Aria

1- Aria ( EDITED )

Six months ago, I gave birth to my handsome little man and our next big superstar, Wyatt. It's also when I started my workout regimen to lose the weight I gained during my pregnancy, gain more muscle, and prepare myself for what Neron signed me up for-something Gunner has been objecting to since I left the hospital.

Within a month, I lost weight and started gaining the muscle I was trying to achieve. Between raising a child, working out, and training for my first fight, I became tired and worn out, but at the same time, I was also becoming someone who I and others never in their wildest dreams thought I'd ever be.

Determined.

Strong.

Fierce.

Savage.

I may have become all of that, and I've earned some nicknames after what I did to Gunner's ex and giving birth to my son. Gunner calls me Mama Bear. Neron calls me Man Beater, and well, Justin calls me two things-a Firecracker and a Kitten with Mittens.

I thank Gunner almost daily for helping me bring out my true inner self. Had he not taught me how to use mind over matter and willpower to make me more vigorous, I'd still be this scared, quiet, nervous, boring woman I felt everyone wanted to see me being. So not only do I thank Gunner for it, but I also thank my parents.

Why? Because my father walked out on me, my brother, and my mother. And by him leaving us for a younger woman, my mother couldn't get over it, and she went into a state of depression, abandoning Justin and me.

Twenty years later, I have yet to hear from either one of them, and when I think about what they have done to me, I get more upset. But it's also helped me become more courageous and powerful. And pushing an eight-pound baby out of the beaver's tiny mouth without an epidural shows me that I have become a herculean woman.

I'll be up against a woman they call the demon in a few short days. And what Neron has warned me about her is that she's skillful, has an evil spirit, and will torment and torture me until I tap out.

Does it scare me?

Yes. It scares the shit out of me for being up against a woman like her. And for it being my first match inside a ring in front of thousands of eager spectators looking to see what I can do and curious if I'll be anything like Gunner.

"Don't look so serious."

"I'm not. Just thinking is all," I said, lowering my arms from the heavy bag.

"Can I swap the punching bag for me?" Gunner asked, pushing himself between me and the heavy bag. Then, taking either side of my face with his hands and lowering his mouth to mine.

"You'll be fine," he assured warmly.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested the side of my face against his chest. "I'm sure I'll be fine. I just can't believe that I'm up against a woman like her for my first big night in front of the world. You'd think I'd get someone new. You know, someone more like me..."

He laughed, finding humor in my remark and disquietude.

"Hun, it doesn't work that way." He leaned back, curled his finger under my chin, and lifted it, devilishly smiling. "You need to remember one thing. This is what you wanted to do. Not me."

"I know. But still..."

He laughed again as if I were full of jokes this evening. "Suck it up, buttercup. It only gets better," he grinned, lowering his lips, and kissing me as if my life depended on it.

"Ah, come on, you two. Isn't there somewhere else you'd rather play tonsil hockey? Like in the bedroom?"

Gunner chuckled when he broke free from my mouth. "Are you jealous, old man?"