Sucker Punch (TKO #4) (13 page)

Chapter 25

Paige

I’m lying in bed, tossing and turning. Darla has been asleep for almost two hours and I’m still wide awake, thinking about how insane things have been today. I’m beyond baffled at it all. I grab my phone off my nightstand and stare at the dark screen before I press the button. My room lights up and I tap on my messages. I hover between Austin and Brendan, wondering who I want to text. Hell, I’m not even sure either of them are awake right now. For all I know, I could be sending a message that doesn’t get read until morning. I find myself suddenly typing and before I know it I’ve hit send.

Paige: I can’t sleep. What are you doing?

Brendan: You’re not with your boyfriend?

Paige: I don’t have a boyfriend.

Brendan: Didn’t look that way the other day.

Paige: He’s just a friend right now.

Brendan: Gotcha. Do you work tomorrow?

Paige: No, it’s my day off.

Brendan: Could we maybe meet at the park? Is that a good place to meet? I have no clue about this kind of thing.

Paige: We can. I’ll text you in the morning and see when a good time is for you.

Brendan: K.

K
? I wasted a whole text conversation on him to see nothing but
K
? I should have texted Austin. Now I just want to go to bed. I pinch my eyes closed and hold them tightly. They open shortly after. Ugh, this really blows. I get out of bed and walk into the kitchen to fix a glass of water. I barely take two sips before I go lie back in down. I close my eyes once more and this time, after a few torturous minutes I finally fall asleep.

***

The soft whispers in my ear cause me to nearly jump out of bed. My heart is pounding as I turn to see Darla grinning beside me. “Mowning, mommy.”

“Morning, baby. Did you sleep well?” I ask her as I wipe my eyes.

“Yes. I’m thiwsty,” she whines.

I hop out of bed and grab her hand. “Let’s go get you some milk. Do you want to go to the park a little later?”

She squeals in delight. I take that as a yes. I chuckle as I fix her a glass of milk. I grab some frozen waffles out of the freezer and place them into the toaster. My stomach begins to growl, so I make a mental note to fix one or two for myself also. I have to admit, I’m so freaking nervous for today. I pretty much figured Darla would never meet Brendan and then he had a change of heart. That is possible, right?

I hear my phone and go to my room real quick to check it. It’s Austin and my heart drops. Guilt consumes me and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I’m not being honest with him, but then we aren’t in a relationship. I shouldn’t feel guilty.

Austin: Good morning.

Paige: Morning!

Austin: I just wanted to say hey.

Paige: I’m taking Darla to meet her dad today.

I cringe as I hit send. I should have maybe called him to tell him that.

Austin: Wait, what?

Paige: He asked if he could meet her.

Austin: I thought he wanted nothing to do with her? I’m confused.

Paige: I’m confused too. We’re meeting at the park and that’s it.

Austin: Okay, well I’ll talk to you later.

Paige: Are you upset?

Austin: Why would I be upset?

Paige: I don’t know.

I toss the phone back onto my bed and walk out of the room. Now I feel even worse. Darla is sitting at the table rubbing her little eyes. I grab a plate out of the cabinet and give her a waffle. She declines syrup and just eats it plain. I grab the extra waffle and basically do the same but without a plate. My appetite has left me.

The rest of the morning goes by so fast. I was sort of hoping time would stand still for a while. I haven’t been completely honest with Darla as to why we’re going to the park, but I think I should tell her before we get there and she’s face to face with a stranger wondering who he is.

Darla is engulfed in her favorite cartoon. I hate to interrupt her, but this is the right thing to do. I grab the remote and turn the volume down just a tad. She looks over at me and moves closer to where I sit.

“Hey baby, Mommy wants to talk to you about something.” She doesn’t say anything but watches me with her big beautiful eyes. “Remember I told you we were going to the park today? Well, we’re going to meet someone.”

“Who?” she asks. “The man fwom yestewday?”

She means Austin. I have no clue why I agreed to have Brendan meet her. “No baby, not him. You’re going to meet your daddy.”

