Fight of Life (Perception Book 3)

by Shandi Boyes

  When Noah loudly declares his love for Emily, my gaze flicks around at the guests wanting to gage their reaction at his declaration of love. In the corner of my eye, I spot Rachel sitting a few seats over from me. She has on a lovely pale blue fitted dress and a pair of white stiletto shoes. This is the first time I have seen her since the day Noah woke up. When Jacob first told me she had kissed him, I was furious. I knew there was something more between Jacob and her than he had originally let on. Jacob was adamant that he didn’t kiss her back and when I stared into his ocean blue eyes, I knew he was telling the truth. I don’t think he has one deceitful bone in his body.

  How are things going between Jacob and I? I wouldn’t say perfect, but we are getting pretty darn close, even if he is a little corny at times. After I had settled down my anger over finding out that Rachel had her lips on Jacob’s mouth, Jacob asked if I would be his girlfriend. I probably shouldn’t have laughed, but the way he had asked me made it sound like we were in middle school. Did that mean I turned down his invitation, hell no! I am not stupid, I knew what a catch Jacob was and I wanted to keep him all to my greedy self. He seemed surprised when I slowly nodded my head, before he prowled seductively towards me. The memories of that night definitely rates number one in my hottest sex moments. Just thinking about it, still gets me all hot and horny.

  Jacob must have noticed me squirming in my seat, as his gaze lifts to look over at me. I give him a quick wink, causing him to smile, before he is interrupted by the marriage celebrant asking him for the wedding rings.

  Once the wedding ceremony was over, the bridal party and their guests head towards a large white reception tent that was erected on the grounds surrounding Noah and Emily’s cabin. Because Jacob is Noah’s best man and was required to do all the formalities of the wedding, he and I were seated at separate tables. I sat with my parents and my brothers at the family table, while Jacob sat with the bridal party.

  I couldn’t help but giggle when I noticed that Slater kept adding nips of straight whiskey to Jacob’s mixture of whiskey and coke. When he realized I had busted him, his eyes popped open wide in shock, before he lifted his finger to my mouth requesting for me to keep quiet. I nodded my head, as I returned my glass of wine I had just removed from the waiter’s tray. One of us had to remain sober and with how often Slater was spiking Jacob’s drink, I guess that person was going to be me. I haven’t had to handle a drunk Jacob yet and I am curious to see how he handles his liquor.

  “So your Jacob’s girlfriend?” questions a voice I don’t recognize just as I finished ordering a soda water from the bartender. The wedding reception has been going strong for the past few hours and I was parched from laughing at the crazy antics some of Noah’s bandmates have been getting up too.

  “Yes, I am. Hi, my name is Lola” I introduce while offering my hand to Rachel to shake. She seems hesitant, before she eventually accepts my friendly gesture.

  “That’s funny as he never once mentioned that he had a girlfriend” she responds harshly as her eyes roam over my tight fitted black mini dress. From the disgusted look on her face, I can only assume that Rachel isn’t a fan of mine. Another name I can add to an already long list.

  “Well I guess he didn’t technically have a girlfriend back then” I reply as the bartender places my soda water down in front of me. Jacob and I had always been ‘friends’ until a few months ago.

  When I look towards Rachel, I notice that she is staring at Jacob, who is standing across the room talking to Slater. Jacob must have noticed we were watching him, as his gaze lifts and looks over towards us. When he notices us standing together, his eyebrows pull together tightly and he silently mouths asking if I am okay. I quickly nod my head, before I grab my soda water off the bar top and saunter over towards him.

  “Is everything ok?” he questions concerned the instant I stand next to him.

  “Everything is fine” I reply, before placing a quick kiss on his lips.

  “You’re not getting jealous again are you?” he whispers cheekily into my ear, causing me to roll my eyes. When he notices my reaction, he chuckles softly before pulling me closer to his side. Just the smell of whiskey seeping out of Jacob’s pours is nearly enough to make me drunk.

  “Are you ready to head out?” Jacob slurs while swaying. I instantly start nodding my head. If he gets too drunk and falls over, I will have no chance in hell of getting him up off the floor.

  “Ok, I’ll be back in a minute” he informs, before he stumbles over towards Emily and grabs her in a big bear hug. I let out a little giggle, until I see Jacob plant a big kiss right on Emily’s lips. Ok, maybe I do get a little jealous. Then when I notice Rachel quickly moving over towards Jacob, my jealousy hits me full force. I can tell that she still cares for Jacob, even though she now knows he has a girlfriend. I quickly walk over and throw myself into Jacob’s arms. He seems a little surprised before he smiles his big cheeky grin.

  “I thought you didn’t get jealous” he whispers while his ocean blue eyes stare into mine.

  “Shut up and kiss me” I instruct. He chuckles against my lips before he returns my kiss. Our kiss soon becomes heated that the only noises escaping Jacob’s throat is his moans of pleasure.

  Considering how much alcohol Jacob has consumed, I am impressed that he manages to walk us the whole way to his car unscathed, while never once removing his lips from mine. When he reaches the driver’s side door, he gently places me back down on my feet, before he tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear.

