Hooked (TKO #2)

by Ana Layne

  I glance at the old clock on the wall. It’s a quarter to five. Time flies when I’m kicking ass, and getting my ass kicked at the same time. I head out to my truck when it’s time to leave, and check my phone to find there are no messages from Hilary. My heart sinks a little. I start to panic because I’m worried about her. What if something happened? Frantic, my heart pounds in my chest as I tap on her name. The phone rings a few times and I’m beginning to freak the hell out. Without another thought, I jump into my truck and slam the keys into the ignition. I’m about to click the keys forward to start the engine when she answers.

  “Are you okay?” I ask her without a proper greeting.

  “Hey to you, too. Yeah, I’m fine. Mom and I went shopping today and I reenrolled in school. Dad had to pull a few strings but I will be starting at the beginning of the new semester.”

  “That’s awesome news. I’m happy for you. I’m sorry, I just left the gym and I haven’t heard anything and I got worried,” I admit. I feel like such a baby. I’ve never been so concerned about a woman before.

  “I didn’t mean to make you worry. I actually forgot all about him today for once. It was nice.”

  “What are you doing tonight?”

  “I don’t have any plans.”

  “Can I take you on a date?” I cross my fingers, remembering just how our last date ended up. It started out as a great night and ended in utter disaster, but then she was still somewhat seeing Travis.

  “Yeah,” she says. “I’d love that.”

  “I’ll pick you up at seven, then.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  When I hang up, I’m a happy man. Everything seems way too good to be true right now, but I don’t mind. I’m going to soak this up and pray it never stops.

  Chapter 20

  Hilary

  I hang up with Lance, and butterflies invade my inner being. A date. Maybe if I’d been smart enough to leave Travis alone back then, we’d be still having many dates instead of another first date. With a smile plastered on my face, I skip over to my closet and open the doors to reveal two rows of color coordinated clothes. Sadness washes over me for a brief second when I realize that in a few short months I won’t be able to fit into any of these. I search through each section before I finally settle on a pair of black skinny jeans and a pale pink blouse. My shoes are arranged according to style, and I choose a pair of sandals.

  There’s a knock on the door, and Mom peeks into the room. “Hey honey, have plans tonight?”

  “Yes. Lance is picking me up and taking me on a date.” I show off my outfit.

  Mom nods in approval. “Good choice. I’m glad you found someone like him to love you and this baby. There are guys out there, but some are hard to find. Seems he was right under your nose all along.”

  I’m taken aback by Mom’s choice of words. Love? I barely know Lance. He’s been there for me since I met him, and he made the decision to take on the massive responsibility of caring for a child that isn’t his, but I don’t know him enough to say I love him. I doubt he even loves me. This isn’t a fairytale, and life just doesn’t work that quickly.

  “I don’t think he loves me, Mom. We don’t know each other that well.”

  “It may not be love right now, but that doesn’t mean it can’t blossom into love in the future.”

  “That future is far off. I’m just going to take one day at a time, and see what happens.”

  “Definitely. But just so you know, the future isn’t really that far.” Before she leaves, she adds, “Have a great time tonight.”

  “I will.”

  I was excited the first time Lance and I went on a date, but now I’m a little more anxious. By the time I’m finished getting dressed, I glance at the pink clock on my wall.

  He’s going to be here in less than ten minutes! I touch up my lip gloss and spray a little perfume on before turning my light off and walking to the living room.

  Dad walks inside with Lance right behind him. I’m trembling because Lance looks so handsome. He’s wearing a black button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His arms are adorned with tattoos, and it’s not like I’ve never noticed them before. Hell, I’m used to seeing them, but they stand out brightly against the black of his shirt.

  I grab my purse off the coffee table and hug my parents. Lance gives them a wave and pulls my hand into his as we walk out the door.

