Epilogue
Exodus “Yin” Tan
A year later….
The fight was over in less than three minutes. And though reporters wanted to speak with me longer, I was busy looking around. I found Alisha sitting with my family. While they were cheering and applauding, Alisha had her index fingers stuck in her ears and her eyes pressed tight.
Smiling, I ended the interview and removed my gloves. Handing them to my trainer, I made my way from the octagon over to her and went down on my haunches.
Leaning in, I kissed her on the lips.
Immediately, she tugged her fingers from her ears and swung on me.
Catching her arm, I kissed her again.
“Exodus Tan!” She exclaimed.
Laughing, I kissed her a third time then released her arm.
“Why did you come if you can’t watch?” I asked.
“I’m your girlfriend.” She instantly sat up straight. “Where else would I be? I wanted to support you. Did you win?”
“I won.”
She tossed herself into my sweaty chest and held on tight.
Standing, I pulled her upward and she wrapped her legs around my hips.
Before I hugged her back, a few fans reached out for fist pumps before my family descended on us.
As we left the arena, she pressed her face into my neck and I enjoyed carrying her by wrapping my arms around her, my palms holding her ass.
Yang, Mama Tan, Sam, Tha’lab and Bambam came in like a whirlwind. They were more excited than I was. All I wanted to do was go home and crawl into Alisha’s arms.
I set my precious cargo on a seat and was reaching for the cooler for a bottle of water when Alisha caught my arm.
“Um…Yin?”
She’d began using my nickname and it was the sexiest thing.
“Mm?” I replied, hunching down in front of her, a hand on her thigh and looking into her eyes. “What’s up?”
“Nǐ yuàn yì hé wǒ jié hūn ma?”
I stopped and held my breath.
She repeated her question—slower this time.
“What just happened?” Tha’lab whispered to Sam. “I feel like something big is happening and I’m missing it.”
“Something big is happening.” Mama Tan flailed happily.
I had to hold my hand out to steady myself as I stared at her, my heart racing a million miles a second.
Did she just ask that?
I blinked.
“She just proposed.” Sam replied in a soft voice.
“Ooo.” Bambam cheered.
“What’s wrong?” Alisha shrunk into herself. “Didn’t I say it right?”
“You said it just fine, my girl.” Yang replied. “He’s just being a dick.”
“Well?” Mama Tan asked. “Boy, say something!”
“He thinks that’s his job.” Bambam spoke as she waited for Sam to open a bottle of water for her.
“That’s dumb.” Tha’lab murmured from where she was peering into a bowl of fruits.
“No—that’s not it.” My voice cracked. “Do you know what you’re asking me? Do you understand?”
“Of course, I know what I’m asking you.” Alisha sucked her teeth, then began digging into her purse. “I asked you, didn’t I?”
She produced a Mandarin phrase book and began frantically skimming through the pages.
“I could have sworn I studied the right thing.” She mumbled to herself.
“Yin—come on, man.” Yang pleaded.
“I just—I didn’t know how this thing works with the ring and stuff.” She couldn’t seem to find the page and hurled the book across the room in frustration. “I mean, if this isn’t how it’s done, I can get a ring—or something and?—”
I kissed the rest of her nervous words into my mouth.
The others cheered.
“Wait—I don’t get it.” Bambam leaned in. “Is that a yes?”
“It’s a yes!” I stood, scooped her into my arms and twirled her as I kissed her again. “It’s a loud yes.”
They all cheered and I set Alisha back on her feet but didn’t release her.
The truth was, I’d been thinking of asking her to marry me for weeks now. But training intensified and between work and everything else, I’d dropped the ball.
But I knew it had taken a lot out of her to do this—it scared her. She slumped against my side, held my hand and grinned brightly, tears shimmering in her eyes.
“I’m proud of you.” I told her low enough for her ears only. “You did a brave thing just now—and I know you were scared.”
Mama Tan walked over to us while removing her wedding ring then a second ring she always wore with her wedding band. She silently picked up one of my palms and set the yellow gold ring with the ruby stone in it.
