Fight to the Finish (First to Fight #3)(70)

She shrieked and jumped a mile high. Hand over her racing heart, she turned to find Reagan standing behind her . . . or rather, towering over her. “How freaking tall are your heels today?”

“A mile. The more stressful the situation, the higher the heel. It’s my coping mechanism. You must be excited. He won!”

He won. She breathed in, then out, then out some more as Reagan squished her with a big hug. Kara hugged back. “Thanks for letting Marianne borrow your car.”

“She borrowed my car?” Reagan pulled back, a look of confusion on her face. “What?”

“Uh, never mind. I’m going to hit the restroom while I can. See you later!”

Sorry, Marianne.


*

GRAHAM shook a little as Brad yanked off his gloves. He could have done it himself, with a little effort, but his hands were still cramped, and the shaking wouldn’t help.

Grabbing a pair of scissors from the supply table, Brad waited. “You gonna stop shaking so I can cut your tape off? Otherwise you might lose a finger.”

“I’m trying,” he said through clenched teeth, then growled when he flexed his fingers wide and they only shook more violently. “God damn it.”

“Adrenaline. Just give it a minute.” Brad set the scissors down. “Shake it off, walk it out, whatever you need to. No big.”

It was embarrassing the match had affected him this much, but then again, it was the biggest match he’d ever competed in. That in itself made it a bit of an anomaly.

Also an anomaly . . . having his future wife in the stands. Because there was no way he’d let Kara tell him she flew down to watch him compete as a friend. She and Zach were his, end of story.

The door opened and Greg sauntered in, looking supremely pleased with himself. And he should be . . . he’d trounced his Air Force opponent earlier in the day. “Winner winner, chicken dinner. Congrats, man.” He gave Graham a slap on the back. “Way to keep it up. So far, in the points, we’re ahead. Close margin with Army, but we’re holding strong. Long as this pansy-ass grandpa’s knee keeps him upright, we should be good to go.”

“This pansy-ass grandpa still needs to cut some tape,” Brad said mildly, holding out his hand for Graham’s first wrist. “Your parents come down to watch, Sweeney?”

“No, they couldn’t make it. They’ll be watching online though, as the matches get uploaded to streaming. I’ll call them later. Your mom and stepdad come?”

“Yup. First time they met Marianne, too. Big week for everyone.” Brad’s grin turned smug. “Marianne was all worried about it, though God knows why. My mom practically wanted to adopt her after she watched Cook ream some Army yokel for messing with her rolls of tape. You know how Cook is about her athletic tape.”

“She loves it almost as much as her pamphlets. Ow,” he grumbled as Brad pulled off the tape, and a little wrist hair.

“Sorry, if your arms weren’t so damn hairy,” Brad muttered.

“Consider waxing?” Greg asked with a grin.

“Bite me.”

“He’s just anxious to get out there and run to Kara. It’s going to be like watching two lovers run in slow motion across a field of flowers, arms wide open.”

Brad scoffed at Greg’s imagery. “Don’t make me throw up.”

“You two have lived together for too long,” Graham said thoughtfully. “Remember back when you hated each other? Those were the good days. Let’s go back to that.”

“Done,” Brad said, pulling the last of the tape off. “You know the coaches aren’t going to let you leave yet. You’ll have to stay and watch the rest of the matches before we head out to dinner.”

“No group dinner tonight,” Greg reminded him. “Remember? Coach Ace said we could mingle with friends and family tonight, long as we’re back in our rooms by twenty-one hundred hours.”

He considered a moment, then nodded. “That’s enough time.”

Both Greg and Brad grinned at him. “Go, before you gross me out. I’ve got to start getting ready for my own match.”

“Good luck, man.” Graham gripped both of his shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. “You’ve got this, grandpa.”

“Fuck off,” he replied mildly. “Go kiss your girl.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.”





CHAPTER


21

Kara found Marianne wrapping a Marine’s ankle in a small room that served as the training room. From the looks of it, she was sharing the space with two other trainers. Levi was nowhere to be found. When she asked, Marianne rolled her eyes and slapped the Marine on the arm. “Off you go. I sent him out for lunch. He was annoying the shit out of me. Nothing but moping from that kid, combined with evil looks at any Marine who walks in here. It’s like he blames them all for Nikki’s stupidity, not her. I don’t get it.”

“He’s young, and infatuated. The young and infatuated aren’t always rational.” Hadn’t she been the same way with Henry eleven years ago? Though she loved Zach with all her heart, it wasn’t untrue to say he had been the result of an irrational, hormonal teenage choice.

“No kidding. Anyway, he was in the way, especially since I have so little space to work with.” She sent Kara a disgusted look that said, without words, just what she thought of the space she’d been allotted. “Keep me company for a few minutes. How’d you like watching a real match?”