The Guy in the Middle (The Underdogs 3)

“I won’t miss a day. I’ll keep up with it on my own.”

He sighs, pulling up his phone. “Where?”

“New York.”

Tony’s head jerks up. “Now, you’re doing this now?”

I nod.

“Why now?”

“Because I want to see if I’m right.”

He sighs. “I’ll book us on the next flight out.”

I answer with the shake of my own head. “I need to do this alone.”

“No time for that. I’m coming.”

“This is personal, and you know it. I’ll need some space.”

“I’ll make it work.” He sighs and taps furiously on his phone. “Did you sign?”

“I haven’t looked at the contract.”

“Jesus, kid, he’s one of the best agents in boxing, and he’s not going to wait forever. Don’t piss this away. I can’t get started on negotiations for Vegas without him—”

“Book it,” I snap, gathering my bag, “I’ll sign it on the plane.”

“Hey, man, before you laser my damn head off with that look, I like Harper. I’m not saying she’s not worth the effort, but the timing is shit. And you’re about two years too late. We don’t have time for you to play Romeo. You know we’ve got a limited window.”

“I’m not going to blow it.”

“What if she’s moved on?”

I pull a T-shirt over my head, batting away the ache. “She hasn’t.”

“How do you know?”

Because I have to believe she hasn’t dismissed us as easily as she’s made it seem with her silence. I have to believe that every day she battles the same urge I do. To come back, to get us back—there—to that place where nothing can touch us. Where we aligned our separate planets and revolved around each other, protected each other, shielded one another, and grew together in our own universe—one we created to simply exist. With her, I felt safe, accepted, more like myself. I grew into a better version of me with her. Without her, I’m a lonely planet.

I’ve spent enough time denying myself.

It’s time to fight for what I want.

“You going to throw this all away if it doesn’t work out the way you hope?”

Shoving my gear in my bag, I rest in how right it feels to go after her, that this could be our chance. I never should have let her end it. I was never okay with her goodbye or a single minute after it.

“I wouldn’t, and she wouldn’t let me.” I grin down at my discarded gloves that lay on the bench. “I’m her greatest investment.” I’ve got another swing left, another round inside of me. Her words strike like lightning as I pack my shit.

“What if this moment, right here, is the moment that changes your life?”

When I met Harper, she was a fair catch. At any point in time, I could have tapped out, signaled the flag, and claimed her despite the onslaught of hurdles we were up against, the opposition running toward us full force. Against those odds, we cracked and were forced off the field.

This is a whole different playing field, with a completely different set of rules. And this round, winner takes all.

Ding, Ding.