FIGHT

Chapter 25

"Knock, knock."

I enter the kitchen, drawing attention with a sharp knock and my voice reverberating around the room. Holden only half turns around, keeping most of his attention on the food he's currently cooking. "Hey, love."

My feet push me over to him and I don't hesitate to wrap my arms around his waist from behind. I place a small kiss between his shoulder blades before resting my cheek against his back, just holding him while he's bent slightly over the hot stove.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?"

I can feel his back muscles clench up as I ask about the fight. He trained earlier this morning, but Josh forbade him to train for a second session; he doesn't want Holden overexerting himself too much before the big fight.

"As ready as I can be. Are you?"

The question floats around in my mind as I ponder over it; am I ready? For the first time in over nine years, I'll be seeing Elijah again. The thought terrifies me and I immediately know I'm not ready. Granted, I don't know if that's something I'll ever truly be ready for.

"Honestly? No."

Holden turns around in my arms, shifting us to press my back against the small island in the middle of his kitchen. His hands slide up my arms slowly, creating goosebumps on every inch of my body. I feel his soft lips press against my forehead, cradling me close to him. "I'm not going to make you go if you're not ready, Tatum."

"I'm going." I place Holden's hands on my hips, signaling that I want to sit on top of the island. He graciously lifts me, standing in between my legs as he studies my face.

If I hadn't known better, I'd say I died and was staring at the face of an angel.

A moment of silence falls over us before Holden turns his attention back to the food, lightly humming as he finishes cooking. It smells wonderful, as so much of his cooking often does, but my stomach is in knots from the thought of the fight.

Holden will be in the ring with my older brother in less than twenty-four hours.

I push the thought from my head, jumping off the island to set the table while Holden puts the final touches on our meal. He easily follows suit, laying the large dinner plates in correlation with the silverware before dishing out a large mass of food onto both sets of glassware.

"Do you think I'm going to win?" Holden's green eyes bore into me as I keep my gaze focused on my plate full of food.

I wish I had complete confidence in him, but at this point, I'm just praying for him to come out of the fight in one piece. I've never seen my brother box, but if he's as good as people are saying, then Holden has a lot to go against. The competitive side of Eli is unlike any I've ever seen before.

"I don't know." My voice is just barely over a mumble, but Holden's close enough to hear me and intuitive enough to sense my apprehension.

Despite Holden's ego, I think the reality of this fight is sinking in for Holden. This may not be his true come back fight. There's no telling what the outcome will be tomorrow.

I push the large plate of food away, not feeling my appetite anymore. "Thank you for making dinner, Holden. I'm just not exactly in the mindset to eat right now."

Without another word, I take the plate into the kitchen and pack it up for leftovers before residing myself in Holden's living room. Though I know we aren't technically living together, I spend so much time here that Holden's home really feels like mine. After a few minutes, I hear his plate clatter into the sink before he comes to join me on the couch; he pulls my body tight against his the moment he sits down on the plush material.