Page 46 of Win You Over

Remington

Two Months Later

“ Y ou’ve got this, baby.” I grip both of Holden’s shoulders, giving him a shake, and then lean in and brush my lips across his sweaty cheek.

He’s already won his first fight, leaving him with a small gash on his eyebrow and a bruise blossoming on his jaw.

He’s tied his hair back and off his neck and he’s wearing black shorts and a black tank.

When he lifts his arm to brush an escaped strand of hair from his face, I get a glimpse of the hand-drawn bee tattoo on the inside of his arm.

My eyes flit to my forearm where I have a similar tattoo inked into my skin.

Over his shoulder, I see Theo approach. He’s flustered, his hair is an unruly mess of red and his tee is crinkled like he’s been sleeping in it.

“Sorry I’m late.” Theo gives his friend a hug and then hands him a bottle of water.

“It’s okay,” Holden replies quietly, opening the bottle and taking a swig.

The ring announcer calls his name for the second time tonight, and the name of his opponent, and I palm his cheeks and bring our foreheads together.

“You can win this, Hold. You’re the best fighter here.” I bite my lip, and Holden chuckles, knowing well enough what I’m about to add. “Now that I’m out of the running.”

Holden rolls his eyes in that way that makes my heart flutter, and next to me, Theo groans.

“What? Undefeated, remember?” I remark, letting go of Holden and facing his friend.

Though I’m still undefeated, I haven’t stepped back into the ring since I got injured. This is Holden’s first night back too, and he’s already kicking ass, his last fight over in the blink of an eye.

“Good luck tonight, Holden,” a feminine voice calls from behind me and I turn to find Leeann and a group of girls, all wearing Warnham U hoodies and holding large, reusable cups.

Holden lifts a hand in a wave before swinging his leg over the rope and finding his corner. The girls move in closer to watch the fight.

When the announcer tells Holden and his opponent – a guy from the soccer team – to bump fists, I hold my breath. This guy is so much bigger than my boyfriend. He’s built more like a rugby player than a soccer player, but I soon notice that where he benefits in size, he lacks in skill and speed.

Holden ducks and dodges. Not a single blow gets him.

The crowd is cheering, the girls next to me calling Holden’s name as he gets his foot behind the other guy and brings him to the floor.

There’s some flapping around on the mat and my entire body tenses when he gets Holden beneath him.

But their position changes in a flash, Holden using his lower body to throw the guy off balance – a move he’s been perfecting on me.

Holden’s punches come in fast and heavy, the guy signaling his surrender before the ring announcer even has a chance to pull Holden off.

My boyfriend stands, lifting his arms in the air, and the crowd cheers louder. His smile is breathtaking.

He did it. He finally fucking did it.

I fly over the rope, take Holden in my arms and spin him around, crashing my lips to his.

“So fucking proud of you, baby.”

Theo joins us, hugging Holden before Holden helps his opponent up and shakes his hand.

When we all leave the ring, the event organiser hands Holden a thick brown envelope.

We hang around with some friends who stuck by me after all the shit with Finn went down.

Catching Holden covering his mouth to hide a yawn, I wrap a hand around his, say our farewells, and drag him and Theo out to my car.

We slide inside, but before I can start the engine, Holden turns to the side, opens the envelope, and pulls out a wad of cash.

“Here,” he offers, handing it to me.

“What’s this for?”

“Told you I’d pay for my trip to Italy.”

I shake my head, but know him well enough not to argue, so I lift my hips and shove the cash into my back pocket.

“Thank you, baby.”

Then Holden turns in his chair and hands the rest of the money to Theo.

Theo’s eyes widen, and he tries to push the money away.

“I don’t need it.”

“I know. But I want you to have it.”

Theo shakes his head.

“You won it, it’s yours.”

Holden tosses the envelope so Theo is forced to catch it. “I won something far better,” he says, and my lips curve up into a smile.

“He got me,” I say smugly at the same time Holden says, “I won bragging rights and the title of champion.”

Theo and Holden burst out laughing, their joy filling the car.

I pretend to pout and when Holden notices; he traces a line along my lower lip with his finger.

“We’re both winners, Remi, because we have each other.”

“We were inevitable, baby.”

I lean forward and kiss him and then I kiss him again, and then I kiss him some more because he is mine and I am his. And this? This is everything.

THE END