by Alexa Davis
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought her up. I don’t want to make you sad.” I felt his lips brush against the side of my face.
“Don’t be sorry. I wish that I could remember her more. I have sporadic, little memories, but nothing big. Sometimes it’s hard to decide which memories are real and which ones I dreamt up as a kid who just wanted a mother so fucking bad.”
“We have that in common,” I said, “Not the memories, but the thing about wanting a mother, at least when I was growing up. I’m thankful for my dad. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be an abortion statistic.”
I felt his arms tighten around me, and I thought he actually shuddered. “What a horrible thought,” he said. “I’m more thankful for Charlie than I ever thought possible.”
I smiled into his chest. I hoped he still had that attitude after Dad found out that we were dating, because I had a very strong feeling my father was going to take out his feelings about that more on Nick than he would on me.
“You know, in all seriousness, I already have a lot of respect for Charlie. I’m not sure he and I would ever have enough in common to be friends, but he’s an awesome fighter, he’s a great teacher, and he’s a hell of a lot better father than mine ever was.”
“Before I knew you were Ethan’s brother, he said something about you guys spending a big part of your lives away in boarding schools.”
“Yeah, most of our life.”
“You came back to Vegas, though. Ethan didn’t. Are you and your father closer than those two?”
I couldn’t see his face, but I thought he snorted. “No, not even a little bit. Actually, between the two of us, Ethan is able to tolerate him better than I can. I came home when I graduated high school and refused to go to college as a big ‘fuck you’ to him. He expected us both to get business degrees and take over the family business someday. Ethan chose law instead. He always was the smart one.”
“I don’t believe that. You don’t have to have a college education to be smart.”
He kissed the side of my face again. “You don’t have to have one to get in a cage and beat the snot out of someone, either. I guess it wasn’t too smart of me in the long run, though. What if I don’t win this title? Or what if I do…then what?”
“You could always go to college. You’re twenty-six years old. You have a lot of time to decide what you want to do with the rest of your life.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” he said. His voice finally sounded sleepy. “Will Charlie be worried that you didn’t come home?”
“I sent him a text earlier.” I felt him tense up, and I laughed. “I didn’t tell him I was here. He thinks I’m with Michaela.”
“I’m not scared of Charlie,” he said in a thick, sleepy voice.
I rubbed his arm with my hand. “Sure you’re not. Goodnight, Nick.”
He shifted and turned me so that his body spooned against my back. “You want to know a secret?”
“What’s that?”
“I’ve never slept with a woman before.”
I pulled his arms in around my waist tighter. “I’m glad to be your first,” I told him. He whispered something. I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly, and I wasn’t about to ask him to repeat it. He was half asleep. Even if he said what I thought he did, I’m sure he didn’t mean it. It sounded like,
“My only.”
********
I finally got home at almost ten o’clock the next morning. I was awake at six, but so was Nick and his sex drive. We had sex again twice, once in bed and again in the shower. I put the same clothes back on I’d worn the day before sans the ripped up underwear and drove Nick to get his truck. He tried talking me into spending Sunday with him and I was sorely tempted, but I’d been neglecting my schoolwork and had to buckle down before first semester finals.
Dad was in the living room when I walked in the front door. I wondered if my face looked guilty as I said, “Hey, Dad!”
“Hi, girl. How was the night?”
I went over and kissed his cheek. “It was fun. We just had dinner. Early night. Yesterday was a long day.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Speaking of, great job your boys did yesterday, all of them.” Besides Nick and Kevin, Dad had trained two of the other fighters. Neither of the other two were destined for anything great, but they were good fighters and they had both won yesterday. Kevin was the only one who had lost. Poor guy.
“Yeah,” he said in what I knew to be his negative voice. “They all could have done better; especially Kevin.”
“Dad! He already feels so bad about losing yesterday. What if he hears you?”
“He’s not here, but don’t you think I’m going to tell him that to his face? The kid has to learn. He was all up in his head yesterday, probably thinking about chasing tail.”
“No, Dad.” I sat down next to him on the couch. “That’s not what he was thinking about.”
“Oh? You have some inside information?”
“Dad…I’m going to ask you a question that will probably piss you off. But try and remember that I’m not a little girl anymore.”
With a curious look, he cocked an eyebrow at me and said, “Okay.”
“Did you have an affair with Linda Andrews?”
His expression changed from curious to incredulous. “What? Is this a joke? Linda is married to my best friend.”
“I know that, Dad, but you didn’t answer the question.”
He jumped up and paced the living room. “Why would you even ask it?”
“Dad, please just answer the question.”
He stared at me for a long time, like I was somehow betraying him by asking. Finally, with what looked like real pain on his face he said, “It wasn’t an affair. It was one time, and we were both drunk.”
“Just one time, Dad?”
“Karli, what is this?”
“Kevin heard you on the phone with Linda the other day. He also saw the two of you making out when he was eleven years old. It was in the middle of the day when Frank was at work, and I don’t recall you being drunk at any time during that trip.”
He sat down in the recliner and put his head in his hands.
