kitchen, looking at me like I’ve lost my shit. She might not be far off. “What’s wrong?” I shake my head. “It’s less than two weeks out from the biggest fight of my life, and I can’t put weight on my left leg without pain. I can’t train. Fuck. I couldn’t even make it upstairs to get a goddamned shower last night. I slept like shit. I’m in pain, and I’m tired. Does that about sum it up?”
“Hud... why didn’t you call me? I would have come over.” She sits down on a stool at the island and waits.
“I don’t know, Gen. It happened fast, and I was just thinking about whether I was going to be able to fight next week. The hospital took forever. Scarlet yelled at everyone. Cade was trying to keep her calm, and Maddie barely said a word. It just kind of happened. They suggested she stay here for a few days, and I went with it. I didn’t really want her going home alone, if I’m honest.” I move across from her and lean my weight against the counter. “The guy was right behind her when I walked in. Too fucking close. I don’t know... It scared me. And we both know I don’t get scared.”
Imogen’s bright green eyes stare at me, assessing. “Uh-huh. This has nothing to do with the crush you’ve had on Maddie Dixon since she started working at the gym then?”
“Seriously? A crush? What are we... thirteen? I don’t have a crush.” And even if I did, now wouldn’t be the damn time to talk about it... Or act on it.
The fight’s in eight days.
Nothing else matters until then.
She taps her fingers against the counter and cocks her head to the side. “Okay. I’ll drop it—”
“Good,” I interrupt her, but Imogen keeps talking.
“If you can tell me you don’t have feelings for Maddie.”
“I’m eight days out from this fight, Gen. It doesn’t matter if I have feelings for Maddie right now. It’s not going to matter the day after the fight either, because Maddie’s looking for Mr. Forever. We all know it. And I’m not that guy.”
Imogen picks up an apple from the fruit bowl and throws it at my head, then groans when I let go of the crutch and catch it. “Don’t talk about yourself that way, dumbass. Just because you’ve never been that guy doesn’t mean that you can’t be. You just need to find someone worth it, and you know it.”
I glare at her and take a bite of the apple.
I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say to that.
My dad fell in love more times in his lifetime than the average person ever will. And he cheated on all his wives. All but one. Lenny and Jace’s mom was the real love of his life, and if he cheated on her, he never got caught. Not the best example of relationships to live with growing up.
The only thing it showed me was what I didn’t want to do.
The kind of husband I never wanted to be.
“Hey, Gen...” I tap her foot with my crutch, needing to lighten the mood. “Want to help me in the shower?” I wiggle my brows, just before her elbow jabs me again.
“Eww. No.” She pushes me away. “Call one of your brothers. Hell, callmybrother. I don’t want to see your junk.”
* * *
Turns out,I don’t need to call Cade because he calls me ten fucking minutes after Imogen leaves to make sure I’m staying off my leg. He also tells me he talked to the cops, and they don’t have any leads. It looks like a random break-in. “Thanks, man. I’m taking it easy now. Tomorrow, I’ll stretch and see how it feels.”
“Take it easy. Start slow. You’re in great shape, man. You’ve done the work. You’re not one of those guys who gets fat and lazy between fights. You’ve got this. You’re gonna be fine.” The busy gym hums in the background. The metal clang of weights hitting the floor. The beat of the music blasting through the speakers. The dull sound of voices. They’re all the sounds of home.
Crucible is my favorite place to be.
It’s ironic that inside that cage is where I feel alive.
And for the first time since I bought this house, I fucking hate that I’m stuck here.
MADDIE
“Ithought Daphne was exaggerating when she told me how codependent the Kingston siblings are.” She’d just married Hud’s oldest brother, Max, and couldn’t get over how often they all stop by each other’s houses or how much time they spent texting each other. “I was wrong.”
Carys Sinclair closes her mouth and tries to hide her laughter over my rant. She’s used to them by now. We’ve been friends for years. And lucky for me, she and her husband, Cooper, live next door to Hudson.
Hud and Cooper are currently in the home gym, doing whatever Hud’s allowed to do for now, with strict instructions from Cade and the physical therapist at the gym to not put weight or stress on his leg. Meanwhile, Carys and I sit on the couch in front of a fire, working on the social-media presence for the holiday push for her company, Le Désir. She designs the most beautiful lingerie I’ve ever seen. I’ve splurged on a ton of it, even if no one has ever seen me in it.
