The doorbell rang, interrupting his self-deprecating thoughts, as he forced himself up off the bed and trudged to the front door. Ace stood up and trotted after him, eager to see who was there.
“Hi, handsome.” A familiar, attractive brunette stood before him, wearing too-skimpy running attire for the cold weather.
“Molly, hi.” Rory shifted his weight awkwardly.
She must have taken his moving to the side as an invitation to come in, because she slid right past him and into his living room. Ace let out a low growl as she entered, then turned to his dog bed in the corner, dropping himself dramatically onto it. Rory pushed the door shut behind him, glancing over at Ace, who was giving him an angry stare.
He was starting to wonder whose side this dog really was on, because it didn’t seem to be his.
“What are you doing here?” He wasn’t feeling in the mood for pleasantries.
She spoke seductively as she sauntered over to him. “I was just in the neighborhood, going for a run, thought I would stop by and see if you wanted to help me with a different kind of exercise.”
She leaned toward him as she got close and ran her finger down his chest before circling her hand in the fabric and pulling him closer to her. He swallowed nervously, not sure how to respond. After a long second, he finally stepped back.
“I can’t, Molly.”
“Why? This is what we do—just fun and games, right?” He heard the stinging in her voice underneath her words, knowing that she wanted more than that from him.
“I started seeing someone.”
“I know, the infamous Rory Kavanagh is always seeing tons of girls. You don’t need to remind me.” A hint of pain splashed over her face for a moment before she masked it.
“No, it’s not like that. Clare is different.”
“You have a girlfriend? Like, monogamous?” Molly definitely sounded surprised now, but she also seemed not to believe it.
“Well, no. She isn’t my girlfriend; in fact, I think we just broke up,” Rory confessed, wondering how to explain what Clare was to him.
Did we just break up? Were we together in the first place?
He really wasn’t sure. Even though there was never a label put on anything, it had certainly felt more real than anything else he had ever experienced.
“I see; typical Rory,” Molly murmured before turning her attention elsewhere. “Look what I brought for us.”
She pulled a small plastic bag out of her pocket. He wondered where it had been hiding, because her clothes were so tight they left nothing to the imagination. He immediately recognized the small white pills she was dangling in front of him and took the bag from her.
“Thanks.” He nodded, taking the pills to the kitchen with him to get something to wash them down with.
“That’s the Rory I know,” she said, following him.
He ignored her comment and pulled a glass from the cabinet, only to find that she was wrapping her arms around him from behind. She began kissing down his neck toward his shoulder, her hands sliding across his chest firmly so as to feel him underneath. He finished pouring a glass of water for himself and then turned around to face her.
“Molly, stop.” He put a hand on her shoulder and gently forced her back a bit.
“What’s wrong?”
“I told you, I’m seeing someone now.”
“No, you said you just broke up with someone. Plus, you don’t do relationships, remember? Isn’t that what you always told me?” She put her hands on her hips, anger seeping through her tone.
“Maybe before, but not now. Things are different…I want different things,” he tried to explain, realizing that he had never actually felt this way before. Had Clare done this? He had never been a relationship type—he still didn’t think he was—yet somehow everything he was thinking about Clare seemed to fit that.
“I brought you those, and you’ve always wanted them.” Molly pointed to the pills still in his hand. “Doesn’t that earn me any points?”
Rory stared down at them, rolling several pills back and forth in his palm. In the past, he had gotten his pills from many different people, including Molly. He would have done anything to get them, paid any price. But as he stared at them now, he felt like he was choosing between Clare and the pills. As if both couldn’t exist in the same world—and maybe that was exactly the case.
“Shit,” he grumbled under his breath, and poured the pills back into the bag sitting on the counter behind him. Ace was still lying in the corner, but had lifted his head and was watching with interest.
Scooping up the bag, he handed it back to a confused Molly. She took them hesitantly.
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re right. I used to always want these. I don’t anymore. Like I said, I want different things now,” Rory told her, opening the front door, hoping she understood that he was asking her to leave. Ace jumped up and joined him at his feet.
“Whatever, you’ll change your mind. You always do. You’ll be back.” She sauntered toward the door, a tight-lipped grimace on her face as she glared at him.
“Bye, Molly.”
She leaned down to pet Ace as Rory spoke, but he growled as usual and she changed her mind.
“You need to put that dog through some obedience training. It’s a menace.” Her words were laced with scorn.
“I’ll get right on that,” he replied sarcastically, petting Ace on the head.
Rory watched her leave, wondering if he had really changed. For the first time, he had just picked something else over drugs. Actually, he had picked someone else. He wanted Clare, and he wanted her more than he wanted the pills.
That’s a first.
“Please tell me that this is a fucking joke.” Rory pulled out of his thoughts to see Casey standing in front of him, pointing at Molly’s retreating figure.
“What?” He was confused as to why she seemed so angry.
“You’re sleeping with that bimbo? Seriously? Clare hasn’t even been gone a full day yet, and you’re already with someone else?”
“No, it’s not like that,” Rory began as Casey pushed her way into his apartment.
