Jessie

“You can do it. Come on. Like I showed you.” Jessie was working with two fighters just out of high school. They had wrestling skills and had karate belts as kids, but that was the limit. They needed a lot of the basics, but Jessie found he had listened to Whitey well. He broke things down for the kids he coached. He remembered what it was like to learn something new. And he coached as much as he trained in the weeks leading up to his title fight.

He also promoted the hell out of himself thanks to Sam. When Ash realized Sam was his agent, not his side piece, it turned out they actually got along. It wasn’t surprising since the two women were both hard-charging and ambitious in their careers.

All the parts of his life were coming together. He felt like it was a dream. Or that maybe Whitey was up there making sure he didn’t screw anything up, from training to Ashling.

And for the first time in the entire time he’d known Ash she was taking a few days off, and it was to watch him fight.

His training was on point; his body, his mind, his nutrition was all in balance. He wished Whitey was going to be there because he knew he wouldn’t have come this far without him. But he honored Whitey every day by training and living in a way that Grandpa would approve of, and if he forgot, Grandma made sure to remind him.

She was visiting the Great Wolves Gym more than she’d ever before. The fighters were all her grandchildren these days. And they all treated her like she was their grandma too. MMA was an individual sport, no question; you were out there in the Octagon fighting one-on-one. But at this Great Wolves Gym, it was a team. Whitey made it that way. They pushed each other, cheered for each other, and now when Whitey couldn’t be there for his widow anymore, the fighters were there. They were a family, a team. Every day he’d find out one fighter had helped Grandma with her groceries, another helped her fix a leaky faucet, another changed her windshield wipers.

They were taking care of her and helping him stay on target for the title.

And it was finally time to take care of business.

Though he no longer had Whitey in his corner, he still had the best. Coach Dave Boggs had been with Craddock Flynn throughout his career. Boggs learned under Whitey and was always there for the GWG fighters. He’d stepped in after Whitey died and pushed Jessie, refined his training, and Jessie knew it meant he still had the best coaches in the world. Whitey trained.

He and his team had left for Windsor five days in advance of the fight. It was important to acclimate to the hotel, the food, and the environment before the actual fight. That was a Whitey idea for sure. Jessie had Coach Boggs and Todd Barton in his corner. Barton was a good friend and former fighter and now assistant to Coach Boggs. Boggs and Barton could handle anything Pablo Nova could throw at Jessie.

Sam drove in from Detroit; it was a quick drive over the bridge for her. She was handling his schedule and press. She said she’d rake in the deals if he won the belt. Or rather, when he clinched. Ha, hashtag Hooliclinch. Sam said it was trending. Hilarious.

Jessie had wanted Ash to drive with them, but she couldn’t leave the shop that long. He’d spent the morning in the gym in Windsor that they’d set up as his training facility for the week. He spent the afternoon doing interviews. His evening the night before the fight was about getting centered, good sleep and nutrition. He supposed it was probably good for Ash to be there after the fight. He found himself waking up in the middle of the night for all kinds of excellent reasons when Ash was in his bed. So he visualized his fight plan and waited.

His phone finally rang. He’d been wondering how it all went for Ash at the flower shop.

“How did it go, love?”

“It was pretty great, Jessie. We’re all set up for the structural repairs. Wade called off the building inspection dogs. All seems well.”

“And your aunt?”

“Livid that I’m taking the weekend off. Her screams can probably still be heard.” Jessie hated Theone. Some people enjoyed other people’s misery and saw their success as a theft from them. That was Ash’s aunt.

“Well, you did it. You fucking pulled off a miracle at that shop. I’m so proud of you. You’re amazing.”

“Thank you. Now if I can get Aunt Theone to agree to my plan to buy the place that would be the second miracle!”

“I have no doubt you will. Now, are you all packed? You know the directions?” He wished someone was traveling with Ash, but she was so damn independent she insisted she was fine.

“I got it. It’s an easy two-hour drive from Grand City to Windsor. I have your trusty truck, so no worries. I’ll be ringside tomorrow evening and congratulating the champion tomorrow night.”

“Oh, tell me more about that congratulating the champion bit. How’s that going to go? Specific details, please.” Jessie missed having Ash close and his mind conjured up a million images of his fiery Irish love.

“You’ve got a dirty mind, Jessie Hoolihan. I like it.” She laughed deep in her throat, and he felt an ache to have her next to him.

“I love your laugh,” he said. Tomorrow was going to be a big day and the end he’d have a belt and his girl. He fell into a peaceful sleep knowing he’d done all he could to make both of those dreams a reality.