Imperfect Love by Isabella White

have?”
    “I would have rather you asked where didn’t she have cancer.”
    Taking her hand, he rubbed circles on her palm with his thumb. “I’m so very sorry, Holly. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to lose one of my sisters or little brother. Not to mention one being a twin. Were you identical?”
    Holly nodded again. “She had the personality, and all the friends. I was more of the quiet one, reading books and always studying. Bernie used to be her best friend, and when she died, well… Bernie was the only one who stuck around and I sort of took Jamie’s place.”
    “Wow. Then I must thank her for sticking around.”
    That made Holly smile.
    “Where does your mom work? Hospital, clinic?”
    “I don’t know,” she answered softly.
    Jake frowned at her words.
    “I must sound like a hopeless case. We don’t talk that much anymore. When Jamie died, my mom fell into a rut and forgot that she had another daughter. Bernie’s parents basically raised me, made sure I had everything I needed. I saw my mom as a roommate as I literally just went home to sleep. My mom’s trying, though, but I’m the hard ass.”
    She wasn’t going to make him privy to the fact regarding the booze and the nights her mom had tried to kill herself. However, thinking about it brought tears to her eyes.
    “I’m a dick. I’m sorry.” He leaned over and gave her a hug.
    Holly giggled and sniffed simultaneously. “You’re not, okay? I just don’t have happy family stories. You want to know about my dad?”
    Jake gave a nervous chuckle. “Did he die?”
    “No, he walked away to live a new life with his secretary when we were about five.”
    “Noooo!” Jake protested playfully, which made Holly chuckle.
    “Now, that’s a dickhead, and that’s my story.”
    “People can be so horrible. You can have mine.”
    She liked that idea a lot.
    “They are plenty and annoying, but I love ‘em. For some reason, they like to expand… in huge proportions.”
    Holly slapped him on the arm. “Were you really a cage fighter?”
    “I was,” he answered, quite excitedly. He turned over to lie on his stomach, with his upper torso resting on his elbows. “I was actually good, won trophies and everything.”
    “There are trophies for hooligans?”
    Jake lowered his head, but his shaking shoulders were a dead giveaway. When he looked up, his response was the funny kind. “Well, I’m not the one with the injured hand.”
    “Ha-ha.”
    “But to answer your question, yes. And then four years ago, I met my match. He was huge and way bigger than me, and all the way from Russia.”
    “A Russian.” Holly couldn’t imagine that and her eyes raised slightly, trying to form the picture in her head.
    “The fight went on and on, and I’m not even sure for how many rounds we pounded each other. Eventually, though, he grabbed me in a death grip and almost tore me to pieces.”
    “Oh, my word.”
    “I was depressed for a while, wasn’t interested in anyone and didn’t want anybody around me, much like your mother. So, I began to eat and didn’t stop. I lost my toned body, lost my friends, lost my girlfriend of five years and became a huge, fat blob.”
    “I’m sorry.” Holly understood now why Leo had acted uncomfortable when she’d asked about his cage fighting days.
    “I wanted nothing more than to be in that cage for the rest of my life, even thought of opening a club later on, you know, stuff like that. When I couldn’t carry on, Leo quit, too. Gave a stupid reason about Bernie not wanting him to get hurt, but I know he did it for me.”
    “They are awesome people.”
    Jake nodded his agreement. “It was Leo who started me walking again. He was the only one who didn’t give up on me, even when I pushed him away. He just kept returning. When I did start walking again, somehow my anger escalated. We actually beat the living crap out of each other a couple of times. My mom freaked.”
    “Who won?”
    Jake laughed. “Well, I