Tyed(69)

November is just around the corner, and so is Ty's title fight. He’s going to be fighting in Vegas again, and I'm sure Cam will cover the event, but I try not to think about it.

The fact that Ty still hasn't spoken to me drives me nuts. I'm not going to chase him around. I offered to clear the air months ago, but he didn't seem too eager, and my ego is still wounded from the huge secret he kept from me.

But that doesn’t stop me from wandering to the XWL website to check now and then to see if there are any updates on him. It’s part of my job to know what’s going on with local athletes. Right?

One chilly day, I’m scanning the site for news, when Cam stops at my desk. I don’t have an office. I share a big, open area with a dozen or so people. I'm actually grateful for the constant company and prefer the hustle and bustle to being alone.

"Hey." I flash Cam a smile that I'm certain doesn't reach my eyes. My smiles never do nowadays. "Winter is coming."

"Sure looks like it. So… November 10th," he announces, looking down at a paper in hand. "Tyler ‘The Zombie’ Wilder Vs. Jesus Vasquez. Wilder is from Concord. We have to cover this."

‘We? You mean the magazine.” My stomach knots, my cheeks flush, and my pulse speeds up.

"No, I want you to help." He studies me from behind his glasses. "Bumped into your name on TMZ the other day. You have history with the guy.”

“I haven’t spoken to him in months.”

"But you’re obviously following the fight.” He glances at my computer and the XWL site on the screen. Busted. Dammit. Why couldn’t Brain do its job and keep Heart and Hormones in control.

“You don’t have to write the story,” Cam continues. “I doubt you’d be objective anyway. All I’m asking is that you come with me to Vegas and try and get Wilder to let me interview him. He doesn't do interviews, as you're probably well aware. If we manage to get him to talk to us, we're going to get a lot of buzz and new readers."

So many things are running through my head right now. The first one is that I may see Ty again, in the flesh, only a few weeks from now. The second is that Cam is pulling something completely unethical. The third? The last time I asked Ty for an interview, he demanded a date from me in exchange.

"Cam…" I readjust in my seat, because it feels so awkward to share this with my boss, no matter how nice and supportive he’s been until now. "Ty and I aren't really on speaking terms. If I ask him for an interview, it could even decrease the magazine’s chances. I don't want you to get your hopes up."

"It's a long shot, yeah, but it's better than nothing. And we need to cover the fight anyway, right?" Cam combs his fingers through his messy shag, but his hair stands up, looking even messier. "I mean, you can still say no, but why would you? Free hotel room, free plane ticket, free first row ticket, championship fight." He motions at my computer screen. There's a picture of a very angry, very bloody Jesus Vasquez. "And you get to see your ex-boyfriend getting punched. Which, according to Emilia and a few more girls who work here, is a serious bonus."

I nibble my lip. "People know you're asking me to do this?" Great. More pressure. And most definitely more humiliation when Ty turns me down.

"Well, no. I was asking Emilia this hypothetically, because I didn't want to come off as an insensitive prick."

I fold my arms. He is kind of an insensitive prick for asking me to do this, but I'm not going to say anything because...well, because I totally dig this job.

A few seconds pass in uncomfortable silence before Cam speaks again.

"Just think about it."

"I don't have to go to Vegas for this. I can stop by The Grind and ask him face to face."

Or better yet, go straight to his house. If there's less of a crowd around us, there's less of a chance of me trying to hurl myself under a bus when this whole thing blows up in my face. But Cameron shakes his head, eyes shut.

"Wilder’s not in Concord anymore. He set his camp in Vegas four weeks ago. So unless you want to do this by phone..."

Nope. I really can't do it by phone. One, because I don't have his number, and two, because even if I get it through Jesse, Dawson or Mary, there's a good chance Ty won't answer my call.

"I'll do it," I hear myself saying, and even though the words coming out of my mouth are freaking me out, I know that it's the right thing to do.

I love this job.

And I freaking love Ty.

Vegas was bad to me the last time I was there, but maybe things will be different the second time around.

Maybe I'm already over his secret.

And maybe, he still isn’t over me.





Chapter Twenty One


I'm sitting next to Cam in a cab that's taking us to our Vegas hotel. I think the panic attack started on the flight and kind of escalated to this point. I'm sweating like a pig, and my clammy hands strangle my canvas bag like I'm trying to choke it to death. What the hell am I doing? If Ty wanted me here, he would have said so. He is perfectly capable of getting what he wants—when he wants it—and now I'm just going to barge into the most important night of his life uninvited. The last time I surprised him, it ended up with tears and a breakup. I can't believe Cam has talked me into this.