Hard Fiancé: A Fake Marriage Romance

by Penny Wylder

  18

  Phade

  “This is it.” Stone stands in front of me, helping me wrap my hands in white tape. Taking the strip, he starts on the outside of my right hand, pulling it tight. “How you feeling?”

  “I'm ready, I've been ready. I just want to get this fight over.”

  Stone nods, keeping his eyes on my hands. “How's Sylvia?”

  “Amazing.” Grinning, I wriggle my brows.

  “I'm not talking about that, asshole. I mean, how's she feeling?”

  Chuckling, I open and close the hand he just finished as he starts to wrap the left one. “I'm fucking with you. She's good. We went to her first appointment and got to hear the baby's heartbeat.”

  “Was it cool? Or weird?”

  “Weird?” I ask, flicking my eyes up to his. “Why would it be weird?”

  “There's a living thing inside her stomach, growing, feeding off her like a parasite.” Shuddering, he sticks his tongue out. “I don't know, I guess the idea of hearing a second heartbeat creeps me out.”

  “Well it's not weird or creepy. It's crazy, it's surreal, but it's awesome.”

  “I'm happy for you both, seriously, I really am. Never in my life could I imagine you having a baby.” Smiling, he steps back, and flips his hand in my direction. “Okay, how's that?” Tucking the roll of tape under his armpit, he asks, “Are they good? Tight enough?”

  Wiggling my fingers, I fist my hands a few times, stretching the tape across my knuckles. “They're good, it feels fine.”

  “Look who it is, it's Baby Brass Knuckles.” Gil walks into the room, shoulders perky, a big stupid grin on his face.

  “Gil,” I say, only taking a quick pause to look up at him. I don't have the time for him or his shit, so I drop my eyes back to my hands, rechecking the ends.

  “Awe, there are no hard feelings about what happened, are there? I know I'm cool. Then again, I wasn't the one who got arrested. Did you smile for your mugshot, Phade?”

  “You're right, you got off clean, because you ran like the fucking pussy you are.” Resting my elbows on my knees, I relax my muscles. “Not all of us have a tail to stick between our legs.”

  I'm not going to let him get to me. He isn't worth it. Gil can say whatever he wants and I'm just going to let it roll off my back.

  Chuckling, Gil runs his thumb across his bottom lip. “Pussy? Speaking of pussy, where's the one who's carrying your demon child? Or did she smarten up and leave your ass?”

  “Keep Sylvia and the baby out of this. They have nothing to do with this. It’s not her fault you’re a shitty fighter and a coward.”

  “Coward? No, no, no,” he says with a sly grin on his face. “Cowards knock up sluts in bathrooms. Maybe history will repeat itself and your baby will be a bastard just like its daddy.”

  “Fuck you, douchebag!” Jumping to my feet, I'm ready to run at him, but Stone grabs my arm, getting my attention. Glancing at him, he shakes his head no.

  He's right. I don't need to fight the guy, not like this, not anymore. That's what the ring is for.

  “What, you're taking orders from your goon now?”

  Gritting my teeth, my jaw crooks hard. “Say what you can, get it all out now, because you're not coming out of that ring with a voice.”

  “Is that a threat?” Gil angles his head into his shoulder, puffing up his chest. “I don't like threats, Phade.”

  Letting out an audible breath, I just stare at him. I don't care anymore what he says to me or anyone else for that matter.

  The only people that matter anymore are Sylvia and our child. My future is with them. I live for them. Everything else is meaningless.

  As the realization sets in, it feels like a mountain rolls off my back. I don't need to prove myself, I don't need to pretend like this is all my life has to offer; getting wasted and fighting because I'm not worthy of anything else.

  I found someone who makes me feel alive. That's better than all the adrenaline in the world.

  The tension in the room is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Gil isn't moving. I'm not moving. Stone is the wall between us. He's holding both his arms out, bracing to lock his arms if he has to stop both of us from attacking.

  Letting out a weighted breath, I rub my jaw, my eyes settling on Gil from over Stone's shoulder. Pointing in his direction, I nibble my bottom lip. “I hope you have this much balls in the ring. You talk a big game, but no one's here to save you this time.” Letting my arm fall loosely to my side, I grab my gloves and nod for Stone to follow me.

