Epilogue

Justin

 

 

“You know, it was a year ago today that I kicked your ass,” I said to Tyler. I was trying to provoke him. I knew what I was getting myself into. I wanted to get him fired up.

He cocked his head to one side, “Careful what you say, Justin,” he said.

“Or what?” I said, testing him.

“Or you’re going to regret it.” he said, with a smirk on his face.

Tyler hit me. He was tougher and faster now. It was almost hard for me to keep up with him. I went to block his next hit, and in an instant, he had me on the mat in a rear naked choke. I tapped the mat next to him.

We both got up off the mat and made our way out of the ring. I nodded and smiled at Tyler. I was proud of the progress he’d made in the last year.

“Great work, man; I told you if you can get someone to submit you’ll have every fight in the bag,” I said to him as we took a break.

“You were right. They are easy to use. Too bad you don’t fight anymore,” he said.

“Being a coach is a lot more fitting for me,” I said with a laugh. “And watch the cockiness. It’s gonna get you in trouble.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, man,” he said.

I removed my protective sparring gear and let Tyler know he was good for the day before heading into my office to get some of the more mundane tasks done. I sat down to fill out some paperwork when I noticed Artie passing by.

“Hey, Artie, what do you think about Tyler’s new moves?” I called out to him.

“They’re great. You’re turning him into a beast. Now that he knows all the big submission holds, no one is gonna stand a chance against him. You were a great fighter, but you’re an even better coach, Justin,” he said.

“That’s because I’ve had the best mentor in the game,” I said.

“Flattery won’t get you another raise,” Artie laughed. “Make sure Tyler gets his cocky attitude under control.”

“I’m trying,” I said.

I had been working as a coach alongside Artie for the last nine months. Fighting was always a big part of my life, and even though I didn’t want to do it anymore, I still found that I wanted to be around it, and Tyler had signed up as my first client.

“Do you mind if I dip out of here early today? I’m picking Margie up early from school for the surprise.”

“Is that today?” he asked.

“Yeah. She’s pretty excited.”

“Yeah, go ahead. It’s an important day for both of you,” he said.

“Thanks, Artie,” I said.

Artie went back to what he had been doing, and I finished filing away some papers on a possible new client. He was tough and fast but had a lot of trouble focusing. He reminded me of myself, and I wanted to coach him for just that reason. There was more paperwork and less action being a coach, but my life was a lot less stressful. I had more time to spend with Margie, which was what I’d always wanted.

I still had two more hours before I could leave to get Margie and they were ticking by so slowly. After I filed the paperwork, I went into the open gym and helped a few people out with their forms. I noticed a lot more women had signed up to train at the gym since I became a coach. It was a little amusing to me.

They always wanted my help, but I tried to avoid the ones that directly asked for my help because they weren’t there to actually learn or train. Their form seemed to get sloppier as time went on. It was clear to me they were only there to see me, and I didn’t have the time for that sort of thing.

I grabbed my phone and car keys out of desk drawer and headed for the door.

“Hey man!” Joe called from inside the ring where he was sparring with another person. “Good luck today!”

“Thanks. I could use it,” I said with a small laugh.

I left before anyone else could talk to me. I had promised Margie I would pick her up thirty minutes early from school today for a surprise we had planned.

As I walked to my car, I noticed that the sky seemed a little bluer than usual and the birds seemed to sing a little louder. I figured maybe it was just my excitement for what was to come.

I got in my car and drove to the other side of town to Margie’s school. It was crazy to think she was already finished with kindergarten. She had taken a test at the beginning of the year to see if she was ready for it, and she passed with flying colors. I couldn’t be prouder of her.

She had no trouble in kindergarten and was going to be starting first grade in the fall. It was a little bit hard to take in when I thought about it. She was growing up so fast.

I pulled up to her school, got out, and walked through the front doors. I went into the office.

“Hello, Justin. Are you here to pick up Margie?” The front office ladies knew me by name because of the number of hours I volunteered at the school. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember their names. I just knew them as the blonde haired one and the brunette one.

“Yeah. I’ve got a surprise planned out,” I said as I signed the sign-out sheet.

“She told us this morning,” the blonde-haired lady said.

