3 Breaths

by LK Collins

  “Perfect, we’ll be there about six o’clock.”

  “I’ll see you then, Mr. Hensley.” I hang up with him and dial Ivy.

  “Hey, baby,” she answers breathlessly.

  “Hey, what are you up to?” I ask.

  “Not much, just wrapping up things at my apartment.”

  “Did you talk to your mom about tonight?” I ask.

  “Uhh, not exactly.”

  “What does that mean?” I ask, getting a little annoyed that communicating with her mom is so difficult.

  “I told her we’d like to have dinner with her tonight. And she said she’d think about it. She’s having a hard time accepting things.”

  Since Ivy broke the news to her mom of our Vegas wedding everything has changed. She’s no longer willing to work past our differences.

  “I’m sorry, baby.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “Yeah, it kinda is.”

  “No, it’s not. Don’t even go there. I’ll call her later after she has some time to cool down.”

  “Okay, you still up for lunch?”

  “Absolutely, I need a break.”

  We hang up and I stare at the screen on my phone, a picture of Ivy and I the morning after we got married looks back at me. I don’t want this all to fall on her shoulders. She shouldn’t be having to deal with this from her own mother. Stepping out back of the gym, I dial Brenda’s number. We haven’t spoken since the day that she and I argued on the phone a few weeks back.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi Brenda, it’s Krane.” She doesn’t respond, clearly not happy with me, so I continue doing what I called for. “Brenda, I know you aren’t a fan of mine, but just hear me out, for Ivy?”

  She’s still silent and I look at the screen to see she hasn’t hung up.

  “Ivy is really upset with what your relationship has become. We both love her a great deal and what you’re doing to her is torture. Don’t make what should be the happiest time in her life miserable. Please, have dinner with us tonight. We’ll be at the Terrace in Long Beach and then you can see yourself that I love her and make her happy.”

  The line is silent and I know this time she hung up. There’s really nothing more that I can do. If Brenda is going to hold on to her hatred for me over her love for Ivy, then I just need to make Ivy happy and keep her mind off of her mother.

  “Are people staring at us?” Ivy asks, sitting next to me blindfolded as we drive to dinner.

  “No, of course not,” I chuckle. “This is normal for New York.” She throws her arm at me to hit me and I grab it. “I might have to blindfold you more often if you’re gonna be this feisty.”

  I keep glancing at her as we drive. Her hands are placed so neatly in her lap. She keeps looking around like she can see through the blindfold. Which I know she can’t. I only used it to keep her mind busy, off of the negative shit with her mom.

  She’s upset that her mom bailed on tonight, but I’m hoping my surprise will make up for it. Brenda sent her a text message and said she couldn’t come. It pissed me off, so I texted her myself and laid into her saying some things that I’ll never be able to take back. But at least I stood up for Ivy and now she knows how I really feel.

  Pulling up to the Terrace, I remove the blindfold. She smiles the second that she sees where we are. As we exit the truck, I hand the keys to the valet and walk around taking Ivy’s hand in mine, never getting tired of how her ring feels against my skin. “You remembered.”

  “Of course I did. I remember everything you say.”

  The hostess seats us at a table overlooking the vast ocean view of Long Beach, a place that has become both of our favorites.

  Taking Ivy’s hands in mine over the table, she looks at me with so much love and adoration. “Thank you for coming out with me tonight. I know it’s hard that your mom isn’t accepting things.”

  She smiles and nods, squeezing my hands. “It’s okay. I have to learn to let it go.”

  “Nah, she’ll come around, I’m sure of it.”

  “Maybe, but for tonight, can we not talk about her anymore? If she wanted to be here, she could.”

  “Of course.” I take her hand and bring it to my lips. She touches my cheek and asks, “How was training today?” rubbing her thumb under a small cut I got from sparring today.

  “It was good. Logan’s bringing on a new boxing coach, so between Logan and him, I should be more than prepared for my next fight.”

  “I have no doubt you will.”

  The waiter takes our drink order and we continue our conversation. “That’s the plan. Did I tell you Ling called and wanted me to take a fight tonight?”

  “Shut up!”

  “I’m serious, I guess he didn’t get busted after all.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him about my contract with ACM and he said no one would ever know if I kept fighting with him.”

  “Oh my God!”

  “I know, so I hung up and blocked his phone number. I don’t even want ACM to think I’m talking to someone like that.”

  “You told them that you used to fight underground, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  The waiter sets our drinks down and as he turns away, both Ivy and I are shocked to see her mom standing at the table.

  “Mom!” she blurts out stunned. “I didn’t think you were coming.”

  “I wasn’t,” Brenda adds drily.

  “We’re so glad you’re here,” I respond hoping that we can settle this shit with her once and for all. I gesture her to sit and she does right across from me.

