The Fighter Read online

  The Fighter

  Doctor #4

  E. L. Todd

  Hartwick Publishing

  The Fighter

  Copyright © 2019 by E. L. Todd

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  1. Colton

  2. Pepper

  3. Finn

  4. Colton

  5. Pepper

  6. Finn

  7. Colton

  8. Finn

  9. Colton

  10. Pepper

  11. Colton

  12. Pepper

  13. Colton

  14. Finn

  15. Pepper

  16. Colton

  17. Pepper

  18. Finn

  19. Colton

  20. Pepper

  21. Finn

  22. Pepper

  23. Colton

  24. Pepper

  25. Colton

  26. Pepper

  27. Colton

  28. Pepper

  29. Finn

  Epilogue

  Signed Paperbacks?

  1

  Colton

  Six Months Later…

  It was Saturday morning. All week, crap piled up in my garbage can, and I kept stuffing more and more inside until everything started to overflow. Only when I couldn’t fit even a napkin on top did I finally take out the garbage.

  I stepped into the hallway with the overstuffed bag at my side, ready to throw it down the trash chute. But instead of entering an empty space, I spotted Pepper saying goodbye to some guy at her door.

  I tried not to make it awkward, so I walked away and headed to the trash chute down the hall, but I could still hear their conversation.

  “I had a good time last night.” A man I’d never seen before wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her on the threshold, gripping her tightly like he didn’t want to return wherever he came from.

  “Me too.” She pressed against his chest then stepped back, ending the affection. “I’ll see you around.”

  “You want to get dinner tomorrow night?” The man was in a leather jacket and dark jeans. He was tall, really tall.

  “I already have plans tomorrow. Maybe some other time.” It was obvious she was brushing him off, kicking him to the curb like every other guy she met. She’d become a numb shell, picking up a different guy every weekend and tossing himself when she was done with him. It’d been going on for a while.

  “Alright, I’ll call you.” He finally walked away.

  I dropped the bag in the trash chute then headed back to my apartment. I crossed paths with the guy, checking him out briefly before I arrived in front of her door. Then I checked out his ass until he took the stairs. “Wow, he’s hot.”

  “Yeah, he was.” She was dressed in a long shirt that almost touched her knees. She didn’t seem to care if anyone saw her half naked in the hallway, and since I’d seen her naked hundreds of times in the past, she cared even less about showing skin to me. “You want to get brunch? I’ve been craving strawberry waffles all week.”

  “He was?” I asked. “I’m guessing you aren’t going to see him again.”

  She shrugged. “He just wasn’t my type.”

  “Tall and handsome isn’t your type?”

  She walked inside her apartment. “I’m going to change, and we’ll get going. And I’m buying. I had a really good week at work.”

  “Well, I can’t say no to that…since you never pay for anything.”

  She flipped me off before she shut the door in my face.

  We went to our favorite boutique restaurant, where the waffles were so fluffy, they served pecan butter, and their orange juice was freshly squeezed. One of the best things about being gay was enjoying brunch without judgment. It was definitely my favorite meal.

  “So, what was his name?” I dunked my waffle into the cup of syrup before placing it in my mouth.

  “Who?” Pepper was stuffing her mouth like she hadn’t eaten in weeks.

  “The guy you just slept with.” Had she forgotten about him already?

  “Oh.” She dumped so much syrup on her waffle that it was drenched in the ultra-sweetness. “It was Adam…or Alan. Something like that.”

  Something like that? “You aren’t going to see him again?”

  She shook her head. “Nah.”

  Nah? “What was wrong with him?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing. Just didn’t like him.”

  “But you slept with him.”

  She turned to me, her eyebrow raised so high it looked like a mountain. “Enough with the condescension, alright? If I were Zach, I wouldn’t be getting this third-degree judgment. It’s sexist. Look, I slept with him because he was hot and I wanted to get laid. Jesus, leave it at that.”

  “No, it’s not sexist. It’s just not you.” When Finn left, Pepper was a mess. It was just like our divorce all over again. But after three months of licking her wounds, she suddenly snapped out of it and put herself out there again. But instead of dating and getting to know different people, she’d turned into a heartbreaking playgirl. She was never with the same guy twice. All she did was sleep with them and never call them again.

  “Not me? I’m living my life and enjoying it. That’s the new me.”

  On the outside, she seemed perfectly happy. It seemed like she’d bounced back from Finn and forgot about him. Maybe she even believed that too. But this new behavior had been going on for so long, I worried she was in a worse spot than when Finn left six months ago. He destroyed her, ruined the optimistic romantic she used to be. Now she’d become just like everyone else, filling her loneliness with meaningless sex. “I just worry that—”

  “Well, don’t.” She grabbed her orange juice and took a deep drink. “Damn, that’s good. It’s seven dollars, but so worth it.” Her need to change the subject quickly told me that this wasn’t up for debate, that she wasn’t ready to talk about how she really felt, so it was pointless.

