“You are truly one of a kind, Mr. Webb.” She stands up. “I’m going to get a shower.” She starts walking toward the door and looks back over her shoulder. “Care to join me?”
I jump up from the bed, getting tangled up in the sheets. She laughs as I follow her to the bathroom.
I’m getting a copy of that damn book tomorrow.
~*~*~
Before I know it, it’s time for the hearing against Drake. We all made it a point to plan to be there for Kara. Even my hard-assed brother.
“Look, all I’m saying is slide the chain on the front door the next time you two porn stars are going at it in the kitchen. Please,” my brother says as we are on our way to the courthouse.
Kara laughs, “Sorry, Huck. It’s my damn hormones, I’m needy.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure my brother was a willing participant.” He rolls his eyes.
I put my hand on my chest. “I was taken advantage of. I was in a vulnerable state and she jumped me, right there when I was dicing tomatoes for the salad.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you were sooo vulnerable.”
“Yes, I was. Then I realized how tense she was about today and decided to take the edge off. You know, by helping out.” I chuckle.
Kara slaps me on the arm. “I promise, Huck, we’ll be a little more respectful.”
He looks over at us. “So who else knows about this baby so far?”
Kara seems a little uneasy. “You two, Sloan and Lox. I’m going to tell my mom and sister this weekend, then I’ll tell Doc next week. I wasn’t going to tell Sloan, but she kind of guessed it and I told her she could tell Lox.” She shrugs, “They don’t keep secrets from each other, so it was only fair. Plus, she threatened to cut him off if he said anything.”
Huck and I both give a loud snort. Looking at her, I say, “Well, it must’ve worked because he hasn’t even said anything to me.”
We laugh and make small talk the rest of the way to the hearing, trying to take her mind off of the situation. As we get out, she looks at me with a mixture of shear panic and stormy tears. I pull her into my arms, “Baby, it’s going to be okay. He’ll be guarded and you’ll have an entire damn gym in there, plus a few cops.”
She looks at me. “What do you mean?”
“Well, Huck and me. Lox, Marco and Gibbs.”
I feel the tears on my shirt from her crying. “I love you, Sly.” She loves me!
I grab her face on both sides, making her look up at me, then I kiss her long and hard. Our tongues tangle with each other. I pull back from her and whisper in her ear, “I love you, too, baby.” She smiles and I lace my fingers with hers. “Now, let’s go kick dipshit’s ass in court.”
“Okay.”
“Just stay relaxed and count like Robin talked to you about. Okay?” I say into her hair.
“She’s coming today, too. They have her on the witness list. Whether they’ll call her, I don’t know,” she says, leaning her head on my shoulder as we walk.
As we walk into the courthouse, we’re greeted by her family and all of our friends.
At the end of the hall, there is a girl with dark hair staring at us. I know her from somewhere, I can’t place her though. Was she one of the many one night stands I’ve had? No, I don’t forget a face.
The State’s attorney steps into the hall and starts to explain how the day will go. I can’t be in the courtroom because I have to testify, so do Sloan, Lox, Huck, her mother, her sister, Jade, and Dr. Beck. So Gibbs, Marco and Elizabeth are going to stay close to her in the courtroom. I notice the dark-haired girl talking to the defense attorney.
Where do I know that damn girl from?
This is fucking crazy. There is something about her, something odd, but familiar.
I’ll try to talk to Huck and Lox after today is over and figure it out.
I notice her and Elizabeth make eye contact. The girl dips into the courtroom before Elizabeth can say anything.
I try to stop Elizabeth, but the bailiff in the hall tells me to take a seat.
CHAPTER 17
KARA
I sit with the State’s attorney and I try to appear confident. They’ve told me I’ll be the last person to testify today unless he changes his plea to guilty.
The side door of the courtroom opens and he walks in, escorted by two uniformed deputies. He’s in a very well-tailored suit and his hair looks longer than usual, but styled. As he sits down, he makes eye contact with me. It’s cold and vacant. I’m glad I see that they at least have handcuffs on him, which makes me feel a little better.
