Ella was sure Hector was going to lose his voice. Everyone in the room with the exception of Ella, who watched clenching her chest, was cheering and hollering at the screen. Felix had Grecco cornered again landing punch after punch, but Grecco would not go down!

“Finish him!” Hector kept yelling. “Knock his pussy ass out! You got this!”

Grecco slipped and almost went down, but the ropes held him up. The ref stepped in between them just as Grecco’s knee hit the ground. He jumped up fast, but the ref still did the eight count. As soon as Felix was able to, he went at him again with a vengeance, but the bell rang ending the fight, and he’d never knocked him out.

“Damn it!” Hector said, bringing his hands to his head, and walked around in a circle, letting out a long breath.

“He got that last round too.” Ella’s dad offered.

“Yeah, he did.” Hector agreed, but he still looked worried.

The commentators were arguing their opinions. One thought Felix took it; the other said it was too little too late.

“Grecco had control of the fight the majority of the way,” one commentator said, “and Sanchez came alive only when it was clear that he was behind and desperate.”

But both agreed the judges had their work cut out for them because it’d been close. It felt like an eternity, watching both training crews in the ring now. Both sides were walking around congratulating each other as if both believed their man to be the winner. Both fighters were interacting with the cheering crowds, smiling as if they were both sure they’d won, but Ella could see it on Felix’s face. Even he wasn’t sure.

Finally, the announcer with the scorecard in his hand took the mic. “Ladies and gentleman, we go to the Budweiser scorecard. Glen Ruiz scores the bout one fourteen, one fourteen. He has it even.”

The split screen showed both fighters and their crews as the scores were being announced, and Grecco’s crew made an elaborate show of being upset about the tie. They obviously didn’t think the fight had been that close.

Ella held her breath as the announcer went on. “Jerry Hollis scores the fight one fifteen, one fourteen and Theodore Sabada scores the fight one fifteen, one fourteen.” Grecco’s side was already lifting him in the air, and Ella closed her eyes. “The winner, by majority decision, the “Pride of East Los Angeleeeeees!”

Ella’s eyes flew open. Felix, whose expression had been nothing more than pure seriousness up until that moment, started jumping up and down in the ring. Immediately, everyone in the room cheered as the announcer continued to confirm Felix as the winner and new champ regaining his title. Ella and Isidora hugged, jumping up and down until she heard Felix say her name.

“Ella!”

She turned to look at the screen, gasping when she saw the tears in his eyes as he looked straight into the camera. “This is for you baby,” he said into the announcer’s microphone. “I won for you! Remember our deal. I love you,” he said, swatting the tears away, then blew kisses at the camera. “I love you, Ella!”

Ella covered her mouth, nodding as if he could see her as his mother hugged her and kissed the side of her face. “I love you too,” she whispered, the tears streaming down her face. “Of course I remember. It’s my turn.”

Chapter 26

Felix

Because of who he was he already knew Ella didn’t like the spotlight, so Felix wanted something low key, though he did have big plans. They’d just spent another glorious day at Disneyland. It was the first time since Ella had been cleared and cancer free. He’d promised her, as soon as she was up to it, he’d bring her back, and the second she said she was, he made arrangements. He leaned against the planter, holding Ella’s balloon bouquet along with the bags of stuff he couldn’t help showering her with. He’d bought everything he’d seen brighten her eyes, even when she’d protested.

She walked out of the ladies’ room, and Felix was instantly smiling. He’d never had a thing for girls with short hair, but the cute pixy haircut Ella got the moment it was long enough to style was adorable. It looked even cuter with her princess Minnie ear hat. But the moment he saw that look in her eyes, his smile fell. Everything had been beyond wonderful since she was cleared of cancer. Felix hadn’t seen this look on her face since . . .

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, pushing her phone into her pocket, but looked away.

“Something’s wrong,” he insisted. “Tell me what it is. You’re scaring me.”

When she glanced up at him, he saw the tears, and his heart nearly stopped.

“I had a message from my doctor.”

Dear God, no. Felix swallowed hard and waited.

“He’d brought it up before, but he really thinks I should give it some serious consideration. And wants me to make an appointment to come in and talk to him about it.”

“Give what consideration?”

She wouldn’t look at him and this killed him. What hadn’t she told him?

“I hadn’t told you because I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it,” she said, glancing up at him now. The tears were gone. She was being strong Ella again, damn it. “I don’t even know how I feel about it. It just seems so drastic. He highly recommends I have a double mastectomy. He says it’d decrease the chances of me getting sick again dramatically.”

Felix stared at her, not quite understanding. “You weren’t sure how I’d feel about it? Who gives a shit what I think? This is your body, your health we’re talking about. Don’t worry about what I think.”