She doesn’t say anything at first. She just continues to stare at me. I’m not sure I’m liking this reaction. I was expecting nonstop questions and I’m getting silence. I should have talked with my mom about this before I agreed to it. I should have gotten her opinion on this matter.

“Darla?”

“Whewe is my daddy?” she finally asks.

“He lives here, in our city,” I tell her and I leave it at that. I can’t very well start telling her why he hasn’t been around. She’s only four years old, she’d never understand.

“Okay,” she says, then averts her eyes from me and turns back to the TV. I’m guessing she’s still okay with going to the park. I can only hope she is.

Chapter 26

Austin

I walk into Lou’s like I do every morning and head straight for the office. My mind is so warped and I don’t know what to do. Howard is sitting at his desk drinking coffee. I never see him drink coffee. I sit in the empty chair and let out a sigh. He looks up at me and sets his cup down.

“Morning, Austin,” he greets me.

“Morning,” I groan.

“Everything all right?” He raises his eyebrow.

“I don’t know,” I tell him honestly. He just continues to look at me, waiting for me to crack and tell him what’s wrong. “Last night I went over to Garrett and Raegan’s for dinner and Paige was there. I found out she has a four year old daughter, but that’s not a big deal.”

“What’s the problem, then?” he asks.

“The father has never been in the picture, but she’s taking her to meet him today. I’m a little bothered although I know I probably shouldn’t be. She said he’s getting ready to move anyway.”

“So you feel threatened?”

“I guess so. Am I overreacting?”

“I wouldn’t say you are. Are you okay with possibly seeing a woman with a kid? That’s a huge responsibility,” Howard tells me.

“Surprisingly, I am okay with it. At first, all I could think was this is huge. I’ve never imagined having kids, but I know a lot of women have them nowadays. I guess I wish she would have told me sooner.”

“Just go with the flow, Austin, that’s all I know to tell you to do. Get to know her, of course, but also get to know her daughter. If she’s never had a father figure, you could end up having to step up into that role one day if things progress in your relationship.”

“But I guess that’s the thing, we aren’t in a relationship. Not yet anyways,” I tell him.

“Maybe it’s time to change that if you both feel the same way about each other.”

“Maybe you’re right,” I agree. Now all I can do is hope and pray she honestly does feel the same way about me that I feel about her. I can’t go through what I went through with Tamilyn again.

Lance walks in and pats my shoulder. “Hey, man.”

“Hey.”

“Want to be my sparring partner today?”

“Sure.”

“Oh, Austin, I did want to run something by you really quickly. How would you feel about stepping back into the ring again?” Howard asks.

My eyes suddenly dart back to him as they widen. “It’s possible in my condition?”

“Yes, it is. If you want back in, I’d be honored to have you fighting.” He grins.

“Holy fuck, I mean, yes! Yes, I definitely want to fight again.” Tears well up in my eyes. After I found out I lost my arm, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to do what I loved again. It was like that night was a giant sucker punch to my gut.

“Then get out there with Lance and you two get busy. I’ll talk to Blaize and see if we can get you on the next docket.”

I jump out of the chair, suddenly full of energy. My morning just got better, all because of the words,
How would you feel about stepping back into the ring
?

I grab my glove out of my locker and get it on. I feel maybe Lance and Garrett have been taking it easy on me while I’ve sparred with them, but I want that to change. I look at Lance, who can see the excitement all over my face.

“You excited, man?” He laughs.

“Hell yes. This is the best news I’ve heard in a long time. Hey, don’t go easy on me.”

“You think I’ve been going easy on you?” He raises his eyebrow. “I can step it up if you need me to.”

“Do it. I’m ready,” I tell him.

“So what’s going on with you and Paige? I didn’t realize you didn’t know about the kid until last night.”

“I’m going to ask her to be mine today, I know that for sure. I didn’t know about the kid, though, but I’m okay with it.”

“Hilary was pregnant when she and I got together. I’ve raised Laney since she was born and although she isn’t mine, I love her as if she were,” Lance tells me.

