“Let’s just talk about this.” Brandon whispered against my hair.

I pushed back and looked up at him, searching his gray eyes, my heart broke at the determination there. “You’ve already made up your mind.”

Brandon grimaced, “Nothing bad will happen, I promise.”

Shaking my head, I stepped out of his embrace, “Then go Brandon. If you’re so sure about this, just go.”

“Sweetheart, don’t be like that.”

“I said go.” Without another glance in his direction, I pushed past the group of people in the dining room and walked toward the bedrooms. Stopping in the nursery, I barely made it over to the chair before my legs gave out and the sobs shook my body. I could hear yelling from the dining and living room for a few minutes before Brandon came into the room, picking me up off the chair and wrapping his arms around me tight.

“Please don’t be mad at me.”

Was he serious? Did he expect me to just be okay with this? “Why would you do this? To Liam and me? To our baby? Why!”

“I’m sorry, but that’s a lot of money. I would be stupid to just pass on that. Please come with me, I need you there.”

“There is no way I would go back to an Underground fight! Not after what I saw last time. Don’t do this,” I begged, “what if something happens to you? Do you not care about us at all?”

He stepped back, looking like I’d slapped him, “How could you even ask me something like that?”

“Brandon! Do you not remember what happened after your last fight at all? You promised me you wouldn’t fight again. You swore you would never do something that could risk us losing you. And one phone call from Crow and you’re just going to jump back into it? This isn’t some ridiculous excuse for a fight, this is Demon. Demon! I’d never been more terrified watching you fight someone than I was that night, he was good then and I have no doubt he’s been training.”

Brandon’s eyes narrowed slightly, “I beat him once, I ca–”

“I wasn’t saying you weren’t good, or that you can’t still win a fight. But damn it babe! Does none of this just scream bad idea to you? Liam will be one in less than a week, your last fight was a year ago tomorrow. Doesn’t that seem like a bad omen?”

He breathed heavily through his nose, “It’s one fight. It’ll be over before you know it.”

“Brandon –”

“I need to do this Harper.” If the finality of his tone hadn’t broken through, the expression on his face would have let me know this discussion was over.

Biting back a sob, I somehow managed to nod my head and keep the next wave of tears back until he kissed me chastely and said he’d call me as soon as it was over. He hadn’t heard one word I’d said. Did he really miss fighting that bad? Was it just because it was Demon? Because I knew it wasn’t for the money.

Konrad and Jeremy opened our bedroom door before shutting it and barging into the nursery, closely followed by Bree.

“He’s going?” She asked softly as she sat on the glider’s ottoman.

Nodding, I eyed the boys, “Will you please go to the fight? Make sure nothing happens to him?”

“We’re staying with you.” Bree answered for the three of them.

“I need to be alone right now, and I need you there in case it gets bad. Please keep me updated.”

Konrad’s phone chimed and he cleared his throat, “Fight’s confirmed, it’s already going around who’s fighting and where.”

“Go.” I pleaded.

The boys hugged me before walking out, but Bree lingered.

“I want to know who won as soon as it’s over. Okay?” When she didn’t say anything I hugged her tightly and walked her out to the hallway, “Can you apologize to Carter for me? Tell him I’ll talk to him later.”

Bree sighed, but kissed my cheek and made her way to the living room while I went to the bedroom and started packing a few things. Grabbing money, my toiletries, pajamas, a change of clothes and everything Liam would need for two days, I was out of the house ten minutes after everyone left. Mom was surprised to see me, but after saying everyone was having a good time at our place, and I didn’t want to pick up Liam too late, she gave me a quick kiss and sent me on my way with my son. Bree texted me that the fight had started only ten minutes after I had us settled into a hotel room and I held Liam tight as I paced back and forth for twelve excruciatingly long minutes. As soon as she let me know that Brandon won, and all of them were safely in their cars and headed back to our house; I powered down my phone and curled onto the bed, letting loose the flood of tears that had been threatening to spill over since I walked out my door.

21

Looking at Liam in my rear view mirror, I bit my bottom lip nervously as I tried to calm my body’s shaking. It was Monday afternoon, and in the day and a half since I’d been gone, I still had yet to turn on my phone or speak to anyone and was now five minutes from the house. Brandon was supposed to be working today, but I had a feeling he’d be home when we got there, and I was trying to mentally prepare myself for whatever was waiting for me there.

I knew it was stupid to leave the way I did, and not leave a way for anyone to get ahold of me. But I had known I wouldn’t be gone more than two days, and I needed time for Brandon and myself to think separately. The fact that he was so willing to go back to fighting after everything we went through last year, and all his promises, killed me. And I still had no idea what I thought about it, or why I thought he had done it. My mind kept screaming at me that if he would do this, then our family really didn’t mean that much to him, but I knew that wasn’t true. Brandon loved us fiercely. Which kept leading me to the question that had been bothering me, why would he risk getting hurt, or worse, if he cared about us as much as I knew he did?