Breaking the Cycle (21 page)
Once their guests were excused to get ready for the reception, the wedding party re-assembled for pictures. There were dozens of poses. Not one of them involved a kiss. Chloe’s heart sunk in her chest.
Why won’t he kiss me?
As they finished, Max pulled her aside. “I want to make one stop before the reception.”
“Ok.” She watched the church slip away as she sighed.
They were the only ones in the vehicle. Their attendants had disappeared. It was just her, Max, and the limo driver. She glanced out the window to find a car following them.
Oh, and the photographer.
Her frown melted away as they pulled through the gate of the state park. The car weaved its way down the drive to the parking lot closest to the bridge. Max helped her from the limo. Their fingers intertwined, they walked the path to the wooden structure. They ascended the steps then leaned against the rail.
“Now, this is perfect,” Max breathed.
“How is it perfect?” Chloe questioned. “It’s the end of October. It’s chilly.”
“Our bridge. I’ve been waiting to kiss you until we got here. I wanted to share our first kiss as husband and wife in the place where we shared our first real kiss.”
Chloe’s couldn’t breathe. “Max. Wow.”
“Wow, what?”
“You’ve been my protector. You’ve been my hero. You are undeniably sexy. And now, you are so romantic.”
“Chloe, you’re the one who makes me this way. I want to protect you with my life. I want to be your hero. And I want to sweep you off your feet. Now, about that kiss…”
He tilted her chin up and engulfed her lips with his. She moaned as she opened her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he pulled her against him. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear the sound of a camera shutter.
The reception hall was a far cry from the simple fall decorations that had adorned the church during the wedding. It was an all-out Halloween party. There were ghosts and ghouls, witches and clowns. A few of the older guests had remained in their wedding garments. But almost everyone wore a costume. The deejay announced their arrival to a rise of deafening cheers. Chloe curled against Max as the well wishes began.
They wandered around their guests until they reached the wedding party’s table. Mark sat back in his chair, dressed in a different suit.
“The tux didn’t work?” Max interrogated.
“This is my costume,” Mark informed him.
“Really? And you are?”
Mark popped a couple buttons from his dress shirt. Underneath, he wore a Batman T-shirt. “I’m Batman,” he said in his best raspy Dark Knight.
“Hardly.” Dan strolled up in full Ironman costume.
“Like you’re Tony Stark.”
“Of course. Like Tony, I’m intelligent, irresistible, and I build awesome things.”
“The robot girlfriend is back?”
Dan glanced at Chloe. “Chloe, it’s your wedding. Please, can I hit him?”
Chloe laughed. “No, you can’t.”
Dan pouted. Mark chuckled. Chloe looked at Mark. “And Mark, you have to be nice tonight.”
“Say what?”
“You heard me.”
Mark joined Dan in pouting as everyone else laughed at the punishment. Chloe glanced around. Rico stood next to Max dressed as Nick Fury. Jenny wandered over, dressed as Wonder Woman. Tami was beside her, dressed as Supergirl. Even Al had joined the group, borrowing Liz’s wheelchair to play Professor Xavier from the X-Men.
Out of nowhere burst Tyson between the group of adults. He was dressed in a little Superman costume. He stood proud and tall.
“I love your Superman costume,” Chloe told him as she kneeled to get down to his level.
Tyson wrapped his little arms around her neck to give her an appreciative hug. “Thank you, Aunt Chloe.”
“Superheroes,” Max commented. “You all got together and planned this?”
“You two are our heroes,” Rico answered. “We wanted to do something to honor that.”
“We’re your heroes?”
“Little brother,” Jenny began. “The two of you have already gone through more than most couples will in their entire relationship. And instead of tearing you apart, it brought you closer together. We can only hope to find love like you two have.”
Chloe stood and wrapped her arms around Max’s waist. “You’re my hero, Max. I mean who drives around the Twin Cities for two days to search for someone other than a hero?”
