by T M Kelly
The moment my dad found out, I had a feeling I would be camping out at Lily’s place for the foreseeable future.
“I love you, sweetie.” She pulled me close for a hug and walked over to the door.
“I love you, too.” I watched as she left the room. If I found the right man, he would never dictate my life. My heart ached for my mom.
“Hey there, Mr. Adams,” I said, throwing my backpack on the couch and walking into the kitchen. Lily’s dad owned a beautiful home but nothing crazy huge.
“What did I tell you about calling me, Mr. Adams?” Johnny Adams, also known as The Punisher, set the serving spoon down on the counter and turned toward me.
“Sorry, Dad.” It felt weird calling him that, but yet, he was more of a father to me then my real dad.
“That’s better.” He walked over to the kitchen island and rested his hands on the granite surface. “Are you staying for dinner?”
“I don’t know.”
Lily walked back into the room and moaned. “It’s Saturday. Can’t you hang out here with us?”
Dad had told me this morning I needed to be home by dinner time. Something about he and Mom needing to talk to me about my future. I had no idea what he meant, and honestly, I didn’t care.
“Let me call Mom and see if I can stay.”
I walked to the living room for some privacy and waited until Mom picked up. But she didn’t pick up, it was Dad on the other line. “Hello, Charlie. You should be home by now.”
“Dad. Um, hey, I was just wondering if I could have dinner with Lily tonight?” I was seventeen, so technically I had to get permission. Especially because I still lived under my parents’ roof.
“I thought we talked about having dinner together tonight?”
“I know, but—”
“No buts. We talked about this already. Not up for discussion.”
Pulling the phone away from my ear, I was tempted to throw it at the wall. I reeled in that emotion and hit end instead. Why bother saying anymore to my father? He didn’t listen to anyone but himself. After seventeen years, I was starting to tire of his controlling ways. My birthday was in two months, which meant I would have the freedom to do what I wanted, that included not going to college.
“Hey.” Lily placed her hand on my shoulder, making me jump. “Oh shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Turning to face my best friend, I suddenly felt jealous. I wanted what she had. Her relationship with her dad was rock solid. Not having a mom was shitty, but Lily and her dad formed a bond that was unbreakable. Something I couldn’t even wrap my head around with my dad.
“Yeah, I’m good.” I slid the phone into my back pants pocket. “I need to get home.”
“Can’t you tell him to fuck off?”
“I want to, believe me.” Walking back into the front room attached to the kitchen, I grabbed my bag. “Remember when Grace cut herself off from the family?”
Grace was my older sister. She was smart and left the moment she turned eighteen. My father threatened her and said she would not get anything from them ever again. She didn’t care—just packed what she needed into one bag and walked out.
I felt afraid to make that choice.
“Charlie, you know you don’t have to worry about that happening to you,” Johnny said reaching into the refrigerator for eggs. “I will take care of you no matter what.”
His words touched me, and I struggled with holding back my tears. “Why, though?” I said in a whisper.
Johnny walked over and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Because family loves unconditionally, and I think of you like my daughter.”
“Why does it have to be a fighting match with you every time we talk,” Dad said, throwing his napkin on the table.
“Maybe because I’m old enough to decide if I want to have dinner with my friend. Yet, you always find a way to ruin that fun.”
He leaned forward in his chair. “Young lady, I told you to be home at a certain time, and I expect it.”
I took a forkful of mashed cauliflower and had it halfway to my mouth. “You do know I’m almost eighteen, right?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Maybe treat me like an adult.”
He pushed his chair back, ready to pounce on me. “Yeah, treat you like an adult. Well, tell me how those college applications are going?”
How did we go from having dinner at my friend’s place to college applications? Leave it to my father to twist an argument into his favor. Now I had no idea what to say.
“I sent them off.”
“Did you?” he said, standing up and walking to the little desk next to the kitchen. “Then what are these?” My heart must have stopped. He was holding up the five envelopes from the glove box in my car. “Are these the ones you sent off?”
“Why did you go through my stuff?”
“Is that the question you have for me?”
“Yeah, because you went through my stuff.”
He threw the envelopes down on the table beside me. “I bought the car.”
“So nothing is private for me. Is that what you’re saying?”
Then he threw my diary down on top of the envelopes. “And we need to discuss this, too.”
Now he’d crossed the line. I pulled my phone from my back pocket and placed it on the table, walked over to the landline, and called Lily.
“What are you doing? I’m talking to you,” Dad yelled at the top of his lungs.
I heard Lily say, “Holy shit” on the other line.
“Hey, can you come get me?” She lived around the corner from me.
Lily didn’t hesitate. “I’ll be right there.”
My dad was beside my ear and screaming. “I said I wasn’t done talking to you.”
I kept my cool. “But I am. There’s my phone.” I pointed to the kitchen table. Then I reached into my pants pocket and pulled out my keys. “For my car,” I said and threw them down on the table. “I’m done.”
As I walked to the front door, I knew Dad was fast on my heels. “You leave now, you lose everything.”
I turned and he plowed into me. Pushing him away, I shook my head. “You don’t get it. I really don’t care.”
“You should. Good luck with trying to survive with no college degree and no money in your bank account.”
“I don’t need a college degree to be successful. Plus, I would rather have zero in my account than live like this for another second.”
“This. Really? I took care of you. I built up my business so I could care for my kids.”
“Correction: you built your business so you could become rich and boss us around. You never cared about us. If you did you wouldn’t treat us the way you do.” I opened the door and stepped outside. Lily’s car was waiting at the curb. “I will make my own millions. I don’t need your help.”
“We’ll see about that.”
1
“Need a lift home?” Brooks said and held the door open for me to exit the arena.
“Um, sure,” I said and patted his chest. “Such a gentleman.”
I still couldn’t believe my best friend was bantamweight champion. We had talked about wearing matching belts for as long as I could remember. It was my turn to win the flyweight division and I would.
“Earth to Charlie.” Brooks waved his hand in front of my face. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I was just thinking about Lily. I’m so damn proud of her.”
“The memorial fund in memory of her father was an amazing idea. There are so many fighters that need just a little bit of help.”
I turned in my seat and watched as Brooks continued talking. When I met him, he seemed cocky and so sure of himself. He was all that, but he also ended up being much more than I ever imagined. When Lily moved in with Julian, Brooks became my go-to friend to bounce ideas and moves off of. Lily never left me high-and-dry; she was just wrapped up in a new relationship.
As Brooks and I continued to spend more
time together, I noticed something change between us. I was too afraid to say anything because what if he didn’t feel the way I did? He was my friend, but was I willing to lose that friendship by admitting my own feelings.
“I’ll see you at the gym tomorrow,” Brooks said as he pulled into my driveway.
I looked around and realized I was home. “Oh, um, want to come in for a bit?” The words fell out before I had a chance to take them back.
“You sure? I know it’s late, and we have a big day of training tomorrow.”
“We can handle one drink.” I winked and opened the car door. “We might be able to handle two drinks even.”
“Now that’s just crazy talk,” he teased and locked his car.
As my fingers fumbled to unlock the front door, I felt his body only inches away from mine. I glanced up and smiled before pushing through the entrance. “Wine or something stronger?”
“Stronger.” He stayed close as I made my way into the kitchen to grab a couple glasses and some bourbon.
“Ice or no ice? I can’t remember how you like it.” I held up his glass which was half-full of bourbon.
He surprised me by stepping into my personal space. “How could you forget?”
I looked down at the distance between our bodies and sucked in a breath. “Forgetful.” I shrugged my shoulders. He reached out his hand to grab the glass but took my hand too. “How am I supposed to drink mine?”
“You’re not.” He sighed and set the glass on the counter.
“Oh, not in the mood for a drink now?”
“No.” He brushed a strand of hair away from my face and tucked it behind my ear. His touch caused my body to come alive. With each contact he made on my skin, I felt a shiver run down my spine. “Charlie,” he whispered.
“It’s not just me?”
“No, it’s not, sunshine.”
“Sunshine? Is that my new nickname?” I placed my hand over his. “Why that name?”
“Well, everyone calls me Hollywood, so I thought it would be a perfect name that would go with mine.”
“Oh, so you feel pretty confident about this thing that is happening between us?”
He circled his hand around the back of my neck. “More than confident.” Then he dropped his head and captured my lips.
Eight months later…
“Can we stay here all day?” I said, wrapping my legs tighter around Brooks’s body.
“Nope, you have training to do.” He tried to push me away but failed.
After several months keeping our relationship on the down-low, we’d finally had it and let the world know. I loved starting and ending my day with him right beside me. I knew he had a house, but for some reason, we continued camping out at my little rental. It was more about me; I wasn’t ready to make it that official. His house was a mansion and pretty amazing, and the commitment kind of freaked me out. For so long, I swore off men and had myself convinced they were all just as awful as my father.
Brooks found a way to prove me wrong.
I stood and started to head to the shower. He smacked my ass, causing me to jump. “You’re mean,” I whined.
“Want me to show you mean?” He winked.
“Personally, I’ll take dirty over mean.”
“Oh, we can do that,” he said, hopping off the bed and chasing me into the bathroom.
I squealed the whole way and then turned quickly to face him. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“I think you’d manage.”
“I beg to differ.”
He reached down and scooped me up into his arms. “Let’s discuss this over a hot shower.”
My father would never win now.
My life was too perfect for him to break me down.
“Hey, sunshine.” Brooks pulled his leg tighter around my throat. “You paying attention?”
“Kinda hard when you have a death grip on my vocal chords,” I said and tried to move my arms to the inside of his legs and push out.
We had been grappling for the last two hours, and my body was finally screaming “defeat.” I had a fight in four days with Spartacus and still couldn’t figure out how to avoid the rear choke submission. Julian Moore and Brooks Moore, the owners of Fight It Out, were working extra with me.
“Still on the same move,” Lily teased and sat down on the mat. I held my middle finger up in her direction. We had a love-hate friendship after all these years.
“If Brooks would stop trying to attempt to kill me by suffocation, I could move on.”
“Not true,” Brooks said, finally letting go of my neck. “You just look cute—”
“Choking to death,” I teased, finishing his sentence and shoving at his side.
“You ready for the fight this weekend?” Lily took a drink from my water bottle.
“As ready as I will ever be.”
After Lily signed with AFC, Spartacus approached me about five fights over the next year and half. Basically the same deal Lily agreed to. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Brooks jumped up and stepped closer to me. “Need some extra help getting ready for the fight?” Then he actually winked at me.
“Ewww, I’m out.” Lily jumped up and walked away.
“Help?” I tried not to laugh at his weak pick-up line.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. “Sure. Maybe let off some unwanted energy in bed.”
“Oh, talk sexy to me, Hollywood.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “So are we going to just—”
“Fuck like bunnies,” he quickly said.
I shook my head. “Hopefully no bunnies will be harmed during this event.”
“Sometimes it just happens.”
His words caused me to start laughing, and then I struggled to stop. I loved how he knew how to make me laugh. After all these months together, and I was still worried about taking our relationship to the next level. I worried I would treat him the way my dad treated my mom.
“Oh shit,” Brooks said, stepping away. “I forgot, I agreed to help with the self-defense class tonight.” He turned his head in a curious way. “Want to help?”
“Me? How can I help with self-defense class?”
“Malik let me know there were ten women who signed up,” Brooks said and kissed my temple. Malik was a middleweight fighter at the end of his fighting career, so it made sense he wanted to help others with self-defense moves. “We could pair up and give more of a one-on-one session for the ladies.”
“That sounds fun.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Count me in.”
He pulled me close to his body. “You know what I like most about you?”
“My irresistible smile.”
“Well, yes, but something else.” Brooks leaned in and kissed me. “Your willingness to help others.”
“Oh, is that what you like most about me? And here I thought it was our fucking like bunnies sessions.”
“Those are pretty damn good, too.”
I swatted at his arm and started to head toward the locker room. “What time is the class?”
“Seven.”
“Perfect.”
The moment I stepped foot into the locker room, my phone rang. Glancing down at the screen, I quickly hit accept. “Hey, bro.” Jackson, my twin brother, lived in Michigan now but called me at least once a week.
“You sound out of breath?”
“Just finished a training session with Brooks.”
“You ready for your fight in four days?”
He promised me several months ago he wouldn’t miss my fight. I had a feeling that was about to change. “Yup, my weight is right on target, so I’m ready to rock and roll.” The moment I heard him let out a heavy sigh, I knew I was right. “So you can’t make it, eh?”
“What? No.”
“Jackson, give me more credit than that. What is it this time?”
“Work.”
It was always work. A part of me wondered if he was trying to avoid taking a trip back to th
is side of the country. I mean, who could blame him really. My parents had six kids, and only two were currently still in the bay area.
“Whatever.” I pretended someone walked into the locker room. “What? Okay, hold on.” Only a portion of me felt bad lying. “Listen, Lily just yelled for me. I need to go.”
“Hey,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“Okay. Talk to you next week.”
I hit end and slammed the phone down on the bench. Somehow my father still had this hold over his kids, even the ones who escaped his rules.
“Hey, sunshine,” Lily said, walking toward me. I shook my head, taking myself away from those memories. She sat down beside me. “Want to practice a little more? Or do you feel ready?”
I looked up at Lily and reached for her hand. “Thank you.”
“For?” she said and scowled.
“Just being you.”
“Jackson’s not coming, is he?”
Her question took me by surprise. “How?”
“You have this look every time he cancels on you.”
I rested my head on her shoulder. “It’s fine.”
She turned her body to face me. “Stop saying it’s fine.”
“What else can I say?”
“Say you’re pissed. Say you want to punch something. Say you want to yell at him.”
I knew she was right. Getting mad and letting my emotions out would feel better. “It won’t change a damn thing, Lily Bug.” Leaning forward, I kissed her cheek. “How about I let off some steam while helping Malik with self-defense class tonight?”
“Brooks convinced you?” She threw her hand over her mouth.
“Oh that man, he will pay. Why am I really helping?”
“Jenny, a woman who signed up, needs someone who understands what she’s going through.”
That basically meant, someone who experienced abuse in some form. I was willing to help this woman if that was what she needed. I patted her arm. “They could have just told me they needed me to work with Jenny, instead of the big run-around.”
“Tell them that.”
“I think I will,” I said and stood up. “After my shower.”