Chapter 16
Brock
M y leg bounced as I sat through the first few fights. Dani’s fight was somewhere in the middle of the lineup, and I was ready to peel my skin off, waiting for it to start.
“Hey.” Josh sat down in the seat next to mine and focused his gaze on the ring. “Dani told me we need to talk.”
We had worked the same shift easily fifteen times since he had walked into Dani’s room to find me naked in her bed and he had avoided me through every one of them. “We do. Why don’t you start with why you don’t want me with Dani.”
He huffed out a breath. “I’ve never seen you be serious about a chick before. I hate the idea that my sister could be a notch in someone’s bedpost, especially if that someone is you. It is bad enough that I couldn’t stop the bullies when we were in school. I’d like to stop her from getting her heart broken now.”
I scratched at the stubble on my cheek. “You don’t have to be her keeper; she can take care of herself. Besides, the reason I’ve never been serious with anyone was because it was her I wanted. Anyone else was just second best. As much as I tried, I just couldn’t settle for that. It was Dani or nothing. Since getting stabbed, I realized I had to go for it. Shocks the hell out of me that she’s wanted me too––all this time. I should have talked to you about it sooner, but we were just-”
He waved his hand. “Yeah, yeah I know what you were doing.”
I think I may have actually blushed at his words. He had no idea what I’d been up to with Dani, and I was not about to go there. “We were just happy to be together, dumbass.”
He finally looked at me. “So, you two are actually serious? Like, you’ll be at family Christmas and put a ring on her finger and the whole nine?”
I nodded. “If she’d let me, I’d marry her tomorrow. We’ve known each other for what? Fifteen or sixteen years? Doesn’t take long to get serious when you have the history we do.”
His jaw was still tight, but he nodded. “Two things. Don’t break her heart or they will never find your body. And if I catch the two of you naked in my house again, then everybody gets chastity belts.”
I laughed. “Well, maybe I should ask her to move in with me then.”
He smiled. “I think she’d like that, just don’t ask me to help move any furniture.” We were far from being back to normal. Things were still fragile and awkward between us. We’d get there though. We were best friends and we both loved Dani. The important thing was supporting her through her big fight.
The announcer came on, calling the next bout. This was it. This was Dani’s big moment. This wasn’t as big of an event as seen on television, but still, the fighters walked out to the ring to the music of their choice with their coach. Nate was walking with Dani, and she was strutting like she owned the place. Every muscle on her body shined with sweat. Her long, gorgeous hair was pulled tight into a series of braids over her scalp, and she had a mouthguard over her teeth.
Josh leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and I did the same. I’d be right where Nate was if I could, but the rules didn’t allow for that. Each fighter’s stats were read out, and the two women circled the ring, jumping or moving their feet to keep the blood pumping. I had never been so nervous in my life.