Max chuckled as he held her close. “And you’re mine, Chloe. Who knocks a psycho chick flat but a hero?”
“Do we really have to bring that up again? Not my finest hour.”
Everyone roared in laughter as Chloe felt her cheeks flush red. She was saved from embarrassment when hers and Max’s mothers shepherded them to their seats for supper.
The reception went for hours. Chloe couldn’t remember a night when she’d had so much fun. All of her friends and family, both hers and those she’d inherited from her husband, kept the night going with music, laughter, and celebration.
The couple said their goodbyes long before the party was over. They had to drive back to Minneapolis that night, and their day started early in the morning. Once they stepped foot into their house, Chloe nudged her husband toward the shower. She had something to prepare for. She needed time alone.
Chloe wrapped the bathrobe tighter around her. She stared at the pink bag now sitting on her dresser. There was only one item remaining inside. Taking a deep breath, she released it slowly as her eyes wandered to the shopping bag beside it. It was one of those fancy ones from the mall, black with gold script. One word stuck out at her.
Lingerie.
She glanced down at her left ring finger. Her diamond now nestled contently against the gold band beneath it. Her wedding ring. It was her wedding night. She wanted this more than anything. Even though she had never been so scared in her life.
Thank goodness those anti-anxiety drugs are working like a charm. Or I’d be throwing up all over the place.
“Chloe, are you coming? The pizza’s here, and I’m about to pop a movie in,” Max called from downstairs.
“I’m coming!” Chloe shouted back. She sighed. Her incredible husband had planned the perfect wedding night for her. Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza and at least a dozen movies. Most grooms looked forward to a night of non-stop sex with their brides. Hers looked forward to falling asleep in front of the television with her. And he was excited about the whole thing.
She knew his nerves were shot. Tomorrow night was his first MMA fight since he had been injured in college. Couple that with his wedding day and she was surprised he hadn’t gone crazy by now. She knew he planned to go running in the morning until his legs fell off in hopes to quell his nerves. They both doubted it would work.
“Chloe, are you all right? I’m coming up there.”
“No, don’t, Max. I’ll be right there.”
“Well, hurry. The pizza’s getting cold.”
Chloe steeled her courage and stood, slipping off her bathrobe. She pulled the black, spaghetti strap nightie out of the black bag and slipped in over her naked skin. Then, she grabbed the box of condoms out of the pink bag, opened her bedroom door, and slowly descended the steps.
“It’s about time,” Max grumbled as he turned to face her. “I was afraid you started another epi—” Chloe smiled shyly at the dumbfounded look on his face. His voice returned as a groan. “Chloe, baby. You are beautiful.”
She took the final few steps then padded across the living room in her bare feet. She pressed the box of condoms into his hand. “You won’t need those. I asked my doctor for the pill a couple months ago.”
“Chloe, you’re really all right with this?” Max’s voice was barely over a whisper.
“With you, yes.”
She watched as Max threw the box of condoms onto the chair beside the couch. Then, he cradled her face in his hands as he claimed her with a deep, possessive kiss. She smiled against his warm lips. With her hero at her side, she would always be safe. And she would never be alone.
Max stood alone in the locker room. He breathed deeply. However, no amount of meditation was going to get rid of his nerves. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. His trunks were emblazoned with the Hard Drive logo. His gloves hugged his hands tightly.
In a matter of minutes, he would be stepping inside the octagon. He was just waiting for his trainer to come get him. He chuckled to himself. He had no idea who that would be. He was usually the trainer for Hard Drive.
He had demanded that Jack change the date of his fight. Doing all this the day after his wedding wasn’t going to help his performance. But he knew why Jack held his ground. He wanted to see Max fight before he left for Tampa.
Get beaten down will be more like it. Thanks, Jack.
Max had set his alarm for a five o’clock run to try to quell the nerves threatening to undo him. It was a suicidal move the morning before a fight. He knew that. But he had no other ideas to ease his tension.