  “I love you C.T” he whispers, only slightly slurring.

  “I love you Jacob” I whisper quietly as my heart starts to race. This is the first time I have ever told Jacob that I love him. I have known I have loved him for a while, but I was too scared and stubborn to ever say it back. I don’t know if he heard my quiet declaration of love, but he smiles brightly, before he stumbles around and jumps into the passenger seat of his car.

  Jacob remains quiet for most of the drive home and I was starting to wonder if he had fallen asleep. It was only when he leant over and gripped my hand within his that I realized he was still awake. He was obviously deep in thought and it has me wondering what was going on it that head of his.

  “Are you okay?” I question concerned. I really hope he isn’t going to be sick, while silently thanking god that I decided to drive Jacob’s car to the wedding, ensuring that my car will remain vomit free.

  “I’ve never been better” he responds happily, as he squeezes my hand gently. When I peer from the road to face Jacob, I notice that he is smiling brightly.

  Walking up three flights of stairs with a heavily drunk Jacob was an interesting experience. Jacob can be classified as a happy drunk. He would often steal kisses and tell me that he loved me during the long and torturous trip from the car to my front door. Once we finally stumbled inside, he loudly declared “Home sweet home”. He then kicked off his shoes and attempted to remove his belt while walking towards our bedroom. Jacob has been practically living with me for the past three months. He still hasn’t decided what he wants to do career wise, but he had managed to save enough money the past two years fighting that he has a little nest egg he can live off until he works out what he wants to do next. He spends most of his days at Hank’s gym training a handful of boys and one girl from Hopeton House and when he isn’t there, he is here with me. When Jacob had told Noah about the first training session, Noah immediately offered to pay for the kid’s gym membership, thus not only helping the disadvantaged kids, but also helping Hank at the same time.

  By the time I had grabbed a glass of water and the bottle of Advil out of the kitchen, Jacob had already crashed in the middle of my bed. I was grateful that he had at least managed to make it onto the bed before passing out, but it would have been nice if he wasn’t hogging the whole bed. I quickly jump into the shower and remove my makeup before I join Jacob. The instant I slip into the measly section of bed Jacob wasn’t hogging, he reaches his arm out and drags me towar
ds him.

  “That’s better” he mumbles once he has me snuggled into the side of him. It wouldn’t matter how much space I put between us when we first go to bed, every time I wake up I am smothered by Jacob. He always wraps his body around mine, making me feel like I am in a cocoon. I snuggle in close to his chest and fall blissfully asleep.

  The next morning, I try to pretend that I can’t feel Jacob’s gaze roaming over my body, as I am hoping to enjoy a few more hours of sleep. Jacob had kept me awake half of the night with his drunk snoring and I feel like a I have been hit by a train.

  “Stop faking it” Jacob states groggily. I have no clue how he knows, but he can instantly tell when I am wake, even when I haven’t opened my eyes.

  “Sshhh” I plead as I roll over and snuggle in closer to his chest, causing him to let out a little chuckle. When I notice that his chest is bare, my eyes immediately pop open wanting to be visually satisfied. When they lift to look at Jacob’s face, I notice that he is smiling brightly. I have no clue how he can be so chipper this early in the morning, let alone when he should have a massive hangover.

  “Say it again” he requests as his blue eyes stare into mine. I cock my eyebrow as I look at him confused.

  “ssshh” I repeat, causing Jacob to chuckle loudly.

  “Not that” he laughs while looking at me like I am an idiot. “Say what you said last night” he continues. My eyes open wide in surprise while I gaze directly into Jacob’s bloodshot eyes. My heart starts doing little flips, as my palms start to sweat in panic.

  He remembered.

  Chapter 56

  Jacob

  Twelve months later…….

  “You have to do it like this” I instruct while gently grabbing Maddie’s two little chubby fingers and showing her how to do the peace sign. When she blows a sloppy raspberry, sending spit flying into the air, I can tell she appreciates my efforts.

  “Your teaching her the wrong finger” chuckles Slater as he enters the room. Emily eyes instantly narrow at Slater’s comment, before she recommences replenishing the cupcakes on the food table. When she turns her back, I quickly lower down Maddie’s index finger and point her chubby little hand directly at the shocked face of Slater.

  Noah’s eyebrows pull together tightly as he walks into the room, when he realizes I am teaching his one-year-old daughter how to flip the bird. I hear him murmur a curse word under his breath as he shakes his head and walks over to assist Emily.

  “That one is just for Uncle Slater” I advise Maddie, causing Slater to chuckle loudly.

  “Give her to me before you ruin her for eternity” requests Lola as she lifts Maddie off my lap and walks her towards the snack table.

  Even three years later, I still can’t get enough of Lola’s tight and fit body. My eyes roam appreciatively over her seductive curves as she stands next to Emily, bouncing Maddie on her hip.