“She did?” I asked, not at all surprised.

“Yes. She was so excited. She came running in here before the first bell to tell us that she would be leaving early today,” the brunette said.

I laughed. “She’s a crazy kid.”

The blonde picked up the black phone on her desk, typed in a number, and waited.

“Mrs. Schwarts, can you send Margie to the office with her things? Her dad is here to pick her up.”

She told the teacher thank you and then hung up the phone. A few minutes passed before Margie walked into the office.

“Daddy! Let’s go!” she said.

The front office ladies laughed.

“See you on Monday, Margie,” the blonde said.

“Okay,” she said and grabbed my hand.

“See you guys later,” I said.

“Bye!” they said together.

“And good luck!” the brunette yelled after us.

I waved at her to let her know I heard her.

Margie had a hold of my hand and was dragging me out of the building. “Come on, Daddy! We have to go!”

I laughed. “Okay, I’m trying.”

We raced out the front doors to my car, and I buckled her in right away.

“Artie was okay with you leaving work?” she asked when I got into the driver’s seat.

“Of course. I don’t see why he wouldn’t be.”

“Okay, good. Because this is very important.”

I shook my head and laughed at her use of the word “important.”

The drive wasn’t long, but it felt like it took hours just to get back across town. I was trying to calm my nerves as I drove, but it was hard. This surprise was going to be huge, and if she hated it, it would be the biggest disappointment of my life.

“Are you all ready for the surprise?” she asked me.

“Yep. I’ve got everything I need,” I responded.

I caught her eye in the mirror as we drove on toward downtown. “I’m so excited for this!” she said, looking at me.

“I am too, baby,” I said.

I had been planning the surprise for almost two months and could hardly believe that the day had finally arrived.

“This is going to be the best day ever,” Margie said. She was now looking out the window, but she still had a bright smile on her face.

“I know. It really will be,” I said.

A few minutes later, we parked in a parking spot. I helped Margie get out of the car, and we started walking down the sidewalk. All the closer spots had been taken already, so we had to walk a bit, but I didn’t mind because it gave me a couple minutes to calm my nerves.

“Are you nervous?” Margie asked me.

“Uh, a little I guess,” I admitted. I was trying to hide the fact that I was extremely nervous, I didn’t want her to catch on. “Are you?”

“No. I’m excited,” she said with a matter-of-fact tone.

We reached the building we needed, and I opened the door for Margie. The front waiting room was empty, and then I heard another door open.

“Margie! Justin! What are you guys doing here?” Anna said as she walked toward us. She was carrying a bag of trash that must have been from the massage room. She set it down next to the front desk.

Margie ran up and hugged her.

“We just stopped by to say ‘hi,’” Margie said.

Anna glanced at her watch. “School’s not even out yet. Are you sick?” she put her hand on Margie’s forehead.

“No,” she said. “I feel great!” she started to giggle. I hoped she could keep it together for a little while longer.

Anna set Margie down and took a step forward to hug me. “Hello, handsome,” she said.

“Hello, gorgeous,” I said and hugged her back. “I’ve been doing some thinking.”

“Oh yeah? What about?”

“Well, about us,” I said.

Anna stopped hugging me and took a step back. She had a funny look on her face. “What about us?” she sounded a little worried.

“You’re amazing, Anna. In every way possible, in every sense of the word. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for you,” I said and got down on one knee. My heart was racing in my chest.

Anna put a hand to her mouth and tears sprung to her eyes.

“One year ago, today, I won my final fight. More importantly, right before that fight, I confessed my love for you. Anna Marie Winters, will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me?” I pulled out the ring box from my pocket and opened it.

Margie got down on one knee next to me and pulled a box out of her backpack. “Anna, will you be my mommy?”

Anna started crying, but she was nodding her head and holding out her left hand. I slid the one carat, white gold ring onto her hand.

I felt tears in my own eyes and saw that Margie was crying as well.

Anna wiped her tears away, using the back of her right hand and then took the box from Margie. Inside, was a white gold necklace with a heart pendant that said “mom” in the center.

Anna hugged us both, and then I helped her put the necklace on.

“I’m never going to take it off,” she said.

“This is the best day ever!” Margie yelled.