  I buckle my seatbelt and sit there waiting for him to get in and start the truck. I want to ask where we are going, but the more I think about it, I prefer the element of surprise. His engine roars to life and Taylor Swift is playing loudly through the speakers. He chuckles, his face transforming into a shade of pink as he turns the volume down. I stifle a laugh as he grabs my hand and brings my knuckles up to his lips.

  “I like the song. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not like I haven’t heard you sing “Shake It Off” before,” I remind him.

  He nods his head, grinning, as we begin driving down the road.

  I let go of his hand for a split second to turn up the radio, and I begin singing along with the song. He turns his head to look at me, probably making sure I haven’t lost my mind before he joins me.

  He pulls into a restaurant parking lot and parks the truck.

  Mmm, Italian. My stomach growls at the thought of a big plate of chicken alfredo. I can practically taste it and we haven’t even gotten out of the truck. He leans in, giving me a soft kiss on the cheek.

  “Are you hungry? I should have asked before I drove here but I sort of assumed we could grab dinner.”

  “I’m famished.”

  Inside, the hostess sits us, and the waiter comes shortly to take our drink order. The girl tries shamelessly to flirt with Lance but he doesn’t pay her any attention. He tells her we both want a glass of sweet tea with lemon and never takes his focus off of me.

  Take that, blondie.

  Moments later she returns with the drinks and we order our food. The chicken alfredo is just as amazing as I imagined it would be. It’s so good, I don’t leave a single bite behind. We make small talk during dinner but with the way the waitress keeps popping up at the most awkward times, we don’t really talk about much.

  So far, this is much better than the first date. When we return to the truck after he pays the bill, he opens the door for me. “I’ve been trying to think of what else we can do but I’m out of ideas. I’m not good at this date thing. I think I may have told you that the first time.”

  “Yeah, you did. It’s fine. We can just go with the flow, you know, see where we end up.”

  “I still live with my dad, or I’d say we could go back to my house and talk.” He climbs into his side and shuts the door, then starts the engine.

  “We can’t go to a bar because of the baby.” I don’t want our date to end, but what the hell are we supposed to do?

  “We could go bowling.”

  My eyes light up. “Oh, that sounds fun. I haven’t done that in a long time. Let’s do that!”

  “You’ve got it, sweetheart.” He takes a left at the next green light. I can’t believe I forgot about bowling.

  “Oh shit, I don’t have any socks. I’ll have to buy a pair at the bowling alley.”

  “If you don’t mind, I keep a clean change of clothes in my gym bag. You can wear my socks if you want. Remember, I did say they are clean.” He laughs.

  “Sure, I mean if you don’t mind.”

  “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want you to wear them. My feet don’t stink or anything if that’s what you’re worried about, and neither does my gym bag.”

  He parks the truck and turns around to reach his bag in the back seat. I hear the sound of the zipper opening and closing before he tosses a clean pair of socks to me. I catch them in one hand and hold them as we walk inside. The sound of the balls crashing into the pins fills the air and the sweet aroma of bowling alley food permeates my nose. If I hadn’t just eaten, I’d want a pizza.


  Lance pays for our shoes and at least two games to begin with. We walk down to the lane, and as he sets our names up on the screen, I take my sandals off and slip into his socks and the bowling shoes.

  He put my name first, so I select a red ball that is just the right weight. I focus on the pins in front, thinking about how I want to beat him. I walk up to the line, crossing my left foot behind my right and let the ball slip gracefully from my fingers. It slides with ease down the lane, crashing into the pins. Only four of them fall, much to my dismay, and now I have to try to get the spare. I miss the other pins and the ball goes straight into the gutter. I glare at the remaining pins before turning away and sulking over to one of the chairs. Lance laughs as he picks up the black ball he chose and makes a strike without a single flaw.

  “Not fair. You cheated.” I continue to sulk.

  “Are you jealous?” he asks as he approaches me.

  I cross my arms over my chest and look in the opposite direction. “No, I’m not.”

  “Aw, sweetheart, do you want me to let you win?”