  I guess I’d have to wait for it to run its course.

  Both sets of fingers rested against the beer on the table. Loud music played overhead, along with the sounds from the TVs in the corners. People mingled at the bar and at the tables, talking about whatever.

  Zach and Stella sat across from me, Stella close to him so the girls wouldn’t look his way.

  “I just worry about her.” I continued to talk about Pepper, the woman I loved more than anything in this world. I was worried about her but had no idea what to do. “She slept with this other guy last night and couldn’t even remember his name.”

  “So?” Stella asked. “If a guy did that, you wouldn’t question it.”

  “I’m not questioning it because she’s a woman,” I argued. “I’m questioning it because that’s not Pepper. She doesn’t just sleep around.”

  “She picked up Jax in a bar,” Stella countered. “All she wanted from him was sex, but she didn’t get it. Look, the woman is finally single and in a good place. Let her enjoy it. Let her figure out what she wants. Just because she’s sleeping around doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with her.”

  “I don’t know about that…” Pepper wasn’t just sleeping around with guys on the weekend. She was meeting them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, finding guys in random places like the gym…even though she didn’t work out. “She’s going out of her way to pick up these guys. It’s not like she’s at the bar on a Friday night and sees someone she likes. She’s hunting them down.”

  “I could say the same about dudes,” Stella said. “All guys ever want to do is get lai
d. That’s what their goal is all the time, whether they are at the grocery store or the gym. How is Pepper any different?”

  “I get what he’s saying.” Zach finally entered the conversation. “There’s nothing wrong with what she’s doing…it’s just not like her. She’d only slept with a few guys her whole life leading up to this, and now she’s slept with more guys in the last few months than in her entire lifetime.”

  “Exactly,” I said. “It’s like she’s using sex to make herself feel better.”

  Stella raised her glass. “More power to her.”

  “I will admit that it’s better to see her like this than how she was before,” Zach said. “She was so low, man. Like a zombie or something. She’d be looking right at you but not even know you’re there. Maybe this is just another phase, but let her do what she needs to do to feel better.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “I’m just worried that this isn’t a phase. That she’s given up on love or something…”

  “Maybe she has,” Stella said. “After everything she’s been through, I don’t blame her.”

  I’d just pulled out the pizza box from the fridge when my phone started to ring.

  Finn’s name was on the screen.

  I stared at it and debated whether I should answer. He’d tried calling me a few times after he left, but I kept dodging his calls. I was too pissed at him to have a normal conversation. But then he stopped calling me for a long time, probably getting the hint.

  After the third ring, I finally answered. “Yeah?” That single word came out hostile because I had so much pent-up rage directed toward him. He’s hurt Pepper a million times more than I ever did—and I didn’t think I could forgive him.

  “Didn’t expect you to answer.”

  “Almost didn’t.” Now that my brother was on the phone, I’d lost my appetite. I shoved the box of pizza back into the fridge. “What do you want?”

  “I’m not sure,” he said. “I was expecting to have a conversation with your voice mail.”

  I ignored his smartass comeback. “How’s Africa?”

  “Africa is a continent. That’s like me asking you how the United States is.”

  “You’re paying two bucks a minute just to be a smartass to me?” I asked incredulously.

  “I think it’s a fair price.” His smile was audible through the phone. “How are things with you? Mom told me Tom is still in the picture… That’s good. It seems like Mom and Dad really like him.”

  “What’s not to like? What about you?”

  “Well, Kenya and Uganda are both beautiful places. There’s poverty and civil war, so sometimes tensions run high. We’re also close to the Congo, so there’re a lot of drug wars taking place. But other than that, no complaints.”

  He left Pepper for poverty and war? Fucking idiot. “I’m glad you’re having a good time…”

  He turned quiet, wasting a ton of money just to sit in silence with me.

  I knew what he wanted to ask, but I didn’t make it easy on him. As far as I knew, he’d never tried to contact Pepper after he left. So if he wanted to know how her life was, he would have to ask me.

  But I wouldn’t give him what he wanted so easily.

  When he spoke again, he was serious. “How is she?”

  “Your ex-fiancée?” I asked, reminding him of the commitment he’d made and broken.

  “Colton, look—”

  “It would have been one thing if you’d just broken it off to travel across the world, but you asked her to marry you first. You asked her to spend her life with you—and then you left. I’ve never heard of an emptier proposal in my life.”

  “I meant every word…”

  “Whatever, Finn. She’s fine now. She’s moved on. She’s in a good place.” Even if she wasn’t, I wouldn’t tell Finn the truth. I would make her seem indifferent to him. I would make her seem like the person who got the better deal out of the situation. “Her shop is doing well, she’s dating, and we have brunch together every Saturday. Life is pretty good.”

  He was quiet for a long time. “Good…I’m glad to hear it.”

