by T M Kelly
“Charlotte,” he said and stepped inside.
I hated being called by my full name. “Well, come on in,” I said sarcastically.
“Thank you.” He stepped into the living room and turned in a full circle. “You live here?”
“Well, my name is on the lease.”
“Haven’t changed a bit, have you?” He shook his head and stepped closer to me. “I needed to talk to you if you have a moment.”
“You couldn’t call? This talk required an in-person visit?” I noticed Brooks peek around the doorframe. “Dad, this is my boyfriend, Brooks.” I reached out my hand encouraging him to come into the room.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you lived with Lily.”
“We did, but not anymore.” I didn’t plan to offer all our personal details. He didn’t earn the right to hear them. “So, what was so urgent you needed to visit me after all these years?”
He handed me an envelope. “This will share all the details.”
Now I was curious. I pulled the folded documents out of the envelope and unfolded it. As I read each page, I knew my blood pressure was spiking. “You think you have rights to my royalties?”
“I do.”
“You don’t,” I quickly shot back. “I’m an adult and take care of my finances myself. Nothing goes to you.”
“Well, I did set things up so I could get something from all my kids.”
“Why the hell do you think that’s okay?”
“After raising you and paying for everything. It’s a payback.”
I was stunned by his words. “Wait, you raised me and took care of me like parents are supposed to do.”
“Yeah, and I want some of that money back.”
I burst out laughing. “Well, you are barking up the wrong tree.”
“Excuse me,” he said, sounding a bit stunned.
“It’s time for you to leave,” I demanded and walked over to open the door. He stayed rooted in the center of the living room. “Dad, I’m trying to be nice here.”
“I’m not done talking to you.”
“Oh, yeah ya are.” I pointed to Brooks. “And now we are taking the rude approach. Brooks will guide your ass out.”
His arms were flailing as he was pushed toward the door. “I will have my lawyer talk to you.”
“Whatever, you crazy fucker. Get the fuck out of my house.” Before he could say another word, I slammed the door in his face. Leaning against the wooden surface, I slid down to the floor. “What the hell just happened?”
“We are getting out of the rental agreement and moving to my house.”
“Time for me to go into hiding you mean?”
Brooks sat down beside me. “We just need to make it more difficult to find you.”
“I don’t know if that’s possible. My dad always gets what he wants.”
“You okay?” Jackson said, sounding out of breath.
“Um, I’m not sure at the moment.” I was still sitting on the floor in front of the front door tightly holding the phone. “How did this all transpire?”
“You won that last fight. Plus, there are rumors you are going to get signed with AFC.”
I shook my head, trying to process everything. “Did he ever try to get money from you, Grace, or Kennedy?” My brothers Ethan and Mason still worked with Dad, so they didn’t have to worry about being attacked.
“It’s a long story.”
“So it’s not about paying him back. It’s about greed and power.”
“That’s my guess.”
“Listen, I have to go.” I needed Brooks right now. Standing up and walking to the kitchen, I found him sitting at the kitchen table, talking on the phone.
“We’ll be over soon.” He hung up the phone and reached for my hand. “Come here.”
“Where are we going?” I climbed up on his lap and snuggled into his side.
“Julian’s place for the night.” He kissed the top of my head. “You need Lily.”
Brooks had figured out after all these months that Lily and I had a bond that was unbreakable. “Thanks.” I wrapped my arms tighter around his waist and pulled him closer. “Oh, they have a pool and hot tub, too.”
“Julian is warming it up as we speak.” He winked at me.
“Who’s the best boyfriend ever?”
“Julian?”
“Oh hush.” I swatted at his arm. “Now get me out of this place.”
“Your father is bat shit crazy,” Julian said, stepping into the hot tub.
“You’re just figuring this out,” I teased and scooted over to give him room. “It’s amazing the balls that man has, seriously.”
“Well, people continue to ignore his actions instead of making him accountable,” Lily said and handed me a glass filled with sparkling water and a splash of wine. “You can’t have wine right now.”
I rolled my eyes and took a sip. “Hard ass.” Of course I was teasing so I immediately blew her a kiss.
Brooks had me pack like I was leaving on a month-long vacation. He decided I would not go back to the rental anytime soon. Which honestly was fine by me. I planned to get a P.O. Box and live either with Brooks or with Lily. If I had my way, it would be with Brooks.
“Have you been to Brooks’s house yet?” Lily asked, splashing some water in my direction.
“We went once in the evening.” I scowled. “Why have we avoided your house? Is there a bug infestation?” I burst out laughing. Brooks moved his foot in between my legs, causing me to scream. “You also don’t know how to play fair.”
“We just stayed at your place. You seemed happy.” He shrugged his shoulders. “The house is not all fancy pants like here.”
Julian coughed out, “That’s true.”
“Screw you,” Brooks said, shoving at his brother’s arm. “I don’t have that girly side in me like you do.”
“Boys, boys, boys,” I teased and moved onto Brooks’s lap. “Charlie Bear to the rescue. I will make that house amazing.”
