by Ash, Nikki
My eyes stay trained on our conversation, hoping to see the bubbles bouncing, indicating he’s texting back, until the nurse comes in and hands me Micaela’s and my discharge papers. Then I put my phone away, take a deep breath, and prepare to start my new life.
* * *
“It’s a one-story home in the same neighborhood your parents live in.”
The realtor reads off the address and we agree to meet her there in fifteen minutes. At this point, I would agree to sign a lease to live in a cardboard box if it meant moving the heck out of my parents’ house. You know the saying, once you move out of your parents’ home you can’t ever move back? Well, it’s true. Damn true. Listen to whoever tells it to you.
It’s been one week since I’ve been back in my childhood room under my parents’ roof and if I don’t get out of here soon, I just might kill my father. His hovering and protectiveness has grown to an entirely new level since he found out Marco is the father of Micaela. Every time I’m texting, he’s looking over my shoulder. He’s asked— no, suggested—on numerous occasions I stay living here. He’s even asked me multiple times if I’m planning to have sex with Marco in the future! And when Marco and I decided to have dinner with his parents after Micaela’s checkup, he texted me thirty times asking when I would be home.
Oh! And don’t get me started on the night Marco came over to visit with our daughter and we fell asleep on the couch…with our clothes on…and our baby between us. You would think we were buck-naked and screwing right there in my parents’ living room the way he yelled. He not only woke up Micaela, but he woke up my brother and sister who thought something was wrong.
Like I said, I need to move out. I may have only been out from under his roof for two years, but it was long enough that my wings cannot go back to being clipped. I need to soar on my own, especially if I want to keep the good relationship I have with my father.
Marco insisted on picking me up to check out the house since our cars haven’t been shipped back over yet, and I’m not supposed to drive for a couple weeks after having a C-section. He still has his car here for when he visits his parents. Since he said the home we’re looking at is close by, I left Micaela with my mom.
“Marco, these homes are expensive. I thought we were looking at apartments.”
“Please don’t worry about the money.” Marco gives me a look. We’ve argued over several of the apartments we’ve seen. I insisted on finding the places after Marco took us to see a penthouse condo on the top floor of downtown Vegas. Unfortunately, the ones I have found are so tiny, yet so expensive.
I never realized how much it costs to live in Vegas, and with me going to school full time, no longer on scholarship, there’s only so much I can contribute. I have my trust fund my dad set up for me years ago from when my grandfather died, but I’m using it to go to school and would like to save whatever is left of it for the future. I’m planning to speak to my dad about maybe hiring me at the gym during the days and hours I’m not in school or training.
“I need to worry because I’m going to be contributing and I would rather not dip into my trust fund.” Marco just shakes his head. We pull up to the house and I see it’s only one street over from my parents’ house. It’s one of the smaller homes in the neighborhood, but it’s beautiful. It is all brick and stone and has a huge white privacy fence. There’s no way we can afford this place.
Instead of arguing with Marco, I let the realtor show us around. It has three bedrooms, a den, a living room and family room, an off the kitchen dining room, and a huge back patio. The owners even built an outdoor kitchen out there. I can’t even imagine how much the rent is for the place.
“What do you think?” Marco asks.
“I think we should discuss this alone.” I glance toward the realtor not wanting to have this conversation in front of her.
“How about I let you two speak and I’ll wait for you outside?” She smiles brightly, leaving without waiting for an answer.
“Okay, so what do you think?” Marco asks again.
“I think we’re both currently unemployed. I think I’m a full time student, no longer on a scholarship. I think there’s no way we can afford this place unless I use the money my dad put away for me. Have you spoken to the UFC about your contract?”
Marco’s brows furrow. “Bella, you are aware up until last year I spent the last eight years fighting in the UFC, right? I am completely undefeated and currently hold the championship belt. Until I was injured I was making enough from my sponsorships alone to afford this place.”
“Thanks for the recap,” I say dryly.
Marco chuckles. “I’m not trying to rub it in your face, Belles. One day you will be a fucking champion. You will have sponsors begging you to sign with them. My point is those fights add up, and since I moved to California, I lived with my cousin Mathias who I split the bills with. Then I rented my own place but was in rehab for most of the lease. I have plenty of money saved up and I don’t expect you to—or want you to—use the money your dad put away for you. What I need to know is if you like this place. Can you see yourself raising our daughter here?”
“Yes,” I blurt out.
“Okay, then.” Marco walks out the front door, with me trailing behind him. “We’ll take it,” he says to the realtor.
“Perfect! Since you’re preapproved, we can go over the down payment and all the other specifics. I think we can probably get the closing date set to the end of next month.”
Most of what she says goes over my head, but I do understand end of next month, which means six more weeks of living under my dad’s roof. Ugh!
“What’s wrong?” Marco asks, sounding concerned.
“Huh?”
“You made an annoyed sound. Is this house not what you want?” Hmm… I must have said that last part out loud.
“No, it is! It’s living under my dad’s roof for the next six weeks that I don’t want.” And even I can hear the whininess in my voice. Marco laughs. Laughs! Because he’s living with Hayley and Caleb who couldn’t care less what their son does, meanwhile my dad thinks in four weeks I’ll be turning twelve instead of twenty-one.
