Sucker Punch (TKO 4)

I roll my eyes and turn back to face Garrett. “If Paige or her daughter need anything, let me know. Raegan can cook them a meal or something,” he offers.

“I’d say I’d ask her, but she’ll say they are fine. If Raegan wants to fix something that would probably help. She’ll appreciate it, man, thanks.”

“That’s what friends are for.” He grins as he puts his hands up.

Time to get to work. We spar endlessly until Howard interrupts to give us a speech on what he notices we need work on. I take all of his advice to heart. The last thing I want to do is get into the ring and realize I never paid any attention. I’m not going to fight only to be wiped all over the ring. I’m fighting to win.

Chapter 37

Fight night is finally here. I’ve trained hard for this moment that I wasn’t so sure I’d have again after my accident. I was positive there was no way I could fight with only one arm, but here I am, standing in the dressing room waiting for Howard to come get me.

My nerves are on end and I briefly think back to the last and first time I fought. I had won my first fight. Sitting on cloud nine was brief because things just went downhill from there, but I’ve been climbing back up and the top is amazing.

This time around, I have Paige here to cheer me on. She’s had a busy past few days after losing Darla’s father but she’s a strong woman. Her parents insisted she come to the

fight this evening. She hasn’t wanted to leave her daughter and I understand that completely. Alongside Paige, Ruston and Tamilyn are also here. I have a whole support system and I appreciate them more than they’ll ever know.

A knock at the door breaks me from my thoughts and I turn to see who opens it. Howard pokes his head inside and my stomach begins to somersault.

“You ready, Austin?” he asks.

All I can do is nod. I’m nervous as hell, so nervous I could probably vomit.

“Come on, Blaize is about to announce you. Don’t worry, you’re ready for this. You’ve come such a long way since you first stepped into my gym. I’ve watched you grow into a better man than you were.”

“You’re going to get me all teary-eyed, Howard,” I joke with him. Little does he know, his words mean everything to me.

“Save the tears for a time when you really need them. Today isn’t that day.” He grins as I follow him out of the dressing room.

The sounds of the crowd cheering is electrifying. Adrenaline pumps through my veins as Blaize announces my name following my opponent’s name. I never heard who I was against; I don’t care. I’ll know when I see him in the ring. Names aren’t important. I try to scan the front line for Paige, but I’m so focused, I can’t tell if I see her or not.

Before I step into the ring, Howard rattles off all of his last-minute instructions. I’m barely listening. The only thing I’m able to make out is be careful and good luck. I nod as I put one foot in front of the other and climb into the ring. I shake hands with the other guy and then take my stance.

I notice him looking me up and down and he gets a shit-eating grin across his face as he notices I only have one arm. What a smug bastard. He’s not going to take me seriously and I’m going to have to prove to him and everyone else in this room I’ve got exactly what it takes to be here.

He begins to laugh as his feet shuffle beneath him. I’m waiting for him to throw the first punch but he’s too busy being smug. I grin back at him, throwing him off a little before I swing my arm at full force towards his face. He’s not quick enough to block the hit and blood begins to trickle from his lip. He brings his glove up to wipe it away and the smile is finally gone from his face. He’s pissed and I’m glad. He has no right to laugh at me.

The cheers fill my ears, almost deafening. I love it. He throws a punch in my direction but I’m at least smart enough to block what he’s trying to dish out. He’s glaring at me but I don’t let him intimidate me. Why should I? He’s a piece of shit already for laughing at me, there’s nothing about this asshole that makes him intimidating.

He throws another punch and I’m not as quick to block. I can take a hit, though, and I retaliate quickly, catching him off guard again. He stumbles back and I hurry to try and sweep him off of his feet. He falls to the mat and I throw my body over his, hoping to secure the victory, but he fights his way back up. We’re back to shuffling around the ring and I dodge another one of his throws.

Sweat drips from my brow as I contemplate my next move. He’s trying to wear me down and I refuse to let that happen. I take a deep breath, pull my arm back and throw a sucker punch at him. He’s caught way off guard and I hit him so hard he doesn’t get up nearly as quickly as he did earlier.

I’m struggling to catch my breath as my arm gets raised high in the air. I look back down at the guy who is still on the mat. He’s slowly getting up, but the fight is over.

Howard had told me to save my tears for a time I’d really need them, but I can’t help but cry. I don’t give a shit that I don’t know half of the people in this room. I just won. I glance down and for the first time, I see Paige smiling brightly at me. Oh, how I love that damn smile so much.

As I climb out of the ring, full of sweat and all, I walk right up to her. Before she can say anything, I crush my lips against hers.

“I love you, Paige,” I tell her as I break the kiss.

“I love you too, Austin.” She blushes.

The cheers grow louder but I don’t care about any of these people in here. All I care about is her, because when adversity threw me the biggest fucking loop of my life, she was there to pick up the pieces. When her life fell apart, I was there for her. I never thought I could love someone the way I love her. I never thought the happily ever after was for me. Let’s face it, I was trouble growing up and I came to this city to start new. I now understand good things take time. Paige is every bit of good in my life and I’ll never let her go.

The End