Page 159 of Heal Me, Love Me
“I think you saw my name and started weighing the upsides.”
“Because I have to. You went to Tampa because it was the right move for your career. I stayed in Sacramento because it was the right move for mine. Marcos believes in me. Devon believes in me. Now I’ve got an offer that could move my careerforward. Turning it down because you’re the opponent won’t fix what happened between us.”
“So that’s what this is?” I asked. “Proof you didn’t get left behind?”
“No. It’s proof that staying in Sac was the right choice for me.”
“And I’m the guy you have to prove that against?”
“You’re the guy on the contract.”
“That’s worse.”
“Yeah, but I haven’t told anyone yes.”
“But you want to.”
“I don’t know what I want.”
“I do.”
“No. You know what you want me to say.”
“What I want is for what we had to matter more than this fight.”
“It does matter.”
“Not enough to say no.”
“You don’t get to make me prove I loved you by turning down a fight before either of us has had time to think about it.”
Loved.
Past tense again.
“Then why are we even talking about it?” I questioned.
“Because someone wants us in a cage together.”
“That sounds like Devon.”
“No, that sounds like reality.”
“Devon set this up.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know he didn’t ask about my weight class for nothing.”
“Devon might’ve had a reason. Marcos could’ve liked the matchup. Grant could’ve too. And the promotion sure as hell saw two undefeated fighters at one eighty-five and realized they could sell it.”
“You’re defending him?”
“I’m defending myself because you’re talking like I helped him do this to you.”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