After court is called into session and they’ve determined that Drake isn’t changing his plea, the testimonies begin.
All day I listen to testimonies from different people about that night. Dr. Reynolds, the emergency room doctor, and Elaine, Lox’s mother, were some of the first.
Lox and Sloan were right before lunch.
During lunch I just feel like I’m going through the motions. My appetite is nonexistent. I feel nauseous and I’d really just like to disappear.
Huck and Sly keep telling me that I need to eat. I just need to make it through today.
Once we’re back in the courtroom, Sly has to take the stand. So much of his testimony is stricken due to Drake still having charges against him.
The strange brunette has been sitting in here all day. There is something about her, she looks enamored by Drake, but she keeps staring at me. It gives me chills up my spine.
They tell me that Drake has decided he wants to testify. That he will be called after me.
The State’s attorney has me go through the events of that night, then they ask the money question. I keep doing the breathing exercises that Robin has taught me. In slow, out and let it go. In slow, out and let it go.
“Ms. Chambers, can you tell us why you didn’t want to press charges at the hospital?”
I lean in to the microphone. “I just wanted everything to be over with. I wanted Drake to go away and leave me alone. I thought that maybe he would do that if I didn’t press charges.”
He nods. “Thank you, Ms. Chambers.”
The defense attorney steps in. He doesn’t ask many questions, just tries to get me to trip up during my testimony, then he lets me step down.
They call Drake to the stand.
His attorney runs through the events of that night with him. He basically tells them that I assaulted him first and that our sex was consensual make-up sex. He tells them that I like a rough sex partner. He has them show pictures of his face from that night, which are pictures that were taken the next day after Sly beat him up, but he tries to say that it was him defending himself from me.
Once his attorney is finished, the Assistant State’s attorney cross examines him. “So you’re saying, Mr. Willis, that your face looks like this from Ms. Chambers’ assault on you?”
“Yes,” Drake says smugly, glaring at me. I feel my heart rate speeding up. In slow, out and let it go.
“Do you understand what perjury is, Mr. Willis?”
Drake nods.
The judge speaks up. “We need a verbal answer, Mr. Willis.”
“Yes, I understand what it means,” he says sarcastically.
The judge glares at him. “Watch your tone, Mr. Willis.”
The judge motions back to the attorney.
The State’s attorney reaches in his stack of papers and holds them up. “So you’re saying that you lied the morning you pressed charges against Mr. Webb? In these papers you say he ‘beat you up for no reason’. Now you’re saying that the assault in these same pictures are from Ms. Chambers, not Mr. Webb?”
“It was a combination of the two,” he says, rolling his eyes.
“Still, you never mentioned Ms. Chambers in this complaint. That would have been the time to do so. As of today, this complaint is pretty much going to be thrown out because technically you lied on this form. So why would you do that?”
“I didn’t want her to get in trouble,” he says
with a flat tone that tells me he’s getting irritated. I know that tone, I’ve lived in fear of that tone. In slow, out and let it go.
“You didn’t want her to get into trouble, but yet you put her in the hospital,” the attorney says, walking back to the table and putting the documents down.
“I didn’t put her in the hospital. She’s lying. I didn’t do that to her, she did it herself or had one of those guys do it for her,” he barks out.
The attorney tries to hold back a chuckle. “Okay, so now you’re saying that your wounds are defensive wounds from her and Mr. Webb. That you only hit her in defense, then she went out and had a fighter beat her up in the few hours you were passed out. She then called her friend to come get her, bringing another fighter along to take her to the hospital. You see how ridiculous this all sounds, right? You can see why it’s hard to believe?”
Drake angrily swipes the microphone off the stand. “FUCK YOU!” As he bolts up from his chair, the bailiffs are on top of him. I hear him screaming something about me being a stupid fat bitch. I can’t make it all out above my heart pounding in my ears.
