“Fair enough.”
I SET OUR SUITCASES ON THE BED AND COLLAPSED BESIDE them. I’d mentioned Benny’s offer to Abby, but she wasn’t receptive at all. Then the plane ride home was a little tense, so I decided to leave it alone until we got home.
Abby was drying off Toto after giving him a bath. He’d been staying with Brazil, and she was revolted with the way he smelled.
“Oh! You smell so much better!” She giggled as he shook, spraying water all over her and the floor. He stood up on his hind legs, covering her face with tiny puppy kisses. “I missed you, too, little man.”
“Pigeon?” I asked, nervously knotting my fingers together.
“Yeah?” she said, rubbing Toto with the yellow towel in her hands.
“I wanna do this. I want to fight in Vegas.”
“No,” she said, smiling at Toto’s happy face.
“You’re not listening. I’m gonna do it. You’ll see in a few months that it was the right decision.”
She looked up at me. “You’re going to work for Benny.”
I nodded nervously and then smiled. “I just wanna take care of you, Pidge.”
Tears glossed her eyes. “I don’t want anything bought with that money, Travis. I don’t want anything to do with Benny or Vegas or anything that goes along with it.”
“You didn’t have a problem with the thought of buying a car with the money from my fights here.”
“That’s different, and you know it.”
I frowned. “It’s gonna be okay, Pidge. You’ll see.”
She watched me for a moment, and then her cheeks flushed. “Why did you even ask me, Travis? You were going to work for Benny no matter what I said.”
“I want your support on this, but it’s too much money to turn down. I would be crazy to say no.”
She paused for a long time, her shoulders fell, and then nodded. “Okay, then. You’ve made your decision.”
My mouth stretched into a wide smile. “You’ll see, Pigeon. It’s going to be great.” I pushed off the bed, walked over to Abby and kissed her fingers. “I’m starved. You hungry?”
She shook her head.
I kissed her hairline before making my way to the kitchen. My lips hummed a chipper tune from a random song while I grabbed two slices of bread and some salami and cheese. Man, she’s missing out, I thought, squeezing spicy mustard onto the bread slices.
It took about three bites for me to finish, and then I washed it down with a beer, wondering what else there was to eat. I didn’t realize how spread thin my body felt until we’d gotten home. Aside from the fight, nerves probably also had something to do with it. Now that Abby knew my plans and it was settled, the nerves went away just enough for me to have an appetite again.
Abby padded down the hall and then rounded the corner, suitcase in hand. She didn’t look at me when she crossed the living room to the door.
“Pigeon?” I called.
I walked to the still-open door, seeing Abby approaching America’s Honda.
When she didn’t answer, I jogged down the stairs and across the grass to where Shepley, America, and Abby stood.
“What are you doing?” I asked, gesturing to the suitcase.
Abby smiled awkwardly. It was immediately obvious something wasn’t right.
“Pidge?”
“I’m taking my stuff to Morgan. They have all those washers and dryers and I have a ridiculous amount of laundry to do.”
I frowned. “You were going to leave without telling me?”
“She was coming back in, Trav. You’re so freakin’ paranoid,” America said.
“Oh,” I said, still unsure. “You staying here tonight?”
“I don’t know. I guess it depends on when my laundry gets done.”
Although I knew she was probably still uneasy with my decision about Benny, I let it go, smiled, and pulled her against me. “In three weeks, I’ll pay someone to do your laundry. Or you can just throw away your dirty clothes and buy new ones.”
“You’re fighting for Benny again?” America asked, shocked.
“He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“Travis,” Shepley began.
“Don’t you guys start on me, too. If I’m not changing my mind for Pidge, I’m not changing my mind for you.”
America traded glances with Abby. “Well, we better get you back, Abby. That pile of clothes is gonna take you forever.”
I leaned down to kiss Abby’s lips. She pulled me close and kissed me hard, making me feel a little better about her unease. “See you later,” I said, holding the door open while she sat in the passenger seat. “Love you.”
Shepley lifted Abby’s suitcase into the hatchback of the Honda, and America slid into her seat, reaching over to pull across her seat belt.
I shut Abby’s door, and then folded my arms across my chest.
Shepley stood beside me. “You’re not really going to fight for Benny, are you?”
“It’s a lot of money, Shepley. Six figures a fight.”
“Six figures?”
“Could you say no?”
“I would if I thought America would dump my ass over it.”