  Gil is silent, his eyes watching, his hands splayed at his hips, his legs open shoulder width apart. He doesn't say anything, but I know he's afraid. I can see it written all over his body.

  There's a subtle shake in his hands, it's light, almost invisible, except I see it. The vein in his forehead throbs and his chest is lifting rapidly. He's trying to slow his breathing, doing his best to stay even and normal.

  Nothing about his is normal. He knows what I'm capable of, and no matter how much he tries to get in my head, it isn't working. That scares him. Because if he can't get inside my head, he can't throw me off my game.

  That's always been his trick, his way to unbalance his opponent and give himself the upper hand.

  I'm not taking the bait.

  Before Sylvia got pregnant, I had a short fuse. It took nothing for me to fly off the handle and go wild. Someone looking at me the wrong way, someone having a tone I just didn't like, anyone willing to challenge me; that was all it took for the beast to come out, ready to tear their fucking head off.

  No more.

  I'm going to be a father. It's time for me to start setting the example, not being the lesson.

  My music begins to play in the speakers. Stone stops and sets his hand on my shoulder.

  “This is yours, it's all yours.” Squeezing, he slaps my back. “You deserve to be here more than anyone else. You've worked so hard, now go take what you deserve.”

  Adjusting my gloves, I slip my mouthguard in and jab his arm. The music gets louder and the crowd is chanting my name. Jogging out, I bounce my arms up above my head, and jab the air a few times.

  There's so much noise, it's hard to make out one person from the next. Hands are dipping in front of me, stealing a chance to touch my skin. They slip across my chest, moving, touching, groping.

  I keep my eyes on the ring. Gil should be coming in from the other side. I'm pissed, my vision a fuzzy red as I work my way down to the ring. Climbing the stairs, I feel Stone behind me as he wipes the towel across my head, drying the sweat already forming.

  The announcer introduces both of us, but all I see is his mouth moving. I can't hear him talking. The arena erupts in an explosion of sound. I can feel the energy from the crowd as it buzzes over my skin.

  This is what I live for. This moment right here.

  Looking around, the lights are bright, hovering high up on the ceiling, but bursting like miniature suns. I can feel the warmth from the bulbs as they heat my face.

  The announcer waves me forward, turning to wave Gil in next. Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I rock my head side to side, stretching the muscles in my neck.

  A referee grabs each of our wrists, making us bump knuckles. Taking a long step back, the announcer drops a single hand between us, and a bell dings in the background.

  My senses all kick in at once, and I'm focusing on Gil. His hands, his feet, the way he dips and moves. I never move in first. I always let the opposing fighter come to me.

  Gil has a smug grin on his face, as if he's already won this match before we even begin. His hands are up by his face, his head is tucked into his shoulders, making him look like he doesn't have a neck.

  I almost laugh because he reminds me of a turtle in its shell. His long, thin nose makes the perfect beak for the turtle head. His eyes are set wide, bulging from the sockets. With his hands up by his face, he could be a turtle scurrying across the sand.

  He moves forward two steps, then
moves back. He takes a step to his left, and then back to center. I watch him as he does this dance, creating a box formation. Predictable. He's making this too easy.

  Gil smiles, his grin orange from his mouthguard. Popping forward, he jabs, thrusting out his leg to try and sweep me off my feet.

  I move easily out of the way, avoiding his sweep and his fist. Bouncing on my toes, I give a testing punch, just trying to see what he'll do. It's different fighting someone in the ring, than bare knuckled in a bar.

  The ring is controlled, the bar isn't. The ring has a timer and someone monitoring what each person does. There's a written rule you won't fight dirty and you have to stop if instructed to. On the street, the person winning the fight makes all the rules.

  Ducking to the side, Gil blocks his face. He comes in with a one, two punch, and a roundhouse kick. Blocking his hands, I deflect his foot.

  I don't really want to drag this thing out. I want it done. I want it over with. I want to throw my contract in Daniel's face, and tell him I'm out. I held up my end, I finished what I started, and I finished strong.