  “She’s over it, Finn. But I’ll never forgive you for what you did to her.”

  “Loyal as always.”

  “Through and through.”

  The door opened, and Pepper walked inside. She was dressed in skinny jeans, heels, and a flowery blouse.

  I kept the phone to my ear as I looked at her, feeling awkward that I was talking to Finn while she was in the room.

  She walked right up to me. “Do you have some wine? I have a guy over, and I realized I’m totally out.”

  I wondered if Finn heard that. “Yeah, check the cabinet.”

  Finn didn’t say anything. He must have heard her. Otherwise, he would question the long-term silence of our conversation.

  She looked through the cabinets as she made her selection. “Are you talking to Tom? Tell him thank you for those cookies he made me. My hips are fatter, but I don’t even care.” She grabbed the bottle she wanted and shut the door.

  “Actually…I’m talking to Finn.”

  Her eyes should have dropped in sadness and she should have stiffened when she felt his presence in the mood. But like my words meant nothing to her, she smiled and carried the wine with her as she left. “Tell him I said hi.” She strutted her hips then walked out, like the awkward situation hadn’t happened at all.

  I spoke into the phone. “I’m not sure if you heard, but—”

  “Yeah,” he said quickly. “I heard her…”

  2

  Pepper

  I walked into the bar and found them all gathered around one of the high-top tables. I’d just picked up a new dress I’d ordered online, and I was happy it fit perfectly and matched a pair of heels I already had in the closet. Skintight and see-through along the outer part of my legs, it was scandalous and classy at the same time.

  Stella dropped her jaw. “Girl, you look fucking amazing.”

  “Shit, I can see your abs through the material,” Tatum said. “I would kill for a body like that.”

  “Well, she worked her ass off in my classes,” Stella said proudly. “She lost ten pounds of fat and gained ten pounds of muscle. She is one fit chick.” Stella gave me a thumbs-up.

  I came to the table and set down my clutch. “You are the worst trainer ever.”

  “What?” Stella asked in offense. “Excuse me?”

  “Because you’re so damn hard,” I said. “Every day, I feel like I’m going to die.”

  “Hey.” Stella slammed her hand on the table. “That’s how you know I’m the best.”

  Colton looked me up and down appreciatively. “You definitely aren’t buying your own drinks tonight.”

  “She better not.” Tatum lifted my clutch. “Not sure why you brought this.”

  “You can have any guy in this bar,” Stella said. “Gay or straight, married or single.”

  “I’d rather be with a gay man than a married one.” I’d been playing the field and sowing my oats, but I wasn’t interested in married men. I didn’t believe in love, but that didn’t mean I didn’t respect the institution. “I’m going to get a drink.” I grabbed my clutch and walked away.

  Colton caught up with me. We hadn’t talked about his phone call with Finn and I had no interest talking about it now, but that was obviously what he wanted to discuss. “Pepper, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  “Finn?” I reached the bar and waited for the bartender to notice me. “How is he?” When he left, I was a mess. I didn’t go to work for weeks, the shop almost closed, and I cried so much that I became dehydrated enough that I had to go to the emergency room. To top it off, Layla was my doctor. That just made it worse.

  As the months passed, I imagined all the women he’d been with. I wondered if he ever thought about me, if he missed me enough to come home. But by the time three months came and went, I became exhausted with being pathetic. I got back on my feet and brushed it off. The man destroyed m
e, and I was tired of being broken. I wanted to move on and forget about it.

  Colton was a little taken aback by my question. “Uh, I guess he’s fine. Didn’t really say much.”

  I waved the bartender over and ordered a vodka cranberry. “Then what is there to talk about?”

  “I just wanted you to know he called me. He’s been trying to get a hold of me for months, but I kept ignoring his calls.”

  I didn’t know why we were still talking about Finn. He was a man who was no longer in our lives. I wanted to forget he ever existed and just move on. “You don’t need to ignore him, Colton. He’s your brother. You should talk to him.”

  “But I’m still pissed after what he did to you—”

  “Colt.” I rested my hand on his shoulder. “I’m over it. It was a long time ago. I’m in a good place, and I’m sure he’s living the dream doing whatever he’s doing out there in the jungle. You need to let this go.”

  His eyes shifted back and forth as he studied me. “I’m not sure if you’re really over it, Pepper. Sometimes I worry that you’re sleeping around to make yourself feel better, that the pain is too much to bear, so you’re masking it with an endless line of good-looking guys.”

  “I like sex, Colton. A lot of people like sex.”

  “But this isn’t you—”

  “I’m fine, okay? I’m just living my life and having a good time. You need to stop worrying about me.”

  “You know I’ll never stop.” He continued to hold my gaze like there was no one else in that bar. “I just don’t want you to do something you regret. I don’t want you to find comfort in other guys when you always have me. We can talk about it as much as you want until you’re over it.”