Ryley's Revenge (Gloves Off #2)(14)

“Whatever happens, I don’t plan on having any man take care of me, Colin. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

Grabbing the bag of cinnamon raisin bagels, he pulled two out and put them in the toaster oven. It was what he used to do every morning we spent together. While they toasted, he fetched the cream cheese and orange juice out of the refrigerator and grabbed us two glasses. When he noticed me watching, he smiled and tapped me on the chin.

“Old habits die hard, I guess. And I know you can take care of yourself. I just didn’t want you to stress about finding a job if there weren’t any available.”

My chest ached with how normal mine and Colin’s lives used to be. He would do anything and everything for me, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted the spark . . . the passion.

Once our bagels were done, Gabriella came running out of her room with her gym bag across her shoulders. She grabbed a banana and raced for the door. “Hello and goodbye. I’m running late, but I’ll see you later. We’re having a girl’s night tonight, so be ready.”

“Where’s Bradley going to be?” I asked.

She opened the door and repositioned her gym bag. “Get Colin to explain. I have to go before my brother kills me.”

Turning to Colin, he laughed and shook his head. “We’re leaving today for a baseball camp in Texas. We’ll be gone until Sunday. I was going to tell you last night, but there were more important things to discuss.”

“Your baseball is important. You’ll be playing pro next year and traveling across the states. You should be happy about that.”

Sighing, he threw away the rest of his bagel and left to grab his shirt and jeans off of the couch. “I am happy, but right now I’m more worried about you and the baby. Just let me know when you make the appointment, so I can go with you.” After putting on his clothes, he walked over and pulled me to him, hugging me tight.

“I’ll get an appointment scheduled. Have fun in Texas.”

Letting me go, he grabbed his keys off of the counter and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll call to check up on you, okay?”

I nodded and watched him walk out the door. He deserved someone who loved him as much as he loved me. Picking up the phone, I dialed the number to my doctor’s office and waited on them to pick up. I needed answers . . . and fast.





By the time Gabriella walked through the front door, I had just gotten off the phone with the principal at Stonewall Academy. They were impressed with my resume and wanted to schedule an interview for a teaching position. Setting my phone down, I looked at her over my shoulder and smiled.

Her eyes went wide. “Wow, I think that’s the first smile I’ve seen on your face since you’ve been home. What’s up?”

“Well, first off, I have a doctor’s appointment scheduled in two weeks. It sucks, but I love my doctor down there and I refuse to go somewhere else. And second, I have an interview tomorrow.”

She sat beside me and bumped me with her shoulder. “Well, at least you made the appointment. You’ll just need to figure out when to tell Ryley.”

Whenever he decides to talk to me again would be a start. “I’ll figure that out when the time comes.”

“So what’s the interview for?” she asked.

“Well, it’s not exactly what I want to do for a career, but since I can’t exactly work out in the field with being pregnant and all, I opted for a teaching position. I think it’ll be fun.”

“Oh wow, that’s great,” she exclaimed. “And since it’s still summer, you’ll have the rest of the season off. I’m so happy for you. Maybe one day down the road we’ll get a job exploring the ocean depths together. Now that is what I look forward to.”

I laid my head on her shoulder. “Maybe one day,” I murmured. “Right now, we have bigger plans.”

“And part of those plans involve you coming with me to the fights on Saturday night. I have one against Jaden Eller. This time, it’s not in Tyler’s gym. It’s going to be in the real spotlight. You have to be there for me.”

And I’ll most likely see Ryley again. She was thinking the same thing by the sly expression on her face. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about Colin and Ryley crossing paths for the time being. That was the last thing I needed.





FRIDAY CAME AND went, along with my interview, which I had to admit went amazingly well. Thankfully, I made it through the interview without getting sick and throwing up all over the principal’s desk. I had a good feeling about it. Now, I was in the car with Gabriella as we headed on our way to the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. It was five hours away so we decided to book a hotel room, so we didn’t have to drive back late tonight. I was focused on round three with Ryley, and this time, I wasn’t going to let him walk away.

“Do you want to go to the party tonight?” Gabriella asked.

When I looked over at her, she smiled. Her midnight hair was sleek down her back and she wore a pink MMA Pride T-shirt with a pair of denim shorts. My tank top, however, had Team Gabriella written on it in bold, pink letters. She also brought two with Team Ryley written across the chest, and told me that we were going to change into them before his fight. I didn’t think it was a good idea, but saying no to Gabby wasn’t exactly easy.