  Taking Ivy’s hand in mine on top of the table, I squeeze it to give her some reassurance. The metal of my wedding band catches Brenda’s eye and she looks off, taking in a deep breath of air.

  She looks down, like she’s holding back tears while we wait for her to say something.

  “Mom, Krane makes me really happy.” Ivy takes her other hand and grabs her mom’s.

  She nods, trying to keep the tears at bay. “I can see that.” She looks at me briefly and then back at her. “I arrived before you both did tonight and watched you interact. It’s not that I don’t want to accept this, I’m just having a hard time understanding how the two of you can act like Zoë never existed.”

  “Why would say that?” Ivy asks, clearly hurt by her mom’s words.

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Brenda, Ivy and I both love Zoë and miss her so much.”

  “If you did, then you wouldn’t have gotten married.”

  “That’s not even fair to say,” Ivy says. “I fell in love with Krane, the same way that you fell in love with Daddy, you can’t control that.”

  “Don’t compare him to the man your father was, Ivy.”

  “No, Mom, I will. Krane has been the most amazing man in my life since I lost Daddy. Why do you think we’re having dinner in Long Beach?” She shrugs her shoulders and Ivy says, “Don’t you remember every summer that we spent here growing up? This was Zoë’s favorite place in the entire world, and the night she passed, she’d asked Krane to take her here the following day.”

  “She did?” Brenda asks stunned at learning this new information.

  “She did,” I confirm. “But unfortunately that never happened and we all know why. However, I still came and continued every morning for six months. Then one day, I brought Ivy here and I shared the story with her. Brenda, it wasn’t long until I fell in love with Ivy, right out there on that beach.” I point to the dark sand lit by the moon. “We both have a hard time believing that wasn’t Zoë pushing the two of us together.”

  Ivy and her mother are both crying. This is not the way that I saw this evening going, but all I can do now is try and salvage it. “You don’t have to like me, or even accept me. But please, don’t take your anger out on Ivy.” Brenda nods once, and turns to pull Ivy into a hug. I take this moment to slip away and give them a few minutes alone.

  Walking to the front of the
Terrace, I look out at the beautiful place and catch sight of Will walking into the restaurant. He walks to me and says, “How’s dinner?”

  “I’m not sure we’ll be eating.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just a little family drama.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “While I have you alone, here are your keys.” He passes me the ring of silver keys and pats my back. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks.” I shake his hand and look over at Ivy as she and her mom are talking. She sees me and waves me back to them. Walking back to the table, I place my hand on Ivy’s back. “Are you guys okay?”

  “Yeah we are.”

  Brenda looks at the both of us and says, “I’m sorry for the things I’ve said and for the way I’ve acted.”

  “I think we all are. But the past is the past. Eat dinner with us, Brenda, and let this be a clean fresh start.”

  She agrees and right away I can see the smile growing on Ivy’s face. This is going to take a lot of work to break down her walls, but for Ivy, I’ll do anything.

  After saying goodbye to her mom, I press the elevator call button, the doors chime open, and I usher Ivy inside.

  “Where are we going?” she asks holding my hand tightly, watching me press the button for the twenty-first floor.

  “Home.”

  The elevator soars to the top floor and I can only imagine what is going through Ivy’s mind. As we walk down the hall, I reach into my pocket pulling out the keys. With them clutched tightly in the palm of my hand, we stop in front of the white door with a plaque on the side that reads twenty-one hundred.

  Opening my hand, I show Ivy the keys. Her expression is priceless. I love the immediate excitement that comes across her face. “Welcome home, baby.”

  Slowly she takes the keys that I pass to her and slides one of them into the lock. Effortlessly it turns and then I open the door to our new condo. The big open floor plan is spectacular, but the wall of glass windows that overlook the beach is the icing on the cake.

  Ivy spins to me, astonished, and throws her arms around my neck.

  “How does it feel to be standing in the middle of our new home?”

  “Krane, I’m…” She knots her fingers together behind my neck. “I’m speechless.”

  “Good, that’s what I was hoping for.”

  “This place is amazing and the view.” She walks to the window of the balcony. “Did you really mean what you said earlier about falling in love with me down there?” She points to the spot we stopped on one of our morning runs and I can remember the instant like it was yesterday.

  “Of course I did. At the time, I might not have admitted it to myself, but I know that’s when it happened.”

  As we stand together and look out at the sight that we will share for the rest of our lives, I hold her close, her back firmly against the front of my chest, and I breathe her in, so turned on by the simple scent that she exudes. She reaches back, gripping my neck and grinds her ass against me. I push my cock into her, needing her.

