Lori laughed like I’d told the funniest joke she’d ever heard and shook her head. “No way. I’m so taken with another guy it’s not funny. I’m here because I want Storm to be happy.”
“Why?”
“Let’s just say, he treated me like shit on his shoe, but I’m still here sticking up for him when he’s all but given up. Not to toot my own horn or anything but wow. Forgiveness from someone like me is a real indicator, you know?”
“What’s this got to do with me?”
“He thinks he’s already lost you,” she stated.
I stared at her, my expression falling. “What?”
“He was at The Underground last night,” she explained. “First time in a while, and he was a mess. The bastard in him was out in full force.” She made a face. “Man, can he lay it on thick. Listen, I know this is completely fucking twisted, me coming here, but Storm… He doesn’t believe in himself anymore. He’s just given up trying to fight. He’s going to let you go to Amsterdam without even telling you how he feels because he’s stuck in this stupid cycle of self-punishment. I don’t know you, but the look in his eyes when he spoke about you…” She sighed. “I’ve never seen him look like that.”
I was frozen to the spot, unable to speak, think, or even move to save myself.
“I guess the short version is I came here to beg for you to fight for him. If I, of all people, can turn around and do that for the guy who broke my heart… Shit.”
This was so messed up. My throat burned with unshed tears, and I swallowed, attempting to sooth the ache. Was this how our romance was supposed to go? Callie Winslow, the pants of the operation. A sexy, buff cage fighter with an enormous chip in his heart needed me, the cupcake glitter queen to save him?
Stranger shit had happened, I suppose. Like almost being burned alive and being saved by the guy who was too afraid to love in case he inadvertently destroyed someone’s life. Yeah, real fucking weird.
“Would you tell me about him?” I asked. “I know the pieces he’s shown me, but I can’t help but feel it’s only a small selection…”
Lori smiled. “What has he told you?”
“Well,” I began, leaning against the bench where Mark and I had our quickie the day before. “He told me about The Underground and how he fights there. I’m not impressed, by the way. He told me about the kind of man he was back then and how he was selected for the UFC. He told me about the…you know.”
“He said you’d told him you believed his side of things,” she said.
“Yeah, but it was like pulling teeth to get any of this out of him.”
“That’s Storm in a teacup,” she said with a wink.
“Very punny.” I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hide the stupid smile from appearing on my face. Despite myself, I was beginning to like Lori. A lot.
“He’s difficult to get to know,” she said. “But I can see you’ve already found that out. He’s made a lot of mistakes, but he’s done what he can to make up for them. We had ended before he went overseas, so a few years ago now, but after he’d come back, he sought me out to apologize. For a guy like him, full of bravado, it was a big deal. He’s been through some shit, but he’s grown because of it. I hardly recognize him.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It’s a very good thing. He’s just got to believe it.”
I leaned back against the bench, my head spinning. Looked like I had to make my decision right now, but what was I supposed to do?
Okay, Callie, think.
If I took the job, I would be working for someone else. If I stayed, I would be working for no one else but me. I would be in charge of my little piece of heaven, my slice of the pie. It mightn’t be very large, but it was mine. I built it on my own with no outside help or stepping-stones or even a celebrity endorsement.
I never wanted a big life. All I ever wanted was something to call my own…and someone to share it with.
And just like that, I made my decision.
“I’ll go to his place,” I blurted, standing tall, my gaze searching for my handbag. “I’ll make him see…”
“Hell, yeah!” Lori watched me with a strange smile on her face. “But I don’t think he’ll be there.”
“Then where would he be?” I halted my frantic searching.
“It’s highly likely he’ll be at The Underground again. I can take you if you like.”