The judge is banging his gavel on the stand. The brunette girl runs from the courtroom. Once the bailiffs have him under control, the judge asks him, “Are you under control now, Mr. Willis?”
He answers by spitting on the floor of the courtroom.
The judge points at him with his gavel, “Your ass is in contempt. Bailiff, get him the hell out of my courtroom. I’ve heard enough testimony today. I’m turning this over to the jury, we’ll call you back in when they’ve reached a decision.”
He bangs the gavel and we are dismissed. Everyone hugs me back out in the hallway. The State’s Attorney tells me that I did a great job. He also tells Sly that he’s pretty sure since Drake pretty much committed perjury, the charges against him will be dropped. Which is a relief to me, I’ve felt guilty about Sly getting into trouble for me.
Our relationship is new and it feels great. It just worries me that one day he may hold it against me if he got into trouble. I’ve realized over the past week just how much he means to me and for the first time in my life, I feel like someone besides my mother and sister love me.
At 4:30, they step out to tell us the jury has come to a decision.
I feel my heart stop. The State’s attorney has told me that he’s sure I have nothing to worry about, but part of me is still frightened. When my heart picks back up, it’s speeding like an Indy car.
I’m in a tunnel as I sit down. I can’t hear anything but my heart beating in my ears. I sit back and try to remember my steps that Robin talked about, but it’s all too overwhelming. The only thing that breaks me from my state is the judge banging his gavel. I look up and see the State’s attorney smiling. He pats me on the shoulder. “It’s almost over, all we have left now is sentencing.”
I look up. “They found him guilty?”
“Yes, sweetheart.” He looks at me solemnly.
My hands go to my mouth. “Oh my God.” A relief washes over me and the dam breaks. I’m shaking and sobbing.
Sly comes up and pulls me into a hug. “Shh. It’s okay, baby.” He looks to the attorney. “I think she’s just in shock. She’ll be okay. Today has been weighing on her a lot lately. When should we expect sentencing?”
The attorney nods. “In the next few weeks. After the outburst he had in court today, I wouldn’t worry too much. He’ll surely get some time behind bars.”
Sly shakes his hand. “Thank you, sir. I’m going to take her home now if that’s okay.”
He nods and Sly leads me out of the courtroom where my friends and family hug me. I happen to glance down at the end of the hall and see the brunette.
“Sly, do you know that girl? She’s been staring at me all day.”
He looks up quickly just before she goes the other direction. “I saw her this morning. She was talking to his attorney, but she looks familiar in a weird way. There’s something about her, I don’t know. It’s weird, though.” He shakes it off. “Come on, let’s get you home so you can rest.”
“Yes, please. Today has been mentally exhausting.” I look up at him and give him a small smile.
He bends down and kisses my forehead. “Come on, sexy.” He looks to everyone else. “Guys, you’re all invited over tomorrow night for a cook out. Tonight, I’m gonna get my girl home and let her rest.”
Sloan walks up and hugs me again. “You’re free. You got yourself a good one this time. Go get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow. Sage will be thrilled to hang out with you.”
I smile and nod. My mom and sister tell me they’ll be by tomorrow also. I guess throughout the day Sly has made friends with my mom and Jade, of course, raves about how wonderful he is anyway. My mom has a little cougar crush on him, I think.
CHAPTER 18
SLY
Today has been a long, stressful day. Knowing that Kara had to listen to and relive that night over and over again today broke my heart. She tries to be so tough, not wanting to show any vulnerabilities.
When we get home, Elaine had already brought over and left a lasagna for us to eat. She said she knew we’d be tired and that we’d need to eat. After playing the baby card, I finally got Kara to eat a little before she went to bed. Now, Huck and I are watching TV.
“Man, did you see that brown headed girl at the courthouse today?”
He nods. “Kinda willowy figure, sunk in eyes?”
“Yeah, her. Do you recognize her from somewhere?” I put my feet up on the coffee table. “She seemed kinda weird.”
“I know what you mean. There was something about her. You think it’s from years ago or something? When we had the falling out with Drake to start with?”
