3 Breaths (18 page)

“Me too.”

A text comes through her phone and she rolls her eyes. I glance down seeing it’s her mom. “You know, you have to let go of the anger you have against her. Regardless of what blame she holds on me, she’s your mom.”

“She’s never going to let go of what happened with Zoë.”

“Then help her do it. Give her a reason to see why she needs to.”

Ivy nods her head and begins to text her mom back. Pulling off the freeway, with the sun shining high in the sky, I think about what I am about to embark on. Today could be the first step towards the rest of my life, towards a real future in the MMA world. No more last minute underground fights for chump change. Regardless of what happens with Ronnie, I cannot carry that burden. I have to believe that he will be fine. That he’ll pull through and my family will be safe, like they’ve always been.

The possibilities for the future are great, and for that, I’m one lucky bastard. I could be making good money, where Ivy would never have to work again, and I can give her the future that she deserves.

“She wants to have dinner.”

“Who?” I ask confused, my daydream cut short.

“My mom.”

“With you?”

“With both of us.”

“When?”

“She didn’t say, but I basically told her that we are dating.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What exactly did you say to her, Ivy?”

“I told her earlier that she’s been making me miserable and she flew off the handle, so I ignored her.” I glare at her, as much as her mom pisses me off, she really has no one left except for Ivy.

“Let me just read it to you,” she says and scrolls through her messages with her eyebrows scrunched together. “Mom, yes, I have been ignoring you but for a reason—the words that you said to Krane yesterday were hurtful. He has been amazing to me and has helped me in so many ways that you’d never understand. He’s shown me how to be strong and to cope with the loss of Zoë. I can see the pain that he’s gone through losing her and for you to blame him, it’s not fair. During everything that we’ve gone through together, we’ve grown close. Granted none of us knows what the future will hold, but I know that mine will have Krane in it. So if you want to be part of my life, then you need to let go of the resentment that you have against him and be a part of his life too.”

I swallow hard after hearing her words and realize how much I’ve helped her. I mean, I can remember times right after Zoë passed that she was a wreck and I had to force her to be strong. I’d talk to her ’til she fell asleep and then call her in the morning when I got up to wake her, forcing her out of bed. But I was drunk most of the time, so I didn’t realize then the impact that I was having on her. Thinking about those times makes me realize how she’s changed me too. When I’m with Ivy, drinking is the last thing on my mind. I don’t even have a desire to do it, as long as she is with me.

“You really feel that way, about the future?”

“Yeah. I don’t want to face it without you. I’ve tried and it’s ugly. I’m not myself when we are apart; you’ve shown me the Ivy that I’m supposed to be.”

Parking the truck at the airport, I turn it off and look over at her. I know that I’m not myself when we are apart either. “Ivy…I love you.” I didn’t plan on telling her this, but when it hits me, telling her is one of the easiest things I’ve ever done.

She smiles from ear to ear and takes my hand placing it over her heart. “I love you, Krane.” Her heart pounds profusely and she says, “This is what you do to me any time that we’re together.”

Bringing her lips to mine, I study her eyes and wonder how in the world I got so lucky…again. I hesitate for a second before kissing her and ask, “Ready to see what the future will hold?” She answers me with a kiss and then we hop out of the truck.

Grabbing our bags, I see the ACM plane right away. It is wrapped in graphics with their company logo and sponsors, making it stick out more than any other plane on the tarmac. Logan waves from the door, popping his head out. “Holy shit,” Ivy says excitedly. We head that way and I can’t help but look at her. She looks different – calmer – happier.

Walking to the stairs, I lead Ivy up in front of me. Inside, two flight attendants greet us, handing us two glasses of Champagne as they take our bags and the two pilots in the cockpit wave at us.

“Will there be anyone else?” one of the attendants asks Logan.

“No, ma’am.”

Victoria and Ivy hug all giddy and excited. I take a look around the plane as I fist bump Logan. “Man, this is unreal.”

“I know, right? Here, let’s sit down, I have a lot to go over with you.”

We take a seat and he hands me a folder of paperwork, and says, “These are stipulations, if you do sign. They want you to review everything now.”

There has to be over fifty pages here. As I flip through skimming it, there are all sorts of different things, a section for approved fight apparel, marketing clauses, a slew of different bonuses.

Fuck, this is a lot.

“What are we thinking going into this with just the two of us?” I close the packet and hand it back to him.

The stewardess walks by and I stop her. “Could I have a shot of tequila, please?” I have got to steady my nerves. Even Ivy’s calming powers can’t battle the swarm rising in my stomach.

Logan glares at me and interrupts her, “He’ll take a bottle of water. Krane, you agreed to let me manage you. I’m not going to let you go into the biggest meeting of your life drunk.”

“What’s the difference? Drunk or not, we’re not prepared to do this. Have you read any of this?”

“Yeah, every page, and I spoke to ACM about some concerns I already have. That’s why I want to go over it with you now.”

“Regardless of concerns, we need someone with a legal background to look over anything before I sign it.” I glance at Ivy and she nods her head in agreement.

“They will have an attorney present to work out everything, they are prepared to negotiate and are dead serious about bringing you into their fighting family. If you would stop being so fucking difficult and trust me, you’d see that I can do this and am prepared to make sure you get a sweet deal.”

“Umm, an attorney for
their
side, not mine, but I’ll trust you. And what about Ronnie?”