“Well, Paige is taking her to meet her real dad today. She’s never met him because he wanted nothing to do with her, but apparently he’s had a change of heart.”

“Oh damn. Well, keep your head up. It’ll work out.” He grins as we step onto the squishy mat.

“Where’s Garrett?” I ask him as we begin to stretch and warm up.

“He’s coming in a little later. The baby had a check-up this morning and he wanted to go with Raegan.”

“Oh, gotcha.”

We get into our stances and I watch his every move as I try to figure out what he’s going to do first. When he doesn’t throw a punch after a few moments, I decide to do first one. He blocks and retaliates but I’m ready. I throw one right back and barely graze him. He’s quick but I already knew this. His next punch catches me off guard though and I’m not able to block. I stumble backwards but keep my footing. I try to sweep him off his feet, and I’m successful, but he scrambles back up to his feet and we begin again. Next time, it’s me who ends up on the mat. If this were a real match, I’d have lost.

He helps me up and we start again. We spar until my forehead is dripping with sweat. So far I’ve managed to get a few hits in on Lance, but he’s not going easy. I’m glad he isn’t because when I get back into the ring, whoever I am up against surely will take no pity on me. I glance up at the clock hanging on the wall and wonder if Paige has taken Darla to meet her dad yet. I want to text her and ask if I can see her tonight but I’ll wait a little longer.

Chapter 27

Paige

I pull up at the park, noticing Brendan’s truck is here. I’m nervous and it’s showing. My palms are sweaty and my throat is dry. I turn the car off, slowly opening my door. I get ready to open Darla’s door and notice she’s looking around. I unbuckle her and she gets out of the car and runs straight to the slide. I look ahead and notice Brendan standing close to the slides and I pray he waits to approach her until I’m right there. She’s playing without a care in the world as I walk up to Brendan.

“Thanks for meeting me here,” he tells me. His gaze shifts from me to Darla.

“You’re welcome,” I whisper. Now that it’s happening, it’s still tough but seeming a little easier.

“She looks just like you,” he tells me. I just nod. I’m not sure what he wants me to say.

I watch as she plays a little more. Then she notices me and comes running over. I hold my breath as she finally stops in front of me.

“Mommy, who is this?” she asks.

I’m fumbling for the right words to say. I’ve been practicing all morning but now I’m drawing blanks.

“I’m your daddy.” Brendan steps up. Oh, I’ve never been so thankful for him to speak. I glance over towards her to see her just staring at him.

“Daddy?” Darla asks.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Brendan replies. He’s handling this all so cool.

“I nevew met you befowe,” she tells him. She’s so blunt.

“I know and I’m sorry.” I can tell he genuinely is. I mean, it’s not every day a four year old puts you in your place.

“Whewe have you been?” she asks.

I gulp, waiting to hear what he’s going to say. “Well, Daddy was not a nice man for a while so I went away. You’re too young to understand all of that right now, but I want to make things right with you and your mom.”

“You don’t look mean,” she replies.

“I’m not anymore.”

“Will you push me on the swing, Daddy?” Darla asks him with wide eyes.

Brendan smiles and tells her he’d love to. I watch as she grabs his hand and pulls him towards the row of swings a few feet away. My eyes well up with tears. This moment is more than I thought it would be. I’m all in my feelings as I grab my phone. I should take a few pictures in case this never happens again.

I snap a few photos before putting my phone back into my pocket. I walk up to them to hear Darla asking him more questions. He’s patient with her and answers all of them the best way he can. Thunder rumbles in the distance and I frown. I should have checked the weather today.

“I guess we should go before the rain comes,” I tell them.

“You guys hungry? I’ll buy lunch,” Brendan offers. I just stare at him like he’s sprouted an extra head.

“I’m hungwy!” Darla announces and I laugh. “Chicken nuggets please!”

“There’s a McDonald’s right up the road.” He grins. Darla claps her hands and squeals.

“Can I wide with you, Daddy?” she asks. I look up in alarm. I wasn’t ready for that question at all and Brendan senses that.

