Chapter Twelve #3
“Sometimes.” But it didn’t have to be that way, and Owen often thought about what he’d do differently if he coached.
Tyler looked absolutely stricken, and Owen couldn’t resist kissing those sweet lips.
Just that brief caress lightened the heaviness pressing on his shoulders.
“But there was one promoter who came along and said all the right things. Big John saw my potential and promised the others would regret the day they overlooked me. My ego needed the boost, my family needed the money, so he became my promoter and manager. At first, Big John did a good job of filling in for Howie. He arranged temporary housing until we could find something more permanent. I got back on a winning streak, and things looked promising.” Owen canted his head to the side as he thought back to those early days.
“I’m not even sure when things went downhill.
Big John just morphed from an upbeat guy who spoke about my bright future to a prick who spouted pure venom.
Nothing I did satisfied him. I didn’t knock out my opponents fast enough, my stamina was shit, and my prize money was pathetic.
Oh, and the temporary housing he arranged had a faster expiration date than he’d originally claimed.
My mother was hysterical. She’d taken Howie’s loss every bit as hard as I had, and then we were facing homelessness…
again. She worked three low-wage jobs, and we still couldn’t get ahead.
Big John had a solution, though. Fixing fights was more lucrative than winning the amateur league title I chased.
I refused, of course, and that’s when he told me I’d never make it big.
I lacked the size, speed, and stamina it would take to become a prizefighter. ”
“And Doyles never really won?” Tyler asked.
Owen nodded. “I agreed to fix a match in Colorado Springs. Little did I know, a boxer was seriously injured six months prior in a rigged fight there, triggering a police investigation. My opponent turned out to be an undercover cop with a fucking mean right hook.” Owen flexed his jaw left and right as if he could still feel the aftermath of the blow.
“The match went exactly as agreed, and I ended up losing my freedom with the fight. Big John and I got arrested as soon as money changed hands, and you know the rest.” Then he reconsidered.
“You know I landed in jail, but I didn’t tell you how I ended up with a three-year sentence for my first offense. ”
Tyler cocked his head to the side. “So tell me now.”
“I didn’t contest the charges, but I still needed to plead my case for a lighter sentence, so the public defender wrote up something suitable for me to read in court.”
“Oh no.” Tyler’s wince matched the clinching in Owen’s guts.
“I was too embarrassed to tell my attorney I couldn’t read and hoped it would be one of the few occasions when the letters lined up for me.
Spoiler alert: they didn’t.” Tyler smiled a little at that one.
“I read the statement to the judge the best I could, but it came out sounding cold and robotic. The judge claimed I had no remorse and gave me the maximum sentence for a first-time offender.” Owen cupped his face.
“I’m not sorry because I met you a year later. ”
Tyler leaned forward and kissed him. “Still love you like crazy.”
Owen released a long sigh that ended in a shaky laugh. “Sounds like I’ve been storing that one for a long time.”
“I imagine you’ve been stowing a lot of things that aren’t necessarily good for you,” Tyler said. “Maybe now you can set them and yourself free.”
“Very profound,” Owen replied. “Did that come from your audiobook?”
Tyler’s lips curved into a smug grin. “Nope. I’m just repeating something you told Keegan once.”
Owen raised a brow. “I said that? Are you sure?”
“I am positive. You’re so much smarter than you give yourself credit for, and I think Bryant and Keegan might be onto something.
” Just thinking about the amount of schooling he’d need to become a therapist was enough to induce panic.
Maybe Tyler sensed it, or perhaps his expression betrayed the terror, because Tyler was quick to soothe him with a kiss.
“You don’t have to become a licensed therapist to make a difference in someone’s life.
You could use your boxing and mentoring skills to help teens feel less vulnerable or channel their frustrations in healthier ways. ”
It was on the tip of Owen’s tongue to dismiss the idea, but something about the suggestion just felt right.
“Just think about it,” Tyler said, then glanced at his watch. “Your mom will be home from work soon.”
Owen knew he was right, but it was hard to put Tyler’s comment out of his mind. “One more stop first.”
“Oh,” Tyler said excitedly, as if they were taking a tour to see where the Hollywood stars lived. “Can I guess?”
“Sure.” Owen bit back a smile because there was no way he’d get it right.
“High school?”
Owen scowled and shook his head. “Too easy.”
Tyler hummed for a few seconds. “The spot where you had sex for the first time?”
“You already saw it,” Owen said.
“What? Where?” His eyes widened. “The boxing gym?”
“Yep.”
“Did Howie know you were gay?”