Page 92 of Grump Daddy's Baby

Yet, it still hurts the same.

While Olivia spewed out lies to the press and attempted to make herself appear like the victim, Molly’s article may have complimented and damned me all at the same time. I’m not that man anymore who gives media releases about my well-being or how my kids are. I don’t put myself in those situations.

But I am tonight.

Not because I want to talk to anyone who wishes to be all in my business, but so I can fight and make someone hurt as much as I am. So I can rid myself of all these conflicting thoughts that won’t just fuck off already and die.

I’m brought back to reality when my opponent—Johnny James—throws a right hook into my jaw, sending me back three steps and bracing my head to focus.

I can’t.

Everyone in the crowd is a dull roar at this point because I was a surprise fight. I didn’t plan in advance to be out in the ring tonight, but I needed out of that house and I couldn’t look at Molly anymore.

There was only sadness and betrayal in her green eyes anyway and I’m sure I looked the same. While any normal couple would talk it through, I’m unable to bare myself enough to show her how I feel, or how much it killed me to read that article.

It’s organic and personal, especially since Molly has lived in my house for the last two months. Yet, it goes further than that because she knows how I feel about my life and how I want out of the spotlight.

You’re doing a great job.

When I win this fight, everyone and their mother will want an interview with me. I’ll be pressed with calls and emails for guest placings on TV shows. Everything I’ve worked hard for is already fucked up the moment I gave in to my urges for boxing and when I allowed Molly into the inner workings of my life.

Until I fell forher.

Johnny lunges for me like an amateur, giving me the perfect opportunity to land an uppercut underneath his jaw to get him away for me for a minute.

I don’t want to do this anymore.

But I’m not going to tap out of this fight and start headlines about how I’m getting too old for this shit.

I am.

But I’m not going to go down like this.

Ever.

Johnny begins to circle me, eyes narrowed and locked onto my every move as I wait for a perfect opportunity to knock him on his ass.

My heart races with adrenaline as I try to keep myself focused on the fight. How I’ll figure out what I need to do next with everything else when I’m done.

I just need this.

I need a moment to give my brain a rest and figure out how I’m going to coexist with Molly after our baby is born.

How she and I are going to move forward from this.

I don’t want her to leave but I’m having a hard time with her staying. There isn’t anything I want more than that woman, but the cuts she made are deep and I don’t know how to trust her again.

How to make this right.

And how the hell I keep finding women who use me to their advantage.

Not to say Molly got pregnant on purpose, because the look of terror in that woman’s eyes was real enough.

I just can’t believe she wrote an article about me and was going to send it off without a word. I thought we meant more than that, and maybe we do. Maybe I’m making too big of a deal about this shit and I need to let it go.

But it doesn’t take away the fact that I feel betrayed. I want her to be a sounding board for me and not worry about her posting something about it.

Maybe Grace can have her sign an NDA.

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