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Livie
"Beja, are you sure you don't have to call your doctor or Layla? Your ankles are still swelling and you look a little pale."
I knew Dulce was right, but my denial that anything could be wrong with me trumped my right mind. Stopping in mid walk in the middle of the shopping mall, I twisted my ankles to try and relieve the heaviness in each one. Looking up, I forced a reassuring smile at her.
"It's just all the walking we've been doing. I promise. Other than swollen ankles, I feel fine. I’m not used to shopping like this and I'm pretty sure all the salty foods I eat don't help either. Let's just make one last stop to pick up dinner because you are not cooking for me after a full day of shopping."
"Okay, but only if you at least call Layla right now. Schedule an appointment for manana-tomorrow-or something. It would make me feel better and if Law calls and coax it out of me, you know he'll feel better if you already had an appointment scheduled. I'm not even going to tell you what Ocean would do or say."
I nodded in agreement, pulling my phone out of my hand bag. Fifteen minutes later, Layla had me on the schedule for tomorrow first thing in the morning and by first thing in the morning, I mean 7 a.m. Due to the swelling, she wanted to check something in my urine which would explain a lot if she had prematurely diagnosed my swelling and other symptoms right.
The rest of my evening went by smoothly. I refrained from calling Ocean every time I got strong urge to hear his voice. Law told me they'd needed to get through this adventure alone and I knew it was going to be hard, especially for Ocean. I couldn't even start to imagine all of the memories that would bombard him on arrival.
With dinner out of the way, the dishes washed and put away, and my relaxing shower over; I made my way to the office.
I pulled up the hotel information for the one Ocean and Law were staying in and it was most definitely Law approved. The Venetian Hotel was amazing. I searched different sites of the MMA tours Las Vegas offered. For about half an hour I searched the city of Las Vegas, going to tourist sites, imagining I was there with my favorite boys.
A horrendous yawn ripped through my throat when... something moved. My body froze while my breathing coming in short and hard.
I stared at the screen at the picture of the Bellagio Hotel, concentrating on the flashy lights of the nighttime portrait.
Bump!
Another movement, this one stronger then the first one right beneath my belly button. Oh. My. God! They were moving! My babies were moving! God this felt so surreal, so alien, but at the same time it felt...felt like nothing I've ever felt before.
Tears welled up in my eyes as another jab poked at the side of my belly. My tears came out in a full on rush. Grabbing the office phone that had Ocean's number on speed dial I called him, giggling in my seat.
This was so exciting!
I hope he doesn't get pissed that he's not here to share this with me. The thought came crashing down on me and I hung up the phone the on fifth ring. He was busy anyway, I shouldn't interrupt him like this. But then again, he did say that I came first no matter what and he didn't have to tell me that for me to know it was one hundred and ten percent true.
I powered the cordless phone and called him again. Then again, and then about eight more times after that.
Shit!
Without realizing, it I dialed Law frantically; I just needed to hear at least one of their voices, but then I hung up.
What if he was talking to Dulce? She missed him just as much as I did. I couldn’t take up his time if he was sharing it with his wife, my best friend and my sister, in more ways than one.
The shrill ring of the phone in my hand caused me to drop the phone. With my growing lack of coordination, I jerked forward to keep the phone from smashing onto the floor beneath me and succeeded by banging my forehead on the edge of the humongous desk.
Shit that hurt!
“Hello," I answered through gritted teeth as I rubbed my head.
"Sunshine that you?"
"Hey Law. Yes it's me. I’m sorry for calling you, but Ocean isn't answering his cell phone."
"Sunshine, you don't have to apologize. You can call me instead of him anytime." Something in the way he said that made the hairs on my arms stand; he sounded like Law, but a bit off.
"I know that…um…is everything okay with you? You sound really tense."
With a smile in his voice, he responded. "I’m good Pillsbury. So, what's up? Is everything okay with you? Do you need something?"
"I uh…“The flutter in my belly rolled as I felt another push along my belly button.
"Sunshine, you okay? Please talk. I'm starting to think of worst case scenarios over here."
Oh god!
"No Law. I'm okay it's just, uh…the babies are moving. I can feel him now. I haven't talked to Ocean since he landed and I wanted to share, but I..."
My rant was cut short by Law’s soulful laughter and squeals. "Holy shit Sunshine! They're kicking now! Okay, okay tell me everything while I track down Ocean. This hotel is huge and last I heard from him, he was with Santi and Trell in the ridiculous gym they have here. So spill dammit. Tell me everything you felt!"
My laughter poured out of me; the way only Law knew how to entice from me. I babbled like a mad women about my day of shopping, eating, and finally the first feelings of real baby movement.
He was ecstatic, frantic even, until his laughter died down and the other end of the line was silent. When he told me he'd call me in ten I wanted to die, fearing something terrible was happening since he made some bogus excuse about taking trash out, but I didn't argue with him. His tone had changed back to that dark and angry sound to it.
I hung up with him, sitting unmoving while waiting for the phone to ring again.
Please Ocean. Please call me back.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ocean
"Hello? Ocean?" The sound of Liv's voice after what just happened down in the main lobby feels more like a slap to the face.
I clear my throat, but I already know I won't be able to hide the thick emotion sliding up my throat about to coat the next words out of my mouth.
"Hi baby."
Yep. That sounded like a prepubescent pip squeak!
"What's going on? Is everything okay? I was talking to Law, then he went all serious, but first you weren’t answering your phone..."
"Liv, baby. Slow down okay. First, just tell me you’re okay."
"Yes I'm okay! Now what's going on? Neither you or Law sound right, so don’t you dare get ready to tell me that you two are fine and everything is alright! Ocean! Talk!"
