Page 104 of Breaking the Habit

When they got to the arena, Riley ducked out of the car early to head to the special access back doors as usual. She relished the distant thunder of the audience as she hurried down the narrow hallways coiling through the underbelly of the arena. This would be her last time here…for now. Until the next session, when Levi would defend his title. Which he would win tonight.

And of course, she would be along for the ride.

Wherever Levi went, she wanted to be there taking pictures, laughing at his dad jokes, and loving on him every step of the way.

It wasn’t hard to want to give him everything. When Levi was so doting, so generous, so thoughtful and loving in every way possible, Riley knew that the only way forward with him was for forever.

Riley already had the perma-grin on her face as she pushed into the dressing room. And there was Levi. Gripping the arm rests of his chair, staring into the mirror, perfect plaits in his hair.

“Hey, baaaabe,” Levi crooned, catching her gaze through the mirror. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Keep it PG,” Travis warned. “I need all his sexual frustration in addition to adrenaline and sheer testosterone.”

“That’s how we win fights,” Levi admitted. “I’ll kiss your face off after I win, don’t worry.”

She dragged a finger along the top of his shoulders, over the fascinating array of freckles that lived there. “Can’t wait. I’ve been meaning to get a new face.”

Turned out dad jokes were contagious. Levi snorted.

“No, babe. I like yours.” He grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her back toward him for a kiss. She giggled and brushed her lips against his.

This time around, they only spent a few nights apart before the match. Even Travis could admit that too much time apart was only going to hurt Levi’s performance.

Riley got a few dressing room shots from different angles, even climbing on a stool to get the right angle as Travis and Lex worked on pumping Levi up. When Travis prompted Levi for his final, league-winning joke, she knew it was almost time to head out.

“Okay. Here’s the joke. This one I made for Gage, because he’s obsessed with orange soda.” Levi paused, a serious look coming over his face. “I had a really bad dream last night that I was drowning in an ocean made of orange soda. But it turned out, it was just a Fanta sea.”

Travis and Lex groaned.

“Gage is going to love that,” Riley snickered.

Levi winked at her, and Travis swept toward the door. The roar of the arena grew a little louder with the door open. Levi jerked his head for her to come over.

“No matter what happens out there,” he whispered into her ear, “I’ve already won. Because I’ve got you and I’ve got Gage. That’s all I need, babe.”

She peeked up at him through her eyelashes. “And winning is going to be the most delicious icing on top.”

Travis herded him out the door, and Levi started hopping, tapping his knuckles together. As they got closer to the auditorium and Lex pulled open the door, the whoosh of noise and energy nearly bowled her over. Most fight nights, the place was full, but not packed to the brim.

Tonight? This event had been sold out since the day the tickets went on sale, the crowd bearing down on them more intense than ever before.

Levi strutted forward, lifted his fists while the crowd went wild. Fans leaned over the railing, reaching for him. Levi dragged his hands along theirs as he made his way down the aisle. Riley snapped as fast as she could behind him, trying to capture the mania, the starry-eyed kids, the whooping fans who went crazy for Levi Lead Fist.

Once they made it to the octagon, Riley hurried to her spot in the photographer’s pit. The match turned into a blur once Levi had taken his position. The upbeat music that accompanied his arrival at the octagon faded away, replaced by the announcer hyping the match. Reading the fighter stats and weight.

And then the ref arrived. Reading the rules. Riley couldn’t look away from the intensity hardened on Levi’s face. His expression alone told her that he was winning this fight. Whatever he’d been missing the last time he’d faced down Benny the Bulldozer…it was back.

The bell rang. Levi struck fast, so fast that the punch thudded against Benny’s face before the ref was out of the cage. The crowd roared, everyone hopping to their feet. Riley fought to keep her perspective as the other photographers jockeyed around her. She’d opted for the tight lens to start with, knowing in her bones that Levi was going to pull out the antics tonight.

The two men boxed fast and furious in the octagon, but Levi was faster and more furious. He had Benny backed up against the wall of the cage, and then Benny’s body thudded against the mat. Levi had him pinned between his knees while the punches rained down.

The arena swelled with disbelief. Chants erupted. Riley couldn’t take pictures fast enough.

Levi almost managed a submission before the bell rang, signaling the end of the round. He hopped to his feet, offered Benny a hand, then zipped over to Travis and Lex, who waited for him with pure joy on their faces.

That seemed like a pretty good omen. Riley twisted around, looking up at the cascading wall of fans. Someone held up a sign that said, “LEVI LEAD FIST ME.” Higher up, another sign simply said “LEVI MARRY ME.”

Levi had his fans, rabid and otherwise. And it only made Riley’s heart swell.

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