Camden's Redemption (Gloves Off #4)(64)

“All I want is you, Camden. I just fear I won’t be enough. You’re about to start fighting again and traveling. The women will be throwing themselves at you and I’ll be all fat and pregnant. It just scares me.”

Taking her face in my hands, I pressed my lips to hers. “Do you trust me?” I leaned my forehead against hers and waited for her reply.

“With my life,” she whispered back.

“Then trust me when I say, nothing and no one is going to come between us. I love you and I don’t ever want to give you a reason to doubt me. I want to be here for you, for the baby, and for however many other kids we decide to have.”

Her eyes went wide and she pulled back, a surprised grin on her face. “More kids? What exactly are you saying?”

“I’m saying I want this to be forever. When the day comes and you decide you’re ready to take that step, I want you to know that I promise to take it with you. Do you think you’ll be able to handle me for that long?”

Laughing, she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. “I have no doubt. The real question is, do you think you can handle all this?” She backed up and did a full body gesture.

Grabbing her to me, I lifted her up and she straddled my waist. “I think I’ve done pretty well so far.” My phone rang, interrupting the moment. I pulled it out and looked at the screen. “It’s just Mason,” I said, putting it back in my pocket. “I can call him back later.”

“No, take it,” she advised, dropping her legs. “It might be something important.”

I pulled out my phone again. “What’s up?”

“Just calling to catch up.”

“Mason, you saw me three weeks ago at the wedding. Do you miss me that much?” I joked.

He chuckled. “Eh, not really. I just thought I’d call and give you the good news.”

“What news?”

“You, Camden ‘The Bone Crusher’ Jameson, have been asked to fight next month. I’m calling to see if you’ll accept.”

“Are you f*cking kidding me? Yeah, I’ll accept. Who am I fighting?”

“Some newbie fighter . . . a Darren Willard?”

“Then hell yeah,” I shouted. “Set it up and give me the details. I’ll be there.”

“All right. One more thing . . . do you still want to be the Bone Crusher or switch it to Striker? I didn’t know which one you wanted to keep.”

Striker was the name Scar and his people gave me. There was no way in hell I’d go by that name again. “Striker’s dead.”

“Good deal, Jameson. I’ll be in touch with the details shortly. Just make sure your ass is ready to fight.”

“You have nothing to worry about on that end.”

As soon as we hung up, Brooklyn moved closer and laid her head on my shoulder. “This is your time, baby. A new beginning to do things right.”

“Let’s just hope I don’t f*ck up.”

“You won’t,” she murmured, looking up into my eyes. “I’m not going to let you.”





FIGHT NIGHT HAD finally come, which had us at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. I had Paxton and Mason by my side, ready to walk me out. I couldn’t deny the disappointment I felt when Ryley said he couldn’t make it. Family duties came first and I couldn’t blame him. I was going to have one of my own soon as well.

“You ready for this?” Mason asked. “Your shoulder doing okay?”

I rolled my neck and shoulders and nodded. “As good as new.”

“All right, here we go.”

“Ladies and gentleman, we have a special treat for you tonight. After a year-long absence from the UFC, this young fighter is once again ready to crack skulls. Let’s hear it for Camden ‘The Bone Crusher’ Jaaammmeeesssooonnn.” The crowd went wild, especially when my song, Alive by P.O. D. blasted over the speakers. That was what I felt . . . alive.

With my red robe hung low over my head, I walked out to the sound of screams and shouts of my name. For the longest time, I thought I’d never experience this feeling again. I was back. Mason and Pax waved at the crowd which made the whole place rumble in excitement. Once in the ring, I took off my robe and bounced on my feet. I was ready to get this fight started.

Brooklyn and Gabby were in the front row clapping and whistling as loud as they could, wearing red and black Team Camden T-shirts to match the color of my fighting shorts. Believe it or not, I could actually hear Gabby’s shouts over everyone else; it was funny as hell.

The announcer nodded at me and started to speak into the microphone when one of the judges called him over to the side. The crowd went silent. About thirty seconds later, he strolled back to the middle of the ring with a huge grin on his face.

“Everyone, it looks like we have a surprise for you tonight. Apparently, Darren Willard won’t be fighting, but we do have someone to take his place. Not only will it be a fight of epic proportions, but it’s also for the Middleweight Champion title. Let’s hear it for our current Middleweight Champion, Ryley ‘The Rampage’ Jaaammmeeesssooonnn.”

The crowd erupted into gasps of surprise, followed by outright screams of elation. They weren’t the only ones who were surprised. Was this a joke? I stalked over to Mason and Pax. “What the hell is this? Did you know?”