We both laughed.

“I have to call my parents,” Anna said and went around the desk. She grabbed her phone and came back over to us. Margie and I sat down on the waiting room chairs, and Anna sat on my lap. She dialed her mom’s number and put it on speaker phone so we could all hear them.

“Hello, honey,” her mom said.

“Hey, mom, I have you on speaker. Is dad around?” she asked.

“Okay. Yeah, I’ll go get him.”

We waited for a moment as Millie spoke to Tom and then put the phone on speaker.

“Hello, everyone,” Tom said.

“Hi, Papa and Nana!” Margie said into the phone.

“Margie, sweetie! How are you?”

“I’m good! Mommy and daddy are getting married!” she yelled into the phone.

All we could hear for two minutes was Millie happily screaming into the phone. “I can’t believe it!” she yelled.

“Congratulations!” Tom said.

“Thank you,” Anna and I said at the same time.

Her parents asked a bunch of questions and congratulated us a few more times before finally hanging up the phone.

“I love you, Anna,” I said to her.

“I love you too, Justin. And I love you, Margie,” she said to us.

“I love you too, mommy,” she said and threw her arms around her. “I can call you mommy now, right?”

Anna nodded her head. “Yes, yes. You can.”

“Let’s go celebrate,” I said to my girls.

“Where at?” Anna asked.

“The Italian restaurant we went to with your parents about a year ago,” I suggested.

Margie jumped up. “Yes! Let’s go there!”

“Okay, let me finish closing up for the day, first,” Anna said.

After fifteen minutes, Anna was finished and had locked up the studio. We walked out to my car where we got inside, and I drove to the restaurant. When we got there, I approached the hostess stand and said, “I have a 4:30 reservation for three under the name Justin.”

The hostess scanned a piece of paper with her eyes and placed her finger on something. “Yep, here it is. Have a seat, and we’ll get your table ready,” she said.

The three of us sat down, and Anna hit me on the arm.

“You already made reservations?” she asked with a smile.

“Yep.”

“And what if I had said no?”

I looked at her. “You wouldn’t have.”

“Oh, is that so? What makes you think that?” she asked with a sly grin.

“Because you love us too much,” Margie said, exaggerating the word “too.”

“That’s true,” Anna said.

Our table was ready within two minutes, and we were seated in a private area.

“You booked a whole room just for us three?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yes, I’ve been planning this for a while.”

“Obviously,” she said, and amazement was evident on her face. “That sure is a big table for just the three of us.”

Just as she was about to sit down, people filed into the room.

“SURPRISE!” they all yelled in unison.

There was my mom, her parents, Ally, and Artie.

Anna’s mouth dropped. “Oh my god,” she said and tears formed in her eyes again.

We took turns hugging people and telling them “thank you” when they congratulated us. The evening was perfect. It was everything I imagined it would be.

“So, you already knew when I called you? Why did you scream like that?” Anna asked her mom as we waited for the check.

“Well, I knew he was going to ask you, but I didn’t know you said yes until you told me,” Millie said.

I leaned into Anna. “I even asked your dad for permission when I first started planning this.”

“Seriously? How did you get his number?” she asked.

“Remember when I told you I took a trip to visit a possible new client?”

Her mouth dropped open. “You went to visit them?”

I nodded my head. “I discussed the whole thing with them. They both gave me their permission and said that my ideas sounded perfect for you.”

Anna leaned over and kissed me.

“Let me see the rock!” Ally said from her seat across from Anna.

Anna held up her hand.

“Holy rock. Good job, Justin,” Ally said.

“Thanks,” I smiled.

When dinner was finished, we made our way back to Anna’s house. We already had plans to move in together at the end of the month when my lease was up, so that was one decision already checked off the list.

“I can’t believe everything you did for me today,” Anna said after we put Margie to bed in her princess bed that Anna bought a few months back.

I gave her a kiss. “I wanted to do so much more, but funds and timing were both a little short.”

“This was perfect, Justin,” she said. “Thank you.”

Anna and I sat down on the couch. She put her head on my shoulder, and I held her left hand. We both stared at her ring.

“I hope you like it,” I said,

“I love it. And the necklace. They’re both perfect,” she said.

