by Nikki Ash
“Thank you,” Caleb adds.
“Hayley! Look what Aunt Hannah got me!” Marco waves a pad of paper and colored pencils in the air. He had mentioned he loved coloring to us one day at lunch and of course she remembered.
“Thank you so much!” He runs over and gives her a hug.
“You’re very welcome, kiddo.”
Hannah and I join mom in the kitchen helping her finish up brunch while the guys set the table and pour drinks. Once the food is set out and we are about to dig in, Hannah says they have an announcement to make.
“So, we were hoping to do the whole Engagement, Marriage, then baby thing in order but…”
“Oh my God!” My mom yells getting up from her seat to give Hannah and Gavin a hug.
“Yep! We are expecting. I am only three months along but we have decided to move the wedding up so we are married before the baby comes.”
“Congratulations!” I say getting up to give each of them a hug. My dad and Caleb both congratulate them as well. We all start eating when Marco says, “So that’s what it takes to have a baby? You just have to be together?”
I drop my fork on my plate, it making a loud clanking sound, and look to Caleb for help. But of course he’s got a shit-eating grin on his face. Ok… guess I will be handling this one.
“Well Marco, it’s more than that. Two people have to love each other and when they are ready they choose to share a bed and they create a baby.”
He nods and goes back to eating. I hold my breath hoping he is done. I definitely plan to have the sex talk with him, but I am hoping this will pacify him while we are all eating and we can discuss this in private.
“Ok, so does that mean you and Caleb are going to have a baby since you guys shared a bed and you are boyfriend and girlfriend?”
Oh my word! He just had to go there. He is lucky I love his cute little behind.
Caleb cracks up laughing until I give him a death glare. He attempts to control his smile but I can still seeing it peeking through.
“You and Caleb are together?”
“When did this happen?”
“How did I not know?”
Between my mom, dad, and Hannah I am being bombarded with questions that I have no idea how to answer. What I would like to do is take a biscuit and chuck it at Caleb’s head. I grab ahold of the biscuit in one hand and just as I am about to take aim and fire, he takes my hand in his and smiles warmly.
First he answers Marco’s question. “Marco, there’s a little bit more to creating a baby, and after Nana and Pop and everyone leave we will sit down and discuss it, ok? As for right now, no we are not having a baby.”
Then he says, “And yes, Hayles and I are dating and yes we slept in the same bed last night. I care a lot about her.”
Everybody seems to accept his answer and thankfully goes back to eating. I look over at him and he leans in and whispers, “And I fully plan to practice those baby making skills… Every. Single. Night.”
His words cause my cheeks to heat and I quickly look around grateful nobody heard him. I squirm a little in my seat and he chuckles next to me, then reaches over and takes a bite out of the biscuit I had envisioned hitting him on the side of the head with.
Chapter Twelve
Caleb
It’s Monday Morning and after putting Marco on the bus, Hayley and I head downtown to her sister’s office to speak with her. On our way I stop at the bank to get the recording my dad left for me in the safety deposit box. I figure if Hannah is going to hopefully represent me she should be aware of all the evidence I can bring to the table in hopes of Gloria dropping her lawsuit for the two clubs. I am hoping we can get her to drop them sooner rather than later. There are employees that need to work to make a living and if we don’t figure this out soon I am going to eventually have to dish out more money to keep them employed.
After I run in to get the recording, which was exactly where my dad said he left it, we go to Hannah’s office. Once inside she ushers us straight back to her office and closes the door.
“Ok, what do you have for me?”
How do I even begin to explain all this? Thankfully Hayley is here and takes over.
“Caleb received two clubs from his father when he passed away. Technically his stepmom ran them but his dad owned them outright and left them to Caleb. Now his stepmom, Gloria, is fighting for them.”
“Ok… what am I missing?” She’s a lawyer; of course she senses there is more to the story. And she isn’t asking Hayley; she’s asking me.
I clear my throat and then proceed to tell her everything. Starting with my stepmom forcing me to have sex with her at fifteen to her pimping me out to other women.
“And you said your dad left you a recording of her confessing?”
“Yeah.” I pull the flash drive out of my pocket and hand it to her. “I haven’t heard it yet. I just grabbed it out of the safety deposit box on my way over.”
“Do you mind?”
“No, go ahead.”
She plugs it into the side of her computer and after clicking on the file presses play. I hear my dad’s voice come over the speakers. It’s crystal clear like he knew he would be recording.
“Gloria, I want a divorce.”
“I don’t really think that’s what you want, Adam. I would hate to have to turn you in for insider trading.”
“I don’t care what you do anymore. I can’t be with you knowing you forced my son to have sex with you and then forced him to have sex with other women. It’s disgusting. I should have divorced you sooner.”
“Don’t be mad because he was better in bed than you! And give me a break. I am less than ten years older than him. You are almost twenty years older than me, Adam.”
“Yeah but you had sex with him when he was fifteen years old, Gloria! You were of legal age when we got together. And then when I caught you guys, you made it sound like it was entirely his fault. None of this was his fault. I lost my son because of you.”
