CHAPTER 46
It was about forty-five minutes before the main event. Jackie was in Mo’s locker room, watching as his hands were being taped up by one of his trainers. He had DMX blasting in the area, getting himself hyped.
“How we feeling, champ?” Jackie asked, fascinated at the process that Mo was going through. The taping wasn’t as simple as she’d thought. They taped, checked, and taped again, over and over until the coverage was just right on his hands.
“We all good, Lil’ Bit. I’m cool as a fan,” Mo said.
Jackie watched as Mo’s legs bounced furiously.
He was nervous. She wouldn’t mention it, of course—she didn’t need to rattle him.
Instead, she thought reassurance was the best course of action.
“I know you’re all good. The crowd is out there to see you take the titles from Ramón.
You hear them going crazy out there? It’s a packed house. ”
“For real? What’s the final count in the arena?” Mo asked.
Jackie pulled up some info on her phone from Manny.
“At last count, we are at about 14,000 people. Sold out.” Manny was able to secure the famous Boardwalk Hall, site of some of the most memorable title fights in history.
From Roberto Durán to Evander Holyfield, many a fighter had clashed in this hallowed hall and rewritten their stories in the ring.
Tonight would be Mo’s shot at rewriting his own story—one of redemption and a second chance at glory.
Jackie was beyond the moon to be part of that story.
This moment was her crowning achievement as an agent. No one could tell her otherwise.
There was a knock at the door, and a member of Mo’s entourage entered. “Say, Mo, someone here to see Jackie.”
“It’s probably Tanika Ryan, from WWSN,” she reminded Moe. “You do you mind if I step outside?” Jackie wouldn’t put it past Tanika to be in journalist mode even though it was her damned bachelorette weekend. The girl had a hard time leaving work at work. Relatable. That’s why they were best friends.
“Nah,” Mo said as the trainer massaged his neck. “I know she’s your people. It’s all good. I’m ready.”
Jackie made her way toward the hallway, expecting to see Tanika. Instead, she looked up to see Antonio leaning against a wall, staring down at his phone. He looked so good, Jackie said “damn” under her breath.
Antonio looked up from his phone, a slight smile gracing his lips. “Hey Jackie. I know you’re busy, but can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure,” Jackie said. “I could use a break from the noise in there.”
“Alright, let’s find somewhere to chat.”
She walked next to Antonio down the hallway, heading back out toward the arena. They ducked into an adjacent space behind the seating. For a few moments, they stared at each other, hoping that the other would speak first.
“Lucky,” Antonio said, breaking the silence. “It’s good to see you. You look good, by the way.”
Jackie watched as his eyes looked her up and down, taking in her black dress and heels.
Antonio’s appreciative gaze shouldn’t have made her nipples tighten under her dress, but it did.
In the event he was going to show up here, Jackie had beaten her face down, and her hair was flawless.
She knew she looked good. And so did he.
“You do too,” Jackie admitted. A V-neck sweater stretched across his chest deliciously, and the slacks he wore fit his thick thighs like a glove. Focus Jackie, dammit. She brushed off the feeling, attempting to concentrate on the conversation at hand.
Antonio folded his arms over his chest. “I appreciated the invite from Tanika, but Jackie, you could have asked me to come.”
“I guess I was afraid you’d say no.” She was surprised at her own honesty.
“When have I ever said no to you, Jackie?”
Jackie’s face felt hot. Why’d he have to say it like that? “You’re right. I guess I thought you’d think it was weird because we’re in this weird space. You deserve to be here too. This fight is a win for you too.”
Antonio gave a slight smile. “You’re the negotiator, ma. I just put you in the right spot to do it.”
“Still, thank you. That trip to Mexico changed a lot for me. Made me realize a lot about myself.”
“One of the best trips of my life,” Antonio said. “Even though the Wi-Fi was sketchy, the instructors were weird, and the food was wack. Well, except Cecelia’s. That was incredible.”
Jackie laughed. “True, but the company was phenomenal.”
“The company was the best part.”
As they talked, a few fans came up to Antonio, asking for photos and autographs. Some even asked about PJ. But Antonio’s eyes never left Jackie’s. As soon as the crowd thinned, Antonio reached for Jackie’s hand.
“Come introduce me to your fam,” he said. “They’re all out there, right?”
Jackie tensed up but stopped herself. It didn’t matter who saw them, or if the tabloids wrote another post about them. Let the world think what they wanted. She laced her fingers with his and smiled. “Let’s go.”
“Well, if it ain’t Mr. Steele,” Tanika said, her voice slightly slurred. She’d been drinking since the second undercard fight and was clearly feeling it.