Thankfully, Chloe had. He loved his wife more than anything in the world. When his alarm went off at five, she had moaned in response then snuggled deeper against his shoulder. He had silenced the alarm as fast as he could then watched her sleep for a while.
He couldn’t believe she had slept in his bed. That she had trusted him enough to let her guard down. They had made love. There had been no episode. Their friends had dressed up as superheroes at their reception in their honor. Knowing she had that much trust and faith in him made him feel like a superhero. It had destroyed all the tension he had felt for the fight. He had drifted back to sleep, holding her close to him.
“Max?”
He looked up from where he was standing. Chloe peeked around the corner of the locker room door.
“Chloe, baby. What are you doing here?” he questioned.
She stepped inside the room. She wasn’t in the clothes she wore to the arena. She still had on her blue jeans. Now, she wore a black polo. On one side was embroidered the Hard Drive logo. The other side was stitched with the words “Chloe Thomas.” She smiled at him. “I’m here to get you. It’s time.”
“The trainer is supposed to get me.”
“That’s right. That’s why I’m here.”
“You’re my trainer?”
She shrugged. “I guess the guys all talked. They said I’ve made enough suggestions lately that I know what I’m doing. And between Jack, Mark, Dan, Rico, and me, you would probably listen to me more than them. You know, being your wife and all.”
Max shook his head. “Things are pretty brutal down there. I’m not sure I want you that close.”
“I was there with you when you were training Rico.”
“But this isn’t Rico. This is me. What if something happens to me?”
“Then, I’ll be right there to take care of you.”
Max watched her, then smiled. There was no arguing. She was right. He took her hand the best he could with his gloves. “Okay, then. Let’s do this.”
The arena was shaking as they walked out of the tunnel toward the octagon. Max glanced down at Chloe. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the chain-link monster in the middle of the room. He pressed a kiss to her lips then let go of her hand. He watched her as he stepped inside the cage. Then he took his focus off his wife and set it on his opponent.
The next few moments of his life flashed like lightning. He jabbed, he kicked, he blocked. The shots he took weren’t as hard as they could have been. Occasionally, he could hear Chloe’s voice over the crowd, shouting instructions to him. She was right. He was listening to her. He hadn’t realized how much she really knew about mixed martial arts.
He threw a hook, connecting with his opponent’s chin. Then, he slumped against the chain link, lifting his hands for the counter attack. There was none. His eyes snapped open, finding his opponent lying motionless on the ground. The punch had knocked him out cold. Max spun to look at Chloe. Her eyes met his excitedly as the official called an end to the fight.
Max closed his eyes as his face rose toward the ceiling in relief. It was over. He had won. His arm was raised in victory. The crowd roared. He heard his name chanted. All he wanted was the door opened so that he could be free. Once it was, he flew down the stairs. In one sweeping motion, he had Chloe tight in his embrace.
“You won!” she gushed.
“I won!”
Dozens of people stepped up to congratulate him. He humbly accepted their praise.
If they only knew this fight was minor compared to the wars I’ve been part of the past few months.
His eyes met Chloe’s as she curled up against his side.
I’m not a warrior. She is. My battles are nothing compared to hers. If I could, I would take the fight in her place.
He kissed her softly. “You’re the bravest person I know,” he whispered.
“This coming from the guy who just won in an octagon?”
“You know what I mean.”
She smiled. “I do. And I’d still be fighting for my life if it weren’t for you. I love you.”
“I love you.”
Max held her close as he maneuvered her through the chaos of the arena to the locker room. It was time for them to be alone. And whatever came their way, they would be together to fight it. Forever.
Tricia Andersen lives in Iowa with her husband, Brian, and her children, sons Jake and Jon, and daughter Ali. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in English and from Kirkwood Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in Communications Media/Public Relations. When she’s not writing (which she loves to do), Tricia practices mixed martial arts, coaches and participates in track and field, reads, and is involved in many of her children's activities.
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