No Limits (The Fighter Series Book 6)

by TC Matson

  “She’s good for you though. She balances your stupidity with her smarts and that woman outmatches your smartassness,” Ryker says.

  “I might have fucked up pretty badly this morning. I wouldn’t be mad if she left my dumbass,” I tell them without any details. They’d definitely whoop my ass knowing I even remotely raised my hand to her.

  “She seems level headed. Must’ve been pretty bad, huh?” Jackson pries.

  “Don’t rush shit. It’ll either work or it won’t,” Ryker says.

  “Oh really?” I deadpan, cocking my head. “How long did it take you to figure that one out?”

  Ryker lunges, snatching my head, and puts me into a headlock. We’re all laughing and it feels fucking good.

  He tightens his grip around my neck. “Why the fuck are you still here when you apparently have some major damage control to do?”

  He lets go and shoves me. “Skip out of here, halfwit.”

  As I push out of the door, Jackson calls my name. He stands his normal, feet wide, arms crossed, and tips his chin to me. “I may not say it much, but I love you, shithead.”

  I laugh. “Yeah. You too.”

  Chapter 29

  It’s been several hours and I haven’t heard from Kyce. I’m beginning to worry that he is in the hospital. I’ve moved from the bed to the sofa to the kitchen back to my room checking my phone even though it’s turned up and in my hand.

  Last night, Kyce scared me. Never once did I think he’d hit me, but to see him that low was hard. He smelled. God he smelled horrible. His eyes were empty and barren. His words were harsh. But never did I think he’d lay a hand on me. I knew he was hurting. He was lost.

  When Jackson called and told me about what transpired between them, we came up with an intervention. At the time, it was a great plan until I was standing in front of a broken and mad Kyce. In the end, it worked out. I was able to get him to open up, even if I was scared.

  Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door and my heart strums in my ears.

  Kyce shoves a bouquet of different colored flowers into my hands. “I’m sorry it took me awhile.”

  “I was starting to worry,” I admit, moving out of his way.

  The moment the door shuts, he grasps the back of my neck and kisses me senseless. It’s slow. The type of kiss you feel in your soul. It causes my heart to skip a few beats, steals my breath, and curls my toes. I’m dizzy when he pulls away.

  “You have every right to leave me. I won’t stand in your way,” he says.

  “I’m not going anywhere because life got hard.”

  He takes a breath. “I’m pretty fucking hardheaded and up until a week ago, I was arrogant enough to think I was invincible. I was dead wrong.”

  “You—”

  He drops a quick kiss to my lips and smiles. “Shut up. I wasn’t done.”

  The light in his eyes causes me to bite my lip to hide my giggle.

  “My brothers were always close to Dad. But I was spoiled rotten by Mom for whatever the reason. Ryker and Jackson wanted to make sure I was tough and if they sniffed out weakness, they’d beat the shit out of me.” He laughs at the memory. “Mom knew I lied to her about why I was bloody, but she left it be, us being brothers and all. Boys will be boys, right?” He runs his hands over my shoulders and clutches my hand not holding the flowers. “I used to think Mom was senile when she told me about love reaching in and touching your soul. Until I met you. Then I realized I was senile to try fighting it. Wasn’t happening.”

  I smile.

  “I’m dominate, possessive and cocky. Those things add up to make me one sexy fucker. But I have a heart I can’t control. It makes me emotional. Passionate sometimes, other times hot-blooded. You balance me, beautiful. You bring out the pussy in me and your pussy brings out the man in me.”

  We laugh.

  He shakes his head. “Seriously, I never want to see fear in your eyes from me ever again. I promise you, Jolie, I’ll never ever do that again. I was just…” His gaze gets lost somewhere.

  I kiss his chin. “I never thought for a second you’d hit me.”

  “You should leave me, Jolie. I should have never put you in that position. But since you haven’t, I have a lot to say.” He flashes his megawatt smirk. “One day I’m going to ask you to marry me and you’ll say yes. And when you do, I want you to know I’ll never take you for granted. I’ll make mistakes, but I’ll never hurt you. I have no fucking idea how to lay my heart out for you, just know I love you.”

