Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“You gave him your kidney,” I breathed in disbelief.
“That part was easy. The cost of the surgery wasn’t. King and I weren’t exactly rolling in cash so we each vowed to get half of the money however we needed to. After that guy in the alley, I’d become obsessed with learning to protect myself and I’d started watching fights on TV and the Internet. It turned out that I had a natural affinity for it and when a guy I used to spar with at this community center told me about underground fighting, I knew it was my chance to get my half of the cash. My fight with Brady was the last one I needed to win to pay for the surgery.”
The knowledge that my brother hadn’t been injured only because of some prize money eased something inside of me. Con had been as desperate to save his brother as Brady had been to save me. Everything that had come after the fight’s official end had just been a cruel set of circumstances.
“None of the stories about you in the press have ever mentioned you giving your brother your kidney,” I said.
“For good reason,” Con responded. “Fighting is about finding your opponent’s weaknesses. If guys knew I was missing a kidney, guess where they’d focus the majority of their hits. Keep in mind they aren’t just looking to put me down for the count, they want me out of the game altogether.”
It took me a moment to figure it out, but once I did, a wave of anxiety passed through me. “Your remaining kidney,” I said. “Oh God, Con, what happens if you take too many hits there—”
I could feel my breathing ticking up as my heart started to race in my chest.
Con leaned forward and grasped my face. “I’m fine, sweetheart. It’s a well-kept secret. The only ones who know are my brothers, my agent, and my manager. And now you.”
His thumbs stroked over my cheeks, causing my heart to race for a whole different reason. The air between us changed so fast it nearly gave me whiplash. My body began to respond to his proximity, and I couldn’t help but drop my eyes to his mouth. It was only when Con suddenly released me and sat back that I realized he wasn’t feeling the same things.
“Is Lex okay?” I asked as I tried to even out my breathing.
“The transplant went well and he’ll be on medication for the rest of his life to prevent his body from rejecting it, but he’s living as normal of a life as he can under the circumstances.” Con tried to smile but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“He’s not okay, is he?”
Con dropped his eyes. “Yes and no,” he murmured. “I found out a few weeks ago that he’s going blind. He’d been hiding it for a while.”
“Oh Con, I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine how hard that must be after all you did to save him.”
“He’s made peace with it. And he’s met someone who makes him happy,” Con responded.
This time, I was the one to urge his eyes up so he was forced to look at me. “But that’s not all, is it?” I asked. I settled my hand on Con’s cheek.
Con watched me for a moment before he covered my hand with his. “Another time, okay?” he whispered. I nodded because I completely got it. I was worn out from all the emotional shit I’d had to wade through, and I wasn’t above admitting I wanted to escape it for a while. Con seemed to know what I wanted because he held his arms out. I eagerly returned to his warm embrace and just let him hold me for a while. Thankfully, my brain began to quiet, and I was able to just enjoy the sound of Con’s heartbeat beneath my ear.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before I startled awake at the sound of Christopher calling out for me. I jumped in response, but two big, warm arms held me in place. “He’s fine, sweetheart. He’s just looking for us.”
I took in a deep breath as Con called out, “We’ll be down in a second, Christopher.”
I heard my nephew’s muffled response through the door and could only imagine what was going through his head as he realized Con and I were in the room together. My nephew knew I was gay, but it wasn’t like he’d ever seen me in any kind of relationship with another man.
Not that what Con and I had could be called a relationship.
“I guess I should go check on them,” I murmured as I reluctantly extricated myself from Con’s hold.
“Yeah,” Con said as he released me. But he caught my hand just as I was about to get off the bed and added, “Micah?”