I sit down on the couch with my gramps right beside me. I had a feeling he'd be back and I knew what this was going to be about. He's my sponsor, he knows I fight in the gym, and now he's going to want to know what's going on.

"Jax, we came to discuss some things." He tells me with Carter and the man himself who owns the underground ring. Gramps doesn't know about him though, he can't know about him.

"Like what? My next fights in a little over two weeks." I tell him as I pray Rylee stays quiet so nobody knows she's here. She's been in the room for about thirty minutes already. When I first started talking to them it wasn't about fighting and now it is.

"It's moved up." Jimmy, the owner tells me as I stare in shock. "Come again?" I ask him as he nods.

"If you don't fight tomorrow you're out. People want you back in the ring and without losing out you're rank is slipping. You will fight tomorrow." Carter tells me as I shake my head no.

I point to my foot, "With a bullet wound in my foot? Are you fucking kidding me right now?" I ask as they shake their heads no.

"Jax the profits more than what we anticipated and if you don't fight Holt tomorrow you're getting thrown out." Carter tells me as I shake my head in disbelief.

"And you expect me to win?" I ask him bitterly. "Jax I know you can. Pop a whole bottle of Advil before the fight and get the shit done. Win it and you can pick your schedule. Stop if you want, but you have to fight tomorrow." He tells me as I sigh.

"It's my body. I have to make the choice and I'm undefeated. I won't go into a fight I can't win." I tell him standing up as Jimmy steps in.

"You can or I'll drop your contract. Take your winnings, and make your life a living hell." He tells me as I look over at my step grandfather.

"Oh and you're supporting this shit. You do realize the last time I fought you got mugged by the fucker." I tell him as he nods.

"Now prove you're the best Jax. You win it and you're done. You don't have to fight again." He tells me as I stand in silence. I don't want to fight, I don't believe that I'll win because I'm not ready.

I guess I don't have a fucking choice. "And if I lose what happens?" I ask Jimmy.

"You lose it all." He tells me as he points to my house. He can't take my shit and he knows it, he'll take all my winnings though because I know him. That's how he makes his money and he's fucked up. I joined the ring when I was messed up and I like fighting, but for him, it's all about profit.

"Get out of my house." I spit to them all as I sigh.

"See you tomorrow at six Jax. Don't be late." Jimmy tells me walking out with my gramps as Carter stops me.

"Jax we don't have a choice. You can win it man, I tired to stop it but you know I couldn't." He tells me as I nod. I know he couldn't do anything.

"I know man." I whisper as he sighs. "If you lose you can help me train kids at the gym. It won't be as much money but at least you can have a guaranteed come home at night." He tells me tapping my back before they get out the front door and leave.

What the fuck am I supposed to do now?

___

"What?!" I ask him as he nods. Fighting? But he isn't supposed to fight for at least two more weeks and he's not healed enough to do it.

"Jax no! You can't!" I tell him as he sighs and nods. "I know but I have to." He tells me as I shake my head no. He slips off his clothes and slips into the shower as he lifts his tee off of me and slips me in behind him too.

"Have to? Why?" I ask rubbing his back under my hands as he looks down at me. The water hits his back as I trace his small tattoos covering his lower back.

"I just have to. It'll be home around eleven tomorrow night." He tells me as I shake my head no. "I forbid you. Jax you aren't allowed to!" I yell at him as he slaps the tile.

"I fucking know that Rylee! I have to!" He yells at me as I shake my head no. "Please don't" I whisper as I move my hands to his chest and grab his chin in my hands.

"Jax please don't. Babe please?" I ask as he sighs looking in my eyes. "I don't have a choice. I don't want you to worry about it. I'll be back and I'll be fine." He tells me as tears whelp in my eyes.

"Ry" he whispers pulling me into his chest as tears fall out of my eyes and onto his chest. The shower heats up as he slips us around and starts washing my back to calm me down.

"Baby please don't cry." He tells me as I hide into his chest. "Jax I don't want to see you get hurt. It'll make me sick, I don't want you to get hurt." I tell him as he rubs my back.

"In my last fight I got hit once. I'm quick on my feet, you know that. I won't get hurt." He tells me as I stare into his eyes. He looks scared of it too and I know he's lying to me. He's not going to tell me the truth but he knows he's scared of it.

"Jax." I whisper trying to keep his attention as I rub his chest. "Jax." I whisper again as he looks me in the eye.

"Jax you know you can't right now. Not with your foot messed up." I whisper to him as he shakes his head yes. He knows he can't, he knows it.

"Ry I know that. I don't have a choice, I have to do it." He tells me as I sigh and nod so he feels better.

"Can you at least promise me you'll come home?" I ask him as he kisses my head.

"I'll always come back to you Ry." He tells me as I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him. I rub his back as we hold each other and I can't fathom how much I don't want him to fight anymore.

And it's because I'm in love with Jax.

___

The next day I wake up early. I make my way to the bathroom and shower before brushing my teeth, and then I change into ripped jeans and a white tank top and my fake Alexander McQueens.