  “Can I talk now?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I love you too.”

  He kisses me. “Put me in the dog house for as long as you think I should be there. I’ll grovel, but I deserve it.”

  “Are you trying to talk me into leaving you?” I ask, humor playing in my tone.

  Frantically, he shakes his head. “No.”

  “Then shut up and kiss me.”

  And he does. Wildly. Desperately. Incredibly. Like his life depends on the breath I breathe into him.

  Chapter 30

  Six months later…

  The sun shines, warming the air around me even though snow covers the ground. I dust the snow off Mom’s gravestone before placing flowers at the foot of it.

  “I’m sorry it’s taken me awhile to get out here,” I tell the black granite stone, staring at her name in white lettering. “We’re all doing okay. Carter has another big fight coming up. Between you and me, I think Ryker has created an indestructible monster. Not like we could expect anything different.”

  I fall into a silence allowing the quiet of the cemetery to untangle my thoughts.

  “Don’t be mad at Jackson and Ryker for roughing me up after your…” I cough the scratchiness from my throat unable to finish the sentence. “I lost my way and I really needed it. You taught me a lot, but you never taught me how to work through the devastation of losing you.”

  I kick the snow at my feet softly. “This sucks, Mom. This sucks so damn bad.” I sigh, blinking back my tears. “I was hoping to tell you this in person, but life threw us a curveball, huh? I bought Jolie a ring and I’m going to ask her to marry me this weekend. You were right about someone touching my soul. She has in ways that seem unfathomable.” I chuckle. “I hope you’ll be able to see the wedding. I’m sure it’ll be pretty. Jolie makes everything beautiful.”

  My eyes sting.

  “Dad approves of her along with everyone else, including you. She already had your approval when she ran into you downtown.” I chuckle at the memory. “Ryker likes her because she can flatten me with a stare. She’s such a spitfire. I wish you could’ve spent more time with her. You’d really love us together. She’s good for me, like Sarah is for Jackson and Whitney is for Ryker.”

  The scratchiness at the bottom of my throat turns into a burning lump. A hot coal, angry and red. I place my hand on top of her stone. “Happy birthday, Mom. I love you so much. I miss the hell out of you.”

  I walk away before the heartache rips me apart again. It took months to get the courage to come out here, but I told myself I couldn’t ask Jolie until I told Mom.

  Ryker’s sitting on the couch when Whitney invites me in. I kiss the side of her cheek and make my way to him.

  “You good?” he asks, knowing I went to see Mom today.

  “Yeah.”

  “You tell her?”

  “I did. Were you this nervous when you asked Whitney to marry you?” I sit, dropping my head into my hands. “Of course you weren’t. You’re always sure of everything.”

  Ryker laughs.

  “I wish you could have seen the fear in his eyes,” Whitney says and then kisses Ryker on the cheek.

  Ryker puffs. “I wasn’t nervous at all.”

  Whitney’s eyes glimmer. “If you say so.”

  “How are you going to do it?”

  I lift a shoulder.

  “I took Whit to her favorite place,” he says.

  “Yeah. I don’t think asking Jolie to marry me whi
le fucking her seems romantic.” I smirk. “Being underneath me is her favorite place.”

  Ryker chuckles. “You’re such a fucking halfwit.”

  “Are you going to continue to live apart?” Whitney asks.

  “She basically lives with me now. Most of her things are already at my place.”

  Whitney looks at me like I’m stupid. “That’s not the same.”

  “Seal that deal, too.” Ryker says. “How the fuck do you buy a ring and not know how you’re going to do it?”

  I chuckle. “I just know I want to.”

  “Ice!” Kaden squeaks popping his head into their living room.

  His hair is a mess and I reach out rustling it. “How was your nap? Lucky dog. I wish I could have one.”

  He mumbles, saying a strand of words that forms sentences in his mind but makes no sense to me.

