Chapter 49
After two exhilarating rounds of make-up sex, my body still tingled from the remnants of my orgasm.
My muscles were pleasantly sore, and my breath was slightly labored.
The exhaustion that washed over me was a combination of physical exertion as well as the release of the emotional turmoil I’d been carrying around for weeks.
“Will you wear a suit for our date?” I murmured, resting my head on his chest, the thump of his heart a comfortable rhythm that echoed the peacefulness of the moment. I traced circles on his stomach, goose bumps erupting over his skin as I trailed my fingers toward his waist.
“You really like me dressed like that, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“Then a suit it is.”
I lay draped over him, grateful we’d worked everything out. Well, mostly everything. There was something I needed to talk to him about, and I wasn’t sure how he would react. Before I broached the topic, however, I needed to gather more information.
“Are you still going to fight professionally?” I asked, my voice laced with curiosity.
“I thought about giving it up. Even though I lost the last one, I still got paid handsomely. I don’t need to fight anymore, but….”
“But what?” I pressed.
“I don’t know who I am if I’m not fighting. And besides, Elton keeps getting calls about setting up a rematch with Jay. The fight would be in five months, the payday would be bigger, and I could come back with a win.”
“Are you considering it?”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about him getting in the ring again. He would want me there, but I didn’t handle it well the last time.
Cross that proverbial bridge later.
“Is it bad if I say I am?” The tension in his voice screamed that he still was unsure about the decision.
“No, it’s who you are, like you said. And I have no doubt you’d beat him this time, but how do you think your shoulder will hold up?”
“I’ve been here before unfortunately. And since there was no permanent damage, I think I’ll be okay. I’m back to training, just not as intensely. Not yet anyway.”
I instinctually raised my hand to rest over his left shoulder. “Who’s been working with you while I’ve been gone? Trevor?”
“Yeah, and he’s not pleased about it either.
But now that you’re back, he’ll stop whining.
” The sound of a car horn drifted through the open window as I removed his arm from around me and sat up, needing a little distance for what I had to tell him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his expression contorting in worry.
A heavy weight settled in the pit of my stomach and my hands started to sweat.
Say it. Just blurt it out.
“Jackson… I’m not… I’m not coming back.”
He shot up so fast, he almost knocked me over. He stared at me as if I had two heads. “What do you mean you’re not coming back?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I said, scrunching my face in preparation for this next part. “I have a job interview next week, and I think I have a great shot at getting it.”
“Wow, that was fast,” he said, looking more than annoyed. “Not only did you quit and not tell me, but someone else snatched you up. Tell me it’s not another fighter.” The muscles in his jaw flexed, and the deepest crease I’d ever seen formed between his brows.
“It’s not,” I replied, quickly assuaging his sudden bout of jealousy.
“And like I said, I haven’t even interviewed yet.
It’s with a rehabilitation clinic for the VA.
I’d be helping wounded veterans. Male and female, in case you were wondering.
” The tilt of my lips did nothing to erase his annoyance.
“It’s a great opportunity. And if that doesn’t pan out, I have some savings, and I listed the house Mitch and I owned for sale.
So, I’ll have a nest egg to fall back on until I find something. ”
“You have a job. Here with me.”
I shook my head.
“Yes.”
“No. We need to focus on us, and I can’t do that properly if I’m still working for you. It just complicates things.”
“I disagree.”
“You would.”
He huffed twice, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he even pouted. “But I don’t want Trevor to keep working on me.”
“Then hire someone else. Just not an attractive woman,” I teased, although I was serious. I wouldn’t be able to stomach the image of another woman with her hands all over him.
“You won’t change your mind?” His tone held a whisper of hope.
“No. It’s for the best.”
“All right, fine. I’ll get another sports therapist if I decide I still want to fight.”
“Thank you.” I pushed him onto his back and straddled his waist. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Now ravage me one more time before our first official date.”
As we lost ourselves to each other for the third time, an overwhelming sense of peace enveloped me.
I’d held on to the hope I’d carried for the past three weeks, wishing that Jackson hadn’t given up on us.
And the fact he’d been on his way to see me when I showed up earlier proved he was the man I always believed him to be—someone who loved me without question.
Someone who needed me as much as I needed him.
When I walked into the job interview all those months ago, I’d needed a fresh start in my life.
Little did I know the man who would give me one was the same person seeking his own new beginning.