  Gil's head bobbles on his shoulders as he circles me, trying to force me into the corner. He's so fucking obvious. He's like a child trying to lead they're parent into a trap. I'm not biting.

  With one swift kick, I connect with the side of his face. His head whips to the side, mouthguard flying out as I send stars into his eyes. Shaking his head, he picks up his mouthguard and sticks it back into his mouth.

  Gil smiles, a dark, tense smile. He's ticked, and now I'll need to be careful of his next move. Rocking his jaw side to side, he sidesteps, moving his hands waist high. His eyes are boring a hole into my face as his pupils turn to empty pools.

  He wants to kill me.

  In one giant leap, he charges forward, grabbing me around the waist and dragging me to the mat. His hands are locked around my ribs, and his head is buried in my side. Shifting his weight, Gil attempts to lock his legs around mine, and move his arms up to my neck.

  His hands are reaching, grabbing, pulling on my shoulders and the back of my head. His heel cuts into the back of my calf, and a sharp pain shoots up through the muscle behind my knee, causing my leg to seize up.

  “Ah!” I growl, gritting my teeth and sucking in air through tight lips.

  Gil's sweaty arms slip across the side of my cheeks as he tries to wriggle higher up my torso and clasp his fingers behind my head.

  This isn't going to happen. I won't let it.

  Slipping a hand between his arms, I flip so I'm up on one knee. Throwing him off balance, his arms slide down instead of up and I'm able to trap him in an arm bar.

  Pulling his arm up higher, I can see the grimace of pain on his face as he tries to bear it long enough to figure a way out.

  I'm not giving him a chance. With a fast jerk, I knee him in the jaw. My hands are clutching the back of his head, not giving him any room to move. His weight goes limp, and his arms fall loose.

  The ref jumps in, pushing me away. Holding up my arms, I step back as he checks Gil. He's out cold. His eyes are closed and he looks like he's sleeping in a puddle of sweat and blood.

  A giant gash is trickling blood down his chin, mixing with his sweat before it puddles on the mat. The ref and a medic are checking him over, making sure he's just knocked out and not comatose.

  Waving a smelling salt under his nose, Gil's eyes pop open, blinking rapidly. The medic shines a light in his pupils, asking him some questions. The room is in an uproar, yelling and clapping, calling my name and cheering.

  My ears burn from the explosion of sounds. Walking to my corner, I grab the small towel from Stone and lay it over my head. He's checking me over, but there's no damage on me.

  Gil is trying to get up, but the ref is holding him down and waving his hand, calling the fight.

  The room becomes a plethora of screams, clapping, and yelling. The entire audience is on their feet. Stone is shaking my shoulders, but everything seems to be moving in slow motion.

  I know he's yelling, excited that I won. I know the announcer is speaking into the microphone, announcing the decision. The amount of hits and points between us. What each judge counted. His mouth is moving, his voice a high pitched hum overhead.

  I hear nothing.

  Sylvia is standing on the edge of the ring, her smile broad as she slips through the ropes and runs at me. She's the only one I see, the only one I hear, the only one I feel.

  “You won! You did it, Phade!” Jumping into my arms, she wraps her arms around my neck and holds on tight as I lift her off her feet.

  I stumble back slightly, caught off guard with how hard she's hit me. Our eyes freeze on each other, hers warm and happy, full of love.

  That's what I see when I look at her now. I see love.

  Pulling her back, I hold her face. “I love you, Syl,” I say, kissing her forehead. Lowering my hands, I cup her belly. “And I love our baby.”

  She smiles, brushing caring fingers down my jawline and over my chest. “I know you do, I can feel it in my heart, in my body, in my soul.”

  Kissing her again, I wrap my hand around her lower back and dip her slightly. The room gushes with more cheers. Standing her up straight, I take her hand, leading her out of the ring and back to the locker room.

  I can't stop looking at her. This win doesn't even matter to me. It signifies an end to the past, and a doorway to the future.

  Sylvia spins, grabbing my arms excitedly. “You won, you know what this means, right?”

  “What? What does this mean?”

  A hard hand falls on my shoulder. “Phade, congratulations on this win. It's big, it's really big.”

