Page 51 of Seducing Cinderella

“That’s enough! Break it up and hit the showers before I add a few more hours of cardio to drain the piss and vinegar outta ya’s.”

Butch. Finally, a voice of reason. Reid shook off the last few hands holding him and went to gather his things.

“Andrews! In my office,now.”

Reid spun on his heel and glared at his coach. “I don’t need a lecture. Cool my heels. Got it, message received. I’m going home.”

“Hey! I don’t give a good goddamn what message you received. Get your ass in my office.”

Clenching his hands and grinding his teeth, Reid stalked into the coach’s office and dropped into one of the guest chairs. Butch followed him in, closed the door and sat in the chair next to him, leaning forward with forearms on his knees.

“What’s eatin’ you, son?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Reid said as he crossed his arms. When all the old man did was stare at him, he threw an arm out in the direction of the gym. “I’m trying to focus on my fight and they wanna bust my balls about shit. They know better than that, Coach.”

“I saw what happened. You nearly took Harty’s head off with a medicine ball.”

Reid turned his head away, unable to look into the sky-blue eyes of the older man. He knew he’d acted like an ass—and he’d apologize to Brian later—but he didn’t know what to say.

“Reid.” The tone Butch used told him he’d wait there all day until Reid gave him what he wanted. With a resigned exhale he turned his attention back to his coach. “When you came back from Reno I was impressed with your physical condition. I was worried that without your normal routine you’d let yourself get soft around the middle, but ya did good and came back to us healthy as a horse and strong as an ox.

“But mentally—” Butch shook his head and tsked a few times. “Mentally you came back with a few screws loose, and I have a strong suspicion it has to do with that lady PT you were with. Am I right?”

Reid didn’t know how to respond or where to start. So, he didn’t.

“Okay, fine. I’ll tell you what I think,” Butch said, leaning back with arms folded over his chest. “You fell in love with the Miller girl, but decided you weren’t good enough for her, so instead of telling her how you felt you probably said or did something to screw it up just before coming back here. How close am I?”

Pushing to his feet, Reid dragged his still-taped hands over his face then hooked them behind his neck. “Dead on.”

“I thought as much,” Butch said, rising from his chair. “What’s your plan?”

Reid dropped his arms and narrowed an eye at his coach. “What makes you think I have a plan?”

“You never go up against a fight or a problem without a plan.” Butch eased a hip onto his desk and popped one of the peppermint candies he’d replaced cigarettes with into his mouth. “But if the way you’ve been acting is any indication, your plan sucks.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“Just what I said. When you have faith in your plans, you’re no different than you are any other day. Our plan for the fight is solid. But you’re still messed up. Ergo—”

Reid lifted an eyebrow. “Did you really just say ‘ergo’?”

“Yeah, I did, smartass—ergo, your plan sucks.”

Reid couldn’t argue with the man’s logic. He was right. When Reid had a good plan, nothing fazed him. Not the head games his opponent flung at him through the media, not an injury he knew could be dealt with after the fight, nothing.

“My plan sucks because I don’t have one. No matter how I try, I can’t find a solution that makes us happy together.”

Butch rubbed his jaw as he thought about…well, whatever it was he was thinking about. “Hmm. Yeah, I can see how that would trouble you.”

Reid stepped to the interior office window and looked out at all the things that had been a part of his life for as long as he could remember. A ring for sparring, mats for grappling, padded dummies, punching bags, weights, and cardio machines. A feeling of indifference settled in the center of his chest like a crushing weight. He’d noticed that a lot lately upon entering the gym. Not even the familiar smells and sounds brought on the usual excitement.

He shrugged, feeling the tension knots in his shoulders. “It is what it is, Butch. Lucie isn’t cut out for this life. If I bring her into it, she’ll only end up leaving. She deserves someone better than me. Better than a fighter.”

“Ah, Christ.” Butch returned to his chair from earlier and gestured to the one Reid had first occupied. “Have a seat.” Too tired to argue, Reid did as he was told. “Now I want you to listen and listen good. I’m sure you know this already, but I’ve never said it outright, so here it is: You know me and Martha couldn’t have any kids of our own. Hell, it’s why she’s a schoolteacher and I decided to take on young men like yourself.

“Now, I care for all my fighters—if I didn’t, they’d be out on their asses looking for a new coach—but you’ve been with me a long time, and you’re like a son to me. And no son ofminewould have such a fucked-up self-image. That’s your old man talkin’ through you, is what that is, and it’s a bunch of bullshit.”

“Butch, before I showed up, she was half in love with an orthopedic surgeon. The guy took her on a date and wanted to take her on more. He’s got money, good looks, and has a shitload of things in common with her.”

---