“You know Tanika,” Jackie said, shaking her head as she made introductions. “These are my girls. You’ve met Mya and Sara, and this is—”
Bronwyn pushed her way up front, engulfing Antonio in a hug. “Hello, brother! So excited to meet you formally! You know, I had a good feeling about you. Since your sun and Venus is in…”
“Bronwyn,” Jackie warned. “Do not scare him off. You gotta ease people into that, okay? Besides, this isn’t the place, girl!”
“Right, my bad,” Bronwyn said. “I almost forgot we were at this barbaric sporting venue. I think I got sprayed with blood in the last round.” She looked down at her caftan, checking wildly.
Antonio laughed. “Actually, I kinda dig natal charts and stuff. Maybe we can talk about that sometime.”
“Would love to!” Bronwyn said. She gave Jackie a wink and mouthed I like him before returning back to her seat.
Mya pushed past Bronwyn, looking Antonio up and down. “Damn, you even finer than I remembered.”
Jackie rolled her eyes. “Of course, this is Mya, our adopted little sister who can’t seem to use the braincells God gave her.”
“Now that’s just rude,” Mya said, sipping on her cocktail. “No disrespect. Jackie knows I have no filter. Pleasure to see you again, Mr. Steele.” She leaned down to whisper to Jackie. “You need to climb that tree tonight!”
Jackie’s eyes widened, hoping Antonio hadn’t heard that.
“Good to see you again, Antonio,” Sara said with a smile as she shook Antonio’s hand. “You all really held out on me in that interview, with the daddy-son thing. I can see why Jackie threw beans on you.”
Jackie pinched the bridge of her nose. She was never going to live that down.
Antonio looked at Jackie with a smirk before answering. “Well, she still owes me for the ruined outfit, but I’ll let it slide.”
Gideon peered around Tanika, giving Antonio the judgmental, big-brother-like stank face.
“And the guy behind Tanika mugging you is my cousin—her fiancé—Gideon. And those are his friends, Lucas and Jeremy,” Jackie said.
Gideon extended a hand. “Wassup. I just took an edible, so I’m in no mood to grill you the way I’d like. Like a proper big cousin should.” He turned to his friends. “This is my business partner, Jeremy, and our homeboy from college, Lucas.”
“It’s all good,” Antonio laughed, dapping up everyone.
“Yo, you really PJ Dawson’s dad. Like for real?” asked Lucas. “That dude is cold with it on the court!”
“Yep,” Antonio said. “He’s a good kid. I’m lucky to be his dad.”
“Two legends in one family. That’s wild,” Jeremy remarked. “It’s like some kind of sports dynasty.”
“I don’t know about a dynasty,” Antonio chuckled. “But my son is definitely the one with the real heart and talent.”
“So, what do you think the chances are they make the playoffs?” asked Lucas.
“Okay, enough about that,” Tanika declared.
“This is our bachelorette-bachelor weekend. You need a drink in your hand.” She called over a drink waitress and ordered another round of tequila shots for everyone.
When the shots came, she beckoned everyone to take one, holding hers up high in the air.
“I want to make a toast,” Tanika began. “To my future husband: I love you, Gid, more than words can say. To my bestie Jackie for these kickass seats. Girl, we can see the sweat on these boxers. And finally…” Tanika looked between all her friends and family, her eyes getting misty behind her glasses.
“To our friends who are now, literally, family. Thank you for supporting us and having our back through this crazy, improbable love story of ours. May you all have magical love stories too. Now let’s hope Mo wins his belt like a real champ! Cheers.”
Jackie took her shot and looked right at Tanika. She knew that bit about magical love stories was for her. Tanika simply raised a shot glass in her direction and winked.
The lights in the arena began to dim, and the familiar refrain of Mo’s intro music, “Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mills, began to play. The arena went wild as Mo came out, dressed in his signature golden trunks and shoes.
Jackie’s stomach flipped. This was it. The moment months of negotiating—and sometimes desperation—had led to. She rubbed her hand down her legs, trying to wipe her sweaty palms. As she did so, she felt a warm hand on top of hers, stopping her movement in its tracks.
“You did it, Lucky,” Antonio whispered in her ear as the noise of the crowd became deafening. He squeezed her hand, reassuringly. “Your job is done, baby. You got him here. It’s up to Mo to do his thing, alright?”
Jackie nodded. “You’re right. I did do it. Me. Jackie Miles. And I don’t need AMW-Elite behind my name anymore.”
Antonio looked at Jackie. “What are you saying?”
She took a deep breath. “I’m leaving AMW-Elite, Antonio. Tonight proves I can do this on my own.” She was probably riding a high, being reckless and impulsive thanks to adrenaline and alcohol, but this felt right.
“I know you can, ma. You’re Jackie fucking Miles.”
Jackie gave Antonio a wink. “Damn right.”
As soon as the ring announcer, with his famous baritone voice, began his introductions, Jackie relaxed. As she did so, her body naturally eased closer to Antonio.
He draped an arm around her shoulder, and all the tension in the world seemed to melt away.