Page 28 of Triple Threat

“I’m not sure what exactly happened, but we ended up in this horrible accident. At least if you believe what everyone was saying at the hospital. I don’t remember much of what happened and neither does my sister. When I woke up, I was given the worst news imaginable. Not only had we lost our dad in the accident, but I lost my ability to have children. They had to perform an emergency hysterectomy to get the bleeding to stop. I’ve always only ever wanted to be a mom to a houseful of kids. They told me that some of my eggs were frozen and saved for when the time came and I wanted to have a family. I’ve done plenty of research over the years and know the odds aren’t always the best for implanting the eggs in a surrogate. I could waste every chance to be a mom by risking taking that chance. Plus, I don’t even know how many they froze or are still good,” I tell Valerie, tears sliding fast down my cheeks and landing on my hands that are clasped in my lap.

“I’m so sorry, Paige. That’s a lot to carry around with you for this long. It’s a heavy burden. Have you told anyone about this?” Valerie questions me.

“My sister knows. We were in the same room at the hospital and she was awake when I got the news. Just recently I told her father-in-law. I’ve been pushing everyone I love and care about away. It’s so bad, my sister didn’t want me to help her get ready for her wedding yesterday. It broke my heart to hear the anguish and anger in her voice. However, I know I brought it on myself by not letting her in and pushing her away with everyone else. There’s a reason I’m pushing her away though. Lyric found out a few months ago that she’s pregnant. Not only is she pregnant, but she’s having triplets. She wants me there by her side because for so long it’s only been the two of us. We’ve taken care of our dad, I’ve taken care of her, and we’ve been there for one another no matter what was going on in our lives. Now, I can’t be happy for her and I can’t watch her grow and have her kids. I can’t be happy for her at all,” I answer Valerie honestly.

“I see. Well, I can say that I would feel the same in your shoes. In fact, I have been in your shoes. When I was in college, I was brutally attacked and left for dead. It was my sophomore year of school. Someone found me and got me help. When I eventually woke up, I was told the same thing. Like you, I eventually wanted to have a family of my own when I was done with school and I thought I’d lost that chance. They also saved my eggs and had them frozen. Paige, you and I are a lot alike. That’s why I was given your case. I also did my research and found the same information you did. I didn’t hold onto all the anger and pain like you’ve been doing though. I talked to everyone close to me and they listened to what I had to say. When I met my husband and we decided we were ready to start a family of our own, we worked with a surrogate. She carried our children for us and that’s how we had our four kids. The same woman carried all of our kids for us,” Valerie informs me with a soft smile on her face. “There are ways for you to still have a family, Paige.”

“I know. I just didn’t let myself think about that. See, up until recently, I didn’t really care about it and didn’t want to face my new reality. There was no guy in my life so thinking of having a family was just something I’d dream about at night. I was taking care of my sister so she didn’t have to go into the foster care system. It became my entire focus and I used that as an excuse to not deal with everything I was feeling in regards to not having children. There’s just been one excuse after another.

“I met a guy about a year ago when something happened to my sister. He became my protector, best friend, and my lover. For the first time in my life, there was a man who made me feel sexy and loved. It was so easy to fall in love with him and it didn’t take me long to do so. Now, I’ve pushed him away to the point that I’m sure that he won’t want anything to do with me when I’m ready to talk to him about this. What hurts the most is that I know he wants a family. He’s a triplet. My brother-in-law is one of his brothers. He’s perfect for me and I’ve ruined any chance I had with him because I was so lost in my own selfish thoughts and feelings that I didn’t fight for him. That’s all he wanted from me. Chance wanted me to fight for him and our relationship. Instead, I gave up, wrote him a letter, and disappeared while he watched our siblings get married,” I tell Valerie, my voice breaking as I sob and cry hysterically.

Valerie hands me over a box of tissues. I gladly take them from her and blow my nose before taking a second one and wiping the tears from my face. I can’t believe I told Valerie all that information today. She gave me the option to give her fewer personal details until I was ready to open up. Instead, I dove in head first and talked about everything that’s been weighing me down the most. I didn’t hold back or give her the bare minimum details. I was completely comfortable talking to her about everything.

