Sucker Punch (TKO #4) (3 page)

Chapter 4

Austin

The minute I walk into Joe’s, I begin second-guessing my decision to come. All it’s going to take is one motherfucker opening their mouth about my arm and I’ll lose my shit. I should have thought this through. The last thing Lance and I need is a fight to break out. I don’t want any trouble back at the gym if they hear about me street fighting, not when I feel that’s the only place I really belong now. I place my main focus on the bar and just walk numbly behind Lance. He was so pumped I was coming tonight. He stops at the bar and I stand beside him.

It’s funny to think that a while back, when I had just moved to town, Ruston brought me here with Tamilyn. This is where everything basically began for me and it’s kind of bittersweet to be here again but a totally different person. I swallow back the memories and wait for the bartender to walk over.

When he finally notices Lance and me, we’re able to order drinks. I get a beer and sigh as I take a sip.

“See, isn’t that beer good?” Lance grins at me.

Rolling my eyes, I take another quick sip. “Yeah, it’s all right. I could have easily had one of these at my house.”

“Where’s your sense of adventure, man? You have a life to live, you know.”

“My sense of adventure cost me an arm, in case you forgot,” I deadpan. I’m not trying to be all negative but it’s seeming to come out that way. “I’m sorry, man, I’m just nervous about being here.”

“Don’t be. No one is going to say or do anything to you. We’re here to have a few drinks and a good time. I promised Hilary I was going to be on my best behavior and she promised she’d wait up for me when I got home.” He winks as he sips his drink. He’s so damn goofy, but he’s quickly become one of my best friends.

“Lucky you. Tonight, it’s just me and my left hand.”

“That’s the spirit!” he exclaims as he slaps me on the back. I cough, trying not to choke on the beer I’m currently trying to swallow. Afterwards, I’m able to laugh and it feels damn good.

A song starts playing overhead and I shake my head in disbelief. I know Lance is about to hear it and make a scene around us. He has some weird fetish with Taylor Swift songs I just don’t understand.

“Oh damn, this is my shit!” he yells. See, I knew it was coming. He begins belting out “Bad Blood” and I continue to drink my beer. “Come on Austin, I know you know the words.”

“Sadly, I do. It’s all your fault.” This song can’t end fast enough. People are beginning to cheer him on. What the hell is wrong with these people? I laugh because at least this corny-ass moment is helping me forget everything wrong in my life.

I glance around at the women in the bar wondering what would happen if I were to go and try to talk to any of them. The old Austin would have had no problem sauntering over to them and throwing out a few pickup lines, but I just don’t seem to have the courage to approach anyone yet. I didn’t come here for women, though, I came here with my friend to have a drink.

When the song finally ends, I let out a sigh of relief. I could strangle the DJ for playing it. In fact, I almost want to go over and beg him not to play anything else that will make Lance go all psychotic in this place.

I go to take a sip of my beer and realize it’s empty. I must have finished it when Lance was exploring his musical career. I order another beer and take a sip. My eyes continue to roam the place, I can’t help it.

My gaze settles a few spots down at the bar and my jaw drops. Either I’m delusional or that’s Paige, the nurse I’ve practically dreamed about since that day I woke up in ICU. I want to walk up to her but I notice she’s talking to a guy. That’s about my fucking luck. As I watch her, though, I realize she’s yelling at him. Her finger is in his face. Despite all her rage, he’s just staring blankly at her.

“Earth to Austin, what are you staring at?”

“Oh shit, sorry. I, uh, nothing. I’m just looking around.”

“You’re a fucking liar.” I look over at Lance.

“Maybe I am. At least I don’t sing Taylor Swift.”

“Don’t be jealous. I see you staring at that girl over there. I’d say go talk to her but she looks like she’s ripping that guy a new asshole.” His brow is scrunched and the sour look on his face is cracking me up.

“I know her. She was the first nurse I saw when I woke up in ICU,” I explain quickly to him.

“Lucky bastard. My luck, I would have woke up to some old wrinkly grandma. You should go say hi; that guy just walked off.”