“If it’s okay with your mommy, maybe I can ride with you?” he asks, looking at me.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” I tell him as I unlock my car. Brendan and I haven’t sat in the same vicinity since before I got pregnant, so this is new.

He gets in on the passenger side and buckles his seat belt as I get Darla situated. We start to drive down the road to McDonalds and the rain begins to fall. Talk about perfect timing.

I pull into McDonalds and everyone gets out of the car. As soon as we walk inside, the rain really starts coming down. I send Darla into the play area while Brendan orders the food.

“You’re doing really great with her,” I tell him as I reach for my bank card.

“I wish I would have done this sooner,” he admits. “What are you doing?”

“Paying for my lunch,” I tell him.

“I said I’m buying lunch,” he reminds me.

“You don’t have to buy mine.”

“I know, but I want to. What do you want?”

With a sigh, I place my card back into my wallet, then tell him what I was going to order. He orders the food. While we wait for our tray, I grab the cups and go fix our drinks. I set them back on the tray and Brendan carries it into the play area where Darla is still playing. She sees the food and comes running over.

Brendan hands her nuggets and fries to her along with her toy. We almost seem like a complete family, but I know the truth. We’re far from a family. There’s too much brokenness around; it’s just being camouflaged perfectly.

We eat in silence. No one utters a single word. All you can hear is chewing. When Darla finishes she asks if she can go play and I tell her to go ahead. I look at how Brendan watches her and I smile. He clears his throat and I look up. He opens his wallet and hands me a check. My eyes widen and I refuse to even look at it.

“Paige, I want you to take this. Consider it back child support. I’ve been shitty and I’m trying to fix it,” Brendan tells me.

“I don’t want your money, Brendan,” I reply.

“Don’t be so hardheaded, Paige. Just take it please.”

“No. I’m not taking your money.”

“Then I’ll just leave it in your car somewhere. Please just take it,” he insists.

I want to argue more but I just stop. It’s useless. Even when we dated, arguing over the simplest things was never worth it, he won every time. He slides the check over to me; I refuse to look at it. It’s folded in half and I keep it that way. I tuck it into my purse and leave it there.

“Well, thank you,” I tell him.

“You’re not going to look at it?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No, I’ll look later.”

“She really is great. I’m disappointed in myself that I didn’t do this sooner,” he tells me.

“And you’re getting ready to move. How are you going to tell her that?” I ask him.

“I declined the job, Paige.”

I stare at him again. “You did what?”

“I turned the job down this morning. I’ve already missed out on way too much in her life and if it’s okay with you, I’d like to keep seeing her. I want to build a relationship with her. I know you and I are well over and that’s how it has to be, but there’s no reason why she can’t have both parents in her life.”

“Wow, you sound so mature, Brendan. I honestly never thought I’d hear these words come out of your mouth,” I tell him.

“I know, me neither. I had to grow up, though, and I’m glad I did. This guy you were with, he’s a good guy?” Brendan asks.

“Austin? Yeah, he’s nice. I met him in the hospital after he was in an accident. That’s how he lost his arm.”

“Has he met Darla?”

“He met her last night for the first time and it was unintentional. I was at my neighbor’s house for dinner. He knows them and was there.”

“If you two got serious, would he be good around her?”

“Look at you being all protective,” I joke with him.

“You would do the same thing if I were seeing someone,” he replies.

“Are you seeing someone?”

“No. If I hadn’t fucked up years ago, I’d still be with you, but we both know that ship has sailed.”

“To answer your question, I think he would be good around her. But we aren’t dating or anything.”

“You’re beautiful, Paige, he’d be stupid not to want to be with you.” Brendan smiles.

“Today means a lot to me, Brendan, I mean it.”

“It means a lot to me too.” He grins.

Darla comes running up to Brendan and asks if he can watch her slide. He gets up from the table and goes to stand by the play pit. Out of curiosity, I grab the check out of my purse and unfold it. I nearly choke as I read the amount. He wrote a check for five thousand dollars. My face turns a shade of pale and I want to really go tell him I can’t accept this, but the argument would be lost. I just tuck the check back into my purse and try to forget I looked at it.