Page 47 of Road to Absolution

Mom’s body sulked. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry. That sounds so complicated.” After he nodded, full of pain, her body straightened and she patted his knee again. “Okay, did he mean to hurt the person you love?”

A sob escaped Tucker before he buried it. Wiping his face, he quietly answered, “No.”

Tenderly, Mom told him, “To forgive doesn’t mean you’re okay with what happened. It just means you are coming to terms with it and choosing to move on. Something that can be vital,” she leaned forward and pressed her palm next to Bailey’s face, then at his heart, “for this to beat peacefully.”

Tucker didn’t try to hide the tears that now silently dripped. He whispered, “You are a wonderful mother.”

The way her body jerked, I realized she didn’t believe that. She had caused me and Bailey so much turmoil during her depression…

“He’s right.”

She looked at me, her eyes needing to know if I was speaking the truth.

Mom had just given advice that she, too, needed to follow. That’s why I told her, “And you will be the best grandmother.”

That fired Bailey up. She turned in Tucker’s arms and grabbed his face. Forehead to forehead, she said, “Can you believe it? We’re going to have a baby.”

Free laughter burst from him as he playfully grabbed her and cradled her. “But I already have a baby!” He tapped her teeny nose. “You.”

Arms also full, Viola walked into the room. “Bailey is my baby.”

“Aunt Vixen!” She scurried from Tucker’s lap. “Why do you have pink roses? They are beautiful!” Viola squatted so Bailey could smell them. “Oh my, they smell wonderful, just like you always do.”

V gave me a smirk. “See? Your sister knows my weakness, too.”

Bailey ran a finger over a flower. “So soft. Are these flowers for the baby in Delilah’s belly?”

Viola answered, “Nope. These are for another baby. One that is no longer with us.”

Bailey gasped. “Is she in Heaven like my daddy?”

“With pretty wings. Can you go get Uncle Tucker? He needs to deliver them to help his heart.”

Bailey’s little mouth made an O shape. “Mama just spoke to him about his heart.”

“That is because your mama is one of the best.”

Bailey smiled over her shoulder at me. “That’s what Maverick says.”

Full circle moments… What a beautiful thing.

After kissing his woman with much appreciation, Tucker took the roses and left. The following day he was going to pay respect to a little girl, with her big brother, who felt he had failed her. Just like Tucker felt he had with his little sister.

Like I said, full circle moments… What a beautiful thing.

While in a coma, even though I was fed intravenously, I had lost almost thirty pounds. It wasn’t surprising since my body was used to an abundance of calories and strictly scheduled eating. My line of work demanded a regimen most jobs didn’t require. Plus, it took a lot of energy to regenerate skin.

Doc said not to worry. Due to my age and health, he said I would pack weight back on in no time. My muscles would regain strength. He said a lot of things about my health, my scars… and that I would never box again.

With everything that had been transpiring with Lilah, the possibility of never fighting again hadn’t even crossed my mind. “Are you sure?” I had asked, stupefied.

My doctor simply said, “I’m sorry.”

Then he left.

I just sat there, in shock. Dumbfounded that my life was no longer mine. That’s what it felt like. Someone had stolen my dream of being a Heavyweight Champ. Someone had picked me out of a crowd, shot out my rear tire, and changed my life forever.

The disconnect—the severing of my career—felt like losing a part of my dad.