“Now, this is what I want you to work on this week, Paige. I want you to get a notebook and write down a few different things for me each day. The first thing I want you to do is write down which relationship you want to repair and why. Really think about what you’ve done and how you’ve hurt the other person. Then, I want you to write down up to five good things you’ve done, thought, or seen that day. Start with today. If you see one of the people you have to repair the relationship with, I want you to offer some kind of olive branch. It could be something very small to start off with. Just a way to open the door and get a conversation going,” Valerie tells me, leaning forward as I hand the box back to her.

“Okay. From now on, can our sessions be in the morning? I stopped at my job before coming here and I mainly work the lunch and dinner shifts,” I ask, taking a deep breath.

“Of course. Set it up with the receptionist on your way out. We’ll meet the rest of the week and next before we set another round of sessions. I’m very proud of you, Paige. You opened up more than I was expecting. Today was very good. I think you’ll find we’ll get along just great and I’ll be able to help you through what you’ve been holding back from everyone,” Valerie says, standing from her chair as I stand.

She walks me to the door and leads me back down the hallway. After saying goodbye, I go through the door and find myself at the receptionist’s desk. She helps me get my appointments for the next two weeks set up before handing me over a card so I don’t lose the dates and times of my sessions. Telling her goodbye with a small wave, I leave the office and head out to my car. Driving home, exhaustion washes over me. Talking about this has taken a lot out of me. I never really thought it would, but it has. It feels as if I’ve ridden an emotional rollercoaster and now I need to sleep the rest of the day away. So, that’s exactly what I do. Getting in bed after changing my clothes, I let sleep pull me under and don’t dream of anything at all. That’s a first for me.

Chapter Twenty-One

Ricochet

FOR TWO WEEKS, I’ve done nothing but train, eat, and sleep. I’ve tried to push everything else from my mind. Bull, Wicked, my dad, and Grim have gotten in the ring with me to spar and help me get back in shape. I’ve spent countless hours sparring and working out once I’m done with my sparring sessions. More guys have been there to watch on and help me work out all the kinks in my fighting style and how I’m going to approach taking on Kountry. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the cage with him and I’m going to have to relearn how he fights all over again. I haven’t even been to fight night in a long fucking time. I’ve been neglecting everything for a woman who doesn’t want me. One who doesn’t give a fuck about me because of some secret she’s hiding from the world.

When I think of Paige, I know it’s just a matter of time before I see her again. So far, I’ve managed to avoid running into her. I’ve avoided the diner, she hasn’t been to the clubhouse, and I only make my way through town to go to the gym and back to the compound again. I’ve avoided going to the house so I don’t have to run into her there if she happens to go see Lyric for any reason. I don’t even know if they’ve made any progress in healing the damage done to their relationship. The only time thoughts of Paige creep in is when I’m sleeping. I dream of her every fucking night and I can’t seem to stop. Even when I’m exhausted beyond belief, I can’t seem to have a dreamless sleep.

I’ve tried to get my dad to tell me what’s going on with Paige, and he refuses. I get where he’s coming from because he doesn’t want to betray her trust. However, I need something. The entire situation with her is driving me insane and I need to figure out what I’m going to do when it comes to her. If I’m going to fight for the relationship we could have or if I’m going to let her go and find someone else to let in my life. I know what I want to do, but I can’t go back to having a woman who won’t fight for me. I want a woman who will have my back, give me all of her love and support, and will fight for me every damn day of our lives. In return, I’ll have her back, love her, support her, and fight for her every second I have left on Earth. It’s all I’ve ever wanted from her and I don’t honestly see myself ever finding what I want with a woman who isn’t Paige. She dug her way into my heart and soul and now owns them completely.

“Son, are you ready for your fight?” my dad asks, walking up to me in the locker room.

“As ready as I can be. It’s been so long and I’m not sure if I have what it takes to beat Kountry tonight. What I do know is this is gonna work on helpin’ me get out the rage and hurt I feel. Maybe some of the confusion fillin’ me. That’s the worst part of this entire situation. I’m so fuckin’ confused about Paige and if I can risk lettin’ her back in at the end of the day. If she even wants that from me,” I answer my dad honestly.

