The Predator [2]

by Brooke May

  Oh, I like this.

  “Tonight, I, Katie Lawrence will be announcing our victor!” I scream, the crowd following suit. “Both competitors did an impressive job.” I clap, Marissa claps, and so does everyone else. I throw a mischievous smile to Chamberlain as he stands to my right, confused. “But there can only be one winner,” I say slyly. I turn to face Chamberlain completely. “Congratulations, stud, you’re the winner!”

  Right as I end my sentence, Marissa clicks the button on the remote the announcer handed to her as he helped her up into the ring. The giant television comes to life above us and Chamberlain has to step back to see the picture displayed on it. It’s a picture I had taken of Marissa moments before I came down here. She’s smiling widely, her eyes glistening, and holding a sign up.

  I’m going to be a big sister!

  I watch Chamberlain cup his gloved hand over his mouth and tears fall from his eyes. I bite my lip as I watch him. Shaking his head as if in disbelief, he finds my eyes and stalks to me, swinging me gently in the air before kissing me. “Congrats, Daddy,” I breathe against the side of this face as he hugs me to him.

  And just like that, nestled in Chamberlain’s arms, I know our life is right on track, and it will be nothing but good memories from here on out. Fiona was right when she said we had a fighting love all those years ago. We fought the heartache of losing one another, overcoming insecurities, my parents, and the past. We forged our own path and love for one another, and it shows in our daughter’s eyes and soon in this baby’s as well.

  It doesn’t matter if he isn’t always the champion because he will always be the winner of my heart. Some say that a predator can never be calmed, but they don’t know the power the right person can bring to a predator’s heart.

  Epilogue

  Chamberlain

  LOOK AT THAT, nice neat little rows of those plastic, see-through tubs they put newborns in. In the mass of screaming and fussy babies, right there in the middle are two babies who have yet to be separated for a long period.

  They grew right next to one another inside their mother, my beautiful panda, my loving wife, Katie. Nothing compares to this feeling I have right now. This glow in my chest I’m sure everyone can see because it shines through the smile on my face, the absolute pure joy of becoming a father again.

  This is what it must have felt like after Marissa was born; this completely amazing feeling has another worldly vibe to it. Katie endured a hard pregnancy with not one baby but two.

  She gave me twins.

  I don’t care how much she will argue with me—we gave them to one another—but she did all the work; carrying them, making sure they got the nourishment they needed to be strong, and all while getting everything ready for them on the outside.

  For now, they will share a room. Katie insisted on putting their cribs side by side so they could see one another, but I can see the two of them getting in a heap of trouble once they are old enough.

  My boys.

  Shit, I have two identical sons. I didn’t even know it ran in our genes. I don’t know any twins in my family, and Katie has no clue either.

  Duncan is to the left of his slightly smaller brother. He’s wearing a black onesie that has a single boxing glove on it and says Fighter #1 and a matching black skull cap. He’s curled up tightly to his brother; this is the only way they know how to sleep.

  Hell, that’s the only way I know how to sleep with their mom. No matter how grumpy and uncomfortable she was, I always kept her close to me in her spot.

  Cayden’s fist jets up before slowly sinking back down. The smile on my face grows even more. “That’s my boy.” When his fist goes back down, it rests on his little belly. He’s in a white onesie, matching his brother with the boxing glove, but Fighter #2 on his with a white skull cap.

  Damn black and white.

  Those colors are stuck with us for life.

  My whole life changed the day I saw Katie bending over in that outfit she was wearing. Black and white never looked so sexy, so beautiful, and so perfect for me. I’ll never tell her this, but before her, all my clothes ranged in any number of colors, including my fighting shorts. But that day, I went out and bought everything new in black and white. I was branded. Katie made me hers the day she slung Scott over her back and walked away.

  It was the first day since I had lost my mom, that I felt like I was alive again. Seeing her tiny, fragile, but gloriously beautiful self, my heart, my nerve endings, hell, my whole body came back to life.

