AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She shakes her head. She’s not twenty-one yet – it’s her birthday in February – but she declines anyway. “No thanks.”
He moves on and passes drinks to everyone else except Jack, then he flops down beside the loved-up couple and makes faces at Bean.
I dump our bags, because we have to carry a hundred now that we have a kid, and squeeze Iz’s hand. “Want a soda, Bubs? Or water?”
She lifts her chin in a way that might look like she’s preparing a stubborn argument, but to me, it means she’s asking for a kiss.Abso-fucking-lutely.“Just water, thank you.”
I press a second kiss to her forehead and walk toward the kitchen. I fill a glass with water, and because I miss them already, rush straight back out to find Izzy sitting between Kit and Aiden.
Kit plays with Bean’s tiny tufts of hair. “So, I’m thinking of signing up for another fight.”
Bobby groans. “Baby, no. That’s a really shitty idea.”
She smirks and presses a dry kiss to the ball of his shoulder. “Well, it’s super handy that it’s not the nineteen-fifties anymore, huh? All that free will and not being dictated to is super liberating.”
His dark eyes narrow. He’s not mad, he’s worried, and I can’t even blame him. I’ve had to watch Iz fight for years. Worse yet, no one knew about my feelings for her, so I had to keep my shit locked up tight. Each time she got hit, I died a little inside.
Each time she won, got braver, and stepped up a division, I had to balance two opposite sides of one coin. Pride. So much fucking pride for the girl who refused to back down. And worry, because each time she stepped up, she was facing someone bigger and scarier.
The fights Kit talks about are not even close to the same caliber as those Izzy has competed in. Apples and oranges. Semi-pro and hobbyist.
“I’d really like you to reconsider,” he grumbles.
Kit giggles. “And I’d really like you to take a breath and relax. We’ve talked about it, remember? If we’re going to have a family soon, then that’s it for me. It’s over. I want to keep going while I can.”
Iz frowns. “It doesn’t have to be over for you. I’ll still be fighting. Being a mom doesn’t change that.”
My head snaps up in an instant. “Come again, Isabelle?”
“I’ll be fighting again. As soon as I get medical clearance.”
“Which will be…?”
“Hopefully when Bean is six weeks.”
I choke on thin air. “Six weeks? You want to fight in six weeks? Are you fucking crazy?”
Her brow lifts in challenge. “No, are you?”
“Bubs–”
“Notfightingin six weeks. Training.”
“But… you know.”Don’t make me mention your vagina!
She rolls her eyes. The women are always rolling their eyes at us. “I saidafterI get medical clearance, James. Relax.”
“I don’t like it,” I grumble.
“Neither do I,” Bobby repeats.
The girls simply smile patronizingly.
Fuck.
* * *
A couple hours later, I answer Bobby’s front door with a smile. “Hey, Mama.” I take the heavy cake from her arms and press a kiss to her cheek. “Everyone’s in the living room.” I disappear into the kitchen while Mom distracts the birthday girl. No doubt she knows what’s going on, but she has the common decency to treat us like toddlers and pretend she can’t see our toes when we hide behind the curtains.