“This can be your engagement ring.” She explained. “It was my mother’s. When your father proposed, she passed it down to him.”
“Māmā.” My voice cracked. “Shouldn’t this go to Sam?”
She tilted her head to stare at me.
“What?” Sam stopped in mid-bite of a slice of watermelon and casted confused eyes my way. “Don’t drag me into your bullshitery.”
“He is your son, after all.” I added.
Mama eyed me then pushed to her tip toe. She caught my right ear between two fingers and twisted.
“Xiǎo nánhái.” She pulled her face up close to mine. “You are my son. All three of you are my sons. You got engaged first. When Sam gets engaged, he gets something too.”
“Ow.” I rubbed my ear when she released it. “Don’t push your luck.”
Nodding, I accepted the ring and went down on one knee in front of everyone—in front of her.
“Alisha Quinn, you know I love you.”
She nodded and large tears fell down her cheeks.
Alisha sniffled and wiped them away.
“And everything that’s happened—the way we met, and this past year with the training and the hurting and the late nights and the building of the house—you never faltered. You never questioned—will you marry me?”
“Shì de.” Her voice cracked.
Instead of trying to speak again, she nodded happily.
Somehow, I managed to slide the ring onto her finger. Though it was a little bit snug, I figured we could have it resized for her later.
Standing, I kissed her before hugging her tightly to me.
Bambam and Tha’lab flocked around her while Sam hugged me and Yang gently smacked the back of my head.
“Making her wait.” Yang muttered.
“I have to be cautious.” I eyed him.
“From Kitty?” Sam asked. “You can’t see if anyone messes with you, she’d gut them like a fish?”
I glanced over to where Mama was already naming her grand kids in her head—I could tell.
“I love you.” Alisha mouthed.
I winked at her.
It took us some time to get out of the stadium. When we finally made it to our house that we built on Alisha’s old land, I exhaled long and loud and hard.
Flopping to the sofa, I wanted nothing more than to pull her into my arms, but Alisha ventured into the kitchen. When she returned, it was with a slice of black cake, a glass of milk with a side of grapes.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Part of your reward.” Alisha smiled shyly. “Congratulations, cruiserweight champion of the world.”
Flushing, I accepted the snacks, set them on the center table and pulled her to me.
“Do you want me to quit fighting?” I asked.
“What?” Alisha’s eyes widened. “Why are you?—”
“It’s a valid question,” I said. “Don’t you think?”
“Are you ready to quit?” Alisha countered. “And don’t lie to me.”
I smiled.
“No.”
“Then?” She asked. “We’ve had this conversation. Just because it makes me nervous doesn’t mean I think you should quit. This makes you happy.”
“You make me happy, Kitty.”
She framed my cheeks, dropped a chaste kiss on my lips then set back to stare into my eyes.
“I know you love me, Yìchén.” Her thumbs traced my cheeks. “I know you love me very much. But I’m not fragile. That was my first fight as yours, remember? And besides, how do I explain to your biggest fan that I made you quit?”
I thought back to Oshain Travers and laughed.
“Right,” I said.
“Look, I was always aware that I’m your mistress when it comes to MMA. I’m not angry about it. Just promise me that if you ever started feeling no joy for it, or if you think your body is done, you quit, okay?”
Her words overwhelmed me to the point of speechlessness and I hugged her tightly.
“I’ll get you a different engagement ring. I promise. You deserve?—”
Alisha smacked my shoulder.
“Listen to me, Yìchén Exodus Tan. The only way this ring is leaving my finger is one of two ways. One, if Mama Tan wants it back.”
“And we know that’s not going to be the case, ever.” I smirked. “The second way?”
“Over my dead body.” Alisha pouted cutely. “How dare you, sir.”
I laughed softly.
“This ring is full of years of love. Your father gave it to your mother who wore it until tonight. Don’t you see how big of a blessing that is?”
“Kitty shì duì de.” I told her, lifting my lips to hers. “I’m sorry.”
