Page 126 of See Me

“She told me she’dtake care of itherself.” He uses finger quotes to explain his meaning and I get the message loud and clear. “I begged her not to. We had a plan. A family was always a part of that but it wasn’t onhertimeline. She wasn’t ready to give up her life, her body.

“She told me she needed some time to think. I had a big fight coming that weekend. It was almost a main event. There was a lot of hype surrounding it. I had a lot riding on that fight, so I couldn’t back out and she refused to come. I knew,I knewwhen I left she would do it.”

He leans over, arms bracing on the back of the couch and hangs his head. He’s broken. Even talking about it now is tearing him apart. He didn’t kill her. I don’t think I actually believed he was capable of that but I still don’t understand the arrest and mugshot.

“When it came to the fight, the guy came in smirking. Talking shit, which is expected. We all do it. It’s all part of the sport. At the end of round three, we were in a hold. When the bell rang he didn’t let go. He saiddid you see your girl showed up? Little slut is making the rounds I hear. At least now I know if I ever got her pregnant she would kill it like she did yours.”

I gasp and cover my mouth.

“I thought he was just fucking with me. Until I went to my corner and saw her in the box, sipping champagne with a guy's hands all over her. We locked eyes and I knew she did it.”

A tear escapes and rolls off my chin. I pull my legs up and hug them to my chest. I can’t imagine the deep-seated trauma that kind of betrayal causes. The pieces are falling into place in my head. My eyes soften when I look at him and he closes his eyes, relief showing on his face that I’m starting to understand.

“I still had a fight to finish. The guy comes out laughing, knowing he got in my head. But if there’s one thing I learnedit’s that you don’t push a man to the point of blind rage if he’s spent his entire life mastering the art of violence.”

I swallow hard and goosebumps rise along my arms.

“He got in a couple shots but I had a plan. He made a mistake and turned his back on me to deliver a kick and I hit him. So. Fucking. Hard. In that perfect spot in the back of the head. It was an illegal hit. I knew it. Everyone knew it.”

He hangs his head. “He died the next day.

“My career was over; Benny’s career was over. Her shit was gone when I got home.”

He stands up straight, shoulders back and tears running down his face. He takes his shirt off and turns his back on me. The angel wings on his back I’ve traced a hundred times, now open a floodgate of tears.

“I put these on my back so I couldn’t see them. For my angel I would never meet.”

A sob escapes my throat and I jump off the chair and run toward him. He turns with just enough time to catch me as I launch myself into his arms.

I bury my face in his neck. “I would never do that. Please tell me you know I would never, never do that.”

He squeezes me and takes in a ragged breath. “I couldn't bear the thought of another baby I wouldn’t get the chance to love.” He sets me on the back of the couch and I pull back and cup his face. “Everyone leaves me, Ella. Everyone.”

“I won’t.” He leans down, his forehead resting on mine. He squeezes his eyes shut so I can’t see his emotion. I pull back and his black eyes shine when they open. A tear slides down his cheek and over his lip. I brush it away with the pad of my thumb. “I won’t leave.”

He brushes his lips across mine and I taste the salt in his tears. “I love you.”

I push him back to look in his eyes. “You do?”

He grins. “Yeah, I do. You might be a demon from hell, but you’re my demon.”

I climb his torso like a tree and attack him like a feral animal. Tongues and teeth clash in a fight to devour each other. He holds me up with his hands cupping my ass and spins me toward the bedroom.

Enzo walks in and we break our kiss to turn toward him. “Hey, Blaze, you like espresso?” He’s holding a countertop espresso machine. “Aww, look at you guys. Blaze, you got a little makeup…” he runs his finger under his eye and cringes. He sets the appliance down on the table and pulls his phone out. “You want me to record a little of this?” He points his finger and gestures to us. “For a scrapbook or something?”

“Get out,” we say in unison.

“Fine.” He pockets his phone and picks up the espresso machine. “But I’m taking this with me.”

Luca has me halfway to the bedroom before the door slams behind Enzo. He sits on the bed, me straddling his lap.

“Your turn,” he says.

“My turn?” I pull back in confusion.

“Yes,Elliot, your turn.”

I smile, catching on to his meaning. “Oh, right. The Ellie-Ella thing.” I wrap my arms around his neck and grind on his lap. He hisses through his teeth and his eyes fall shut. “Do we really have to do this now?”

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