Love You Always

I’ve been more worked up about this fight than him. It’s his last one. I know he’s the best but I still worry about him getting punched in the face. He actually laughed when I told him my concerns. He said the fight wouldn’t be long enough for someone to punch him. He told me to trust him. I do. I’ve seen some of his other fights. I know it will be fine, but still I can’t help it. Tomas has become so important to me. I love him. We haven't said those words to each other, but I do.

I don’t want to be the reason he’s giving up fighting. He knows it worries me and if I know one thing about Tomas, it’s that he doesn’t do anything that will hurt or bother me. My only concern is that he’ll quit and then one day he’ll resent me for it. I want him to do whatever makes him happy.

“Ten minutes,” Alyssa calls out. I fly out of the bathroom into the closet to find some shoes and my jeans shorts. I pull them on before grabbing the shirt I made.

“Is this what you wear to a fight?” I ask. I’d made the shirt the other night. It’s got Tomas’ name on it.

“That’s really cute,” Alyssa says, checking out my shirt. She’s in black loose pants and a thin sweater that falls off one shoulder. She’s not super dressed up but it’s fancier than my ripped-up shorts that have a few paint spots on them if you look close. “It’s a fight. I think you can wear anything.”

“Yeah.” I shrug, remembering that I don’t care what anyone else thinks. Only Tomas, and I know he’ll love it. Except maybe the part where I forgot to put a bra on. I’m in a hurry. I grab my purse before we head out and down to the car where Sean is waiting for us.

“He still hasn't said I love you.” I lean back, kicking out my feet in the back of the fancy limo. It is still weird getting used to all the money that is around. Alyssa and I still live pretty normal lives working at our little shop.

Alyssa just nods but doesn't say anything. I smack her leg. “This is where you give me advice,” I remind her. Sean plays on his phone like he can’t hear us, trying to give us as much privacy as possible. I don’t care if he hears.

“I think you know he loves you,” she finally says. She’s being as weird as the moms about not poking into Tomas and me. I thought she was just busy being all newly married. But I’ve just kicked the door open for her to get all nosy and she’s not biting. “Neily. Come on.”

“I think he does.” I reach into my purse, putting my glasses on. “But he doesn't say it,” I huff. I sit up. “I should say it,” I declare. I always say what I want. What I want is to have Tomas whisper in my ear that he loves me as he makes love to me. To wear his ring on my finger. To have his last name. For the moms to drive me crazy about my wedding. Is that too much to ask? I mean what does a girl have to do in order to get those three little words out of her man?

A little bit of worry creeps in, but I push it down knowing that Tomas cares for me. If I know him, he’s probably waiting until I’m ready or some nonsense like that.

“I’ve never been to a live fight before. This is so exciting.” Alyssa breaks me from my thoughts before I can delve too deep into them. I smile at her, knowing she’s trying to change the subject. “Oh. Do we get to go backstage?”

I laugh at her. “It’s not a concert, Alyssa.” I can’t help but laugh.

“You know what I mean.” She waves her hand at me and I notice that Sean is smiling at her too.

“I’m not allowed in the locker room.” Clyde asked me to meet them by the ring. He said he needed Tomas focused and ready to go. That although he loved me to pieces that I’d be a distraction. Tomas had tried to put up a fight about it, but I willingly agreed. It’s for the best.

“We are going in the back,” Sean informs us. “You’d be bombarded in the front.”

“Oh.” I nod in agreement. I hadn't thought about that, but Sean is right. I’m sure Tomas and Sean have already talked it all out. They have become quick friends or maybe it’s more like allies. Either way, they communicate a lot when it comes to Alyssa and me.

The press has been all over me since the world found out Tomas “Hitman” Holiday has a girlfriend. Our shop has become a frenzy of business. It kept getting bigger and bigger as the fight got closer. It didn't help that the man he was fighting had made a comment about me being cute. It had only made Tomas want to beat his ass more. I couldn’t feel sorry for his opponent because he dug his own grave.