Page 35 of Break: Vol. 2

Lucky Break: Book Four

Chapter 1

One. Two. Three.

Jump.

One. Two. Three.

Dodge.

"If you break my nose, I'm going to be pissed," Roxi said as she backed up a step, holding her hands up in a defensive maneuver.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going to break your nose," I assured her, ducking again as she threw a right hook.

"Yeah, well, you look like you're in a foul mood. Forgive me if I'm not taking any chances," she said. "I thought you'd chill out after you got engaged, but all it’s done is seem to put you in constant PMS." She paused and took on an astonished, slightly horrified look. “You’re not pregnant, are you? You can’t be sparring if you’re fucking pregnant!”

I huffed and kicked out, but she leapt over my foot and shot me an incredulous look. "Seriously?!" she snapped. "I’m being for real here and you tried to kick me!”

“I’m not pregnant,” I snapped.

“No, just under the dark cloud of being engaged to four deliciously handsome men who would do anything to make you happy.” The sarcasm in her sharp tone was heavy. I spun and swung my foot up, performing a halfway decent roundhouse—that she oh so narrowly avoided missing. She glared at me as she straightened and ducked back into a defensive stance. “I thought you said you were fine,” she said, quirking a brow.

"I was until you brought it up again," I said, turning and dodging her next jab.

“Oh my god.” She stopped and gaped at me. “You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” I watched as Roxi’s face went even paler than normal. “Please say you’re not. The guys might cry—well, Dex and Darren probably won’t, but Cody seems like the sensitive type, and Taylor’s hard to read. He might cry. He might not. Either way, I can’t deal with crying. So, I’m going to need you to buck up and not have cold feet. ‘Kay?”

As quite literally one of my only female friends—Roxi could be such a pain in the ass. “Ugh,” I snapped. “Shut up!”

"I appreciate you coming all the way to New York City, but couldn't you have come when you weren't pissed at the guys? You’re kind of scary like this. You’ve never been much good in the gym, but really, this mood has brought a new badass in you."

I rolled my eyes and put my arms down, causing her to do the same. "It's not that I'm mad at them," I admitted. "I'm just nervous."

“So, itiscold feet!” she exclaimed.

“I mean … no.” I shook my head. “Not exactly.”

"Why are you nervous?" she asked as we began stripping off the boxing gloves. She tossed hers to the side of the mat and then started to untape her knuckles and fingers, watching me as she did so.

"We already got married," I winced as the admission came out.

"What?!" Her shocked and horrified reaction was exactly what I was expecting. All of a sudden a flushed Roxi was in my face, glaring at me. "How could you?" she hissed. "I was supposed to be your maid of honor, you whore! Why all the planning to get married in New York if you were just going to do it back home all along? I thought you guys were moving here?"

"We just wanted to get the actual ceremony out of the way," I assured her. "We're still doing the family and friend gathering here. We're still moving."

"So..." Roxi's glare lessened as she backed up, keeping her narrowed eyes on me as though she were waiting for me to spring something else on her. "What does that mean exactly? Why are you nervous if you're already married? You did the deed. It's over, isn't it?"

"Not exactly." I untaped my fingers and laid my own gloves down next to hers. "I'm still meeting all of their families, and I don't know … I mean, you know how … unusual our relationship is."

Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "You're actually telling them all?"

I shrugged. "I'm not. I mean … it's complicated. Taylor—Donovan—has been introducing me to his parents as his girlfriend for the last few years. Cody and Dare did the same with their families. Then there's Dex..."

Roxi growled. "His perv of a brother isn't coming, is he?" she demanded.

I shook my head. "Of course not. I'm pretty sure if Stephan showed up Dex would lose it and kill him."

"I don't blame him. After what you told me happened on the cruise, I'd kill him too. He shouldn't be allowed within a mile of you after that."