Page 17 of Fight for Forever

Megan’s eyes narrow at me. My lip twitches. But I placate her with my hands up again.

“The least I can do after all you’ve done for me today is let you stay here tonight, especially when it’s so late. The guest rooms are already made up. Don’t make a sick man beg,” I add with puppy dog eyes.

Her lips twitch as she tries not to smile at me, which I will take as a win. It’s only after I’ve made sure she’s eaten something and I’m showing her the guest room, I remember she hasn’t left the apartment all day. She skipped out on work.

For me.

I don’t know what to do with that. I leave her to get herself ready for bed in the en suite of my biggest guest room. After setting out one of my t-shirts and some shorts that will swamp her, I whistle as I head back to my room.

Chapter Eight

“Earth to Megan.”

My head snaps up and I look at Brooke. Her brows are raised, and she’s staring at me like she’s been waiting for me to answer her far longer than is normal. Brooke got used to me spacing out for a long while after the incident, but lately I’ve been much better.

This time, I’m not lost in the waking nightmares of what Michael did to me, or what I did to him.

I’m thinking about Joey Ferguson. About the t-shirt of his that he left for me to sleep in, that I consequently brought home with me.

Every time I think of it, my face flushes. He probably knows I stole it. It’s been three days since I spent the night. He’s texted twice to let me know he is getting better, still not up for training but credits me with helping him.

I still haven’t replied.

“Sorry,” I blink back into the present.

“What is with you? You’ve been somewhere else the whole time we’ve been here.”

“Sorry.”

“Stop saying sorry,” Brooke reminds me, firmly but gently.

I almost say it again and Brooke smirks, knowing that. “How is Jenna?” I ask.

“She’s fine. Stop changing the subject. And given you are in some other world, I’m going to assume you don’t know what that subject is,” she stares pointedly until I shrug sheepishly. “Seriously, where is your head at? Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine…” I close my eyes.

I’m supposed to be opening up, being more emotionally available to the people I know I can trust. It’s still hard to do. I blow out a breath. Brooke waits me out. It’s one of the things I love about her. She never hurries me, but she pushes me. Gently, but it’s there.

“I think…”

“Therefore, you are?” Brooke suggests with another smirk.

“Hilarious.”

I toss a napkin at her. I understood that reference. Not because I’ve studied philosophy, like Brooke probably has. I think I heard it in a movie once. My brain is going off on a tangent again.

“I have a crush on Joey Ferguson,” I blurt out, then drop my head to stare at the table.

It’s our weekly coffee date at Brooke’s favorite coffee shop near her office. My shift doesn’t start until three today, so I’m in no hurry. Although I picked up a couple of extra shifts to make up for the one I missed while I was nursing Joey.

“Who’s he again?” Brooke asks.

My head whips up. “The MMA fighter.” Her brow quirks up. “I know, a crush on a man who fights for a living. How crazy is that?”

“It’s not crazy in the slightest,” Brooke tells me. “Is he hot?”

A laugh bubbles out of me. “Yes. He’s very hot.”

---