  I slap my legs. “Okay. I’m off. Wish me luck. Next time you see me, I should have a fiancée. Possibly. Maybe. She could freak out and kick me to the curb.”

  “That’d be the smartest thing she could ever do,” Ryker quips.

  “You’re getting Jolie mixed up with Whitney again. Bro, you need to be careful doing that,” I banter back before leaving.

  Kyce: Where you at?

  I text my girl, my confidence high. I’ve got this. I’m petrified and excited. What a rush.

  Jolie: Home. Why?

  Kyce: Meet me at the bench on the corner.

  Jolie: It’s cold.

  Kyce: Quit whining and just go.

  Jolie: I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I’m cussing you.

  Jolie: Oh look. Snow. Fabulous. Just fabulous.

  I laugh as her texts continue, all playfully complaining about the weather.

  Jolie: Please tell me you didn’t make me come out here IN THE COLD with SNOW just to look at the bench.

  I crack up watching her. She looks at the bench, then scans around, and then goes back to texting.

  Jolie: You’re seriously about to lose your cock call for the night. It’s cold.

  Rushing, I park my Tahoe on the other side of her building, grab the food, and rush up the stairs. I arrange everything, scooting over the coffee table and placing the pizza in the middle. I grab two beers from the fridge, pop them open, and place them in their spots.

  Kyce: Okay. It’ll be longer than I expected. Go back inside.

  Jolie: Are you serious? I may not make it back inside because of hypothermia. Frost bite. My toes are about to fall off.

  Jolie: You’re a horrible boyfriend today. I may trade you in for a puppy.

  I bark a laugh.

  Kyce: You would never.

  Jolie: I’d put some serious thought into it.

  I turn the white sphere light hanging above her bed on and turn off the rest. It’s a romantic glow…sort of. It’ll do.

  Jolie: I’m past a puppy. I’m trading you in for a hamster. It won’t need to go outside and will run in a ball.

  The sounds of her shoes coming up the steps cause my heart to kick into hyper speed and it’s making all types of racket. I’ve never been more sure of anything…except her answer.

  When she pushes the door open and her view lands on me, she yelps, slapping her hand over her chest.

  “What the fuck?” she hisses. “You’ve been in here the entire time?”

  “Well, I needed to get dinner in here without you seeing it.”

  “I could’ve closed my eyes,” she jests.

  I chuckle. “Do you remember our first date?”

  She glances to the pizza box and smiles. “How could I forget, except it wasn’t a date.” She takes off her scarf and jacket, hanging them on the hook beside the door.

  “Well, tonight it’s a date. Come sit with me so my ass can go numb in good company,” I tell her sitting on the hard floor in the exact spot I sat months ago and patting beside me.

  My patience is wearing thin, eating away at my backbone. “Move in with me, beautiful,” The words spill out of me. “You might as well already be there. We’ll move the rest of your things tomorrow if you want.”

  “You’re being serious?”

  “Very.” There’s more to that word than she realizes. “You have to admit having me anytime you want is appealing.”

  She titters.

  “And my sexy arms wrapped around you every single night,” I keep on.

  She launches at me, straddling my lap and kisses me. “Then take me home.”

  I lean my head back on the cushion looking up to her. Her hazel eyes glow, blue sparkling the most. Her smile reaches them… Fuck, she’s beautiful.

  “Your heart is pounding,” she tells me. “Were you that nervous?”

  My lips contort to the side. “Yeah. Right here is where I realized I wanted to be your everything. You told me that falling in love was the scariest part of a relationship. What you didn’t know was that I was already crazy for you.”

  As normal, while I talk, her fingers draw circles on the back of my neck.

  “I hadn’t completely comprehended then that I loved you, just that I was feeling things.” I shift, pulling the black box out of my pocket.

  Her eyes flash wide as saucers. She jerks her hands from me like I’m toxic.

  That doesn’t help my nerves at all.

  “You came into my life and caused the best chaos. You ground me. You lift me. You’re my everything. I might have saved you that night at the club, but you’ve saved my life. You’ve seen me at my worst, but I promise you the best has yet to come. I want to cherish you, more than I already do. I want to love you deeper than I do now. I want everything with you. You own my heart and soul already. I’d like for you to own my last name too. Will you marry me?”