  I turn to face him and uncross my arms. “No, I’m going to beat you fair and square.” I stand to grab my ball and this time I almost will the pins with my mind. They are to obey my every command, but they don’t listen. This time I don’t even hit a single pin. The second time, I hit three. “Whose idea was this again?”

  “Yours, babe,” he says as I plop back into my chair. He leans down and whispers in my ear. “Have I told you how sexy you are when you’re frustrated?”

  His words ignite my insides and I look up at him. His eyes are filled with lust and I can’t look away. “No, you haven’t.” I try to pull away from his gaze. Too bad he just chuckles and kisses my outer ear lobe. Damn butterflies.

  “Well, I just did. You’re not just sexy when you’re frustrated though, you’re sexy in general.”

  I just felt my temperature rise a few degrees and even though I can feel the air from the vent just above me, I’m burning up. Who knew bowling could be so tempting?

  I can think of a million different things right now, but not one of them involves him walking away and making yet another strike. Lucky bastard. I grab my ball and I don’t even turn to make eye contact with him. All I’m doing now is praying to God that I can at least come away with a spare. That’s all I’m asking. One freaking spare.

  As the ball slips from my grasp and begins sliding down the lane, I close my eyes. I don’t want to see it hit the gutter. The sound of pins crashing down fills the air and Lance’s voice slams into me along with his arms. “Holy shit, Hil, you got a strike!”

  “I what?” I open my eyes to see not a single pin standing. My eyes widen and a smirk that could stretch across this great state of Texas spreads over my mouth. “Oh yeah, I did. In your face!”

  I continue to taunt him until he presses his lips against mine. A moan escapes my throat and we kiss until people around us begin to cheer. I should be embarrassed but I’m not. I just made a freaking strike and I got a kiss. I’m on top of the world.

  We finish our two games, laughing and kissing as we go along. I lose both games. We walk out of the bowling alley hand in hand like two young kids without a single worry in the world.

  “You know,” he tells me, “I never thought I could have this much fun on a date. I should thank you for making me a new, better man.”

  I stop walking and turn to face him. “Well, you are definitely better than you were at the bar that night.”

  “Yeah, can we kinda forget about that? I was an egotistical asshole with only thing on his mind.”

  “I remember. He was so not romantic. I mean, who drags a girl to a closet?” I joke. There was a time just thinking about it tore me apart.

  His brow creases for a moment and the smile fades. “Like I said, I was an asshole. You deserve so much better and I’m going to give that to you.”

  “Second chances are rare. Wait…this is a third chance, you must be lucky.”

  “And grateful,” he adds as we close in on his truck.

  He opens the door for me like always, and as soon as he climbs into the driver’s seat, he places the palm of his hand on my cheek, pulling me closer. We spend the next several minutes making out like horny teenagers. Surprisingly, he doesn’t try to put any moves on me. In a way, I’m grateful because I’m able to see he’s not the same man he was before. He’s actually turning out to be my Prince Charming, and he may be late, but at least he’s here now.

  Chapter 21

  Lance

  A week after our date, we’re still moving slow, but I don’t mind. I’m finally getting to know Hilary like I’ve always wanted to, and she just amazes me. It’s the way she scrunches her nose when she’s upset and the way she laughs at my corny jokes. She accepts me for who I am, and even her mom and dad accept me. I couldn’t ask for anything better.

  She texted me this morning to let me know that her mom was bringing her to her first doctor’s appointment. I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t be there, but then again, it isn’t really my baby. She promised to let me know how it goes. I have a lot to get done today, anyway. I have my first fight in what feels like forever this evening, and Howard has been constantly drilling me to ensure I’m prepared. I am more than prepared. I’m ready to dominate.

  I walk into Lou’s to find Raegan sitting on one of the mats. I sit beside her to see how she’s doing. “What are you up to?” I ask.

  “I miss these mats. I know that’s crazy, but I do.”