“Since I’m planning to pay cash for the house and the pre-walkthrough has been done, can you please ask the owners if they would mind us moving in early, like as soon as possible, since it’s empty anyway.”
“Cash?” the realtor and I say in unison.
“Wait, Marco! Are we renting or buying this place?”
“Buying. My dad looked at the price and details before we came to check it out. He said it will make a great investment for me.”
“I’ll call them right now!” The realtor pulls out her phone and walks a few feet away from us to call the owners. After a few minutes, she comes back with a huge smile on her face. “We are good to go.” She hands Marco the keys. “Let’s go to the office now to sign the appropriate paperwork and do the good faith deposit.”
“Sounds perfect.” Marco takes the keys from her then leans in close to my ear and says, “Welcome home, Belles,” which causes chills to spread throughout my body, making me visually shake. Marco sees my reaction and gives me a knowing smirk.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Marco
It’s been four weeks since Bella, Micaela, and I have moved into our new home. Unfortunately, to Bella’s dismay, having keys to the place didn’t mean moving in immediately. Not unless she wanted to sleep on the floor, and when I pointed that out, I think she almost considered it.
After taking measurements, we went shopping for furniture. My stuff came in and we used what we wanted and got rid of what we didn’t want. When Bella saw what I had purchased for Micaela back in San Diego being brought into the house she nearly lost it.
“M-Marco…what is all that stuff?” Bella watched, with eyes as wide as saucers, as the delivery people brought in all the furniture and accessories I purchased the day after Micaela was born.
“I told you I wanted you and Micaela to live
with me. I bought it all when she was born.”
“Oh my God! Between my stuff and yours—what are we going to do with it all?”
“Well, she’ll need stuff at your parents’ place as well as my parents’ for when they watch her or we visit, so we’ll sort it all out and see what can go where.”
She followed the guys up the stairs. “This stuff is beautiful. I had no idea.” Tears pricked her eyes and she threw herself into my arms. At first, I was shocked to have her in my arms, but I quickly reciprocated and enjoyed the moment. When she realized what she did, she tensed and backed up, the moment quickly coming to an end.
The next day all of Bella’s stuff came in, and thankfully Liz and my mom came over to help her go through it all. With her having had surgery only a few short weeks prior, I didn’t want her lifting anything. After many hours, we got it all situated and officially moved in the following week.
Since moving in, Bella and I have fallen into a comfortable routine. She has her own room (she insisted and her dad glared and I gave in) and sleeps in it, but many nights we also fall asleep on the couch. Our days usually consist of spending time with Micaela, taking her for walks, visiting our parents, and occasionally visiting the gym as well as visiting the rec center. I put in for a new sponsor since I would be living here and met with him a few days after we arrived.
His name is Steve and he’s a no-bullshit kind of guy. He helped me find a location to attend my meetings and it’s only about ten minutes from the house. I received my thirty, sixty, and ninety-day key tags a few days ago. Since I was in rehab during these milestones, Steve wanted me to have them, to remind myself I still chose to stay clean. When I got home, Bella saw them and asked me about them. I tried to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but she insisted we go out for dinner to celebrate. She also asked if she could attend the next time I receive a key tag. She has no idea how much her support means to me.
My sisters, Chloe and Mackenzie, have spent the night a few times on the weekends. To say they’re happy to have me back is an understatement, although they might be happier to have their niece close to them. I think I have officially been thrown to the side and replaced by my daughter, but I’m okay with that. I love watching them spend time with their niece.
Since Bella and I have moved in together, I haven’t brought us up once. Not when she walked out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel still dripping wet because she forgot to bring her clothes into the bathroom with her. Not when she insisted we binge watch The O.C. (Because according to her, you can’t live that close to Orange County and not experience Ben McKenzie as Ryan Atwood). And not even as I watched her ice cream drip down the center of her luscious tits. I watched her swipe it up and lick it off her finger while wishing it was my tongue licking it up, but I didn’t say a damn word. And as hard as it was, I didn’t bring us up when we stopped at the ice cream truck while walking around the park where Bella purchased a chocolate covered frozen banana and I was forced to watch her plump lips wrap around the fucking banana like it was a cock. I know she saw me adjusting myself, but what the fuck else was I supposed to do. The woman is sexy as fuck and has no goddamned clue.
Now it’s her birthday and she’s on her way back from seeing the OBGYN. She had to find a new one for her postpartum visit since we moved. When she called me to let me know her appointment went good, she was rambling off everything she can now do, such as driving and having sex. Yep, she mentioned that, and then right afterward, got awkward and hurried off the phone.
Today, Bella turns the big two-one and I want her to have the perfect night. I’ve moved the kitchen table to the living room and purchased five pounds of snow crabs, Bella’s favorite. I have two potatoes baking and I bought homemade clam chowder from the local seafood market. I even rented her favorite movie, There’s Something about Mary.