I look in her direction and realize he’s right. The guy is gone and Paige is walking in this direction. “I can’t talk to her,” I tell him. Geez, I sound like a fucking pussy right now.

“Why not?”

I point towards my arm and cringe as she nears our vicinity.

“Hello, asshat, she’s seen your arm before. You were in ICU. Use those nuts.”

I close my eyes and hope when I open them she’ll have already passed, but I forget Lance has a big fucking mouth. “Hey! Nurse lady, come see!”

I open my eyes and glare at Lance. If I had my fucking right arm, I would punch him. Paige’s eyes meet mine and I swallow like I want to drink her down. Now I’m thirsty, so I hurry and take a sip of the beer in my hand.

She’s actually
really
walking over here now and she has a friend with her, who gets pulled aside by some other girl, but Paige is still walking. If I’ve ever wanted to disappear, now is the time. I’ve imagined seeing her many times since I was in ICU but what the hell were the chances?

Lance nudges me in the side and I shoot him a glare. I’m not ready for this. I was more than prepared to just admire from afar. The deal for the night was to come have a few drinks, not meet women. I haven’t quite built that confidence back up yet.

“H-hi,” I stutter as she stops in front of me. I remember those baby blue eyes. They were so damn piercing in the hospital when we met. That and those curls that hang down her back. Good God, I’m in over my head.

“Hey,” she says smoothly. Wow, what an epic fucking conversation. I’m definitely going to lay into Lance once this torture is over. She doesn’t seem interested at all to be standing in front of me. She still looks a little tense from whatever that was with the guy by the bar.

“I, uh, just wanted to say hi. Sorry to bother you,” I stammer.

Lance scoffs beside me, his jaw on the floor He can’t help it at all.

“No, you didn’t bother me. I’m sorry, it’s not you. I, uh, had a pretty intense conversation with someone who pissed me off,” she explains vaguely. That makes me feel somewhat better but not really. I was beginning to think it was a mistake to try to talk to her.

“Paige, right?” I ask her. Her eyes widen like she can’t believe I remember her name. Now I feel like a grade A creeper.

“Hi, Paige, I’m Austin’s best friend Lance. I’m the one who called you over.” He extends his hand and finally a smile breaks across her beautiful face.

“It’s nice to meet you. It’s good to see you again, Austin. You look like you’re doing pretty well,” she replies, reverting her attention back to me.

“Yeah, I guess so.” I set my now-empty beer bottle on the bar behind me and stick my hand in my pocket. Why am I so damn nervous right now?

I turn my head to see Lance just staring at me, confused. I raise my eyebrow at him, hoping he’ll get the hint to not look so crazy, but it does no good. “Well, this conversation is going so well. Paige, how about you give my man Austin your phone number?”

“Dude, did you really just say that?” I ask him, not caring Paige is literally in hearing range.

“I did. You can thank me later.” He winks as he turns to the bar to order another drink. I’m going to fucking kill him.

Paige’s cheeks turn a slight pink before she bows her head. She’s embarrassed and I don’t blame her at all.

“I’m sorry about him,” I tell her, chuckling a little.

“No, it’s okay. It’s not a big deal.”

The girl who was with her a while ago grabs hold of her hand and pulls her over to talk to her. It seems like eternity passes before Paige walks back up to me. In the meantime, Lance hands me another beer and nods in their direction. I shrug because hell, I don’t know what’s going on. I just know this is potentially one of the most awkward moments of my life.

Paige finally returns and daringly looks me in the eye. “Do you have your phone?”

“Oh, yeah. I do,” I reply, trying to keep my excitement at bay.

I hand Lance my beer as I reach for it in my back pocket. My heart rate just doubled, I’ve never been one to get a girl’s number. Well, besides Tamilyn’s but that doesn’t count. With shaking hands, I give her my phone. Her hand brushes mine and I feel like a fucking girl, all giddy inside. This is some shit. I watch as she types her number into my phone and hands it back.

“I’m being dragged to another bar. You guys want to come?” she asks with a gleam of hope in her eyes.