“You know, when Tammy passed away, I couldn’t even picture myself ever dating again. And then I started fighting, and I was having problems with my back muscles. I had appointments with three other massage therapists the day I met you,” I said.

“You did?” she sounded surprised.

“Yeah, but I canceled them after I met you. There was something about you that just made me want to get to know you better. Then, I had to make the hard decision of cutting our sessions out. They were too expensive, and I had other priorities. It hurt me to have to walk away from you like that, but then you approached me about your plan to play boyfriend. I couldn’t pass that up. It gave me the opportunity to play the role that I knew I already wanted. And it was then that I knew I was ready to move on, to date again, and possibly even get married again.”

I gave Anna a kiss.

“And now here we are,” she said and held up her hand.

“Yes. Here we are.” I gave her another kiss.

Margie came out of her room. “I can’t sleep,” she said.

“Come here, sweetheart,” Anna said and grabbed a blanket from under her coffee table.

Margie walked over and sat in between us. Anna covered the three of us up with the blanket. It was at that moment that I knew I could spend every single night for the rest of my life just like that. 

“This was the best day of my whole life,” Margie said, sleepily.

“Mine too,” Anna and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and both smiled. I knew I made the right decision on that fateful day to play her boyfriend. Little did we know, the role would turn into something that would change both of our lives forever.

That’s the end of the Extreme. Below I included 4 of my previous books to read as a free bonus.

 

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VACATION

By Claire Adams

 

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

 

Copyright © 2016 Claire Adams

 

 

Chapter One

Vivian

 

It was still relatively cold this time of the year in New York. Heading to Miami wouldn’t help much. It was liable to be cold there too. With the shifting of the seasons, spring break was stacking up to be miserable. Not that I was in the mood to enjoy anything more than a good book and my pjs, but my roommate wasn't going to let me back out of our trip. She was far too excited to let anything dent her mood.

"I really don't think this is the best idea, Casey. Maybe we could call the airlines back and see if they're willing to move the flight just once more." I ran my fingers through my long crimson hair and dropped down on my small bed in our dorm room. "Just think about it. We could stay here and go to all of our favorite places. You know you love Central Park this time of the year."

"No, Viv. This is going to be great. You've been moping around this place since the beginning of February. We're getting the hell out of here for a little while. It will do you some good. It will do me some good. I'm tired of this frigid-ass weather. I need to see the beach and pretend like one day I'll get out of here." She moved to stand in front of me and touched my shoulder gingerly as I shifted my gaze toward the floor. "Hey, it's going to get better."

My eyes filled with tears, though I honestly didn't figure I had many more left in me. I'd known Jackson my whole life, and dated him most of it. I couldn't see myself beside anyone in life but him, and yet he felt differently. Not having the balls to tell me that he was sleeping with half the student body at NYU, I happened to find out the hard way—by accidentally witnessing him in action.

"Right." I pulled from her and got up, walking to the short window that sat at the far end of our dorm room. "I just wish it would hurry up."

"It's only been a month." Casey wrapped me in a hug from behind, and I sunk down into it. My spunky roommate had been my best friend since kindergarten; her commitment to living life with me was one of the only things that was sure to help me through the break-up with Jackson.

"I know, but this was supposed to be our trip, Case. We'd been dating for ten years on Valentine’s. That was the reason for the trip, remember?" I pressed my hands to my face and took a shaky breath. "I just don't know if I want to go hang out in Miami for a week, even with you. I'll do nothing but drag you down and be a complete killjoy. The last thing I want to do is have you upset with me because I can't be anything but depressed right now. I'm trying to pull myself out of it, but I just can't seem to. You're going to be disappointed, and the trip's going to suck because of me."

"That's not true. Not one damn word you just uttered is true." She moved back and tugged on my hair. "Get packed up. We got the tickets from Valentine’s moved to now, and we're going. You're going to meet some fantastic hottie and have loads of great, unattached sex."

She gasped dramatically as I turned to pin her with a 'get real' stare. "Me?"

"Yes. You. Just think—it will almost feel like you're a normal college girl. Having fun and living in the moment. What? What will the media think?" She wagged her eyebrows as I wiped the last of my tears away.

