“Stop, Ria. Just Stop.”
Ria continued, “I forgive you.” With those simple words, Ria saw the change in his eyes. It was as if his final burden had been lifted from both of them, and they could start fresh again.
They sat and talked for several hours before Nicholas got to his feet.
“I need to go and let you get some sleep.”
“You can stay.”
“No. This time, I’m going to do it right. Want to go out to dinner tomorrow night, Ms. Sloan?” He held out his hand to her.
Ria laughed, taking it in hers. “I would like that very much, Mr. Brooks.”
Ria knew it was time both of them let the past go to start a new future.
* * *
“Take him down!” Ria screamed at Nicholas.
In the next moment, Nicholas was able to get his opponent face down on the mat.
Ria was attending Nicholas’s fight, and she was completely amped up. She had attended some of his training sessions and had a better understanding of what he was supposed to do in the cage, but from what she had seen so far, it wasn’t going as planned.
He had a busted eye and a bloody nose. His opponent had gotten several good shots in. However, at that very moment, Nicholas had the upper hand. He was administering a series of punches to the side of his opponent’s head as he straddled his back, preventing the man from being able to escape.
“That’s it, baby! Don’t let him up!” she screamed again.
“Hey, lady, quit jumping up and down. I keep missing all the good stuff,” she heard a man yell from behind her.
“That’s not my problem. Buy a different seat next time!” she yelled back without turning to look. She wasn’t going to take her eyes off the fight. She didn’t want to miss a thing.
She heard laughter next to her and quickly looked over at Melanie and Zane, who were both laughing at her.
She shook her head. She knew she was acting like a crazy person. She had gone from not being able to watch a whole fight to a crazed, bloodthirsty fan who lived and breathed it. Emiliano was right; being forced to watch the fights in the pit had made this seem like a cake walk. She didn’t think Nicholas would agree, though, wincing when the other fighter connected an uppercut to his jaw. Fortunately, Nicholas knew what to do.
She watched him gain a hold on his opponent’s arm. She had watched him practice that move and knew, if the man didn’t submit, he would be leaving with a broken wrist.
When she saw the ref stop the fight, she and the rest of the crowd roared.
“He won! He won!” she yelled to Melanie and Zane.
Melanie screamed back, “I know!”
Ria giggled, and Melanie laughed with her as they watched Nicholas being called the winner by submission. She would never get used to him getting hurt, but his love for the sport outweighed her concerns.
They made their way down to the cage as Nicholas exited. His father was there first, giving Nicholas a hug. From what she knew, his father enjoyed having bragging rights over his son. As she watched, there seemed to be a genuine affection between the two men, as well.
When they approached the men, she heard Melanie say hello to both Nicholas and their father.
“Melanie, I think you can use that last move when you fight,” their father said with excitement.
Ria smiled at the interaction between father and daughter. She knew there had been a huge rift between the two, yet they had finally talked through their issues, and now Melanie and Rex were rebuilding their relationship.
She saw Zane and Nicholas smile at one another as they watched Melanie and Rex discuss some of the moves Nicholas had used during the fight.
“Okay! We can work on my techniques later!” Melanie exclaimed.
She turned to her brother. “Great job, big bro!”
“Thanks, Mel,” he replied and then turned to Ria.
“That was amazing. I’m so happy for you,” Ria said to him and reached up to kiss him, trying to avoid some of the blood on his face.
Nicholas laughed as he wiped his face off. “He caught me by surprise a few times,” he said as he looked at the bloody rag.
“You did great,” Ria said with pride.
He had been impressive tonight, and she looked forward to rewarding him for a job well done later. She had teased him with a few pictures before the fight, telling him, if he won, she would give him a special reward afterward. He didn’t know it, but she had fixed a special dinner before she had left her apartment. All she had to do when they got there was light the candles.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. “I had an incentive.”
She blushed bright red, hoping no one else noticed. Nicholas did and laughed while the others looked on in curiosity.
He pulled her to him and spoke softly in her ear. “Have you looked at your phone?”