I throw a cardigan on the sink to wear with it since it's not summer anymore and the air is getting chilly. I quickly spray root pump into my hair and tease it a bit before starting to curl it. My hairs gotten so much longer than it used to be. It's past my breasts and down to my mid back now.

While curling it I pin it back to hold it in place and start on my makeup. I'm going to get me a new car today, and I'm not taking Jax. He's got enough on his plate and he's not coming, which is why I'm leaving without him in ten minutes.

I apply a quick face of makeup and set it all before putting on lipgloss. I take my hair out of the curlers and spray it all with hairspray before slipping on the cardigan.

But suddenly I'm really hot and feel sick to my stomach. I walk over to the toilet and sit down in front of it on my knees because I feel belches coming up. Sure enough, five minutes later I'm puking. I knew I felt awful about today, and it's because I'm scared for Jax.

Once I've cleaned myself up and washed my mouth out with brushing my teeth I feel better. I'm done a few seconds later and apply perfume before opening the bathroom door. Jax is still passed out when I grab my phone.

"Ry?" He asks when I open the bedroom door. He blinks his eyes open and looks at me before I open the door fully.

"I'll be back." I whisper softly as he sits up looking at me. Shit.

"Where are you going at eight in the morning?" He asks rubbing his eyes as his naked chest comes into view.

"Just around. I'll be back. You need to rest." I whisper walking back into the bedroom and pushing his chest down in the sheets.

"I'll be back, please go back to sleep." I whisper kissing his lips as I pull away. "Alright." He mumbles as he lays back into the sheets and falls right back to sleep.

I grab my stuff before feeding Bee and heading right out the door. I grab my keys and crank my car up before driving across town towards the dealership I found last night with the car I know I want. It's in my price range, it's what I want, and I love it so I'm going to get it.

When I pull up into the parking lot twenty minutes later I'm in love. I find a salesperson and I immediately tell them which car I want. Without negotiating they take a copy of my drivers license and I'm off in a test drive.

I love it, I absolutely love it. When I'm back to the dealership desk it's time to talk numbers, and I'm willing to pay the full price but I convince the man to let me have it for three thousand dollars less than what it's listed for since another website had it cheaper online.

I'm about to start signing paperwork when my phone rings. "Sorry, excuse me." I tell him as I see Jax's name pop up.

"Where are you?" Is the first thing he asks. "Good morning to you too. I'm at the car dealership and I'm about to sign paperwork." I tell him as he sighs.

"Don't sign shit. I bet you haven't even looked under the hood Ry or checked the tires, let me come take a look." He tells me as I sigh.

"Jax it's what I want, I test drove it and I love it." I tell him as I hear him shut the house door. "Ten minutes." He tells me as I hang up. He's so frustrating and I just want a new car. It's not that much, it's a new used car and it's two years old but it's something that I can buy. Something my parents wouldn't have gave to me.

I walk back over to the counter looking at the papers as I read over them. I pretend to be reading every single detail of the contract and I feel Jax behind me before I see him. "Hey baby." He tells me coming around me to kiss my lips as I sigh.

"Hey. It's outside by the door. Here's the keys." I tell him as he walks outside with the salesman. I follow behind them both as Jax goes full blown looking at it. He opens the hood and messes with it before dropping to the ground and looking under it. I'm not at all concerned before he's sliding half his body under it to look at the bottom of it.

"Jax stop" I whisper slightly kicking his leg as he slips out from under it and sighs. "Aren't you glad I'm here?" He asks showing me his fingers covered in black grease.

"I'm sorry sir but we won't be buying a car today. There's an oil leak and the engines been replaced with a model from four years ago. The tread on the tires suck and there's a ten percent mark up on this thing." Jax tells the salesman breaking my heart in half.

"Jax!" I scoff as he wipes his hands clean and the salesman simply nods and leaves us alone. "Why would you do that?! This is the car I wanted!" I yell at him as I grab my keys walking off from him.

"Nope come here." He spits as he pulls me back to the car. He drops to his knees and makes me as he places my finger on the tire. "You see that?" He asks as I nod, it's got no ridges in it.

"It's wore out and it'll bust within a month." He tells me as I nod, I hate that he's right and I didn't know it. He opens the hood once as he points to the backside of the engine and sure enough, it's from a older model car.

"Believe me now?" He asks as I nod. I just wanted to buy something alone, and I can't even do that.

"It's crap. You're not getting something that's not worth the money, and won't keep you safe. Now get in the car and drive to the Cadillac dealership. There's a used Lexus just like you want that's better than this thing. It's a year newer too." He tells me as I roll my eyes.

I don't talk to him as I get in my car and follow him against my will. When we pull up I see it and love it sitting on the side of the parking lot. Jax makes me walk with him as he does his routine of looking at it.

"Look at this one." He tells me as he points to the tires and a salesman comes over and opens the hood for Jax. Jax points to it as he makes me look at the engine and I nod, "Next time just check it out alright?" He asks as I nod again and he kisses my head.

"I love it." I whisper as he nods. "See, trust me sometimes." He tells me kissing my head. "Now let's go sign the paperwork" he tells me pulling me with him as I smile.

"They try to sell women crap, but I got you baby." He tells me as I nod. He's right, I know he is.

He can be right this one time.