"You're dumb." And she was, but she was right. I needed to figure out how to start living a little. My life had revolved around Jackson and my grades for so long that having fun didn't seem attainable.

"Right, and you're dumber. Get that cute, little, black string bikini that you hate. It looks killer on you." She nodded to my bed. "Grab your pillow, too. You know how much you hate sleeping on anything but Hilda."

"It's too cold to wear a bikini. I'm going to need a full length coat and sweats just to be able to walk outside." I moved toward the bed and picked up my pillow, which we'd lovingly named Hilda years ago. I was on Hilda number six by then, but our traditions stuck—even the odd ones.

"Florida is vastly different than New York, Viv. Check the weather on your phone, and while you're at it, check the flight times, too. I want to run by the store on the way to the airport. I need some gum and want to grab a couple of beach towels before we go."

"The hotel doesn't give them to you?" I picked up my phone, forever minding my bossy-ass friend. She was president of every club she could get her hands on, energetic and an extrovert to the nth degree. I wasn't her polar opposite, but pretty damn close.

"No clue, but I don't want to chance it, and the gum is for your ears. You know they pop like crazy on takeoff." She picked up a nightie from her open suitcase on her bed and wagged her eyebrows again. "Whatcha think? Hot enough to catch some guys attention?"

Her blonde pixie cut and vibrant blue eyes drew everyone in quickly, and even after all the years of us being close, I was no different. She had a warmth to her that made you want to get close enough to warm your hands by her fire.

"It's rather naughty. You sure you want to take that with us? You're going to be mighty disappointed when I don't ask you to put it on." I gave her a silly look, which melted into a smile. She wouldn't wear the nightie even if there were a good-looking guy she wanted to impress. She was too self-conscious about her curves, though I didn't think she had any reason to be.

"Now who's being dumb?" She chuckled and tossed it back into her bag. "I'm going to find us some handsome boys to have a little bit of fun with."

"Right. You do that." I finished packing a few t-shirts and shoved the last of my jeans in before sitting on the top and motioning for her to come help me close the thing.

"Why am I suddenly concerned that you didn't bring anything dressy or skimpy?" Casey bent down and zipped up my suitcase as I wobbled on top of it.

"Because I didn't. The weather says that Miami is in the low seventies right now. That sounds warm, but we're right on the beach in Miami. It's going to be cold. You're going to freeze your ass off, and when you do, don't say I didn't tell you so." I shrugged and slid off the side of the suitcase. "Let's get going. The flight is in three hours. That gives us just enough time to grab the stuff you want and get there."

"Killjoy. Already." Casey popped the side of my leg and picked up her bag. "You're going to meet someone sexy that sweeps you off your feet. Mark my words. Karma's a bitch, and Jackson will get his, but you'll get yours too."

"I believe you." I slung my satchel strap over my shoulder and brushed my sweater and jeans to smooth them out. "I'm going to meet lots of sexy men that are going to leave me panting."

She smiled brightly before heading to the door. "There's my girl. I know there's an optimist deep inside of you. Are you thinking we'll meet them at the hotel or the beach, or maybe a bar?"

I walked out of our dorm room and turned to close the door as a smirk lifted my lips. "I'm going to find them in a book. Lots of books. Safe sex without the herpes."

"Oh Lord." Casey rolled her eyes, shook her head, and moved down the hall, starting her murmuring as she always did when I acted up.

I chuckled and ignored the pang of regret I felt over letting her talk me into the trip. I wasn't ready to move on from Jackson, and not that the trip would force me to, but it was a first step toward taking back my life as a single person.

Too bad I would trade anything to make things go back to the way they were. It wasn't possible, though. Trust meant everything to me, and nothing to him.

As long as I don't have to see him for the rest of my life, I'll be good.

*****

Casey drove us to the nearest shopping center and waited ten minutes for someone to pull out of one of the front parking spots. I bit my tongue, but wanted to berate her for sitting there for so damn long when we could have already gone in and been back out.

"Are your legs hurting?" I asked as we got out of the car.

She smoothed down her short blonde hair and gave me a cheeky grin. "Not yet, but they will be next Saturday. Open 24-7."

