“Ladies and gentlemen. After eleven rounds of boxing here at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, I give you the winner by knockout and new WBO World Heavyweight Champion, Cormac ‘the Hurricane’ O’Connell.” I looked at Em and the guys as my hand was held high, and I couldn’t believe we’d all made it. The kids who everyone had written off, who wouldn’t amount to anything even if they survived, were standing here with me. They got me here, and I couldn’t have done this without any of them. No matter what happened, I would no longer be remembered for my fucked-up past, but as the kid who went from nothing to becoming the Heavyweight Champion of the World.

I handed Em my title belt, which seemed way too big for her little arms, and kissed her deeply, making the guys catcall at us. She, Kieran, and all the boys stayed by my side as I answered question after question in front of the cameras. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rico Temple doing the same thing. He was the toughest guy I’d ever fought, and that deserved some respect. Leaving Em with my guys, I made my way to his corner. His trainer held out his hand to me, and I shook it firmly.

“Well done, son. You earned that,” he said, tipping his head toward the belt in my corner.

Temple turned around to face me and looked like he wanted to keep the fight going. Then, with a wry smile, he shook my hand and gave me a bro hug. “It was a good fight, O’Connell, but just so you know, I’m getting my belt back.”

I grinned back at him and knew then that there’d be a rematch in my future. “Bring it on,” I told him.

He laughed and turned back toward his trainer as I looked for Danny. Through the crowd, I could see that the front row was empty, save for one man who looked around the arena like he had no idea how he had ended up there.

Chapter 28

“I can help you get that weathered old arse up into that ring if you like,” I said to Danny as I sat down in the empty seat next to him. The cameras were following my every move but Kieran and Liam were keeping them out of my face while Tommy gave them my life story.

“Feck off, ya’ cocky little shite,” he replied, making me chuckle. “Your face looks like crap. Thought I told you not to get hit again.”

“Yeah, but since when did I ever listen to you?” I answered. We both paused as we stared, disbelievingly, at the ring in front of us.

“You did it, kid,” he said to me, his eyes a little stunned and watery.

“You gave this to me, Danny. You put me on this path, and without you, I wouldn’t be here. Shit, without you, I’d probably have gone down the same path as me ma,” I told him.

“Don’t sell yourself short. Boxing is in your blood. You’ve got some kind of magic in that ring that I ain’t never seen before. And you weren’t never going the same way as that gin-soaked, sour-faced, bitter old bitch. You just needed a kick up the arse that’s all. Maybe we both did. If anyone’s responsible for all this, it’s that girl of yours.”

We both looked up to see Em answering questions from some reporter. I could tell how nervous she was by the way she kept tucking her hair behind her ear.

“She ain’t never getting rid of me,” I told Danny, like it was a vow. Em was mine for life. That would never change.

“Poor girl,” he said with a chuckle that turned into a laugh. Honest to God, in all the years I’ve known Danny, I’d never seen him laugh. Even Kier and Liam turned around to watch. It was pretty infectious, and we were all grinning and laughing along with him as the gravity of what we’d done began to sink in. Pretty soon tears of laughter were running down his cheeks, and Danny wiped them away with the back of his hand. He patted my knee in amusement, then stood up.

“Where are you going?” I asked him.

“I’m gonna find a good Irish bar and see if I can help Father Pat put a dent in the church central heating fund.”

More camera crews were getting pretty persistent, and eventually I caved in and gave them the interviews they were looking for. When it was done, I saw Em, still standing in the ring and chatting with some of Temple’s entourage. Knowing her, she was probably trying to console them over their camp’s loss.

“Sorry, boys, I’m taking back my wife,” I interrupted, and without waiting to hear what they had to say about it, picked her up bridal-style and carried her to the ropes. I dropped her over the side, and she screeched as Kier caught her.

“Fuck, why are you hitting me? He’s the one who dropped you,” Kieran complained as she smacked him on the arm.

“Because he’s been hit enough for one day,” Em told him. They both wore stupid-arse grins that I expected we’d all be wearing for the next month, or at least until I had to start training again. Jumping down myself, I jogged over to take Sunshine from him. Call me possessive as fuck, but I didn’t want her in anyone’s arms but mine.

When we got back to the locker room, the hallway was filled with people all wanting a piece of me. Earnshaw was in his fucking element, so we left him out there to deal with them and shut the door behind him. He was PR’s golden boy now. The kid in his twenties who’d left a big firm to sign with an unknown, who’d come from nowhere to win a World Heavyweight title. There were probably as many people out there who were trying to poach him as those who wanted a piece of me. I liked the guy but it would be a good test of his loyalty to see whether he stuck with us or jumped ship.

I crossed the length of the room in seconds and as I got to the door of the bathroom, I called back to Kier who was turning on the television as the boys handed out beers. “Tell the doc to give me five minutes,” I told him.

“You sure you won’t need longer?” he asked, smirking at Em and making her blush.

“I need a fucking week, but after two months of no married time, I’m pretty sure two minutes would do it.”

“O’Connell!” Em exclaimed, outraged as she covered her face in embarrassment. The boys laughed and upped the volume on the TV. Closing the door behind me, I turned on the shower and stripped off my boots and shorts as the water heated.

“Baby, your face. Shouldn’t we wait until you’ve seen the doctor before we fool around?” she told me.

“I’m not planning on fooling around. I’m pretty serious about what I want to do. Honestly, I’m fine.” I closed my eyes as she delicately stroked my injuries and opened them again to see the worried look in her eyes.