“Dad, is Kevin my brother?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
NICK
Sunday was the longest day of my life and by the time I went to bed that night, I was re-thinking this whole relationship thing. The funny thing was that it wasn’t because I regretted being with Karli; it was because I couldn’t stand being away from her already and I wasn’t sure what to do with those feelings. It was all new.
I understood that she had homework and studying to do. Her brains only added to her sexiness as far as I was concerned. I just felt sorry for myself and for the first time in my adult life, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with my free time.
I went over to Jonah’s for a while to watch the football game, but as soon as I got there and saw that it was a full-blown, wild party with groupies and showgirls, I was ready to leave. I ended up staying an hour just to be polite and in those short, sixty minutes, I had to turn down three propositions. I didn’t regret turning them down, but it was annoying and I was relieved to get back to my quiet, empty house. I ordered take-out, watched two boring movies, and nearly broke my neck to get to the phone when Karli finally called. It was all so fucking weird.
Monday morning, I woke up with butterflies in my stomach. I wasn’t sure if it was excitement over the prospect of seeing Karli or anxiety at the prospect of Charlie putting me in a cage and kicking the snot out of me for dating his daughter. Either way, I was glad to get out of the house with a purpose.
I got to the gym early, just after seve. Karli wasn’t there and neither was Charlie, but Kevin was. He was asleep in the locker room on a wooden bench. “Hey, Shrek, you okay?” He jumped at the sound of my voice and almost fell off the bench onto the floor.
“What?”
“Why are you sleeping in the locker room? Did you get drunk last night?”
/>
He sat up and ran his hands over his face. “No, man, I didn’t get drunk. I actually got lucky, for a minute.”
I chuckled as I dropped my duffel bag down and unzipped it. “Is that all it took?”
I got him to smile at least. He looked at me and said, “Shut the fuck up. You know what I mean.”
“No…I honestly don’t.”
He sighed and rubbed his face again. “I met a girl after the fight Saturday. We went out to dinner afterwards and had a drink. We went back to her place and watched a movie. I fell asleep on her couch. She laid down by me and I held her all night. It was great.”
I smiled. “So far it sounds great. So, how did it land you on a wooden bench Monday morning?”
He sighed. “I went back to Charlie’s house Sunday afternoon and he and Karli were having a big fight.”
Now he really had my interest. “They were?” She hadn’t said anything about it when I talked to her on the phone last night. Was it about me? Shit.
“Nah, it was about me and my paternity.”
I dropped down on the bench across him. “Fuck.”
“Yeah, right? Anyways, we were going to wait until the results came back on the DNA test she helped me do and only talk to him if they were positive. I’m not sure how it came up, but when I walked in yesterday, they were really going at it. Karli was telling him she was ashamed of him and he was telling her none of it was her business. They both stopped when I walked in.
“I looked at Charlie and said, ‘Are you my dad?’ Charlie looked angry with me, like it was my fault, and he said, ‘Frank’s your dad. I’m your trainer and while we’re on the subject, you really fucked up that fight yesterday.’ I was trying to think of what to say, but Karli started talking first. She was pissed at him and sticking up for me. I appreciate that. I like Karli a lot.”
He looked nervous then and said, “Like a sister. I feel bad though that she’s arguing with her dad because of me.”
“Look, Kevin, I doubt Karli is looking at it like that. I don’t believe you should, either. You were the product of what Charlie and your mother chose to do. None of it was your fault and Karli knows that. She was standing up for you because she cares about you, and I doubt it was her and Charlie’s first disagreement. I get the feeling those two have been through a lot and come out the other side closer and stronger every time.”
“I hope so,” he said. “Thanks, Nick. I’m still not sure what I’m supposed to do. Should I confront my mom or tell my dad? At this point, what does it really matter? I’m a grown ass man and Frank was a good father, biological or not. Telling him now would only hurt him, and it would probably mean the ending of his marriage to my mom and his relationship with his oldest friend. If I told him now, it would only be because I’m upset with Mom and Charlie and want to hurt them. I think it might be selfish.”
“I think it says good things about you that you put so much thought into this before rushing in and doing something that might hurt your dad.”
“I guess, but I also feel so angry with Mom and Charlie. I’m so pissed that they did this to him. He’s a really good guy, Nick. I always looked up to him. He taught me everything. He protected me growing up, and he’d take a bullet for me, even now. I don’t think I can stay here and let Charlie keep training me after what he did, but if I go home now, Dad will want to know why.”
“Do you have to make a decision today?”
He shrugged. “I guess not, except that I don’t think I can stay in Charlie’s house any more, and I don’t really have enough money to get my own place.”
I really couldn’t believe I was about to do this. Growing up and maturing kind of sucked. At the very least, it changed your life – that’s for fucking sure. “You could stay with me. I have three empty bedrooms.”
“Ah, no, Nick. Thank you. I appreciate it, but that’s not why I was telling you all of this.”
“I know, Shrek. Karli did what family does by sticking up for you. I’m doing what friends do by offering my help.”
“We’re friends?”
“I thought so; do you not?”
“I…well, yeah, I hoped so. Guys like you don’t usually want to be friends with guys like me; not in my experience, anyways.”