“He has nothing to do with your deal. It was an unfortunate outcome, but you’re not liable in any way. Would you let that go, man?”

I take Ivy’s hand and wrap it in mine. I move my eyes to the window and zone out Logan’s stare. It’s not that I don’t want to. I can’t. My head is all over the place…maybe I’m not ready to do this.

I just need five minutes alone with Ivy to set my head straight.

After the plane landed in Vegas, a private car picked us up to take us to the meeting with ACM. Logan and I discussed things the entire flight, but nothing he’s said has sold me on doing this. I feel like I am about to sign my life away and that scares me. What if I end up like Ronnie?

“You okay?” Ivy asks, kissing my neck. I nod my head looking at her for something, anything to get me through this.

“Okay, they are all ready for us,” Logan says hanging up his phone. The car comes to a stop and the driver opens the rear door.

“I need to talk to you,” I whisper to Ivy. Then Logan gets out first and I follow.

“Hey, man, can I have a few minutes alone with Ivy?” I ask before proceeding.

“Sure, I’ll let them know we’re here.”

Logan walks off and I guide Ivy out of the car, she takes my hands looking into my eyes as they follow his back. “What’s going though your head?”

“How do I know this is the right thing to do?”

“Look at me,” bringing my face to hers. “You know as well as I do that nothing is guaranteed in life, everything could end tomorrow. This might be your only opportunity at a real fighting career, so you’ve gotta go in there with an open mind and at least explore the options.”

“I hear ya, but what if I sign a contract and get injured fighting or they require me to move somewhere to train?”

“You know that this job comes with a great risk, but you’ve got the best angel watching over you. I believe that Zoë will keep you safe. And if you move, I move. I’ll go where you go. That should be the least of your worries. You gotta have faith in us, in me. Stop thinking stupid thoughts. Are you in this for the long haul?” I nod my head, taking in her words of encouragement. “Well, you know I am. This deal could change your life for the better, it could give you the future that you’ve always dreamed of. Zoë would want you to do this. So listen to me when I tell you that I am not going anywhere and I will support whatever you decide, because I fucking love you, Krane Hensley.”

Logan opens the door and whistles for me, “Let’s go, man.”

Leaning in, I kiss Ivy, knowing that no matter what happens, I’ll have her in the end.

“How are you gonna tell Ivy?” Logan asks me as we walk to the elevator in our hotel.

“I’m not, my face will tell her everything.”

He presses the elevator call button and I exhale. “Damn, I need a drink,” I say as we step inside.

“You and me both.”

“You know, if we’d brought our own attorney that would have probably been done in half the time.” It’s after eight; the meeting lasted over three hours. Thank God the girls checked into the rooms rather than sitting there and waiting for us. As the doors open to the twenty-second floor, Logan points to the direction that we are headed and says, “Here you are, twenty-two eleven,” as we approach my room.

“Thanks for today,” I tell him as he walks off.

“You can buy me a drink later,” he says from down the hall. I knock on the door of the hotel room and wait for Ivy to open it. It’s not but a few seconds and her sparkling eyes meet mine. I step inside and she beams from ear to ear in excitement, waiting for me to tell her the news. But I don’t do that and my flat expression changes everything. She scrunches her eyebrows at me and asks, “What happened, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I say, pulling her body to mine and brushing my lips tenderly against hers.

“Nothing happened, or nothing’s wrong?” she asks pulling her head further back looking me in the eye again. I smirk holding her closer, and press my lips to her neck.

She pushes me away, her demeanor filled with concern, and grabs my hand lifting up my right sleeve and then the left. When she finds the diamond-encrusted watch on my left wrist, she about slaps me. “You got fuckin’ signed?”

Slowly I nod, watching how she absorbs the news and how right away it makes her ecstatic. A huge grin breaks out across my face. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“I was playing. Plus, I needed to make sure you wouldn’t run for the hills.”

“Jesus Christ, Krane, you are such an ass.” She slaps my chest and I hold her wrists, her eyes getting wide when I control her like this. Looking down at my hundred-grand watch, it gleams in the light. I wasn’t even looking for a hundred-grand contract. I just wanted enough to survive, but ACM is no joke – they are the top of the top and gave me way more than that.

“Well, I’m your ass.” I slip the watch off and put it on her.

“You are,” she says smiling and flattens her hands on my chest, staring at the diamond Rolex. I let go of her wrists and she says, “Give me all the details.”

“Everything?” I ask.

“Yes, especially all of the important parts.”

“Umm, my first fight is in two months.”

“Against who?”

“Some new up and comer, should be easy from what Logan knows of him.”

“Where will it be?”

“They said Toronto, so you better get your passport ready.” She raises her eyebrows at me, liking the idea of traveling. “Logan will stay on as my primary trainer, I’ll fight out of Ethan’s gym, and if I want, ACM could get me set up with one of their camps to try out. But I told them that right now I don’t want to move, and they don’t have any camps in New York.”

“Wow, it sounds like you got everything you wanted.”

“Yeah, I mean, the money is gonna change our life, and the small things like the appearances and required fight apparel, I’ll learn to deal with.”

“So how much did you get?”

“A half a million fucking signing bonus baby, plus I’ll get fifty thousand for every fight to start. If I win, there’s a bonus too.” Ivy’s eyes gloss over with tears hearing the news.