“Then what is it like, Rory? Because it looks like you’re back to sleeping around and doing drugs and all the shit you used to do before you met Clare!”
“I’m not sleeping with her—she just stopped by and I told her to leave.”
“I hope for your sake that is true, because Clare’s the best thing I’ve seen happen to you in a long time. You’re an entirely different person since you met her. Actually, not different—you’re like the old Rory, before the injury, even before the fame. I want that Rory back, and Clare is that for you. Plus, she is perfect for this family, so you better not ruin it.”
“Too late for that,” he scoffed, remembering how Clare had looked at him this morning.
“It’s not. She loves you and misses you. She just wants you not to be such a fuckup, like her ex.” Casey sat in a chair at the breakfast bar, which separated the kitchen from the living room. Ace came and lay down at her feet, and she gently stroked him with her shoe, not wanting to actually touch him.
“What does her ex have to do with this?”
“She said he was a dealer, or a user, something like that. Either way, it clearly made her never want to be around drugs again. I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to be, either, and I’ve never been through half of what she has.” Casey’s words made his blood boil as he remembered the fear in Clare’s eyes when she had mentioned her ex.
“She never told me that part.” He felt guiltier than ever now that he knew this, and at the same time, even more glad that he had turned away Molly and her offer. He had chosen Clare over drugs, something it sounded like her ex had never done. His thoughts halted for a moment as he thought back to something Casey had said.
“Wait—did you say she loves me?” He stood up straighter and stared intently at his cousin, whose gaze shifted uneasily.
“Uh, you’
re going to have to talk to her about that one.”
“You just said that! How do you know that?”
“Slip of the tongue. I don’t know anything.” Casey got up and headed to the door, but he circled around in front of her.
“Casey, tell me: Does she love me?” He wasn’t sure why he was harping on this, but he had to know. The thought hadn’t ever occurred to him before, that she could possibly love him.
That she might love me back.
“Rory, give her the day to relax. Go apologize to Kane, help him win his fight, then talk to Clare tomorrow. Don’t come see her until you have your shit together, okay? She deserves at least that.” Casey slipped around him and opened the door.
“She’s staying with you?”
“Yes, which is another thing you need to talk to her about. She needs your help. It’s not my place to say, but it’s pretty serious.” With that, Casey left, not explaining further what she meant.
Anxiety coursed through him as he worried for Clare, hoping she was okay. He was definitely confused as to why she had suddenly left her phone, her apartment, everything, just to go live with his cousin. Luckily, he had trained Casey well in the ring, and in life, so he was sure that Clare was safe.
He had to admit to himself that Casey was right. He needed to go find his brother and get things squared away there first. He turned to find Ace standing by the door where Casey had just left.
Traitor, Rory thought as he looked down at his dog. If a woman was mad at him, the dog loved her. Maybe Ace did need obedience training, after all; he seemed confused about who his master was.
Chapter 17
When Rory walked into Legends the next morning with Ace, he was greeted with an icy glare from Kane, who quickly went back to punching a heavy bag in front of him. Rory had to remind himself that he deserved the hostility after the way he had acted the day before.
“What did that bag ever do to you? You’re really wailing on it,” Rory said, leaning against the wall a few feet from where his brother was aggressively attacking the bag. Ace stayed a few extra feet back, warily watching the swaying object.
“I’m pretending it’s someone I know,” his brother tossed back.
“Would it help if I just put a picture of my face on it?”
“It’d help more if it was your actual face.”
“Would it, though? You’ve never been fast enough to hit me before.”
“Fuck you, Rory.” Kane glowered at him for a moment, before replacing his scowl with a grin. The men grasped hands and patted each other roughly on the back as their shoulders met in a standard male greeting.
“I’m sorry, man,” Rory said as he pulled away, being serious for a moment.
“Forget about it.” Kane waved his gloved hand. It had always been that easy between them—between all the brothers, actually. They fought hard but forgave easily. Blood ran thicker than any argument. Long explanations or conversations weren’t needed; they knew one another well enough to be sure there were no bad intentions between them.
“You ready for tonight?” Rory asked, grabbing a wrap bandage from a nearby gym station and beginning to tape his wrists.
“Not even close. It’s going to be a shitfest,” Kane said. “I shouldn’t even be going.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that I can’t do this shit, not like you could! My jabs are more like a damn hook, my takedowns are lucky at best, and my chokes couldn’t choke a damn cat.” Frustration seeped from Kane as he paced back and forth.
“Well, let’s see what you’ve got, then.” Rory motioned toward the closest empty ring.
Having finishing taping up his wrists, he followed Kane in. Rory thought his brother was probably just nervous about tonight’s fight being a qualifier for the regionals—he’d shown himself to be a fairly decent fighter in all the times Rory had watched him and trained with him. Ace followed them to the ring and stood outside it, watching them.
Rory knew that with more time and practice, Kane had the potential to be great, but he also knew that Kavanagh boys weren’t raised to accept unsolicited praise. They were raised to work for and earn everything that they had, despite their privileged upbringing. So telling Kane that he was worried for nothing was not going to make him feel better. Rory had to show him.