I sat there and wished that I could tell him he was wrong. I’d always been friends with the popular guys, the rich guys, and the guys that attracted more women because that’s what I needed, right? Like I said, growing up sure as hell changes things.
“I think of you as a friend, Shrek.”
He grinned. “Thanks, Nick. I’ll take you up on the place to stay, but just for a couple of weeks or so until I can figure out what to do. Hey, since you call me Shrek and we’re friends and all, I was wondering about something.”
“What’s that?”
“Can I call you Donkey?”
I pulled my work-out gear out of the canvas bag sitting next to me and stood up. “Only if you want the ass whooping of your life,” I told him as I walked away. I heard him laughing.
********
I sent Karli a text at lunch time that said, “Your Dad is kicking my ass. I’m not sure I’ll survive to see the championship fight.”
I got one back from her with a sad face emoji. It said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t tell him about us yet.”
“Yeah, he’s pissed about this thing with Shrek.”
“Dad told you that?”
“Oh hell no. Charlie and I do not have that kind of relationship. Shrek told me. I kind of told him that he could stay with me for a while, too.”
The next time I got two emoji’s laughing with tears rolling down their cheeks. “Wow, a big week for Nick Storelli. First a girlfriend and now a roommate… Thank you, Nick. That was sweet of you.”
Sweet. Damn. “The kid was sleeping in the locker room. It was sad. Hey, what are you doing tonight?”
“I should study…”
“What if I promise to have you home early?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Surprise. Pick you up at six?”
“At my house?”
“We are going to tell Charlie eventually, right?”
“Yeah, but so much going on right now. Maybe we could wait…just a little while.”
I thought about the morning I’d just had. Charlie was taking out the anger from his argument with Karli and what was going on with Shrek on all of us today. It was a good work-out, but it wasn’t fucking pleasant at all. I didn’t want to poke the hornet’s nest just yet. “Okay, yeah. Meet me at my place at six then.”
“Okay, see you then.”
I couldn’t wait, but I didn’t say that. I couldn’t make too many changes in one week. I might wake up a completely different person tomorrow.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
KARLI
I wore a pair of comfortable jeans and a t-shirt when I left the house. When I got to Nick’s, the sun was already on its way down and it had cooled off a lot from the abnormal heat of the fall day. I grabbed a hoodie out of the trunk of my car and went up to knock on the door. He pulled it open before my knuckles made contact and then ran those beautiful, blue eyes across me from head to toe. It made me want to shiver.
“Did I dress okay?”
He smiled. God, those dimples kill me. “Perfect,” he said.
He was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. I’d never known anyone that could make a white t-shirt look so good. The way the cotton fabric stretched over his taut muscles and the contrast of the bright white to the colorful ink covering his arms should be illegal.
He stepped out holding a duffel bag and locked the door behind him before taking my hand and leading me over to his big truck. As he was helping me up, I tried again,
“So, where did you say we were going?”
He laughed. “Nice try. It’s a surprise, remember?”
“I thought it was worth a shot. What’s the duffel bag for?”
He laughed, closed my door, and tossed the bag in t
he back before climbing in his side. “You’re not good with surprises, are you?”
I sighed. “Nope. I grew up with Charlie, remember? Does he seem like the impulsive or mysterious type to you?”
Nick laughed. “Um…no.” He drove toward the strip and the whole time, I was playing the guessing game.
“We’re going to the coffin show at Circus Circus?”
“Nope.” He bypassed the strip and got onto I-15.
“We’re going to Utah?”
He chuckled. “No. Do you want to go to Utah?”
“Not really.” I was wracking my brain trying to figure out where in the world…he merged onto I-95. “Reno!”
“No, but you seem excited about that.”
“No,” I said, disappointed. “I was just glad I guessed right.” He laughed.
We stayed on 95 for what seemed like a long time. I gave up guessing for a while and became mesmerized by the setting sun. In the desert, the sun always looks bigger, and as it sinks down behind the large hills in the distance, threads of red, orange, and yellow light linger in the sky and mingle with the rolling clouds, dyeing them with bright colors.
When it was almost completely dark and we hadn’t turned off yet, I said, “Rhyolite?”
“Not today, but I love that place.”
“I’ve never actually been there.”
“Really?” Rhyolite is an elaborate ghost town in the middle of the desert. Dad and I’d gone the other direction one weekend to one called Calico. Rhyolite is said to put that one to shame. “You have to go one day. I’ll take you, and we’ll make it a weekend trip and go to Scotty’s Castle, too.”
“What’s Scotty’s Castle?”
“Really?”
Laughing, I said, “Yes, really. I’m not from Nevada, remember?”
“You’ve been here for eleven years now.”
“Again, I live with Charlie. We didn’t get out much.”
He smiled and said, “Back during the gold rush days, a guy named Walter Scott, a con man, convinced this really rich guy and his wife to come out here to invest in his gold mine up in the Grapevine Hills in Death Valley. The couple moved out from Chicago, and at first, the rich guy was pissed because he realized there wasn’t any gold in them thar hills.”