I lay my head back and think. “I don’t know, maybe.”
“I hate this all happened to Kara, but I think about the fact that Marco avoided a damn disaster with Drake.” He rubs a hand over his head. “Can you imagine what would’ve happened if Marco hadn’t caught him shooting up in the locker room? He’s a fucking loose cannon, back then we just didn’t know how bad he could be.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I’m sure Marco is glad for that, too.” I yawn. “Shit, I didn’t realize how tired I was. I’ve been worried about my girl all day.”
“So you and her are for real, huh?”
“Yeah, man. I don’t know what it is about her. Not to sound like I have a vagina or anything, but it’s like she completes me.” I shake my head and give a small laugh.
He nods his head and looks at me seriously. “You do sound like you have a vagina, man.” I punch him in the arm. “First Lox and now you, the next thing I know you guys are going to be asking me to join a quilting B with you or some shit.”
I laugh and stand up. “No, you failed Home-Ec, dipshit, you can’t sew for shit. Now, I’m going to bed and curl up beside my woman.”
I hear him mumble something about pussy and I look back at him. “I can’t wait until this happens to you, brother. You are going to fall the hardest out of all of us.”
He shakes his head. “Screw you, man. There’s way too much pussy out there in the world to only dip into one for the rest of my life.”
I laugh. “And that, my brother, is why you are going to fall very hard. Now, are you going with me to the grocery store in the morning?”
He flips me off from the couch. “Yeah, man. I’ll go. You always forget to use the rewards card and the coupons.”
I smile when I walk into her bedroom, which has kind of turned into our bedroom in the past month. She’s lying on her side with one foot sticking out from under the covers. After I strip down to my boxers, I slide into the bed behind her and she lets out a soft sigh.
This is where I belong.
~*~*~
I have to say, as crazy as pregnancy hormones go, I love the horny part of them.
I wake up this morning to my dick in her mouth. After amazing wake up sex, I make a quick run to the grocery store with Huck.
Now, we are all out back grilling burgers and hot dogs. I’m glad so many people could make it to support her. Lox, Sloan and Sage were the first ones here. Doc and his wife, Gloria, brought some great cheesecakes. Elaine is here, along with Marco and Elizabeth. Jade and their mother, Eve, were the last ones to arrive.
During our morning tryst, we decided that she would go ahead and tell everyone else today that she’s expecting. She said she even wants to surprise her mom and sister at the same time.
As far as all of these people know, it happened not long after she moved in, which would actually only be about two weeks off from the time frame they gave her. So she can say she’s just over nine weeks instead of almost twelve weeks.
As much as I wish it were my DNA inside of her, it doesn’t matter, she’s beautiful and I’m in love with her. I’m going to love this baby like Marco and Elaine have loved me.
She gives me a look that says it’s time. I step over by the grill. “Hey, can we get everyone’s attention?”
Once everyone is looking my way, I smile. “Thank y’all for coming today and supporting my girl. She’s been through a hell of a lot the past few months. A couple of great things have come from all of this though. She and I realized how much we care for each other and how much we love each other. Also, we found out that we’re going to have a baby.”
We’re surrounded by gasps and squeals. Jade tackles me. “Oh my God! I’m going to be an aunt.”
After everyone else moves over to Kara, Eve comes over to me. “I’m so glad you came into my Kara’s life. She’s deserved someone for a long time. She didn’t have the easiest time growing up. You remind me a lot of her father, he was a great man. She was five and Jade was a few months old when their father was killed in a training accident. I had to work a lot to take care of them. Then when she was a senior, we found out about my diabetes. She’s always pushed her own needs aside to help me and help me take care of Jade. I’m just glad that she’s finally found someone who can look after her.” She wipes a small tear from her eye. “I’m also happy to be a grandmother.”
I smile and hug her. “Thank you so much. I was going to come by and talk to you sooner, but everything has been so hectic.”
In Sly's Eyes: In Sly's Eyes Marco's MMA Boys Book 2 Page 9
