Worth The Fight

Chapter 10

I wake up with a renewed sense of determination. It took me hours to fall asleep last night as I planned the steps I'd need to get Marcus's custody.

But now I'm ready to start the day.

After dropping Marcus at school, I drive to the gym. My class only starts tomorrow, but I need to talk to Tyler first. He was kind enough to hook me up with his sister for this self-defense thing, and the way I judged him is starting to weigh on my mind.

I don't want things to be weird when I start coming here regularly, so I think it's best if I just stop by to apologize.

Amy, the receptionist who helped me yesterday, smiles when I stop in front of her desk. "Hey, Andie. How can I help you today?"

"Hey." I give her a polite smile. "Is Tyler in?"

"He just got in. Is he waiting for you?" She types something on her computer.

"Uh... not really. But could you see if he's free to see me? I just... I just need to talk something really quick with him," I say, letting out a long breath.

"Sure thing." She presses a button on her headset. "Hey, boss. Andie is here to talk to you. She doesn't have an appointment, but... Okay, sure." She nods, then looks at me. "He's in his office. Third door on the left down the hall on the second floor."

"Oh, thanks." I give her another smile, noticing my heart beating way too fast as I walk to his office.

Tyler's door is open, and he stands up the moment he sees me. "Andie."

"I'm sorry for yesterday." I blurt, stepping inside. "I come from a violent upbringing, so hurting people was never an option for me. But I get it now. And as I'm about to confront the man responsible for making me so broken that I want to hurt him, to make him suffer, I know that I... The thing is I need to apologize for the way I looked at you yesterday, because... Well, because I'd be a freaking hypocrite if I–"

"Whoa! Whoa!" Tyler circles his desk, stopping in front of me. "Who are you about to confront?"

My eyes lock with his, and I hate how my chin trembles. "My father."

"Okay, babe, you gotta give me more here." He touches both of my shoulders and my eyes well up with tears.

"Shit." I close my eyes, hating that I'm getting emotional. "Sorry, I just had to come here to apologize for yesterday. I didn't get it yesterday but I get it now."

"And what is it exactly that you get?" he asks, his low husky voice making my eyes drop to his mouth.

"That fighting is... Uh... Sometimes... It's... Necessary."

His head tilts to the side and his eyes narrow. "You think I fight because it's necessary? Because I somehow have the urge to hurt people?"

"No! I mean..." I shake my head, trying to organize my thoughts. "Fighting is your job. It's what you do. I shouldn't have implied anything about it."

He lowers his face, so he's eye to eye to me. "Bullshit."

"Excuse me?" I take a step back, stumbling a little, and his hands go to my waist to steady me.

"Bullshit," he says, his eyes softening a little. "You came here because you want to hurt someone who did you wrong and you wanted to justify it by using my job as an excuse to make it right."

Stunned, I look at him, trying to find my voice. No. I came here to... God, that's exactly why I came here. I masked my intentions and twisted things pretty well in my head last night, but he's absolutely right. I didn't come here to apologize only.