Felix wanted to tell her more. His mom had said the same thing she’d told him when he was so terrified Jordan wouldn’t make it. ”Your scars are a symbol of your strength.” When this was all over, he and Ella would be so much stronger for it, but he was afraid his voice would break halfway through and all this talk of being strong would be all for nothing.

The next few days were a grueling reminder of what he’d been through with Jordan: the days in the hospital praying and worrying and hating to see that person you loved so weak and listless. They weren’t kidding when they said this treatment was aggressive. When Ella wasn’t throwing up, she was out of it. Felix had asked his mom to bring in Ella’s scarves because she didn’t want to wear her wig in the hospital and her head was cold. Felix had helped her before with the head wrap and had wrapped her head almost as nicely as when she did it herself.

When she was released on the evening of the third day, she was feeling much better, but the doctors warned that she should stay in bed and get lots of rest for the next week at least. She made Felix promise to go back to training. He had just three days left to train before the fight. And even though he couldn’t imagine being focused enough to go through this fight, knowing she was home still feeling so sick, he kept his promise because, according to Ella, their deal still stood. If he won his battle, so would she.

The day before he left to Vegas he got the news. Even though he’d gotten Memo and Ella’s dad tickets to see the fight in person, they were both going to stay back and watch the fight with Ella at Felix’s house. The girls all decided to stay back with her too. Only Abel, Noah, and Gio would come to Vegas with him.

Charlee had had a scare recently with her pregnancy. Felix wasn’t even sure what had happened. All he knew was Hector wasn’t going out of town if she wasn’t coming with him, so he was staying too. Felix couldn’t blame him. Hector wouldn’t be there as a trainer anyway. If Felix weren’t the one fighting, his ass would be home too.

Felix quickly made arrangements to have one of the comfortable chaises in the library—one of the chaises Ella liked so much—brought down into the great room so she could watch the fight with everyone else. He was actually glad that they’d all be there. Felix imagined her lying there during his fight, propped up with pillows under a nice warm blanket, being waiting on by friends and family and the nurses in his absence. Though he already knew Ella could be stubborn about being waited on.

She’d already tried to give the nurses the night and next day off since her brother and father, who were both untrained in the medical field, would be staying with her. That was quickly axed, and since he knew how stubborn Ella could be, he reminded the nurses he was their boss, not Ella. If she tried to send them home, they were under no circumstances to go.

The day finally came when he had to leave. Felix and his training crew were flying out in his private jet. Felix had been sitting at Ella’s bedside for over a half hour saying goodbye when Noah finally walked in.

He smiled at Ella. “I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better.”

“Much better,” she said, patting Felix’s leg. “I heard your brothers are going to be there.”

“Yeah,” he nodded, feeling a bit bittersweet. “I haven’t seen those two in over a year.”

“That’s exciting,” she smiled big, squeezing his leg.

He knew she was trying to make him feel better, but he could still see it in her tired eyes. She was drained and still a little out of it from all the meds she was on.

Noah turned to Felix. “Dude, I thought we were scheduled to take off at two? It’s one thirty. It’s gonna take us longer than a half hour to get to the airport.”

Felix nodded. “I’ll be right out.”

Noah didn’t look convinced by that at all. Felix had said the same thing to Gio when he’d walked up there fifteen minutes earlier to tell Felix they were cutting it close.

“You better get going, Felix. I’m gonna be fine. I promise. My dad and Memo are spending the night tonight, so I won’t be alone with just the nurse.” She touched his face. “I know you’re gonna win. Just do it fast, okay? I don’t know how much I can take of seeing someone swinging at you. Even back when I didn’t even know you, my hands were constantly over my eyes when I’d watch your fights.”

Felix smiled, surprised at that. He didn’t realize he’d had many close fights that would make people nervous.

He leaned over and kissed her one last time. But as he had all week it was very soft and gentle. He didn’t want to overwhelm her. She looked so fragile. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too.”

He kissed her again. “I’ll miss you.”

She smiled. “I’ll miss you too.”

He straightened out, dropping his head back. “God, I don’t wanna leave you.”

“You’re not leaving me. You’re just gonna go get your title back and then fly right back to me.”

“Literally,” he reminded her. “I’m gone one night. That’s it. I fly back here tomorrow night after the fight.”

“I know.” She laughed. “Now go before the guys come in here and drag you out.”

“That’s exactly what I was coming in here for,” Abel said as he walked in the door. “We gotta go, man. I told them I wasn’t coming down without you.”