Strong and Steady

The event center was packed, the noise obscenely loud. I had no idea a night of MMA fighting was something like a concert, with fancy lighting, blasting music and dramatic entrances. While I knew the basic rules of a fight—I couldn’t be an MMA coach’s girlfriend without knowing something—having Chris and Simon guide me through each match was a big help. Reed’s was the fight of the night, so it was last in the lineup. Needless to say, I was nervous. Nervous for Reed, even though he’d been training hard, and nervous for Gray.

Neither of them needed it based on what Chris had told me, but I couldn’t help it. Even with all the hours and hours of hard practices, it was still a fight, and I didn’t want Reed to get hurt. Perhaps it was the mother in me thinking it, but based on the fights I'd seen so far, I had good reason. Eyebrows had split open, noses smashed, kidneys hit, solid leg kicks thrown. It was hard not to wince at the amount of blood, and I worked in the ER. I was just thrilled Gray’s fighting days were behind him, and he was now on the sidelines.

Even though Chris was beside me—he was home for Thanksgiving break—I realized I, like Gray, was on the sidelines, the sidelines of my son's life. Gray had moved on from his fighting days, and I’d moved on from mothering a child. Chris might still be my baby, my six-foot-plus baby, but he was an adult now. Oh, I’d verbally kick his ass if he needed it, but I had no doubt he got plenty of that at the Naval Academy. So I just enjoyed his presence, being here with me. For me and for Gray.

I hadn’t told Chris anything about Gray besides his first name before we arrived at Parents’ Weekend. Turned out, he knew all about The Outlaw, and so had many of his classmates. While he’d been impressed with Gray’s fighting career, he’d been more concerned about how he treated me. It had been fun watching Gray squirm a little, for he knew Chris came first with me, and his opinion was crucial. After my assurance that Gray was worthy of my attentions, Chris had stood down although I had no doubt he'd be waiting for Gray to mess up. Even at eighteen, he was prepared to protect me from a man who’d fought professionally. If fists were involved, there would be no contest, but I was proud of Chris for being ready to take him on anyway. I’d fought back tears because neither guy would have understood the reasoning for them, and instead, I’d only smiled. After that show of testosterone, we’d gone out for lunch in Annapolis, and it had gone… well. Really, really well.

That had been a month ago. Since then, I’d spent most of my nights at Gray’s apartment. At first, I’d had no interest in returning to my house, scared of another maniac breaking in. Even though Gray and Quake had reassured me the man wouldn’t bother me again, I’d still been wary. I also wanted to be with Gray. My place was with him, and he made that very clear night after night, and sometimes during the day, too.

Reed beat his opponent in the second round with an arm bar. It had happened too fast for me to see, but I had to admit, my focus had been on Gray. He'd shouted to Reed from outside the cage, his attention razor sharp on every move his fighter made. I loved that intensity about him, especially when it was focused on me.

When he’d gone into the cage as Reed’s arm was lifted in triumph, Gray turned and looked for me in the crowd. He grinned and gave me a wink. This was his moment, his time to shine, and he’d stopped and thought about me, to turn and share it with me. Chris nudged me, and Simon rolled his eyes, but I couldn’t help the grin that escaped. It couldn’t get any better than this.

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