Page 100 of Strike Zone

“Then go and win this thing because I’m really turned on by you right now.”

“Has anyone ever told you, you’re fucked up?”

“You do on a weekly basis.”

“I love you.”

“I fucking love you, Diana. Now go and show them the woman I fell in love with. Let them see the fucking glitter, southpaw.”

As I step back up, I can tell the referee is watching us like a hawk, ready to stop the fight at any moment. In truth, there are a number of refs who would have already called it, but this arena is standing room only, and stopping a championship fight for an injury, unless it’s bone protruding visibly through flesh, is a sure-fire way to get yourself blacklisted from refereeing another fight at the MGM Grand.

My ears are ringing long after the bell, my head swimming as I try to focus. The cheers of the crowd seem distant, as if they’re miles away, down a tunnel, off in a land far from here, but I dig deep, focusing in on Kayla, throwing everything I have into one final swing of my fist, connecting with her jaw at just the right time for maximum impact.

She crumples like a house of cards, and at this moment, I know she’s not coming back from it. The pain in my side as I drop to my knees, pinning her to the mat, is nothing compared to the obliteration of my pride if I don’t win this fight. I have no fight left, so it doesn’t take much for her to set me off-kilter.

Linc’s word echo in my mind. You’re a stronger woman for being her mother. Lilah. I reach inside myself, unlocking the part of me I thought would hinder me tonight. My daughter is the reason I came back to fighting, why I’ve pushed myself to the limits tonight. I want her to know she’s capable of anything in this life. That no man defines you, but letting yourself be loved by one takes nothing away from the woman you can become.

Lilah gives me the final burst of strength I need to keep Kayla pinned until the referee counts her out.

The crowd erupts as the referee calls it and declares me the winner. I did it. I won! As soon as he lifts my hand in the air, tears stream down my face, cameras flashing from all sides, lighting up the arena like the Fourth of July.

Linc comes striding into the cage like he owns the place, large and imposing. For some reason, I thought he’d seem smaller somehow, being on my turf, and yet he stands, towering over me, his stance protective, blocking everyone around us as he envelops me in his warm embrace.

“You did it, Diana. You did it! I’m so fucking proud of you.”

My legs go out from under me, but it’s okay because Linc takes my weight with ease, my teammate in life, and the only person I want by my side in his moment.

When they present me with my belt, it’s the moment I’ve been waiting for, working toward, and fighting tooth and nail for tonight. This isn’t the first time I’ve won the title, but it means so much more having Linc with me and knowing Lilah is asleep upstairs.

When the interviews are over and my team is done patching me up, I’m too exhausted to even walk. “Linc.”

“Yes, champ?” he says with tender adoration.

“Take me to bed.”

“Are you trying to get laid right now? Don’t get me wrong, baby, what you did out there tonight was hot, but at this very moment, even after them cleaning you up a little, you smell like my jockstrap after a three-day workout in the Mojave Desert, and your face is the color and texture of a bag of rocks, but I still love you. Maybe tomorrow with the lights out.” Even a ghost of a kiss is painful in my current state.

“Ouch. You’re not allowed to make me laugh right now.”

“Sorry, baby.” He scoops me into his arms, careful of every bump and bruise, the scent of his cologne soothing my soul. “I think you’ve done enough for one night. I’ve got you from here.” As he navigates his way through the hotel, every step he takes with me nestled close to his chest hurts, but I have a strange sense of déjà vu, as if we’ve done this before.

We’ve done this before.

“It was you. The night my fight got canceled, I fell asleep in the gym but woke up in my hotel suite. It was you.”

“Not so much of a white knight back then. More like a horse’s ass.”

“You carried me up to my room. It was you.”

“It was me.”

It’s always been him, and it will always be him.

Our love story began in the most unconventional of ways. Not a love story at all really, or so I used to think. It was supposed to be simple—no-strings-attached sex—but life had a different plan for us, and I’m so happy it did.

In two years, we’ve come full circle, finding ourselves back where it all began, right here in Vegas in this very hotel. Linc saw me for who I really am, even when I tried like hell to prove him wrong. I thought being a fighter meant keeping everyone at arm’s length, making the first strike to avoid getting hurt. I thought love was a weakness.

Life with Linc and Lilah has taught me that loving someone, and letting them love you back, takes a strength I wasn’t sure I had at times. Being vulnerable to another human being, giving your heart to them and trusting they won’t break it, is harder than any cage fight. You can heal from physical wounds, but it’s the emotional ones that hold us back. Those are the wars we wage with ourselves, and choosing to let someone in who understands and supports you through the bad times and the good, takes courage.

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