“No, Adam. You lost your son because you are self-centered and chose to save yourself over him.”
Hannah hits stop on the computer. “Well, I would say we have enough to definitely scare the shit out of her, and if she still wants to go to court, between the letter from your dad, the will, and the recording we have a very strong case. What you need to understand though, is if this goes to court it will become public knowledge about you being raped and used as a male escort. Are you ok with that?”
I know what she is saying. In today’s society a man being raped isn’t the same as a woman being raped. As a UFC fighter the attention this will get will be ridiculous even if I am not extremely popular. This is exactly what I said to Hayley, but when Hayley told me she would be by my side I knew my decision. I am not letting Gloria get away with this.
“I understand and I am willing to deal with the shit storm that will follow. I can’t let her win. Let’s hope she walks away without fighting.”
“Ok, I will file a response with the court requesting mediation and hopefully when she sees the evidence laid out against her she will be smart enough to cut her losses and walk away.”
“What should I do about paying the employees? I have had to pay them all for several weeks now. It was only supposed to be one week then it turned to two. Now I have been paying them for weeks.”
“I will also put in that if she chooses to take it to trial she will need to pay half of the employees’ incomes while the clubs assets are frozen. I will give you a call once I know anything.”
Damn she is good.
“Thank you so much. If you need anything from me please let me know. Who do I see to pay your retainer fee?”
“Don’t be silly, Caleb! We are practically family. Family doesn’t charge family.”
“Thanks, Hannah.”
Hannah comes around her desk and gives Hayley a hug and then we head out.
After we leave the office, Hayley says she is going to pick up Marco from the bus and then she needs t
o go to the gym to meet with a couple fighters.
“I think I will join you guys. Kayla mentioned I am allowed to do light workouts again.”
“Ok, sounds good. Let’s go home first so you can change and grab your gym gear. ”
Once we get home, I run into my room to grab some workout clothes. I am walking through the house half dressed checking my phone when Hayley stops me.
“You can’t walk around the house like that Caleb; It’s not fair. You are such a tease.”
“How long do we have until we need to get Marco?”
She looks down at her watch. “Not long… like half an hour.”
“I know a lot we can do with that time.” I pick her up over my good shoulder and giving her ass a smack bring her into the room to spend the next thirty minutes proving to her I am not a tease.
Once we get to the gym Hayley takes off to her office to get some work done, Marco heads to the ring to check out the guys fighting, and I head to the treadmill to warm up.
“Well look who it is!” Kaden jumps on the treadmill next to me.
“You ready to get back to training, yet?”
“I am getting there. Doc said I could do a light workout but no fighting yet. I need to strengthen my leg and shoulder first plus my chest still hurts like a bitch.”
“Well I am ready when you are,” Kaden says staring down at his phone. Whatever he’s reading must piss him off because he shoves it back into his pocket and turns up the speed so fast one would think he is trying to literally run from whatever is bothering him.
“You good?” I ask trying not to sound like a gossiping little girl.
“Yeah, just dealing with a stubborn ass woman.”
I laugh at that. “Ashley?”
“Yeah, she is working as a cocktail waitress at a shitty strip club to make extra money instead of letting me help her out with her bills. Like I said… Stubborn!”
“She was crying the other day when we went to get Marco from her house. Some shit about you two almost fucking but you stopped it…” I just let that hang there.
Kaden winces slightly at my words then lets out a strangled breath. “Fuck man… She’s my best friend. I am not about to treat her like all the other no-named women I have hooked up with over the years. She deserves better than a drunken fuck.”
“Better like more… like you want to be with her?” Yeah, we are totally sounding like chicks right now.
“No, like I don’t do the whole wife and kids shit. She’s my friend and that’s the way it needs to stay. If I fuck her it will ruin everything and that’s not going to happen.”
It’s common knowledge Kaden was married at some point years ago… So he definitely did the wife shit… but this was all before I met him. Whatever went down must have been bad because he doesn’t discuss it and he always makes it clear he will never settle down again.
A few minutes later Bentley and Kayla walk over. She is holding Chloe and Bentley is holding Faith. Kaden and I both stop running to say hi.
“We have some great news!” Kayla says.
“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Kaden asks. We both wipe the sweat off our hands and face before grabbing the babies from their parents. I can definitely imagine Hayley and I having one of these one day soon. Faith coos and giggles at me as I hold her above my head and blow raspberries on her belly.
“DCF approved for us to adopt Chloe! We go before the judge next week to make it official.”
“That’s amazing!” Hayley says, coming over and giving Kayla and Bentley each a hug.
Marco joins us and takes his sister from Kaden giving her kisses on her cheeks. She smiles and coos at Marco.
“I will still be able to see her, right?” he asks Kayla.
Her eyebrows furrow and she steps closer to Marco. “If I didn’t know how much Hayley and Caleb love you and how much you love living with them, Bentley and I would be adopting you and your sister together. You are welcome to visit her anytime you want Marco, and she will always know you are her brother and how much you love her. I will always be grateful to you. You brought her into our life. You cared for her when your mom wasn’t able to.”