  Turning her face towards mine, my mouth finds hers and I claim her lips. The lips of my wife. “Mmm,” she moans and I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a kiss more. Taking the straps of her dress, I push both of them over her shoulders and watch as the smooth fabric glides down her body, pooling in a pile at her feet. Stepping back, I flick the light off and admire her white lace bra and panties with the moonlight shining in the room.

  “So beautiful,” I whisper, running my hands over her curves. She cups my dick, turning me on, and I respond by tearing the side of her underwear. “Sorry.” She laughs, and then I rip them all of the way off of her.

  Taking her time, she undresses me, our mouths attacking one another, which makes it harder to get naked.

  God, I love her.

  Taking her bottom lip in between my teeth, I tug up and look her in the eye. The connection we share is a straight line to the tip of my dick. Her kisses connect right to it.

  “Bra off!” She unclasps it as I completely remove my pants. “Turn around,” I order her. She complies with my request, giving me the greatest view in the world. Her body a silhouette against the backdrop of the midnight sky bound by the moonlight. Stroking my hard shaft, I reach around her body and spread her pussy nudging my way inside of her, inch by inch. She leans back grasping me and I whisper into her skin “I love you.”

  In between a moan from the pleasure of my dick, she responds, “I love you.”

  As our bodies rock together, I push myself so hard into her, not showing any mercy with my long thrusts. I know that no matter what happens in my lifetime, Ivy is who I am meant to be with. Everything that I’ve endured up to this point, all of the pain and heartache that I have lived through was to get me here – to this moment – with her.

  I don’t care if I lose my next fight or fail completely at a MMA career, because I know that Ivy will always be waiting for me. Pressing my fingers into her skin, I hold her tight, leaving an indentation, marking her in my own way.

  Being with her has healed me.

  Ivy is the mirror to my soul.

  Pumping my cock strongly inside of her sweet heavenly cunt, my eyes are pulled out to the ocean and the spot where I fell in love with her. I am confident that what we have will last forever. Until the ocean runs dry and the moon gives its last flicker of light. She’s mine.

  As I sit here and write these acknowledgements, they never get easier. This is truly the hardest part of a book as an author. There might only be a few hundred words, but to get it right and acknowledge everyone is…difficult. There is so much that goes into making a book perfect and so many amazing people who help.

  As always, my Prezident, I love you more than any words can ever say. You are the king of my world. I am completely and utterly blessed to have you by my side as we complete another book. I have to give you props for 3 Breaths, so much of the storyline you helped me with and like usual, you read the book more than I did. Thanks, baby, for everything, from the bottom of my heart. I am the luckiest damn girl in the whole entire world.

  Lisa, Lisa, Lisa, the amazing and remarkable Lisa! I’m not really sure how to sum up my gratitude, but I’ll try. You are simply a genius with words, you are fast and accurate as hell. You catch so many errors and always make the editing process fun. Thank you for always working with me. I love you, woman.

  Letica and Janice, you two are the greatest proofreaders! Between the two of you, you make my life so easy. Thank you for going through 3 Breaths in minute detail and catching all those final errors. I know I always give you like a day to read the entire book and not on purpose, but you come through and always amaze me. I couldn’t do what I do without the two of you, that’s for damn sure. Thank you for always having my back!

  To the bloggers, I once thought that maybe I would start a blog. Then I realized everything that goes into it and knew I wasn’t cut out for it. You have an extremely hard job that helps so many authors. Thank you for helping me, from signing up for the cover reveal to the release day blitz and blog tour. And for those of you that read the ARC and gave me feedback, your kind words have truly touched me. You know who you are—I am indebted to you always.

  For my readers, like I said in the dedication page, this one is for you. So many of you have stuck by me since Fatalism and Every Soul. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read Krane and Ivy’s story. I know this was a hard one! There were a lot of tears shed by the advanced readers, as there were by me as I wrote this story. But if you learned anything from Krane and Ivy, tomorrow is not guaranteed.

  Take each breath as though it could be your last.

  The Prezident and I read every single review, so we’d love to hear your thoughts. To stay up to date on the latest information regarding all of my books, please make sure that you sign up to stalk me on my website – www.authorlkcollins.com.

  Website:

  www.author
lkcollins.com

  Facebook:

  Author LK Collins

  Twitter:

  @authorlkcollins

  Goodreads:

  LK Collins

  Amazon Author Page:

  LK Collins

  Every Soul

  Purchase Every Soul on Amazon

  Every Heart

  Purchase Every Heart on Amazon

  Every Love

  Purchase Every Love on Amazon

  Fatalism

  (Alexa & Vincent’s Story)

  Purchase Fatalism on Amazon

  Determinism

  (Cara & Abel’s Story)

  Purchase Determinism on Amazon

  Essentialism

  (Bridgette & Troy’s Story)

  Purchase Essentialism on Amazon

  Skepticism

  (Natalene & Micah’s Story)

  Purchase Skepticism on Amazon