  My hands tremble holding the box. She’s not hiding the tears sliding down her cheek, but she sure as fuck isn’t answering me.

  “Yes,” she breathes, nodding her head.

  I exhale. “Took you long enough.”

  Her giggle wavers with her tears as I slide on the two-karat platinum ring.

  I kiss her, pulling her in closer. “We don’t have to rush to get married if you don’t want to, although I’d do it tomorrow if you wanted, but I didn’t want to spend another day being just your boyfriend.”

  “I love you. God, I love you so much.”

  She slams kisses all over my face.

  And I take my now fiancée to her bed and show her how much of a man I am and will always be. Because let’s face it, I need my man card back after all that.

  Epilogue

  Four months later…

  “Unk Ice.” Kaden’s little grin is malicious.

  The second Kyce glances to him, Kaden throws his napkin at him. He squeals his laughter kicking his feet, spreading his joviality to me. I burst out laughing.

  Kyce tickles Kaden causing him to squeak and squeal even harder.

  Once a month, we take Kaden out. Different places. Different things. I do it for Kyce. I know he and his mother had a ritual, and I just couldn’t allow that tradition to die too.

  I grab the empty bowls of ice cream and spoons and throw them away.

  “Jolie?” I hear a familiar voice, unable to place where from though.

  I turn around and come face to face with the asshole who broke me.

  “Chris?”

  He definitely doesn’t look the same. He’s as tall as I remember, just as skinny too. But he’s grown his hair out some, styling it back. He’s grown facial hair, something I remembered him hating. His smile is still large, his eyes the same dull shade of shit brown.

  “Hey. Wow. You’re looking great.” His view cruises over my body, head to toe.

  “Thanks.”

  “How have you been?”

  “I’ve been great.” And as if on cue, my “great” shows up beside me. “Chris, this is my husband, Kyce.”

  Kyce’s brow arches. “Dude, I owe you a big fucking thank you.”

  Chris’ brows draw low. “You do?”


  “Had you not royally screwed up, I wouldn’t be married to the best, most beautiful woman ever. So yeah. Thanks for fucking up.”

  I hide my laugh.

  Chris looks perplexed as he looks between us. “I saw your brother not too long ago.”

  “Oh yeah? He didn’t tell me. I’m surprised he didn’t kill you,” I tell him.

  Slowly, he shakes his head. “No. Said the road I broke led you to a perfect future and I wasn’t worth the time.”

  I smile up to Kyce, the man I married only a month ago. “Yeah. It did. Still working with your dad?”

  His eyes cast downward, glancing to Kaden. I don’t correct his thoughts and allow him to think Kaden is ours. There’s a resemblance…sort of.

  “No. Marsey threatened to sue the firm if I didn’t get fired for sexual harassment. So I moved and went to work for Foley’s.”

  “Well, I hope everything works out for you,” I say, truly meaning it.

  “Yeah. Hey. It was great to see you.”

  “She’s beautiful, isn’t she,” Kyce says. “And she’s mine. That makes this crazy reunion even sweeter.”

  “Kyce!” I whisper hiss through a giggle.

  “What? Should I not? Sorry. I pictured this moment a million times with my hands around his neck for hurting you. Oddly, now I don’t have the urge to kill the bastard who pretends to be a man and then leaves his girl on her ass like a pussy.” He looks back up to Chris and smirks. “I’m the real man that rushed to her while she walked to me.”

  Chris’ face pales. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks,” I speak for us.

  “Well, good to see you. I’m gonna get going.”

  “Hey, Chris?” I stop him. I’ve been dying for this moment. “Seriously. Thank you for leaving. You might have broken my heart then, but it was the best blessing I could’ve ever asked for.”

  He doesn’t say anything, twisting back around in the direction he came from. Kyce kisses me. “You good?”

  “Are you beside me?” I raise a brow. “I’m perfect.”