“Of course, I’m right. I’m always right.”
“Oh man.” I pressed my face into her shoulder. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”
“Nope!” Alisha climbed from my lap.
Laughing, I reached for my cake.
“Blythe!” Alisha’s happy voice came from the island in the open kitchen. “Do you see it?”
When I looked up, she was wiggling her ring finger at Squirrel’s wife.
Blythe screamed from the other end of the line. That wasn’t surprising. They’d gotten closer over the past year.
“Isn’t it pretty?” Alisha asked. “It was Mama Tan’s.”
“Congratulations, love. I’m so happy for you!” Blythe told her excitedly. “Wedding plans yet?”
“Not really.” She walked by me. “I wanna savour it a little bit. I want some time to say my fiancée before I focus on that. I wanna say stuff like, Oh I don’t know, let me ask my fiancée. Or stuff like, did you meet my fiancée?”
I laughed and shook my head after she disappeared up the stairs.
A few nights later, we arrived at a celebration party my team insisted on holding for me. While Tha’lab couldn’t attend because of work, Bambam was there in a figure-hugging dress and hitting on as many fighters as she could.
Yang was sleeping for his shift the next day and Sam stood in a deep conversation with an investment banker I barely remembered from a meeting we’d have five years before.
But I only had eyes for Alisha.
She wore a beautiful see blue dress that stopped mid-thigh in the front with a train that was now hooked at her wrist to avoid her tripping over it.
Her makeup was flawless, her lips shimmering with gloss in the light.
The necklace I’d draped around her neck was white gold with a light green jade pendant. And the bracelet was a treasure passed down through my father’s family.
Apparently, it was given to the first wife to enter the family—that was obviously going to be Alisha.
Mama Tan was giddy as she slid it onto my fiancée’s wrist.
She glowed by my side and had a warm smile and a handshake for everyone we met.
The night was in full swing when Gloria Franconi spotted me. She had the look of a woman who’d spend most of the night searching for me. She was the wife of one of the promoters, who was entirely too flirty and no amount of saying no made her stop.
A year or so ago, he caught her with her tongue down an Uber driver’s throat and divorced her. Some judge somewhere gave her almost half his money—I didn’t understand it.
She ran toward me and Alisha drew into my side, wrapping an arm around my hips and pressing the other to the front of my suit.
To the very center of my chest.
Her actions spoke one word loudly, irrevocable, emphatically?—
MINE.
Gloria skidded to a stop looking as if we’d doused her in cold water.
I didn’t move Alisha’s hand.
“Gloria.” I couldn’t hide my proud smirk—my absolute giddiness. “It’s good to see you.”
“Who is this?” She asked in that kind of voice that said she was trying to hide her displeasure.
“This is my girl.” I replied. “Alisha Quinn. Alisha, meet Gloria Franconi—she was married to Colton.”
Alisha held out her left hand, being sure to turn it in a way that Gloria could see the ring.
“He calls me Kitty.” Alisha voiced. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Gloria gave Alisha’s hand a half-hearted shake. She released the hand as if it had burned her.
“You’re engaged?” Gloria asked, sadness mingled with anger in her gaze. “To her?”
“I’ll be sure you get an invite to the wedding.” I told her.
“Babe, we have to go see Sam before he gets to the models, remember?” Alisha looked up into my face. “Nobody wants that.”
“Right.” I tapped her nose with a tender finger. “Gloria, excuse us.”
We didn’t look back as we walked away. I wasn’t sure what Gloria did after that, but we didn’t see her the rest of the night.
But after we left her, Alisha was quiet.
She wrapped her arms around herself and I removed my jacket and placed it over her shoulders.
“You were jealous,” I said. “That’s not like you.”
“I don’t like her face.” Alisha replied.
“Hǎo ba, Lǎopó.” I kissed her lips gently. “I belong to you. Promise me, you won’t let anyone take me away.”
“Wǒ dāying.” She whispered before kissing me. “I promise.”
The End