Her answer seems to make him happy but it upsets Hayley. “Marco, do you want Kayla to adopt you? Do you want to be with your sister? I would never want you to be away from her if you want to be with her. I know you originally said you wanted to live with me, but I will understand if you want to live with her now.” Hayley’s eyes fill with tears but she wills them not to spill over, trying to stay strong for Marco.
She looks at me and my heart breaks for her. She loves him so much she would do anything to make him happy, even if that means giving him up before she even adopts him.
“Marco, sweetie. If you want to live with Kayla I promise I won’t be mad.”
I walk over to Hayley and put my arm around her.
“Please don’t cry,” Marco says giving her a hug.
“Hey bud, listen. She isn’t crying because she’s mad or anything. She loves you and wants you to be happy.”
“It makes me happy living with you guys. I don’t want to leave. I just wanted to make sure I could still see Chloe all the time like I do now.” He hugs Hayley again.
She sniffles. “I am so glad you want to live with us and you will always be able to see Chloe any time you want.”
“Well on that note… I think we should all go out to dinner and celebrate!” Bentley says breaking up the emotional tension.
“I agree!”
“But after my MMA class,” Marco chimes in. We all laugh and head over to the kids’ ring to watch their class. Since I got hurt Cooper has been running most of the classes and when we get over there we see him and Bella warming up with a few other kids.
“Hey Marco!” Bella calls out waving him over. Marco runs over to her and warms up with her.
Kaden spots Ashley dropping off Tristan and goes to speak to her. I am not sure what is being said but they almost look like a couple arguing. She shakes her head and then storms out of the gym.
Kaden comes back over and rubs his palms over his face clearly agitated. I can’t help but laugh. The guy almost never loses his composure. Then again he is usually the one in control. Hopefully he will realize soon how badly he has it for Ashley.
While we are watching the kids MMA class my phone goes off with a text from Hannah.
Hannah: Mediation set for Friday 9 am.
Me: That was quick
Hannah: When I petitioned for Gloria to pay half the employees’ wages her attorney agreed to speed things up. Friday was the soonest I could get. If all goes well you should have the clubs in your possession by Friday afternoon.
Me: Thanks!
Hannah: No problem!
“What has you smiling?” Hayley asks.
“Your sister got mediation set up for Friday. It might all be over by Friday afternoon.”
“That’s great, Caleb.” She gives me a small kiss and before she can pull away I grab ahold of her and deepen it. I don’t care where we are. I can’t control myself when I am around this woman.
The guys all call out insults and tell us to get a room.
“Leave him alone,” Kayla laughs. “He has years of celibacy to make up for.”
Everybody laughs and I ignore them all, grabbing my woman for another kiss. I definitely have a lot of time to make up for.
We all decide to go to a local bar and grill to celebrate the adoption of Chloe. After we are all done eating the girls decide to take the kids home and have a late night play date and gossip session. The guys all decide to hang out here at the bar to watch some basketball. Since we knew we would be drinking we agreed to have the ladies take the vehicles home and we would grab a taxi once we are done.
After Kaden slams his phone down on the bar for the millionth time Bentley says, “Man, I don’t know what’s going on with you and Ashley but maybe you need to find a way to release some of that pent up tension… it’s not like you to be wound so tight
.”
Kaden glares at him. “I didn’t see you sleeping all over town when you and Kayla were having issues… plus Ashley and I are just friends.”
Bentley puts his hands up. “Whoa, there. Nobody said anything about having sex. I was thinking you need to go a few rounds at the gym… but if sex is on your mind I see a pretty little thing looking in our direction and out of the four of us you are the only single one.”
We all look over to see who Bentley is talking about and that’s when I see her… Gloria. Looking our way and now that we have made eye contact she is walking over to us. I have had too many drinks to deal with this woman but it looks like I don’t have a choice. “Cooper, call for a cab, now.”
“Well hello there stranger.” Gloria walks up into my personal space. She grabs my bicep and squeezes. I am too drunk to push her away quick enough but once I look down and see her hands on me I push her away.
“Don’t touch me. We were just leaving.” I throw down enough bills to cover our drinks and get up from the stool about to walk around her but she steps in front of me. The alcohol is definitely slowing me down.
“I just want to talk. Maybe we can work something out regarding the clubs.” She trails a finger down my arm. To an outsider it looks like a pretty woman flirting with a man. To me, it’s my rapist threatening me once again, and although I am still definitely drunk, it sobers me up enough to stop this.
I move her fingers off me and grab her by her arms roughly, setting her on the bar stool I was just sitting on. The guys are all staring at the scene in front of them not saying a word. “Are you fucking serious right now? Wasn’t forcing me to fuck you and then pimping me out for money enough for you? Do you have any idea the shit storm you have created in my fucked up head? I am going to take you to court and let every fucking person know about your pedophile cunt ass.”
For a second she looks shocked but the bitch quickly composes herself. “Nobody would believe you. I am a woman and you are a man, a man who beats people up for a living. What proof do you have?”
