Bella
It’s fight night, or I guess day, since it’s only six in the morning. I wake up with a mix of emotions; excited to fight, scared I’m going to lose, nervous I won’t live up to being publicly known as Marco’s girlfriend. Shawna Fields and I were scheduled to fight eighteen months ago before I got pregnant. Since then, she’s won two fights. Her record is four and zero, while mine hasn’t even started. I have several wins under my belt from my amateur fights but those don’t count here. I’m nervous I’ll choke. I have been in a million tournaments over the years. I’ve been in more fights than I can count at the gym with guys and girls but I feel like nothing I’ve experienced has prepared me for fighting at the MGM Grand. I’m excited to be given this opportunity, even knowing I’m only getting it because of Marco and the publicity our relationship is getting. Even if I lose, this is my dream! I’m determined. So damn determined! I’m going to give this fight my all. I have trained my entire life for this and I feel ready.
Feeling suddenly pumped and needing to release some of this built-up tension, I decide maybe going for a short jog might help before we head to the arena.
“Hey Marco.” I roll over and find Marco’s side of the bed empty. I feel the sheets and they are cold. Grabbing my phone from my nightstand, I check for any texts or phone calls and there aren’t any. Throwing the sheets off me, I go pee, then go to Micaela’s room. She’s still asleep. As she gets older she sleeps in a little later—seven o’clock being her current wake up time.
I check the kitchen, guest room, laundry room, all while ignoring the pull in my gut that is screaming Déjà-fucking-vu. I open the door to the garage and my heart skips a beat or maybe two. His SUV is gone. Gone. I try to think about the last week. Everything has been good, better than good. There’s no reason why he would leave. Maybe he’s at the gym. But why didn’t he text or call me? There’s no way he would fucking do this to me again.
I pull up his name and hit send. The phone goes to voicemail. No fucking way! I call again and get the voicemail again. I shoot him a text and watch the blue turn to green. His phone is off.
I call Kaden, who has been training him. “Hey, is Marco with you?” I ask without even saying hello.
“No, we agreed to meet at the arena later. Is everything ok?”
“I don’t know. He’s gone. Did he maybe say something?”
Kaden stays quiet for a moment before he says, “No, he’s been training hardcore.”
“Ok, if you hear from him…”
“Of course.”
We hang up and I call my parents next. “Have you been by the gym yet?”
“Good morning to you, Bella,” my dad chuckles.
“Have you?”
“No, what’s going on?” His voice turns serious.
“Can you go by there and see if Marco is there.”
“Bella…”
I don’t want to say the words. If I say them they will be real and I will be a fool because my dad warned me about this.
“Just please go check.”
“Ok.”
I sit down on the couch and stare at the black television screen thinking about all the possibilities but no matter which one I think of, every one of them ends with Marco being able to leave a note or send me a text. It doesn’t make sense. He loves me. He said I’m his forever. He wants to make more babies with me. He wouldn’t do this to me—to us.
I get on Facebook and search Marco’s name. There’s nothing new from him. There’s tons of posts and tags but none of them from this morning indicating where he might be. I search for any accidents in the area but don’t find any, so I jump in the shower since Micaela is still sleeping.
Once I’m done, I make myself a cup of coffee and by the time I’ve finished drinking it, Micaela is stirring in her crib ready to get up for the day. I go through my routine robotically. I change her, feed her, and get her dressed. I put her in her car seat and bring her to my parents’ place. I’m pulling up at the same time as my dad is. “He’s not there. Now tell me what’s going on.” I think for a moment on how to explain something I don’t understand myself, when my phone rings. I look down at it and it’s Marco.
“Hello.”
“Fuck! Bella.”
“Marco, are you ok? Where are you?” Even I can hear the panic in my voice.
“I’m at the airport. They made me turn my phone off to go through the metal detectors.” The airport. He left me again.,
“You left without telling me again.” It’s not a question. He did. He left without a word. Again.
“No, listen—” I hang up and shove my phone into the diaper bag not wanting to look at it. My dad starts to speak but I put my hand up.
“I have a fight in a few hours. That is what I’m going to focus on. Unless it’s fight related, I don’t want to hear it. I’m going to the gym for a little bit. I’ll meet you at the arena.
I give Micaela a kiss on her forehead and hand her over to my dad along with her diaper bag.
With my earbuds in, I have Eminem’s ‘Till I collapse on repeat as I beat on the bag like it’s personally offended me. Low kick, high kick. Left hook, right hook. Knee strike. Repeat. I’m in the zone, refusing to think about Marco or why he left and is at the airport, or on an airplane at the moment. When a hand comes up and grabs my shoulder, I spin around in shock and almost punch the person.
It’s Marco.
Maybe I should still punch him.
Fuck that. He’s not worth my time.
I glare and go back to focusing on the bag. His hand grips my shoulder again, his body coming up behind me, his arms encasing me, forcing me to stop my workout. We both stand here together, in silence. My music still on full blast, the words reminding me I am fucking strong.
After a few minutes, Marco’s face nuzzles into my sweaty neck. I can feel him shaking. I press pause on my music and remove my earbuds but don’t say a word.
“Logan died.”
Fuck! I knew something must have happened and I was right but it doesn’t change the fact he left.
“He had a heart attack and they couldn’t revive him.” I hear the tears in his words. “I grabbed my cell phone and left, got to the airport, purchased a ticket, and went through the detectors.”
Tears sting my eyes but I stay quiet. His arms are wrapped around me, and even though the gym is filled with other fighters, it feels like it’s only the two of us here right now.
“I went through the metal detectors which is why my phone was off but the moment I sat down to wait for my flight to be called, I thought about you. I realized I’m not in this alone anymore. I’ve spent so many years running. Running from home. From you. From love. From my parents. From the reality of Logan’s condition. From my injuries.
“Fuck, Bella. I started to freak out when I realized what I did and I came right back. I swear I did. My phone had no service and as soon as I got to my car and had service I called you. I’m so sorry, baby.” He didn’t leave. I know he almost did but he didn’t leave. He thought about me and came back.
“Please tell me you’ll forgive me.”
“You came back.” The tears fall in relief. To some people, him leaving would be enough to be mad, but to me, him coming back is what I’m going to focus on. His best friend died and in the midst of freaking out, he remembered me and came home. Marco isn’t perfect, and expecting him to be is ridiculous.
“I did. I need you so much, Belles.” I can feel Marco’s tears running down my neck as he cries, so I turn around to look at him. His cheeks have tear stains and his eyes are bloodshot. I put my arms around his neck and hug him tight.
“You have me, Marco.” His body visibly relaxes at my words. “But you can’t keep fighting me, fighting us.”
Marco grabs my chin with his thumb and forefinger. “It’s why I’m here right now. I promise you baby, this is me tapping out. I’m done fighting. You have me, all of me.”
“Don’t let Antoine hear that. He might think you’ve gone soft.”
Marco smiles cockily. “The only person I’ll ever be submitting to will be you.” His lips crash into mine, his kiss sending shivers down my spine. It ends too quickly, with both of us panting.
“What time does your flight leave for San Diego?”
Marco looks at me confused. “Not for another two hours but I’m not going.”
“Yes, you are. We are.”
He envelops me into a tight hug before he pulls back and says, “Baby, I appreciate that so fucking much but we’re going to the MGM Grand for our fight. Once we are both done kicking some ass, we will book a flight together.”
“Are you sure?”
“Fuck yeah, I’m sure. And when I win this fight tonight, I’m dedicating it to Logan.”