While the fact that she’s now cleared to have sex again will be stuck in my mind, my goal is not to get laid tonight. It’s to remind Bella of the friendship we used to have before I fucked it all up. I’m not stupid enough to think the way back to Bella’s heart is through her pussy.
My cellphone goes off, and I grab it from the end table before it wakes Micaela up. Sure, the little angel can usually sleep through anything, but I’m hoping since Bella pumped so I could feed her, and I kept her awake for a while, she’ll sleep for a little bit so we can spend some time together.
Daniel: Doc said he cleared you last week.
Daniel: We need to talk.
Daniel: I have a proposition for you.
My heart literally skips a beat when I read the text messages from Daniel West, the President of the UFC. I had a checkup last week, one I didn’t tell anyone about, but should have known the doctor would forward my results to Daniel. It makes sense seeing as he’s the doctor the UFC uses, but since I wasn’t injured during a fight, I didn’t think he would forward my results to them.
Me: Okay
My phone lights up and I quickly swipe my finger across the screen to answer.
“Hey Daniel, how’s it going?” I leave Micaela sleeping in her bassinet and walk into the other room.
“Marco! Damn, you answered the phone fast.” Daniel laughs.
“Yeah, well, I got a sleeping baby.”
“Yeah, man. I heard you’ve been busy since getting injured. A baby with Bella Cooper, dabbling with a bit of powder, rehab, a move back to Vegas. The gossip rags have been having a field day. It’s cost me a damn fortune to remove half that shit off the internet. So, how are you feeling?”
When I don’t say anything right away, he repeats his question. “How are you feeling, Marco?” I know where he’s going with this. He wants me to fight. The man is all about business. There’s a reason the UFC is worth billions. The man knows how to run a business. And normally I would look forward to these calls, but right now I’m dreading it.
I clear my throat. “I’m okay.”
“Good, that’s what I like to hear. So, how soon can we schedule a fight for you?”
“I’m out of shape. I haven’t worked out in over a year. I just don’t know how long it’s going to take me to get back into shape. Plus, Bella’s dad, Cooper, isn’t too thrilled about me being back here and living with his daughter. I’m not sure he’s even going to let me train at the facility.”
“Look, Marco, I’m going to be upfront with you. The fans want to see two fights: you and Bella. Your name was already all over the internet from the accident and you showing up to various parties. I was able to keep most of it under wraps, especially since you were out for an injury. But now, it’s gotten out that two fighters—one of which holds a championship belt and is contracted for one more fight—the other had to cancel a huge debut fight because she got pregnant—are living together with a baby. People are gossiping. Women are wondering if you are off the market and they want to see you.”
“Great. Just what I need,” I mutter. “So people know I was in rehab?” I probably should have paid attention to what was going on around me.
“No, and there’s no reason for them to know. I kept that shit under wraps. It would be bad for business, but it’s my job to know what’s going on with my fighters. They think you’ve been missing because you are upset over Logan being in a coma, and it will stay that way. One of the paparazzi was around the hospital the day Bella got out and he recognized you. Not sure why it took him so long to sell the photos, but the magazines are going crazy.”
Fucking Fabulous. “Who would I be fighting?”
“Antoine Benitez. This past year he’s been fighting his way up and winning all his fights. He’s gained popularity and we want you to fight him for the belt. A comeback fight of sorts.”
“When?”
“Well, we’re looking at Bella and you fighting the same night. I need to speak to her and find out how long she thinks she will need to train. I’d like for it to be soon while the hype is there.”
“All right, just do me a favor and don’t mention anything a
bout me to her. I would like to speak to her about it myself.”
“Whatever you say.”
I hang up just as I hear the garage door opening and pray she didn’t hit anything. Our vehicles arrived a couple days ago, and when I mentioned to Bella I was going to sell both of my sports cars and get an SUV, she laughed and said I should keep one because she thinks it’s hot. How could I say no to that?
She also insisted we both park in the two-car garage. She’s excited to be able to park inside with the baby to avoid the rain. The problem is, Bella is probably the worst driver ever given a license and she can’t park straight for shit. Last night when she pulled in, I thought she was going to take out the side of my car. Thank God for insurance.
I quickly remove the baked potatoes and snow crabs from the oven and place them on the table. Then I pour the soup into the bowls from the stove. I fill our glasses with sweet tea and place the mini bottle of Jack Daniels I bought her as a gift on the table. I know she won’t drink while breastfeeding, but I had to get her a bottle of alcohol to celebrate her twenty-first birthday.
Grabbing the flowers and balloons I bought, I go to the kitchen to greet her at the door. She’s only been gone for a few hours and I already wished her a Happy Birthday this morning, but I want her to feel special.
“Happy Birthday!” I whisper-yell as she walks through the door. Her face lights up and she gives me a huge smile. Then her dad walks in after her, followed by her mom.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Bella
“You did all this for me?” I glance around the room seeing the table set up in front of the television with my favorite foods, complete with two candles lit up in the center. It’s been six weeks since Marco confessed to me he wanted to have his daughter and me in his life. I assumed at the time he meant he wanted us to be more, but after all these weeks and not even a mention of us, I was starting to think maybe I misunderstood.