  Sylvia takes a step back, her happiness falling flat as her eyes drift over Daniel's face. He gives her a smile, acknowledging she's there, but nothing more. There's no more emotion in his eyes for her than I have for a passing stranger on the street.

  “Thanks, he wasn't much of a challenge. I thought you'd get me more of a fight.”

  Daniel tips his head back and lets out a ruff laugh. “Well, the good news is that you both can end this little tryst and call it quits.” Flipping a finger between us, he dips his head. “There's no need for you guys to play this game anymore, I think we've given you enough space, Phade, you're safe for at least another year. All I'm going to need is your signature.”

  Every instinct in my body is screaming to just knock this guy out. My hands ball instantly, my muscles tighten, ready to strike. I'm not leaving her. Not now, not ever. And he's done giving us orders.

  My mouth opens to tell him to go fuck himself, but I don't get the chance to make a sound.

  “End it?” Sylvia asks, stepping in between us. I have never seen so much fire in her eyes. “We're not ending anything. I'm sorry, but this isn't over. You know I'm pregnant.”

  Veering his stare, he runs his fingers over his mouth. “I know a lot of things about you, Sylvia, but your stupidity bothers me most. You've needed me to hold your hand through life up to this point, and you're going to need me after. Never have you ever been so reckless, you've your ruined life.” His thick jaw rocks back and forth as his eyes jitter side to side. “You're going to regret getting pregnant, but you're going to need me if you still want a job to support the baby.”

  Sylvia frowns, her eyes turning to slits as thick, angry lines crease her forehead. “I'm not a child anymore, Daniel, I'm not going to let you keep treating me like one. You've made me think my entire my life that I was the reason for my father leaving, that I'm the one at fault. I'm not doing it anymore.” Shaking her head, she steps into my side and snuggles up close. “You can either move forward with me, or you can stay right here. I don't give a shit. But I choose Phade and the family we're building, I'm not choosing you.”

  Slipping her hand down my arm, Sylvia braids our fingers together. I kiss her forehead, smirking at Daniel because he looks shocked.

  Pulling me along, we both walk into the locker room, leaving Daniel to stew in h
is own silence. I'm proud of her. She needed to stand up to him a long time ago, and she finally did, that makes her stronger than I could have imagined.

  Spinning around on her heels, she has a huge smile on her face. “Did you see his face?” she asks, pleased with herself. “He looked like a deer in headlights.”

  She's peering up at me, her eyes sparkling in happiness. I smile back, simply holding her face in my hands.

  Touching the outside of my wrists softly, her eyes settle on mine. “Well, say something. Anything.”

  I have no words to give. She doesn't need me to reinforce that I was happy she stood up for herself. She doesn't need to hear me sprinkle her with compliments about having a backbone.

  I'll let her feel it. Brushing my fingers lightly over her skin, she looks down shyly at the floor. I draw small circles on the curve of her jawline, causing her to suck in a quick breath.

  Sylvia knows what I think, she knows what I feel, and she knows I'm proud of her.

  Pulling her face up to mine, I crush my lips onto hers. Her lips part easily, giving me ample room to slip my tongue into her mouth.

  Her tongue meets mine, spiraling around like a snake up a tree. Licking and lapping, tracing ridges and slipping over teeth.

  Exploring her scalp, my fingers work into her hair, taking fistfuls in each hand. Sylvia groans into my mouth as I give her hair a light tug. Kissing me deeper, harder, I feel her entire body unhinge.

  Her eyes change, the deep brown now burning with amber and gold highlights. They flicker like hot sparks from a fresh a fire. Pushing her chest against mine, she glides her hands up my stomach.

  Sylvia explores my abs, gently tracing each one as she moves her hands higher. It's my turn to groan as she flicks the tip of her tongue across my bottom lip and sucks it into her mouth.

  My hand finds her tit, squeezing and pinching her nipple through her shirt, pulling another coo from her. Touching her belly, I whisper against her lips, “Mine.”

  Sylvia smiles, placing her hand over mine. “Yours.”

  Something deep in my core, something feral, wild, written into my muscles, ignites like a white hot flame. I need her. Right here, right now.