I glance over at Lance, who checks his phone. He scrunches his brow and presses his lips together. I’m thinking that’s a no. He does have a new baby to get home to. He shows me his phone and Hilary asks how much longer he’d be. I don’t want to keep him, and besides, this was supposed to be a few drinks and we’ve accomplished that.

“Nah, I don’t want to intrude and I think we’re about to head out.” I instantly regret my words. But I didn’t drive, so I have to leave when Lance does.

“Well, call me sometime Austin.” She leans forward and boldly kisses me on the cheek. My dick just got rock hard in the middle of Joe’s.

“I will,” I tell Paige as I watch her wave and then walk off. That same brown curly hair I remember from the hospital has the same bounce it did then. She’s everything I remember. I turn to face Lance as we both finish our last drinks. “Okay, I admit I wanted to beat the shit out of you at first, but I’ve changed my mind.”

Lance laughs. “See, I know everything. I’m helping you get your life back.”

He may be laughing, but he’s right. He is helping me get my life back. If it weren’t for him, I’d be sitting home doing nothing and feeling sorry for myself. I’m over that.

Chapter 5

Paige

“Don’t you have some luck? First you see asshole Brendan and then you meet a smoking hot guy. Who was he?” Nora grins from ear to ear.

I was kinda sad to leave Joe’s. I never thought I’d see Austin again, and I was glad when his friend said his name. As soon as he said it, I remembered. How I forgot it, I have no clue.

“Yeah, at least it turned the evening around. He was a patient in the hospital not long ago. He lost his arm in a car accident.” I remember walking into that room, my jaw on the floor. I’m used to seeing terrible things happen to people but I found myself feeling sorry for him and the fact he didn’t even know it had happened.

“Poor guy. Well, regardless, he’s hot. Please tell me you got a number or something and can finally move on from Brendan.” Nora smirks. She has some nerve but I love her.

I let Nora drag me to another bar and finally we’re leaving. As we inch closer to the cars, all I can think about is going to bed and sleeping in tomorrow.

I turn to face Nora and scrunch my nose. “Nor, I haven’t been involved with Brendan in four years.”

Nora unlocks her car and laughs. “Paige, you know if he up and said he wanted to be in your and Darla’s life, you would take him back.”

“See, that’s where you’re very wrong. There will never be anything between us again. He’s out blowing money at the bar and he’s yet to ever give any kind of support to his daughter. He’s a joke.”

“It’s his loss. I had a blast, I’m glad you finally decided to come out.”

“I know.” I laugh as I open my car door. “You told me that a few times tonight. I believe you.”

“Enjoy your day off tomorrow. I know I’ll enjoy mine by the pool doing nothing. See you later.”

“Bye Nora.” I check my phone before tossing it onto my passenger seat. I don’t know why I thought I would have a text from Austin just yet.

I drive carefully home, knowing good and well I probably should have just taken a cab to the bar. Luckily my apartment is right around the corner, so in no time I pull in and park, letting out a sigh of relief.

I walk into my apartment and toss my keys onto the counter. It’s so quiet in here without Darla. I walk to her room out of habit and turn the light on. Baby dolls and ponies are all over the floor from her playing earlier today. I smile as I turn the light back off and I go take a shower to wash the bar scent off of me.

After my shower, I walk to the kitchen and drink a glass of water. Since I saw Austin again, I can’t get him off of my mind. This is weird, considering I once really liked Brendan and I don’t think even he stayed embedded like this. It’s after midnight and I almost go sit on the couch but I’d rather lie in bed.

I grab my phone and set it on my nightstand. I climb under my covers and think about the night’s events. I can’t believe I saw Brendan and he had the damn nerve to talk to me. I didn’t let him go without giving him a piece of my mind and I didn’t give a damn who inside that bar heard me. I’ve raised our daughter all by myself without a cent from him while he’s been obviously enjoying his time at the bar. What an asshole. My phone dings and I glance over at my nightstand.