“Son, she just needs time,” he says for the hundredth time since he brought her back to Cedar Bay.

“You keep sayin’ that Dad, but I seem to think she wants nothin’ to do with any of us here. As far as I know, she hasn’t spoken to anyone or done anythin’ to start fixin’ what she broke. We all wanted her to let us in and help her. Instead, she chose to be selfish and keep us all locked out. Then, she ran away for selfish reasons. She’s bein’ nothin’ but selfish and that’s not the kind of woman I want in my life. I want someone who will rely on me and let me in completely just as I’d do for them,” I say, anger lacing my voice as I think of the entire situation.

“You’re up, Ricochet,” Bull calls out before my dad can respond.

Getting up from the bench I’ve been sitting on, I make my way out to the cage with my dad following me. I don’t look at anyone in the crowd as I walk through the masses. We always draw a big crowd for fight night. When one of us are fighting, we seem to draw an even bigger crowd. Tonight, everyone is going insane because every single fight has had at least one club member involved in it. My dad even got in the cage against some guy from town. He challenged my dad the second he walked through the door and my dad has never once backed down from a challenge. So, he got in the cage while I was getting ready.

Kountry is waiting in the cage for me with a smirk on his face. He’s thinking I’m gonna be so lost in my head that I won’t keep my head on the fight. Little does he realize that I’m using all of my anger and shit to fuel myself. I’m going to do nothing but take it all out on him. Kountry will be hurting when I’m done with him. Even if I lose, he’ll still feel the pain from my fists.

“You both know the rules. No hittin’ below the belt, no weapons, and when I tell you to back off, you back the fuck off,” Wicked says, looking at me when he talks because he knows how I’m feeling right now. “Fight!”

Kountry and I spend a few minutes doing nothing but circling one another. We’re waiting for the other to make the first move. When I can’t stand it any longer, I lunge at him, swinging out as I pay attention to how he’s got his feet. Kountry is expecting the hit and lets it hit him. He then uses my own momentum against me and lashes out with an uppercut and then a right to my ribs. It hurts like a bitch and I know he’s done some damage. For the longest time we go back and forth with one another. I land a flurry of hits and then Kountry does. We go back and forth in an even fight until I finally manage to get the upper hand. Getting Kountry on the mat, I get him in a submission move. It doesn’t take him long to tap out as I immediately let go of him and get up. Helping Kountry off the mat, he gives me a man hug before raising my hand in victory.

“Your winner is Ricochet!” Bull announces to the crowd as I hear a mixture of boos and cheers for me.

The ones booing are those who put their money on Kountry. Most everyone here knows who my dad is and won’t bet against me. Whenever Kevlar, Hawkeye, or myself get in the cage, not many people are stupid enough to bet against us. We all take our training seriously and focus on it more than most. They know when we step in the cage, we’re gonna give everything we have to give and leave it all in the cage when we’re done. Making my way out of the cage, my dad pulls me into a hug.

“Go get your girl, son. It’s time,” my dad whispers to me as I pull back to look at him.

He lets me go and I rush to the locker room. Taking a quick shower, I get out, dry off, and get dressed once again. Leaving my bag in my locker until tomorrow, I rush through the crowd and head straight for my bike. No one’s gonna stop me from getting to Paige. I don’t know what’s changed, but I’m not about to waste this opportunity. Because at the end of the day, Paige is my woman and I’m going to continue fighting for her. I love her and will do whatever it takes to make her mine in every fucking way.

Riding the short distance from the gym to the trailer park. I park in front of Paige’s trailer. Shutting my bike off, I make sure my kickstand is down and will hold my bike in the soft driveway. Getting off the bike, I stride to the porch and up the rickety steps to the door. Before I even get a chance to knock, Paige is standing in front of me. She’s fucking beautiful. There’s no make-up on her face, her hair is up in one of those messy bun things, and she’s wearing a pair of shorts with a tank top. She’s not wearing a bra and her nipples are hard and poking through the thin material.

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