joined them to wait my turn. When it came, I was paired up with a big motherfucker. I bared my teeth at him as we started our round. He managed to work in a couple of powerful hits that jarred my ribs, but he stayed away from my face. I return with a right hook to his chin that pisses him off. It makes me smile and the weight in my stomach lessens.
Then he manages to land a glancing blow off of my ear and everything goes white. When I come to, I’m on the floor, looking up at the dirty ass ceiling and Jack’s ugly face is hovering above me.
He’s talking, but I can’t hear him over the ringing in my ear and the pounding behind my eyes is only making it worse. I wave a hand at him and manage to get back up to my knees. Blood drips from my ear onto the mat and my fingers come away smeared with it. Fucking great.
I get to my feet easy enough, growling at anyone that comes to try and help. Jack watches with narrowed eyes, his thunderous expression tells me that the time has come for us to have it out.
I stumble from the ring and head to the showers. Deciding that I’m not ready to talk after all, I do what I have become expertly good at over the last six months, avoid someone who used to be close to me. Close like a brother. He can fucking follow me if he wants to have this conversation.
He looks at me as he talks and his expression says he would love nothing more than to beat my ass. I nearly smile at him because I could use a good dust up.
It’s several hours later, that evening, when I answer the door with the twins screaming at the T.V. in the background. When I find Jack on the other side my back straightens.
My mom touches my shoulder to get my attention and I turn to see her at my elbow. “Jack!” she exclaims. “I haven’t seen you in forever. Why don’t you come in? I just made some tea.”
Jack smiles at her. “Thanks, Mrs. Hart, but I don’t have time to visit. I just needed to talk to Ben here for a minute.”
“You tell that sister of yours she needs to come see me one of these days.”
Like hell.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I join Jack outside in case he does decide to kick my ass. I bet Livvie spilled that we slept together out of pure spite. I turn to tell him that I don’t give a shit what he thinks, that we’re not together, but he beats me to the punch.
“You about done avoiding me? I’m starting to feel like some needy chick around you.”
I turn my attention out over the backyard and shrug. “Just had a lot of shit going on.”
He makes some clicking noise with his mouth before saying, “Right. What was that shit this afternoon? Even I know you shouldn’t be in the ring yet. What are you trying to do? Get yourself killed?”
I chuckle, though on the inside, the walls are starting to close in. “I already have an all-up-in-my-business- mother inside for this shit, Jack. Is there some reason you’re here?”
“Fine. I’ll cut to the chase. For the record, Liv doesn’t want me telling you a damn thing about this, but I’m sick of watching her try to do it on her own. I’ve given you time since you got back from Afghanistan and you’ve been fuckin’ dragging your feet.”
“Telling me what?”
He runs his hands through his hair and groans. “I know you think that Livvie slept with someone while you were deployed, but she didn’t. Not that it would matter if she did, because she didn’t promise you anything. Her baby is yours, man. You’d have to be a fucking idiot to think she’d be sleeping around.”
My mouth opens and closes, my brain tripping over itself. “Why didn’t she just tell me?”
Jack turns toward me, and with the look of rage he’s throwing my way, I’m positive he’s going to take a swing at me this time. “Because, you jackass, you come home and shit all over her, and then you’ve blown her off ever since.” He breathes a heavy sigh and steps closer to me. “I know shit’s been rough for you lately. I wanted to give you your space. But you’re not the only one battling demons. She barely survived Dad’s death or