Chapter Three

Kaden

 

“Shit! That hurt!” I lean over holding on to my gut. I am completely off my game and deserve that kick to my stomach.

“What’s going on with you?” Alex grabs a couple towels from the rack and throws one at me. I catch it and lay down on my back wiping the sweat off my face and neck in the middle of the octagon staring at the fan whirring around.

“Just got a lot on my mind. I’m sorry. You deserve better than that.”

“It’s all good, bro. We all have our off days.”

“You’re going to be ready for this fight. You are kicking ass. You have gotten quicker and stronger these last several months.”

“It would be nice to win, that’s for sure. I am hoping if I win I can use some of the money to pay for our honeymoon. I can’t believe Jessica actually said yes to marrying me.” He laughs at himself.

I sit up and throw my towel at him. “I can’t believe it either. I can’t believe you asked her to marry you!”

“Not all of us can be bachelors for life like you. Do you think I am making a mistake?”

I look at Alex for a second. He’s not much older than I was when I married Gabrielle. I can see the love clearly in his eyes. I would recognize that look anywhere because I once had the same look before I lost it all. But instead of feeling the usual hurt I feel, my mind switches to Ashley and how much I miss her.

“No, you aren’t making a mistake. Bachelorhood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

“Do you ever think about settling down?” The first images that pops into my head are of Ashley and Tristan. Ashley making dinner. Tristan and I playing video games. Helping Tristan with his homework. Ashley and I watching television together. Kissing her goodbye before I head to the gym. Then my thoughts go to Gabrielle. Loving her. Losing her. Missing her. My heart aches, and if I’m honest, I feel guilty that I thought of Ashley and Tristan first.

“No, that ship has sailed for me.” I get up and grab ahold of Alex’s hand pulling him up as well.

“Hold on to your woman. Never let her go. Don’t waste time fighting over stupid shit. Love the fuck out of her and cherish every moment with her.”

I can tell he wants to ask me where this is coming from but he doesn’t.

I grab my bag and pull my phone out of it while I walk up to the front counter. Not a single text from Ashley, so I send her a text.

Me: Hello

Me: I miss my best friend.

Me: Tristan had class today and wasn’t there.

Me: Ok… I am coming by your house.

Me: See you soon!

I slam my phone down on the counter and will myself to stay calm. I don’t know what is going on with Ashley but these last few weeks she has completely checked out. She doesn’t call or text and she flat out ignores me when I text or call her. She hasn’t been by the gym in weeks either, not even to drop Tristan off for class. My phone dings and I quickly pick it up.

Mom: Did you get your plane ticket yet?

This is the tenth time she has asked me this since I told my grandfather I would be at the birthday party. It’s not even for a couple months but she is hoping if I book my flight now, I won’t change my mind.

Me: I will.

Mom: How many tickets?

Real subtle mom… I don’t even bother to respond to that.

“Hey Kaden!” Marco says as he runs by me through the gym with Hayley and Kayla coming in after him. Hayley has her hand on her belly and is absentmindedly rubbing it. It’s Hayley and Caleb’s first time having a baby and they are due to find out the sex in the next week or so. It reminds me of when Gabrielle and I found out the sex of our baby. We both said we just wanted a healthy baby but secretly I was excited to have a little boy I could teach MMA to.

“Ladies.”

“Are you coming to Marco’s Birthday?” Hayley asks.

“Of course. Do you know if Ashley will be there by any chance?”

“Aren’t you two attached at the hip?” Kayla jokes.

“She hasn’t returned my phone calls in a while. She’s used every excuse not to see me. First, she was cleaning up her classroom for the summer. Then she said she picked up extra shifts at the club she works at. Another excuse she gave me was that she was visiting her parents for a few days. I’ve been busy training Alex since he has a fight coming up next month so I keep letting it go. I’m about to go by her house right now, though.

“She said she would be at the party. Now that I think about it, she hasn’t responded to me much at all lately.”

“Who?” Liz asks coming out of her office with her purse, most likely heading to Caleb’s club Assets. He inherited a strip club from his father who passed away last year, and after shutting it down and remodeling it, he turned it into one of the most sought out clubs in Las Vegas. Downstairs is a restaurant with stages in both corners that lead up to a main one in the middle. Upstairs is a bar with a large stage. There are also several private and VIP rooms. It was even on the top fifty best restaurants list as well as having received a best chef award.

“Ashley,” Hayley says.

Liz frowns. “I was just renewing the kids’ memberships for the summer and fall and when I didn’t see her renewal I called her. She said they will be too busy this summer so she isn’t renewing Tristan’s membership.”

“Are you serious? What is she so busy doing that she isn’t letting Tristan do MMA all summer? There’s no way Tristan is ok with that. The kid lives and breathes fighting.”

“I know, Kaden. I honestly think she doesn’t have the money but doesn’t want to say anything. Since she didn’t come out and say it, I couldn’t offer her the financial aid form. And I’m not sure I would have. Ashley has too much pride to ask for help. When we met years ago in the mom group we were both a part of, her ex had just left her and she was so scared but would never let anybody know. She made it look so easy raising Tristan on her own, while I was barely doing it with Kayla by my side.”

“Oh, stop your crap!” Kayla says. “You were and are a great mother! She had already graduated college. We were just starting out. We were babies. But I agree, she is a strong woman and full of pride. She would never admit if something was wrong.”

“You can go ahead and renew Tristan’s membership. Just take it out of my account. I’m going to her house now. I will deal with this shit.”

I slam the gym door behind me. I have no idea what is going through Ashley’s head but I am going to get to the bottom of this shit. I arrive at her house in half the time it usually takes me and when I pull up I see an electric blue Rolls-Royce Phantom sitting in her driveway leaving me no room to park as well. Instead, I have to park along the side of the grass.

In a different circumstance, I would stop and check out the beast of a car, but right now I am more concerned with who she is associating with that can afford this car.

As I walk up the driveway, I see Ashley standing outside her door on her front porch talking to a big fucker. He’s got to be six-foot- four at least and probably two hundred and forty pounds of solid muscle. He has his hand on her shoulder like he’s comforting her, which pisses me off. When I get closer, I see she is crying. What the fuck!

“Everything ok here?”