A number I don’t know lights up the screen. My heart flutters because I know deep down who it is. I wasn’t sure I would be hearing from him. I tap the number and go ahead and save it.

Austin: Sorry about it being awkward tonight. I wasn’t sure you’d remember me.

I laugh a little as I reply. It did seem awkward but it was so damn cute.

Paige: Not a worry, and of course I remembered you. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.

Way to sound lame, I think as I hit send.

Austin: I know it’s late, I won’t keep you.

Paige: You aren’t. I just got home and I’m lying down.

Austin: Can I call you?

Paige: Sure.

Not even a minute later, the phone rings. My heart races as I answer. “Hello?”

“Hey, I’m sorry. I just figured this would be easier.” The sound of his voice is so smooth and calming. I could almost fall asleep just listening to it.

“Probably. I’m glad you texted.”

“You can thank Lance for having the guts to do what I was afraid of,” he tells me.

“Why were you afraid?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because I saw you ripping that guy a new asshole and I wasn’t sure you’d remember me.”

I laugh a little before replying. “That was an old issue from my past I had to handle. Nothing to worry about.” I don’t dare mention any details. I need to keep my personal life private for right now. Protecting Darla is all I care about.

“This is all new to me. Well, since the accident it is. I wasn’t this quiet kind of guy before.”

“Well, it’s okay.” I yawn. “Things like that make people change. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I can let you go if you want to get some rest,” he offers. I hate to take him up on that offer but I’m actually really tired. This is the first night in a long time I won’t have Darla coming to crawl in the bed with me in the middle of the night.

“I’m sorry, I feel bad,” I tell him.

“Don’t be. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Sounds great. Goodnight.” I yawn one more time.

“Goodnight, Paige,” he says before the phone call ends.

I set the phone back on my nightstand and keep this goofy grin on my face until I close my eyes and finally succumb to sleep.

***

My phone ringing wakes me up in the morning. I’m dead tired and can’t imagine who the hell would be calling at—what time is it anyway? I glance at my alarm clock and see it’s only seven in the morning. What in the hell? I grab my phone and glare when I see it’s Brendan. Why is he calling me?

“Hello?” I answer groggily.

“Have you simmered down from last night?” he asks.

“What do you want, Brendan? I thought I made myself clear.”

“Maybe you think you made yourself clear, but I’m making myself clear. Don’t ever approach me like that again in public. I don’t know who you think you are–“

I’m wide awake now and livid as hell. “Oh, I know who the hell I am. I’m the mother of your four-year-old daughter you don’t support!”

“I never wanted kids, Paige. I bet she’s great and all but I want no part in it. You knew my stand on children when we were together.”

“Then maybe you should have worn a fucking condom!” I yell at him. “What the hell did you call me for again?”

“You have anger issues.” He laughs.

“And you’re a deadbeat dad. You don’t have to see her, but all I was trying to say last night was if you’re going to blow your money at the bar, you could at least financially support her.”

“All I’m saying is, don’t approach me like that again. You live your life and I’ll live mine. If you see me, just act like you don’t know me.”

“Fuck you, Brendan. You want to disappear so bad, lose my number. I’ve done fine without you for the last four years.”

He starts to argue more with me but I end the call and turn my phone off. I’m so pissed I begin crying. I can’t believe the nerve of him. The things he just said were so damn wrong. To him, she doesn’t exist at all. He doesn’t even know her to say he doesn’t want her. Darla doesn’t deserve this.

I try to close my eyes again and go back to sleep but I can’t. I get up and slowly start moving around. All I wanted to do was sleep late on my day off and now I can’t even do that. Brendan just seems to fuck up so many things in my life.

I have a few hours before I have to go pick up Darla, so I make a pot of coffee and turn the TV on. Nothing is on this early on a Saturday morning but infomercials and cartoons.

I find myself thinking about Austin, wondering just what he was like before the accident. I wonder if I would ever have run into him at the bar if I’d never met him in the hospital. Who knows? But I bet he isn’t anywhere near the asshole Brendan is. I sigh and stare numbly at the TV as I count down the hours until I pick up my baby girl.