“You were good before Cooper. You know that. And you’re good without him. Hell, if we stop training now you’ll still be the best boxer out there.”
“That’s why I’m going to do things my way from now on.” She placed a hand over her heart. “Not your way, not Dad’s, not Roddy’s, I’m going to win that title, claim the purse and the belt, and then I’m going to retire.”
“And do what?”
“More work with the Girls Up Foundation. They like the results of what I’ve done for them so far, and they’ve asked me to come on board permanently.”
She took a deep breath and blew it out, her dark eyes serious as she faced him. “I’m going to accept, find a nice place here to settle down, move my mom back, and then I’m going to start a family.”
Bas took a step back, feeling as if he’d been on the receiving end of a punishing bout. “You … you want to start a family?”
She nodded. “I want to have my own child. It’s going to take some time to recondition my body from boxing to birthing, which is another reason to retire now. If it doesn’t work, I’ll look into surrogacy or adoption. But I’d really like to have kids. I feel ready and I don’t want to put it off for much longer.”
An image of Renata rounded with child assaulted him. He had to clench his hands to hide the sudden tremble as his world threatened to topple off its foundations. Longing, pure and potent swept through him, overpowering his senses. He wanted her to have her family, wanted it with everything within him. But he’d be damned if he’d let her have it with anyone besides him.
“I think that’s the first time I’ve left you speechless,” she wisecracked, though her voice had a trembling edge to it. “I’d write this down in my diary if I kept one.”
It took him a moment to speak. “I think you’d be a fantastic mother, and the opportunity to work with the Girls Up Foundation sounds like a perfect fit for you.” He took her hand. “You won’t have to adopt unless you want to. And you won’t have to use a surrogate either.”
She laughed, unsure of his meaning. “I’m not on a deadline, though I have to admit it feels like the clock is ticking, especially since I don’t have prospects lining up to donate to the cause.”
“Yes, you do.” He turned to face her fully, his gaze boring into hers. “Me.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You? You want to father my kids?”
He straightened his shoulders. “You sound surprised by my offer.”
“I am.”
“Is it really so impossible that I’d want to be the father of your children?”
“Well, yeah,” she answered, flustered.
His jaw clenched. “Why?”
Renata stared at him, flummoxed. How could he not see what a bad idea this was? It was so perfectly ludicrous she wanted to laugh. She didn’t. She was too surprised. Surprised, and a little stung. Sebastian offered to father her child. Yet at no time had he said he loved her or wanted to marry her. At no time had he asked her what she wanted.
Memories swamped her, memories of their last day together five years ago. Bas, his face a granite mask, telling her he chose boxing over her, that he needed to focus on his career and couldn’t afford to be distracted. That’s all she’d been to him then, a fling that had distracted him from his boxing career, the most important thing in his life. She’d loved him with everything in her and she’d only been a damned distraction. What if that was all she was to him now?
She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t accept his offer. If she did, he’d be in her life forever. There was no way he’d agree to father her children and then walk away. No, Sebastian would want to be a part of her children’s lives, her life, demanding that things go his way, and if she didn’t agree, he had the power and the money to take her kids from her. It would be different if he’d offered marriage and love. But he hadn’t. He’d only offered sex and the results that
“That’s why I’m going to do things my way from now on.” She placed a hand over her heart. “Not your way, not Dad’s, not Roddy’s, I’m going to win that title, claim the purse and the belt, and then I’m going to retire.”
“And do what?”
“More work with the Girls Up Foundation. They like the results of what I’ve done for them so far, and they’ve asked me to come on board permanently.”
She took a deep breath and blew it out, her dark eyes serious as she faced him. “I’m going to accept, find a nice place here to settle down, move my mom back, and then I’m going to start a family.”
Bas took a step back, feeling as if he’d been on the receiving end of a punishing bout. “You … you want to start a family?”
She nodded. “I want to have my own child. It’s going to take some time to recondition my body from boxing to birthing, which is another reason to retire now. If it doesn’t work, I’ll look into surrogacy or adoption. But I’d really like to have kids. I feel ready and I don’t want to put it off for much longer.”
An image of Renata rounded with child assaulted him. He had to clench his hands to hide the sudden tremble as his world threatened to topple off its foundations. Longing, pure and potent swept through him, overpowering his senses. He wanted her to have her family, wanted it with everything within him. But he’d be damned if he’d let her have it with anyone besides him.
“I think that’s the first time I’ve left you speechless,” she wisecracked, though her voice had a trembling edge to it. “I’d write this down in my diary if I kept one.”
It took him a moment to speak. “I think you’d be a fantastic mother, and the opportunity to work with the Girls Up Foundation sounds like a perfect fit for you.” He took her hand. “You won’t have to adopt unless you want to. And you won’t have to use a surrogate either.”
She laughed, unsure of his meaning. “I’m not on a deadline, though I have to admit it feels like the clock is ticking, especially since I don’t have prospects lining up to donate to the cause.”
“Yes, you do.” He turned to face her fully, his gaze boring into hers. “Me.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You? You want to father my kids?”
He straightened his shoulders. “You sound surprised by my offer.”
“I am.”
“Is it really so impossible that I’d want to be the father of your children?”
“Well, yeah,” she answered, flustered.
His jaw clenched. “Why?”
Renata stared at him, flummoxed. How could he not see what a bad idea this was? It was so perfectly ludicrous she wanted to laugh. She didn’t. She was too surprised. Surprised, and a little stung. Sebastian offered to father her child. Yet at no time had he said he loved her or wanted to marry her. At no time had he asked her what she wanted.
Memories swamped her, memories of their last day together five years ago. Bas, his face a granite mask, telling her he chose boxing over her, that he needed to focus on his career and couldn’t afford to be distracted. That’s all she’d been to him then, a fling that had distracted him from his boxing career, the most important thing in his life. She’d loved him with everything in her and she’d only been a damned distraction. What if that was all she was to him now?
She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t accept his offer. If she did, he’d be in her life forever. There was no way he’d agree to father her children and then walk away. No, Sebastian would want to be a part of her children’s lives, her life, demanding that things go his way, and if she didn’t agree, he had the power and the money to take her kids from her. It would be different if he’d offered marriage and love. But he hadn’t. He’d only offered sex and the results that
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