I shook my head as we walked into the store. "You're corrupt."

"You love it. I'm your fixer-upper project." She elbowed me.

I started to respond, but noticed the way her face fell as she glanced just beyond me to someone else. Her voice was curt as she stopped me from turning, her fingers biting as she pulled at my arms.

"Hey. Let's just go this way."

I had no doubt who was behind me. My luck never held up for too terribly long. There was a moment where I contemplated following her advice, as I did most days of my life, but I couldn't seem to shake the need to turn around.

"I'm good. Really." I turned and met eyes with him, the boy I'd given my heart to, my virginity, my future.

He waved once as he moved up in the checkout line he was in and reached for a busty blonde, pulling her against him and laughing at something she'd said. His jeans fit him beautifully, his broad shoulders almost stretching the thick t-shirt he wore. To say he looked good would be a vast understatement. Jackson was the all-American boy with dark brown hair, warm brown eyes, and a way about him that made almost anyone melt—especially me.

Turning on my heel, I walked down the nearest aisle as languidly as I could. Why, of all the people in the whole world to run into, did I have to run into him? He should have been gone on his own spring break trip. In all the years we'd been together, I'd never known Jackson to not have a huge trip planned for mid-March. What was he doing still in New York?

Casey was speaking rapidly under her breath, but all I could hear was the rushing of my own blood by my ears as my body lit on fire and anger burned up the center of my chest.

How could he be with someone already?

He was with someone when we were together, so him being with someone now that we're not shouldn't have been that surprising.

"Vivian. He's not worth it." Casey moved in front of me, and I hadn't realized that I'd stopped in the middle of the paper goods aisle and bent over, my hands pressing to my knees. Air was hard to find, and the agony that pumped through my chest was unable to be ignored.

"No?" I whispered and sucked in a shaky breath. "Why does it hurt so fucking bad still?"

She ran her hand over my back rhythmically as she bent down to put her face beside mine. "Because losing someone that you planned to spend forever with is like a small death."

The sound of his voice behind us caused my blood to run cold. "Viv. You alright?"

I stood and brushed my hands down the side of my hair before turning and crossing my arms over my chest. "Sorry? Did you say something?"

His expression was almost caring, kind, loving. He watched me like he actually wanted to know how I was, as if he cared at all. "I just wanted to check on you. I saw you run for the aisle and–”

"Running? I didn't run." I moved toward him as my nervous system shot into overdrive. It was all gone. All the nights of having him make love to me then wrap his big strong body around me. All the promises, the dreams, the future. Gone.

"You did, but it's whatever. You're good?" His eyes moved down the length of me. "You look good. Really good."

"Fuck you." I couldn't pull the words back as they left my lips. I didn't want him to know that I was still swimming around in self-pity, that I was crushed by his decision to cheat on me over and over again. He had no right to stand there and look at me as if I was the woman he wanted in his life. He'd chosen everyone over me. He could sit on it and rotate.

He lifted his hands into the air and took a step back. "Whoa there. Okay. Sorry. Just wanted to–”

"Well don't. Go trip over something and bust your teeth, you jackal." Casey's words were biting and filled with venom. She moved around me to stand between us, her shoulders stiff and body posed aggressively toward Jackson. "She's not upset about you. Something happened back home. Go away, Jackson. It's none of your concern anymore."

He ignored my best friend and tilted his head to the side, reminding me of so much more than I was capable of handling in that moment. "Your momma okay? Everyone at home?"

I turned and walked down the aisle toward the back of the store to the bathroom, leaving Casey to rip into the man that was supposed to be my best friend forever. Now there was nothing left but small pieces of my dreams to pick up. It wasn't just the loss of my tomorrows that hurt so damn bad, but more so the questioning of my worth. If Jackson was willing to sleep with another woman, then surely I played some part in making that happen. I wasn't good enough or pretty enough or wild enough in bed.

It couldn't have just been him, and if it wasn't just him, then it was me too.

If he knew every part of me and didn't want anything to do with me anymore, why would anyone else?

I picked up my walk to a jog, and then a run. I could pretend that I was fine, but I wasn't. Miami was a horrible idea, and regardless of what Casey wanted...I wasn't going.