Truth. Truth asshole, tell her nothing but the truth.
From the beginning, I started filling in Liv on what has happened. I didn't leave out the part between me and Law being at odds with each other for no voiced reason. It helped to explain why he and I sounded the way we did, well partly.
"So, when I got near the elevators, I was stopped by someone calling my name. I didn't recognize them at first. I didn’t even remember the name but after a minute or two, it came to me."
"A minute or two you say?" she bit out in anger. "So due tell husband, what's her name?"
Lord help me.
"Her name is Katia. Katia Lambert."
"Okay so what's the problem? You got flogged down in the middle of a beautiful fucking lobby of The Venetian by an old friend acquaintance or whatever, but that still doesn't tell me what the problem is Ocean!"
Oh Liv was pissed. Not because it was another women because deep down inside; she already knew no other woman could hold a candle to her in my eyes and in my heart and soul. She was livid because of the implication that this woman could possibly rip me off of the right path I've found and pull me under.
I got up from the leather chair in the suite to pace the large room. "Look baby. She's not the first person I'm going to run into here in Vegas that has some tie to my past. I understood that when I got on the plane and you have to trust me that
I'm not going back on my promises to you. I won't go back to that life, Livie. I've got too much to lose to even consider that. You do know that, don’t you?"
I waited a couple seconds, but the reply I got was silence and a sniffle from Liv here and there.
"Okay. Katia was a close friend when I was heavy in competing. She came onto the scene on the last year of my career when I was on top of my shit. We hooked up and became good friends among other things. She was the first person that introduced me to the rougher, uglier side of the business. She was the first person that helped me sniff my first shot of coke. Seeing her here today scared the shit out of me and mentally, I want to turn and run the fuck out of there but my body was stuck and trying to sort it all out."
I didn't know what else to say. Anything more would just further dig my acid filled grave for me, so I clamped my mouth shut while waiting for Liv to something.
Finally, she cleared her throat and I closed my eyes to picture her squaring her shoulders while raising her chin up high.
"Ocean. As much as I want to curse you to hell and track down this Katia scumbag Lambert, I trust you. We've made promises to each other and confessed vows to each other's souls. I am not backing out on any one of them and I strongly suggest that the thought doesn't even cross that confused mind of yours. You will get through these fights in one piece. You will find Law and apologize until you're purple in the face and on the verge of passing out until the two of you are on the same page and you WILL come back to me stronger and tougher than when you left me! You, my husband, have too much to lose like you said before. I'm going to hang up, take another relaxing shower, and go to bed. Good luck on your fights tonight. Give Trell and Santi a good word of encouragement from me before they fight. Goodnight Ocean."
What?! No!
"Baby wait. Hold on a minute. If you don't want to talk to me right now that's fine, but you were trying to reach me Liv. What was it? What happened?"
"Despite my need to hang up on you and slam this phone down on the receiver, I felt our babies move for the first time today. Not just the fluttering I've been feeling for quite some time, but real pokes. It felt wonderful and I was so excited that I couldn't wait any longer to tell you, but now I wish I would have waited. Goodnight."
"Wait baby. I…“My phone blacked and the call ended. Motherfucker!
I dropped my heavy ass on the bed, letting the phone fly out of my hand and onto the floor. Not even one full day and I was losing it.
The door to my suite buzzed and flew open. Law strode in with his back straight and his million dollar smile in place as he eyed my deflated body lying on the bed.
"What has you smiling so hard?"
He shrugs off my question, taking a seat at the end of the bed just barely out of arms reach. "I just feel a lot better knowing that Sunshine tore your ass a new one for being a fucking dick. There's nothing that I could say to make you feel the way you feel now after the love of your life just slammed her virtual fist into your face. So with that said, Ocean I'm sorry for snapping at you. You know how I get around fights, but that's not an excuse. We came here as professionals. We came here to support our fighters and make a name for ourselves and what we do now. You have Sunshine and a belly full of babies at home waiting for you. I have my beautiful wife and pending adoption waiting for me. I say we get our sorry asses together and act like fucking men, man. We've come too far to slip in between the cracks, alright. So are you in or out?"
Seriously? Was this like a Doctor Phil special or some shit?!
"Of course I'm in."
"Alright then. Go hit the showers. We need to be there for your guys when they have their final weigh in. I'll be waiting here if you don't mind; too many spectators and loose women downstairs. They look like wild preying hyenas, waiting to sink their sick claws into the next fighter that comes out of the elevators." His body shivers visibly and I laugh into my forearm.
I got up without a word and headed to the master bathroom to wash away the sins of today.
In the next few minutes, I'd step out the man I'd promised my wife I would be for her and our family. A man with principle, pride, and hunger; a man with one focus above it all…taking care of his queen.
Here comes Ocean Grant Hawthorne motherfuckers!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
My name is Melissa De Olmos, it's quite a mouth-full but that's me. I live in the sunny, tropical and extremely too tranquil city of Palm Bay, Florida with my two lovely crazies’ ages six and three.
I could say that writing novels has been a passion that I've always pursued but I can't. Writing for me has always been my own secret escape into a land of wonders, opportunities, timeless loves and so much trouble that I sometimes wonder if I need medication for the stories that pop into my head.
I am in love--no-- I am obsessed with everything mystical, fantasy, true to a reader’s heart, and fiction. It has been an enormous pleasure and indescribable experience sharing my Oceans Series with the world and I cannot wait to fill this world with more crazy for you awesome people to devour.
Follow Melissa!
Blog: http://madeolmos.blog.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/OceansCollide
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Hawthornes Calm Manuscript Page 22