A few rounds later, both men were sweating and Rory was doing his best to ignore the dull ache that had again taken up residence in his leg. Rory called time, and both men headed to the water station to rehydrate, with Ace following close behind. Legends wasn’t as full as it usually was, probably because it was a Friday afternoon and most people were either working or making plans for tonight.
“My first big fight—remember it?” Rory said after downing half a bottle of water.
Kane nodded, doing the same. “Jameson, in ’08, yeah.”
“I got my ass handed to me, remember that?” Kane smirked and nodded again, the tension in his body visibly easing up.
“Losing happens—it’s not something to be afraid of. You just have to go into each fight trying your hardest and wishing for the best,” Rory told him. “You can’t change the outcome, only how you feel about it.”
Kane let a moment of silence pass between them, fidgeting with the cap on his water bottle as he thought about what his brother had said.
“You going to keep training me?” Rory felt a pang in his heart at the tone in his brother’s voice. It wasn’t the tone of a twenty-five-year-old man. It was the tone of a little boy, a younger brother asking his older brother to be there with him through a new experience.
“Just try to keep me away,” Rory told him, happy to see his brother’s face light up at the response.
“All right, I guess I’ll take your sorry ass back.” Kane reverted to his smart-ass self and Rory rolled his eyes at him. “But you need to clean up your shit. No more drinking or pills. And you better go apologize to Clare. I liked her. We all did. You’re an idiot.” This earned Kane a punch in the shoulder from Rory.
Kane rubbed his shoulder where it stung from the fresh hit. “Ow, I need this arm tonight, fucker.”
“Shoulda thought of that before you ran your mouth,” Rory teased as he moved back toward the front desk area in search of his parents. He had joked with Kane, but in truth, he definitely agreed with him. He had acted like an idiot. Ace followed him, eagerly wagging his tail.
Casey was leafing through a magazine at the counter when he approached. Smiling, she accepted the hug he offered.
“Glad to see you took my advice.” She nodded in Kane’s direction.
“I’ve always said you’re the smartest Kavanagh.” Rory kissed her forehead before letting go of her and ruffling her hair. Ace settled himself next to where she sat, keeping out of the way of everyone.
“She definitely is,” Seamus echoed the sentiment, walking out of the office behind them with Dee.
“Dad, Mom.” Rory greeted them and hugged his mother.
“Are you coming to Kane’s fight tonight, honey?” Dee asked him, all smiles when he nodded that he was.
“Good. You thought about what we discussed?” Seamus was not one to let things be forgotten.
“Yeah, and you’re right. I’m turning over a new leaf.” Rory felt uncomfortable admitting his bad behavior.
“Is Clare on your new leaf?” Dee smile was so wide it reached almost from ear to ear.
“How do you know about Clare?” He looked at her in surprise.
“Rory, honey, I’m your mother. That’s a dumb question.”
Everyone bellowed at her snappy retort, including Rory.
Disputes were easily solved in the Kavanagh family; the love was too deep to let anything get in the way. At his core, Rory knew that while he might make mistakes and piss his family off, they would always be his number-one champions and supporters.
Parting ways, everyone went to get ready for the fight. Seamus wanted Rory to help Kane practice a bit more, and Dee w
as going to make dinner for them to enjoy before the fight. Casey wanted to change and try to convince Clare to come out and join them. Rory secretly hoped Casey would succeed. He had given Clare some time to let things cool down; now he wanted to talk to her and apologize.
Tonight might be the perfect arena, and he really didn’t think he could wait one more day to see her.
—
“Are you sure they want me here? It sounds like a family thing,” Clare protested, nervously biting at her nail as Casey ushered her into the convention center where the qualifying fights were taking place.
“Don’t be ridiculous; we’re a very accepting family. Unless you hurt one of us—then you should probably run and hide,” Casey ribbed.
“I did just kind of dump Rory, or something like that—does that count?”
“Not when he’s being a royal douche.”
Clare sighed as they wound their way through the seats to the front. The qualifying fights were in a smaller section of the convention center, with a single large cage built in the middle. Most of the seats were already filled, and Clare could see several fighters scattered throughout the crowd, surrounded by trainers and groupies. She had yet to spot Rory, though, which made her stomach flutter in apprehension.
“Where’s your brother?” she asked Casey, speaking loud enough to be heard over the swarm of people.
“Over there.” Casey indicated the opposite side of the cage, where Clare immediately spotted the huddle of Kavanagh men. Even in a setting like this, in a room filled with testosterone-overdosed fighters, the Kavanagh clan still stuck out with their hulking presence and uniquely good looks.
“Kane!” Casey called as they made their way over to the group.
Clare followed reluctantly. She ducked behind Casey, using her as a shield, hoping that the longer she avoided eye contact with Rory, the longer she could pretend that things weren’t super awkward right now.
“Hey, girls,” Quinn greeted them first. Clare always thought he seemed like the odd man out among his more muscular brothers, with his jet-black hair and tattooed skin, but he had the same friendliness and hospitality that she had come to know in all of them.