She laughed lightly. “You’re kind of adorable, Rhys Morgan.”

I shot her a glare, but she only smiled wider.

“You are. You care so much, with your whole heart.” Marcy hugged me. I stood there, wooden and unable to move. But she didn’t seem to mind. She only hugged me tighter. “You give everything to protect the people you love. But you have no idea how to protect this, do you?” She pressed her hand to my thudding heart.

I could only stare down at her and shake my head dully.

Marcy searched my face. “What’s really bothering you about this, Rhys?”

“I’m afraid.” The words tore out of me without permission. I winced, humiliated at the truth.

“Afraid of what?” she asked softly.

My mouth just kept spewing. “Afraid of getting hit like Jake, leaving Dean behind, and now Parker …” I bit my lip to shut myself up and turned my head away from Marcy’s knowing gaze. Boxers weren’t supposed to fear. It was an anathema to the sport.

“So,” she said thoughtfully, “you came here tonight to see how Rose and I were getting on without Jake, didn’t you? To see if we were suffering as much as you feared.”

Blood rushed in my ears as I nodded, still unable to face her.

“We’re okay, Rhys. Yes, we miss Jake. But death is a part of life.” Her fingers found my chin and gently guided my face back. Her blue eyes were glassy as she peered up at me. “It happens to all of us at some point. But if you don’t let anyone in, you’re never going to fully enjoy living.”

I exhaled, battered inside, but couldn’t speak.

“What do you want out of life, Rhys?”

“What Jake had. A family. A home.”

I wanted to tend to my gym, teach kids the art of boxing, then come home and make dinner for the brilliant girl with the biggest, prettiest brown eyes I’d ever seen.

The realization stuck in my throat and pushed at my chest until I made a sound of distress. Marcy gave me a sympathetic squeeze. “Then go get it, Morgan.”

* * *

By the time I left Marcy’s house, I felt pulled thin as rice paper. One wrong move and I’d tear. Ordinarily, when I got like this, I ran, no matter the time or the weather. I’d run through my problems, push my body to the limits of exhaustion, and then fall into a deep sleep, dead to the world.

But I didn’t want that now. I wanted to see Parker.

Problem was, she wasn’t answering her phone. Or texts.