he’s in charge and he doesn’t always welcome change, unless it’s approved by him. Hence, his unhappiness with my early retirement.
It’s not that he doesn’t understand my injury or the fact that I refuse to fight under anything less than the best conditions, but he wanted a say so in the path my life took after the ring.
He’s always had a vision of the five of us living close to each other and working together forever, but life doesn’t always turn out the way we plan. It’s a great vision, don’t get me wrong. And I love my brother and don’t want to crush his dreams, but Dallas isn’t for me.
At least, not right now.
“I had a feeling this was coming,” Viggo says, tossing my gloves to the side. “And I knew he wouldn’t have the balls to tell me himself.”
“He looks up to you, man,” I tell him as I stretch out my bad shoulder. “He doesn’t want to disappoint you.”
“The only way he’ll ever disappoint me is if he doesn’t work his ass off to achieve his goals. He’s got the talent and it’d be a shame if he pissed it away.”
I look at my brother, trying to gauge whether or not that was meant to be a sly jab at me and my situation, but I see nothing but honesty on his face. Maybe we’re all growing up a little.
Miracles never cease to exist.
We walk over to a bench where I left my towel and water bottle, and I make great use of both while Viggo updates me on the latest gym gossip. There really isn’t a difference between big cities and small towns when it comes to this kind of shit, but I keep quiet and let my brother continue his story.
“So, what’s the pussy like in Green Valley?”
Nearly choking on my water, I take a quick glance around us to make sure no one heard him.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Why would you ask me that, especially in our place of business?”
Viggo huffs, rolling his eyes. “Get your fucking panties out of a twist, would ya? We teach fighting here, not etiquette. No one’s offended by my mention of pussy but you, which makes me think you’ve found yourself a girl… or at least a steady lay.”
I don’t answer. I don’t even look at him because I don’t know if I can have a conversation about Tempest with him. He’s never been in a serious relationship. He’s definitely never been in love. If I tell him what’s been going on between Tempest and me, he’ll just tell me to get over it and move on, and that’s not what I want to hear right now.
“Come on, man. You can talk to me. I know you say you really like being in Tennessee, but my gut tells me it’s not working at the strip club that’s making you want to move there permanently. I mean, I’d totally understand if that was it, but I know you. There’s gotta be something or someone, so spill it.”
Fuck it.
I toss my towel onto the bench and sit down. When he sits by me, giving me his full attention, I tell him everything. I tell him about how I met Tempest and a little bit about her history and how that lead to her taking lessons from me. Then, I tell him about how my feelings started changing for her and how the last couple of weeks were between us. Lastly, I tell him about Tempest freaking out, leaving me completely dumbfounded. After I’ve said everything I want to say, I take a breath and brace myself for his response.
“So, you’re gonna go back and prove her wrong, right?”
That’s not what I was expecting him to say.
“I haven’t decided yet, to be honest.”
“Bullshit. If that were the case, you wouldn’t be selling your house here.”
Okay, so he has a point.
“I’m going back because I have plans I want to see completed, but I don’t know if those plans include Tempest. I’m not sure she’s ready and I don’t want to push her. She’s been through a lot.”
Her words ring in my ear like a fucking gong—just a rebound. I don’t believe that. I don’t want to believe it. I think she’s scared so, maybe, I need to go back and demand she give us a shot, which makes me laugh. Me demanding anything from Tempest, outside of the bedroom, that is, would only result in her kicking my