It was nice sitting with my friends and feeling safe. My father somehow managed to mess with everyone’s lives and not in a positive way. Hopefully someone could stand up to him someday soon and make him realize what he was doing was not okay.
5
“You ready for your meeting, C?” Lily said, leaning on the front counter by the entrance to the gym.
“I think so.” I threw my feet onto the counter and leaned back in the rolling chair. “A part of me is worried that Danny will say fuck no to Chuck’s offer.”
Danny Green was the owner of Spartacus and not as giving as Chuck. Several scenarios popped up into my mind, and none of them good with how this meeting would play out. Chuck reassured me his offer was too good to refuse. We’ll see about that.
“Hey, think I should change my name for AFC?” I had been thinking about ways to stay under my father’s radar. “Maybe use my nickname, Sunshine, or choose a different last name?”
“Since you have already started to build a following, I think you would regret changing your name.”
“Yeah, true.”
“You have a P.O. Box now, right?”
“Yeah, and Brooks encouraged me to keep paying for the rent at the house.” I stood and walked around the counter. “Seems silly I know.”
“Nope, not silly at all.”
Lily and I continued to talk for a few more minutes. I noticed a woman walk in, but her head was bent. I stepped around Lily. “Jenny?” She stopped walking and slowly lifted her head. She wore oversized sunglasses, most likely covering a black eye or two. “We haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Yeah,” she said, clearing her throat. “I don’t know if I can come in for the class at the time it’s held.”
“Oh, do you have a better time?”
She glanced around before saying anything. “Well, that’s the part I was hoping to talk to you about.”
“Oh.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “You have me curious now.” I was possibly leaving for Liverpool in o
ne month, barring there were no hiccups in Chuck’s plans. So I had to figure out if I could even continue helping Jenny.
“You’re at the gym daily, right?” Jenny said, placing her hands in her pants pockets.
“For the most part, yes.”
“Well, there are some days where I just don’t know when I can come over here.”
Her situation was obviously much worse than I thought. “Jenny, do you need more help than just these self-defense classes?”
“No,” she quickly said. “I need to learn how to defend myself.”
“Okay, whatever you need.”
“When you made the appointment with Chuck, I knew this meeting was going to be important,” Danny Green said, motioning for us to have a seat in his office. “Is this about your contract, Charlie?”
“Yeah, it is,” I said, feeling a bit nervous.
Chuck Anders opened his briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers. “I have a proposal that will be too hard to refuse.”
Danny sat down behind his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
I sat quietly while the two men discussed me and where I would be a good fit. Danny felt my chances of visibility were better in main fights and not preliminaries. Whereas Chuck felt with fighters on the AFC tickets, even if only a preliminary fight, it was amazing exposure. Chuck expressed that the upcoming fight in Liverpool could propel my career to the next level.
“Charlie,” Chuck said and handed me a file. “Are you prepared to fight with AFC?”
Was this a trick question? I wanted to be with AFC hands down. It had been my dream since meeting Lily in grade school. Of course I was prepared. “Um, yeah, I am.”
“If you sign with AFC today, I have to put your name on hold with Spartacus for a full five years.” Danny leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk. “It’s actually in the fine print of your contract. If you get bought out, this creates an immediate hold and we wait.”
I was sitting in front of Danny. His words caught me off guard. I glanced over to Chuck. “Can you ensure I won’t be screwed by this decision?” AFC was legit, and I knew my career would skyrocket because of Chuck’s persistence.
Chuck nodded his head. “I will add in your contract that we will continue paying you even if the contract ends.”
“If I can see it in writing, I feel good with this path.”
Chuck pulled out a pen and handed it to Danny. “We can offer one million to buy her out of the contract.”
Danny didn’t say anything for the longest time. “Only one million? She had a year and half contract and five fights.”
“How about one point five million?”
Danny sat there staring at his hands for several minutes. Finally he looked up and nodded. “I think it’s fair.” When he finished signing his name, he handed the pen my way. “Your turn.”
Spartacus had brought good things my way. Leaving now felt awkward, and a little part of me felt bad. Before reaching for the pen, I glanced over at Chuck. “You won’t leave me high and dry, right?”
Chuck laughed. “Nope and I think Lily would hang me out to dry if I did.”
“That’s how besties roll.” I signed the contract and stood up. “I did plan to fulfill my contract with you, Danny. Chuck just managed to present an offer I didn’t know how to refuse.”
Danny stood up and held out his hand. “It’s business, Charlie, nothing more and nothing less.”
As Chuck and I left the building, the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I was going to fight with AFC. Holy fucking shit. I knew Lily being one of the top fighters with them probably helped my chances. I silently said a fuck you to my father. He really thought this would never happen yet look at me now.
We were standing on the sidewalk outside of the Spartacus business building. “Now we need to get you ready for Liverpool,” Chuck said and reached into his pants pocket for his car keys.