  Today is Maddie’s first birthday. She was born the day after Noah and Emily got married, or I prefer to call it the day after Lola first told me she loved me. I can still remember the morning after the wedding when Lola thought I had forgotten what she had said. When I first requested her to repeat it, she looked the most scared I had ever seen her. She tried to pretend that she never said it, but I knew she was full of shit. It wouldn’t have mattered how much alcohol I had consumed that night; I would have never forgot hearing those three little words escape her lips for the first time. Did she end up repeating it? Yes, she did…. after I sexually tortured it out of her. Now I have the pleasure of hearing it once or even twice a day and it still never gets old.

  Today is the first time we have managed to gather everyone back into the one room. A few months after Maddie was born, Noah and his band went on tour. Not long after that, I started fighting again in the UFC. I had thought my UFC dreams were done and dusted when I was placed on probation for assaulting Callum, but Lola and Hank managed to find a loophole in the system and once my probation period was over for assaulting the paparazzi, I was allowed to recommence my fighting dreams. It has been a slow process the past six months trying to climb my way back up the ladder, but every fight I win is another step closer to being able to have a rematch against the ‘Constrictor’.

  Lola has been nothing but supportive of my fighting dreams. She often comes and watches me train or sometimes she is even my sparring partner in the ring. She also runs her own self-defense class for women. Lola thought they would feel more comfortable if they were being taught by a lady instead of a man. The first few sessions, Hank and I assisted, but it didn’t take her long to get the hang of things and her class numbers soon soared. If they continue to grow at the rate they are now, she may need to look at putting on another instructor. Hank’s gym now has a great clientele base and there is no chance his doors will be closing any time soon. He has his own little house in Ravenshoe and is often included in family events like today.

  Hank still calls Lola my weak spot, but he doesn’t realize she is one of my main motivations for wanting to succeed in the cage. Lola still works full time at Pete’s bar and does her self-defense classes on the weekends and we still live in her run down little apartment in the middle of Erkinsvale. But, as I start to climb the ladder, I will be able to give her everything I have ever dreamed of.

  I could have given her more now if I had accepted the money that Noah was sneakily putting in my bank account. That sneaky fuck had organized for money to be automatically transferred into my account every month. It took me a little while to click on, as I had a nest egg built up from fighting with Isaac for two years, but it was only when Lola pointed out his deposits on my bank statement did I realize what he was doing. I immediately went to my bank and had a check drawn up in his name. If he didn’t deposit it, I told him I was going to give it to his mother. He soon accepted the check.

  “Where you seriously teaching my daughter the finger?” Noah questions when he moves over to sit next to me.

  “I would never do such a thing” I reply, while chuckling softly. Noah’s gaze flicks up to check where Emily and Lola are before he leans down and whispers in my ear.

  “Did you get it?” I quickly nod my head, while running my hand over my pocket to ensure the ring box I had placed in there earlier is still present.

  “Are you crapping your pants?” he questions quietly. I instantly start nodding my head again, causing him to laugh.

  “What’s the worst she can say?” he asks, after his laughter dies down.

  “No” I immediately reply panicked, while staring into his dark eyes. I really fucking hope she doesn’t say no.

  “And where will that leave you?” he questions, as he raises one of his eyebrows high into his hairline. I look at him confused, before I shrug my shoulders.

  “Exactly where you are now” he informs.

  That’s easy for him to say. He got the lovey dovey sister and I chose to fall in love with the more stubborn, bossier and opinionated version of his wife. Does that mean I wished Lola was more like Emily? Definitely not. One of the main things I love about Lola is that she doesn’t take crap from anyone. She knows that she is never going to please everyone and she is perfectly happy living her life the way she wants. It doesn’t make her selfish, or a bitch, it means she is smart in this ruthless world. I remember once she quoted to me:

  “In life people are either going to love you or hate you. As long as you get an even number of people in each column, your life will turn out ok”

  I couldn’t have agreed with her more. I am just grateful that I am in the column of people that love her and thankfully I also know that she loves me back.

  ****

  “Do you have to leave your pants in the middle of the floor?” questions Lola annoyed, later that evening when we are back at our apartment. When I peer over towards her, she has the trousers I was wearing earlier today clutched tightly in her hands and her eyes are narrowed at me.

  “Sorry” I apologize, while I continue flicking through the television ch
annels. When I peer at her from the corner of my eye, I notice that her eyes narrow even more, before she does a little huff. I continue to silently stalk her, begging for her to react the same way she always does when she gets angry…. Come on Lola, chuck a tanty, I silently chant…. When she screws up her nose and huffs more loudly, I know she is getting close.

  “Put them into the washing basket” she requests sternly as she throws my pants towards me.

  I watch as the pants slowly glide across the room. Once they are half way across, the little black ring box darts out of my trouser pocket and starts hurdling towards the floor in slow motion. My eyes instantly flick up to see if Lola has noticed the box. She was in the process of spinning around to go back to our room, before her gaze catches the box that slowly drops onto the floor just inches from where she is standing.

  Her eyes turn towards mine and she looks confused. I quickly dart my eyes away, pretending I am not paying any attention to her. She cautiously bends down and picks up the box with a curious and confused look on her face. The sound of my heart beating is the only audible noise that can be heard, as her eyes roam over the box. When she opens it and her eyes open wide in shock while she intakes a large inhale of breath, I quickly move into place.