Sarah stomps off, I need to speak to Maddie about Mia but that will have to wait.
I reassure Mia before she excuses herself and then go to find my sister.
“Do you have to be such a spoiled bitch?” I bark as I enter my study, slamming the door behind me. The sight of Sarah sitting at my desk with a smirk on her face makes my blood boil. “I know she’s not your first choice, but would it kill you to just be nice for once?”
“I just want what’s best for my niece and I don’t want you getting distracted by some naive young girl when you should be concentrating on your training.” She sits, arms crossed, staring at me completely unphased by my rage, as I take the seat opposite her. “Do you know how difficult it was for me to get you back in with a title fight? If you screw this up, we won’t get another shot.”
“For fuck sake Sarah. I'm one hundred percent committed to this fight. Trust me. Besides, I'm not interested in my daughter's nanny.” I'm down to a simmer now and trying to force a smile “She’ll be good for Maddie, just give her a chance.”
“Fine, but don’t come crying to me when it all blows up in your face.” Her expression softens for a moment as she accepts my words — sort of.
Sarah is stubborn and is very protective of me. I'm the same with Maddie so I get where she’s coming from but, does she honestly think that I’m stupid enough to hire someone I plan to get involved with?
I may have had a few brain cells knocked out of me over the years but I'm not that stupid.
She's cute, I'll admit it but that's as far as it goes. She's searching for her happy ever after and I'm not interested in any relationship, let alone with someone who works for me.
Nope, I'm staying well clear of that mess.
Seeming to have got the message, she calms, and the conversation turns to the upcoming fight, along with planning my crazy training and media schedule.
The fight is scheduled for the thirtieth of November, so I've got just under three months to prepare. Fight camp will consist of three low intensity stimulation days and two high intensity development days.
A typical day will start out with my usual morning run or swim, followed by an hour of circuit training or strength work in the early afternoon, and then two to three hours of technical sparring on an evening with training partners brought in with a style similar to my opponent.
The three workouts a day are the reason I had my training facility built on the property. I'd never spend any time at home otherwise.
My diet will follow the same plan I've used for the past ten years, it's proven and works for me so I've never felt the need to change it. I'll keep it fairly clean with lots of protein to help with recovery for the first eight weeks. That should get me fairly close to my official weight and the extra couple of pounds will be lost in the final couple of weeks - hopefully avoiding a brutal cut with steam rooms, ice baths and the possibility of kidney failure.
I love the adrenaline rush of getting inside that octagon, but the fight camp is definitely the worse part.
“Okay, so I’ve called Jamison and he’ll be taking over as your head coach and technical adviser because Javier is already booked.” Sarah rises from my chair and saunters over to the door.
Jamison is an old friend and has been part of my team for as long as I can remember. I trust him completely and as much as I'll miss Javi, I know he'll get me in great shape.
“He’ll sort out your sparring partners and your corner team, so you just need to focus on being in the best shape of your life. Lucas is not going to make this an easy win for you.”
“No problem.” I boast as she leaves.
I sit in contemplation for a moment, enjoying the relaxation before I try to convince Maddie to give Mia a chance. She'll be expecting me to get her ready for bed, so I'll speak to her before story time.
As I reach the mezzanine floor and approach Maddie’s room, I hear voices. Maddie is sniffling and it sounds like she is being comforted by Mia. Guess that conversation won’t be needed now after all.
I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop on their conversation, but curiosity gets the better of me as I stand just outside her cracked bedroom door.
“You know, having me here isn’t such a bad thing?” I hear Mia explain “It’ll be fun having another girl in the house. Do you like Disney? Because I have every single Disney film ever made so that’s lots of movie nights and Princesses and yummy hot chocolate.”
“Yeah, but you’re only here because he won’t have time to be my daddy anymore.” I can hear Madison choke back the tears and my heart aches. I’m about to rush in and let her know that I will always find time to spend with her because she’s my number one, but I’m stopped in my tracks as Mia begins to speak.
“I promise you that your daddy will always have time for you, and do you know why?”
There's a brief pause.
“It's because he loves you very much and he will do everything he can to make sure that he can spend time with you. I’m just here to keep you company when he’s training, that’s all.”
“But I don’t want a new mummy?” Maddie sobs and Mia takes a deep breath. It's not her place to have to explain. I need to do something.
“Okay, who’s ready for a bath and a story?” I call as I swing the door open and barge into the bedroom.
