Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 93699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“Hold that thought,” he said, kissing my forehead. “Give me one hundred and twenty six seconds.”
Rushing back to the octagon, he mouthed a few things at Ralph and his trainer, and then he finally took to his corner.
The guards followed him back inside, and he slid his mouthguard over his teeth.
Ryan suddenly appeared in front of me and reached for my hand.
“This way, Mrs. Carter,” he said. “Mr. Carter has a special seat reserved where you can see the match better.”
I smiled and let him lead me to the seat in front of Penelope.
She squeezed my hand, and I squeezed hers in return.
“If you’d like to touch gloves, do so now,” the referee said as Travis and Juarez faced each other.
They reluctantly obliged, and the bell rang.
Juarez threw the first jab, a right-hand hook, but he missed.
Travis bounced on his toes. “Are you sure you don’t want a fucking trilogy?”
“Fuck you.” Juarez served two heavy leg kicks to Travis’s thighs, landing both and drawing an “Ohhhhh,” from the crowd.
Travis smiled, looking unfazed.
“Last chance.” Travis moved his fists in rhythm with his feet. “I’m being generous.”
Juarez kicked his leg again, landing the shot yet again.
“Suit yourself.” Travis suddenly threw a left hook against Juarez’s face, causing him to stumble backward. Travis threw another that sent him straight to the mat without giving him a chance to recover. He immediately moved over him and punished him with his fists, each blow coming harder and harder, each one making the crowd go wild.
Juarez attempted to escape the raining blows, but it was useless.
Travis served him a hammer fist that bloodied his eyes, and the referee finally ended the massacre by pushing Travis away.
The crowd cheered, and the words “T.K.O.” flashed on the Jumbotron.
Surprisingly, Travis didn’t strut around the octagon to celebrate the moment. He didn’t grab the closest mic and demand that the commissioner bring him the championship belt as he’d done on numerous occasions.
Instead, he climbed over the cage and returned to me.
“Now, what was I saying to you before?” he asked. “Oh, right…”
“You’re the love of my life,” he said, getting down on one knee and caressing my hand. “I don’t care about the sponsorships or my career if I can’t share it with you.”
“Travis…” I blushed as the people around us swooned. “Go get your championship belt.”
“I will in a minute,” he said, looking into my eyes. “Tatiana Carter, will you stay married to me?”
“Yes,” I nodded as he stood to his feet, but then I played coy. “Well, maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“Since we’ve been apart, a certain issue has come to my attention and we have to address it,” I said.
“I want a fucking trilogy!” Juarez suddenly roared from the cage. “A motherfucking trilogy!”
Travis looked over his shoulder and then back at me. “Do I need to retire to keep you? I will…”
“No, I want you to complete the trilogy,” I said. “After you beat him to a bloody pulp again, you can retire.”
He smiled, clasping my hands. “What’s this certain issue you’re talking about?”
“Last night, I fell down the rabbit hole of the ‘I Hate Travis Carter’ website.”
“There are far better ways to spend your time…”
“I know that.” I smiled. “But there was a ‘Does he have a secret girlfriend’ thread that caught my attention.”
“Okay…” He looked confused.
“It’s dated for a time when you and I weren’t talking.”
“I guarantee whatever they wrote there isn’t completely true.”
“A few photogs caught you stepping outside of Rizzo’s, a store that only makes custom engagement rings.”
“They also make adjustments to my championship belt whenever I ask.” He kissed my forehead. “I’m not seeing how this is an issue.”
“You were carrying a ring bag out of the store when you left,” I said. “Days later, you arrived at a bar with red roses so huge that a security guard had to help you carry them.”
He said nothing.
“They have all the pictures,” I said. “I can share them with you if you like.”
“I’ll pass.”
“I just want to know who the flowers and the ring were for. That’s all.” I looked at him. “Who was she?”
“Someone I loved very much.”
“Why didn’t it work out?”
“Numerous reasons, but ultimately, she became my younger sister’s roommate and completely buried our history.”
“What?”
“I was drunk and missing you when I bought that ring,” he said. “I showed up to that restaurant because I had an entire conversation in my head with you about a date. Again, I was drunk.”
“I’m sensing a pattern with you, emotions, and alcohol.”
“There probably is.” He pressed his forehead against mine. “There was no girlfriend, though. It was just you. It’s always been just you.”
“Do you still have the custom ring that you bought back then?”
“I do.” He looped his fingers in my left hand and held it up before kissing me. “You’ve been wearing it…”
The End
MONTHS LATER
EPILOGUE ONE
The Snarky Glove: