Fighting For Love - A Standalone Novel (A Bad Boy Sports Romance Love Story) (Burbank Brothers, Book #5)

by Naomi Niles

  “There are two more rounds,” I said desperately.

  “If Conner takes the next round, there won’t be a third, Brit,” Danny explained gently. It was almost as though he and Lacey had already written Talen off.

  “Talen’s going to take the second round,” I said fiercely.

  Lacey and Danny exchanged a glance, but neither one said another word. A few minutes later, the second round was announced. I noticed Talen looked a little more revitalized as he stepped back into the ring. Conner seemed almost complacent, as though he understood already that he had won.

  I realized later that it was probably that attitude that cost him the second round. He was so overly confident that he let his guard down. Talen took the second round in record time to the sound of the crowd going wild with shock.

  Conner looked like he was in shock, too. His face was sour, and the smile had completely disappeared from his face. The second round hadn’t been a clean victory for Talen, however. He was bleeding from the chest, and there were a few more bruises blossoming on his body. But he had won the crowd. They were chanting his name with invigorated fervor, and Lacey and Danny joined in.

  I laughed at the two of them, feeling my spirits lift a little. Talen really did have a shot, and I wasn’t going to give up hope just yet.

  When the third round started, I wrung my hands together and uttered a silent, desperate prayer. If he won this round, he would take the victory and would become a champion in his own right.

  I studied Conner’s face, and what I saw there scared me a little. This time, he wasn’t going to leave anything to chance. He had abandoned his cocksure attitude, which meant he would be on the alert. He wasn’t going to make a win easy for Talen.

  The fight started, but it was more like a dance. It was a brutal dance to be sure, but there was something oddly mesmerizing about it. My heart was in my mouth the whole time, but I couldn’t look away.

  Ten minutes in, Conner charged at Talen. He was so huge that Talen had no way to escape. Even his quick feet couldn’t help him. Cornered by the ring, Talen could only shield his face as Conner sent punch after punch at him. It was a fully-fledged assault, and at one point, I had no choice but to lower my gaze. I felt moisture prick at my eyes, but I blinked back tears and gritted my teeth. It wasn’t over yet, and I wouldn’t let myself be disappointed until I knew the result.

  “Fuck,” I heard Danny utter.

  When I looked up at the screen, it was to see Conner punch Talen’s torso. He was already bruised and bloodied, and the force of the hit sent him reeling. Despite it all, he managed to stay on his feet. For a moment, I thought he would fall, but to my amazement, he swerved, zigzagged out of Conner’s grasp, and hit him hard in the back. Without pausing, Talen sent a kick to the back of Conner’s knees and the mammoth man fell.

  I held my breath as Talen circled around to face Conner. He pinned him down with one hand while he kept punching with the second.

  “Oh God,” I heard Lacey cry.

  I watched in amazement as the third bell went off and the crowd went wild. “Oh my God,” I breathed. “Does this mean… Is this…”

  “I think… I think he just took the match,” Danny whispered in awe.

  “No…”

  “I think he just beat Kendrick Conner,” Danny yelled.

  I was about to scream with joy when my eyes fell onto Talen’s bruised body. They were declaring him champion, but he didn’t seem to be paying attention. It seemed all his focus was going towards just remaining upright.

  “Oh God,” I said, realizing what was happening. “I think something’s wrong.”

  The moment the words were out of my mouth, Talen collapsed. I felt the gasp lodge itself in my throat. I stared until they took him away on a stretcher. I stared at the screen until it had faded to black and there was nothing more to hold on to.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Talen

  My head hurt, and that was normal. But today, I realized my face hurt, too. Surely that wasn’t normal? Why the fuck did my face hurt so badly? I tried to open my eyes and realized my left eye was fused shut. I managed to get my right eye open, and the image I saw was a foggy room that looked suspiciously like a hospital.

  “Well, well,” said a familiar voice. “Sleeping Beauty finally decided to wake up.”

  “Sam?” I asked, in confusion.

  “Well, of course, numbskull,” I asked. “It’s me, your favorite brother.”

  Sam stepped into my line of vision, and his face became clear all of a sudden. He looked down at me cheerfully, without offering any explanation as to where I was or what I was doing there.

  “I think congratulations are in order,” he said brightly.

  “Where the hell am I?” I demanded impatiently.

  He chuckled. “I like your fighting attitude. I can see how you won the match.”

  “I won?”

  “You did,” Sam nodded. “Hence the congratulations.”

  It started to come back to me in drips and drags, and then suddenly, the whole night came flooding back. I tried to sit up, but my body didn’t seem to be willing to cooperate.

  “You’ll need to take it easy for awhile,” Sam said, cautioning me. “You won, but you still had a pretty rough night. Conner gave as good as he got.”

  “I collapsed, didn’t I?” I asked, cringing at the thought.

  “Only a little,” Sam said in amusement. “You waited till they declared you champion, though. You had that moment, at least.”

  “I don’t remember much after I knocked him out.”

  “You wouldn’t,” he nodded. “You were dead on your feet. I’m amazed you had it in you to knock him out in the first place.”

  “I told myself that if I brought him to his knees, that was enough.”

  “It was more than enough,” he smiled. “You are now officially the underdog that took the championship from Kendrick Conner.”

  I smiled. “When did you get here?”

  “This morning,” Sam replied. “We all got flights over here the moment we saw you collapse in that ring.”

  “All?”

  “Peter and Madison, Alan and Jessica, John, Mom, and Mia,” Sam recited. “Kami wanted to come, but she’s too pregnant now to travel.”

  “Mia came?” I asked. “What about Renni?”

  “Vanessa’s babysitting,” he replied. “We had a time leaving her behind. She kept insisting she wanted to come and see Uncle Talen with us, but she has school and we didn’t know what condition you’d be in.”

  “I can’t believe everyone came down here,” I said somberly.

  “Why are you surprised? It’s what families do.”

  I wanted to say something appreciative, but the words were lodged in my throat. I just wasn’t the kind of guy who could say that kind of thing easily. I tried to formulate a thank you in my head first, but I knew I’d never be able to say them.

  “Where is everyone?” I asked instead.

  “They’re in the cafeteria,” Sam replied. “Getting some food. We’ve been waiting quite a few hours for you to wake up. They should be on their way up now, though. Everyone’s going to be so relieved that you’re awake and lucid.”

  “Did you think I wouldn’t be?”

  “Well, you didn’t look so good when we first saw you,” he said. “Not that you look much better now, but it’s different now that you’re awake.”

  Sam and I both heard voices at the same time and I recognized some of them immediately. Sam headed for the door and stuck his head out. “Guess who’s awake?” I heard him ask.

  A moment later, he held the door open wide and my brothers walked in with their wives in tow and our mother at the head of the pack. She walked straight towards me and took my hand.

  “Thank God you’re all right,” she sighed, her eyes wide with love.

  It made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t shy away from her touch like I would have on a normal day. I held her hand and allowed the moment to contin
ue.

  They crowded around my bed, talking, teasing, and congratulating me on my fight the night before. The only people missing were John’s partner and Sam’s stepdaughter. Apart from that, the whole family had dropped their lives and flown down just to make sure I was okay. None of them had thought to send just one representative. The fact that everyone had come meant more to me than I could say.

  That thought led me to think of Brittany. I recalled her brutal meeting with her father and the hurt she had endured because of him. I knew she would kill for this kind of family unit, something I had taken for granted in recent years. It wasn’t that I didn’t care; it was just that I felt out of place sometimes among them, so I avoided rather than confronted. I kept to myself rather than engaging to closely with any of them.

  My eyes met Peter’s, and he gave me a smile. “I must say, I was impressed with you last night,” he said. “You were…something else.”

  “You think so?”

  “There was a moment there that I didn’t think you’d make it,” Peter said. “But you proved me wrong.”

  I smiled. “I never thought I’d hear those words.”

  “Don’t get used to them,” he smirked at me.

  I laughed, but that hurt my ribcage so I stopped abruptly. Everyone settled into the tiny space, making room where there was none. About a half hour later, the door opened and the doctor walked in. He looked around in obvious shock at how many people were crowded around the small hospital room.

  “Having a party, Mr. Burbank?” he asked in obvious amusement.

  “We’ll clear the room, Doctor,” John said, rising instantly. “And, let you have some privacy.”

  Everyone cleared out except for Sam. It was almost like an unspoken agreement between us that he should be the one to stay. I noticed that Mom hesitated at the door, her eyes lingering on me uncertainly for a moment.

  “Mom?” I called.

  “Yes?” she turned to me hopefully.

  “Will you stay?”

  She smiled and nodded. “Of course,” she said as she came to stand beside Sam.

  The doctor was a short, balding man with large round glasses and a well-kept beard. I wasn’t sure of his name, but at that point, I didn’t really care. He seemed to know Sam, however, and I figured that they’d exchanged a few words while I had been unconscious.

  “How’s he doing, Doc?” Sam asked in his usual friendly manner.

  The doctor pursed up his lips, and I knew instantly that I wasn’t going to like what he had to say. “I have some…not so good news,” he started.

  I took a deep breath. “Tell me.”

  “You’re sustained some heavy injuries,” the doctor said. “Most of which will heal with time and rehabilitation. But there’s a more pressing concern…”

  “Which is?” Mom asked.

  “Your CAT scans detected some swelling in your brain,” the doctor said. “It’s caused by trauma to the head.”

  “Okay…” I nodded. “What does that mean exactly?”

  “If you sustain any more damage like this, it could lead to permanent brain damage.”

  Mom sucked in her breath, and I saw Sam’s face turn pale.

  “What are you saying, Doctor?” I asked directly.

  “You might have to consider an early retirement Talen,” the doctor said sympathetically. “Continuing to fight means seriously risking your health. If the swelling in your brain increases… There’s little medicine can do once the damage is done.”

  I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, but I refused to accept that this was the end of my MMA career. I had only just begun. I had finally made a name for myself and now I was expected to just give it up? That didn’t make any sense to me. I couldn’t do it.

  “Maybe we should give you a moment?” Sam asked.

  I looked up and nodded. Slowly, they cleared the room. Mom squeezed my hand before she left, and Sam gave me a sympathetic smile before the door shut on them. I stared at the ceiling for a moment, but I didn’t want to think about the swelling in my brain. I realized with a start, that what I really wanted to do was see Brittany.

  Acting on the whim, I reached for my phone on the bedside table. There were seven missed calls from Brittany. I returned her call, and she picked up almost immediately.

  “Talen?” she cried, the moment she heard my voice. “Oh God… I was so worried.”

  “I’m fine,” I said, my voice was a little croaky.

  “I watched the fight,” she said. “You were amazing… But when you fell, I thought I was going to lose it.” She was talking fast, and I realized she’d been waiting to hear from me. “I’m working on getting a passport so that I can fly over and see you. It should only take three or four months…”

  I laughed. “I’m coming back in a few days, Brittany,” I told her. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Really?” she gasped. “You promise?”

  “I promise,” I told her.

  Chapter Thirty

  Brittany

  “Do you think streamers are too juvenile?” I asked nervously, glancing around at the diner.

  There were already a bunch of balloons everywhere and I was worried the diner looked a little too much like a kid’s birthday party. I had taken the liberty of contacting Ryan, who had taken it upon himself to call a few of the people from the training facility that Talen knew. Talen’s trainer and his promoter were both there, including a couple of other guys that Talen had apparently trained with. He had never actually mentioned them to me, but I decided to trust Ryan on this one.

  “Urgh, this is awful isn’t it?” I said, looking around. “He’s not five years old.”

  “Brit, you need to calm down,” Lacey said, putting her hands on both my shoulders and giving me a little shake. “Seriously…”

  “No, I mean, look at the place,” I said, gesturing around wildly.

  “I’ve seen it,” she nodded calmly. “These are the streamers you chose and those are the balloons you chose.”

  “What was I thinking?” I groaned in embarrassment. “He’s going to hate it!”

  “I don’t think he’ll care,” she said, rolling her eyes at me.

  “Well, I care,” I snapped.

  Lacey eyed me suspiciously. “Do you love this guy or something?”

  I blanched at her, taken back by the question. “I…ugh… I just want things to look nice, okay?” I said, defensively.

  But her question had forced me to actually think about it. Was I in love with Talen? I had never been in love before so I had no frame of reference. The flashing and ringing of my phone interrupted my thoughts. It was Talen.

  “Hi, you,” I said, answering quickly.

  “I landed a few hours ago,” he replied. “Just settled back into my apartment. I’m headed over to the diner now.”

  “Great,” I said happily. “I’ll see you soon.”

  I felt a fever of anticipation in my belly as I hung up. As I put down my phone, I noticed Lacey eyeing me. “Talen’s on his way?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “You’re blushing.”

  “It’s the heat… I mean, the cold.”

  She laughed and nodded. “Sure, sure,” she said.

  Ryan came up behind Lacey and grabbed her from the back. “Damn, girl,” he growled. “You look good enough to eat.”

  She turned in his arms and gave him a little wink. “There’s a back room; you can try eating me in there.”

  “Eww,” I yelled. “I would tell you guys to get a room, but then…you probably will.”

  Lacey and Ryan laughed together. I walked a little closer and glanced at some of the other guys Ryan had brought with him. “Ryan?” I asked. “Who are these guys?”

  “They train at the same facility,” he replied.

  “And, Talen’s friends with all of them?”

  “Umm… I never said that.”

  “Ryan!”

  “Talen’s a recluse, okay?” he said. “He doesn’t really make
friends easily. He didn’t even really want to talk to me and I was his training partner. But I’m persistent and annoying, so he had little choice there.”

  I laughed.

  “Plus, what kind of party would it be if there was all of five people present?”

  “Probably the kind of party that Talen would enjoy,” I said.

  “Hmm…you’re probably right,” Ryan nodded. “Oh well, it’s too late now.”

  He pulled Lacey towards him and kissed her full on the mouth. She pushed him away and punched him lightly in the chest. “Behave yourself,” she said.

  “You know I never do,” he told her. “That’s why you like me.”

  “What makes you think I like you?” she demanded.

  I rolled my eyes at their banter and walked away, giving them a moment’s privacy. I walked around behind the breakfast counter to make sure all the food was ready. After Talen’s generous gift, I had a little breathing room, which meant I could put aside some money for the party. It was really the least I could do to show him how much I appreciated what he had done for me. It was also a way to show him I was glad he was okay.

  About twenty minutes later, I saw his car pull up and I ran outside to greet him. “Talen!” I said, with elation. “You’re here.”

  “I said I would be,” he said, in amusement. “You look nice.”

  I was wearing jeans and a black sweater. “Thanks,” I said, noticing the condition of his face as he walked closer. “I wish I could say the same about you.”

  He smiled. “You should have seen me a few days ago,” he replied. “It was pretty gruesome.”

  As he walked up to me, I reached up and touched the bruised side of his face. “Does it hurt?”

  “It did,” he nodded. “Now it’s just a little sore. Nothing I can’t handle, though.”

  I smiled. “I knew you would win.”

  “Did you now?” Talen asked, with one raised eyebrow. “Even after I lost the first round?”

  I smiled. “I’m not saying I didn’t have my doubts. I just… Somehow I knew you’d come through and give them all a show. I saw the determination in your eyes when you stepped into that ring last week. After that, I just… I believed you could do it.”