  “I know you do. I knew you’d miss it the day you gave it all up. You’re a born fighter, Raegan. But now you’re going to be a mom, so that’s where the real fighting begins, right?”

  She cocks her head, eyeing me like I’m a crazed madman. “The real fighting?”

  “Yeah, you know, fighting to protect your child from all the crazy and evil in this world. Fighting for their rights as little people, and stuff like that.”

  She’s resting her hand on her stomach. “Ah, I get it now. Is it too early to claim I have pregnancy brain? I totally knew that’s what you were talking about.”

  “Yeah, sure. You can’t fool me.” I laugh.

  “So, has Hilary been to the doctor yet?” she asks, changing the subject.

  “Actually, she’s going today. Her mom is bringing her. I wanted to be there, but I have a fight tonight and Howard wants to make sure I’m prepared. Speaking of, where are they?”

  “Around here somewhere,” she says, waving her hand. This place isn’t that big. I should have seen them by now. It’s nothing but concrete walls and mats, for crying out loud.

  “In the office?”

  “Maybe. I honestly don’t know. By the way, I’ll be there tonight to cheer you on. Are you bringing Hilary? I can keep her company and she can tell me about this baby because I still haven’t heard anything from her about it.”

  “Are you jealous?”

  She glares at me. “Don’t forget who brought you two together.”

  “Yes, mother. Let me help you up. I need to find Howard and get to work.”

  “You’re bossy.” She whines as she places her hand in mine. I stand to my feet before helping her up. She walks into the office, and Howard and Garrett emerge.

  “There you two are. Any word on who I’m against tonight?”

  “No word from Blaize yet, but if I hear before this evening, I’ll let you know.”

  I nod in understanding, and make my way back to the mat. My adrenaline is flowing and this is only practice. I can’t wait until tonight.

  ***

  Hilary is waiting outside when I pull up. She’s wearing a smile on her face, and I can’t wait to hear what she has to say. I talked to her earlier and asked about the doctor but she insisted on telling me in person. I lean over and open the door for her.

  “I got to hear the heartbeat today,” she exclaims as she hops into the seat. “Gosh, you should have heard it! It was the most amazing thing.”

  “That’s
awesome. So, now what?”

  “Well, right now I go to the doctor once a month. In a few months, I’ll have an ultrasound and it just goes from there. They did ask about the father, and I briefly explained the biological father will not have any role. My mom informed them I have a great guy who will be the perfect father to my baby.”

  “Sounds like you had a great visit. So, if I ever go to an appointment are they going to look at me like I’m crazy?”

  “Never. I won’t let them. Is Raegan going to be there tonight?” she asks, sounding hopeful.

  “Yeah, she will be. I want you to stay by her when I fight. She’ll make sure no one bumps into you or anything, and don’t be mad but she already knows about the baby.”

  “You told her?”

  “Yeah. Please don’t be upset.”

  “I’m not. Honestly, I was wondering if you’d be able to keep quiet.”

  I reach over and lace her fingers with mine. “I was going to keep it quiet for as long as you wanted me to, but I couldn’t. I haven’t told my dad yet. I should probably do that soon.”

  She nods, knowing it’s inevitable. I can’t just start showing up with a baby around my house and not tell him anything.

  I pull up to my usual parking spot, and the tension begins to build inside me. My palms are growing sweaty and the urge to vomit comes over me, but I regain my control and help Hilary out of the truck.

  “Good luck tonight,” she tells me, softly kissing my cheek.

  “Thanks. I’ll be fine because you’re here.”

  We move ahead of a crowd of people waiting to enter the building and walk through to where Howard is waiting for me. Garrett and Raegan are already here, and the two women begin talking, leaving us to get our minds focused on why we’re here.

  Howard and Garrett both look like they’ve seen a ghost, and I’m not sure which one of them is capable of talking right now. Something isn’t right, and I want to know what is going on. Howard can barely make eye contact with me, and Garrett just frowns.