“I’m already training and ready. You just need to tell me the place and time, and I’ll be there.”
“It’s good to have you in the AFC family, Charlie.” He raised his hand and waved as he made his way out to the parking lot.
“Thank you for the opportunity.” I watched as he got into his car and drove away. I turned and looked up at the building that started my career. Life always had a funny way of ensuring you would get what you wanted. The path toward the ultimate goal was shitty at times but worth it in the end.
I threw my keys down onto the little table by the door. “Brooks, you home?” The house was quiet, almost too quiet. The living room was the next room after entering the house. There was a door to the room and it was closed. Since I moved into Brooks’s place, the door had never been closed. That was weird. “Hello?” I carefully opened it, worried for what I would find on the other side. The moment I had it wide open, a chorus of screams filled the room. “Oh sweet mother, Mary, and Joseph.” My hand was at my chest, and my heart rate increased to an abnormal level.
“Charlie.” Lily jumped forward and wrapped her arms around my body. “Welcome to AFC!”
“Wait a minute”—I placed my hands on my hips—“How did you find out?”
Brooks walked up and kissed my cheek. “Ask him,” he said, pointing to Chuck.
“How the hell did you beat me home?” I pointed my index finger at Lily. “Is that why you had me stop and pick up some sparkling water?”
Lily tried to feign innocence. “Maybe.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“Oh my goodness, I adore you.” I grabbed her hand and tugged her back closer to me. “You know that, right?”
“I had my suspicions.”
I turned to find Chuck walking our way. “You’re sneaky.”
“Well, actually I’m just thankful Danny agreed,” Chuck said. “Sometimes he rejects my offers.”
I could see everyone from the gym in the backyard through the sliding glass doors. Several of them were in the pool. I squeezed Lily one more time and then headed outside. When everyone noticed me, they started chanting my name. I shook my head and forced myself to hold in the tears. They didn’t need to see a cry fest over their generosity.
I reached for a water and poured a splash of wine in the glass.
“Wait, I thought you said you were training already.” Chuck winked.
“It’s a splash. I need to enjoy a little for the celebration.”
He poured straight up wine in a glass and handed it to me. “Enjoy a little more. You deserve it.”
“Um.” I reached for the glass. “Okay, you won’t see any argument from me.”
“First time for everything,” Lily yelled from the other side of the yard.
I held my middle finger up in her direction and took a big sip of the wine. This was my family. Everyone in this house played a role in making me smile or causing me to laugh. They were not blood, but they were full of heart, and I was pretty damn lucky.
6
“How many bathing suits did you order online?” Lily picked up one of the bikinis sitting on the edge of my bed.
“Only six,” I said and ripped a tag off one of the suits.
“Only six,” she repeated.
“This way I can mix and match. Plus, I have variety since I have no clue where Brooks is taking me.”
“Well, it’s somewhere in the United Kingdom, right?”
“I think so, but I really have no clue.”
“And you won’t until we get there,” Brooks said and stepped into the room. He walked over and lifted up the green and blue suit. “Oh, I like.”
“See, you didn’t need six. He loves that one.” Lily sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Bite your tongue,” Brooks teased. “I’m looking forward to the runway show later.”
“And that’s my cue to leave.” Lily stood and made her way to the doorway. “Flight leaves at eight a.m. sharp. Don’t let that runway show get too wild and crazy.”
“You’re no fun,” I pouted.
Brooks’s place took some getting used to. The house was basically a mansion like Julian’s place. It was only about a mile from Julian and Lily. He had his own gym but rarely used it before I made myself at home. Now, every night I made him go down and workout with me. I did have to bribe him by fighting in the nude. Lily encouraged me to give it a try.
“Six suits, eh?” Brooks stepped closer to me. “Did I forget to tell you that we are going to try out a nude beach?”
“What? No.” I quickly rejected the idea.
“Why not?”
“You get to see me nude. Lily has seen me nude. Some women at the gym maybe, but that’s it. My body is not made to be on display.”
He burst out laughing and nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. “It should be. You have a fucking amazing body.”
I jumped up into his arms. “We’ll see.”
He lifted his head up. “Really?”
“I’ll decide when the opportunity presents itself.”
Nude beach? Um, fuck that shit.
Then again, it could be fun.
“How many bags did you bring?” Brooks said, pulling two heavy suitcases from the back of his vehicle.
“Enough,” I said and reached for the heaviest bag and pulled up the handle to roll it inside. “You never know what you’ll need. Plus, you and I will be on vacation for two weeks after the fight.”
He walked over and kissed me. “And I can’t wait to have you all to myself for two full weeks.”
His words caused a shiver to run up my spine. Brooks was becoming more to me. My heart was learning to accept another person past my perfect wall I created so long ago. This vacation was needed on so many levels.
Before I left, I found a way to contact Jenny and let her know I would be gone for the next month. I didn’t want her risking everything to go to the gym, only to find I wasn’t there. We agreed to resume our private sessions once I was back in town.