  I never found happiness through drinking or partying that just the sight of her gives me. The second I saw her, all the words my mom had told me about finding the woman for me came crashing down on me, and I felt sick. How was partying, drinking, and indulging in way too many women honoring the memory of my parents and the love they had for one another and for me?

  The answer is I wasn’t honoring them and the life they paved for me. Scott dragging me to fights and slapping the shit out of me to sober up didn’t help much. Sure, I focused on getting into fighting and remembered how my dad loved them.

  The first fight Scott got me was in a back alley. The guy had at least fifty pounds on me, and the rush I got from knocking him out was amazing. Nothing had given me that kind of rush before, not even wrestling in high school. That’s when I decided to try to go pro. I hit the gym more; fewer books and even fewer beer bottles.

  Then my panda came along, and I was knocked out for the first time. Her simple beauty took everything from inside me like she had a pull on me that instantly mended our souls. I didn’t have to keep working out at the rec center, but I knew if I had seen her once, I would see her again. I had to see her, get her before she got away. Something as precious and as wonderful as Katie wouldn’t stay available for long, and I needed just one chance.

  The day she agreed to go out with me was ah-mazing! I felt like the king of the world, the champ, the gold medal recipient, and Nobel Prize winner all wrapped into one. And then I felt horrible by getting her in my car, the P.O.S. it was at the time. I knew at the first meal we shared together that she was it for me.

  And then I lost her, but unlike when I lost my parents, I didn’t lose myself. The drive to find her and get her back focused me. I worked my ass off fighting, and the damn chance came in Denver on the four-year anniversary of losing her. Chance fated me to find Katie not once, but twice, and the second time, there was no way I was going to fuck it up.

  Now, Katie’s sleeping in a hospital bed after pushing our two little boys out. She did incredible, never once saying she couldn’t do it, never once giving up midway through a push. Her pregnancy wasn’t easy, but I would never trade those months for anything, including the championship.

  I didn’t fight this season.

  Beth sure did; I made sure she did. She and Scott were out there, just finishing up the finals, and she did really well for her first season. Some shit went down that had me flying out there when I really didn’t want to leave my panda, and Beth wasn’t able to finish the season. They flew home late last night when Fiona called to tell them Katie’s water broke, and they should be here soon with my little princess. And I’m damn glad they will be back because I still don’t know everything that happened there.

  Marissa has been amazing as well through Katie’s pregnancy. She’s going to make a wonderful mom someday way in the future after she has a college degree and her own kickass job.

  Katie was scared about this season, but the night she told me we were pregnant, I knew I wouldn’t fight this season. Noah had told me at the championship how hard the traveling was on Helena, but he didn’t want to miss anything.

  The first time I heard the dual heartbeats only solidified my decision. Sure, I kept training to keep up my weight and skills for when the boys are old enough to travel. Katie has already decided to homeschool Marissa so she can travel as well.

  “Mr. Lawrence?” A nurse approaches me, drawing my focus away from my boys.

  “Yes?”


  “Your wife is awake and asking for you and your sons. I was just about to move them when I saw you.”

  “Okay.” I gesture for her to lead the way. I stop and wait for her to get the boys, and I fall into step next to them. “Morning, panda.” I poke my head in her private room. Katie’s hair is piled on top of her head, wet from a shower, and she’s changed, no longer in the hospital gown, and her IV is gone. “They let you change?”

  “Yes.” She pushes her cold food away. I ordered her something just in case she woke up while I was watching the boys. “Now, I feel human again.” Her smile is easy. “Where are my boys? I need to feed them.” She claps her hands together, and I move to the side of the bed where a chair I was snoozing in sits. The nurse pushes the boys in and helps Katie get them out.

  “Do you need any assistance?”

  “No.” Katie’s smile is perfect. “I’ve got this. Thank you, though.”

  “Sure thing. Buzz if you need anything.” She leaves us, and Katie pulls down her shirt and helps Duncan latch on.

  “Let me help.” I feel useless I can’t help with this part. I help her get Cayden in the right position, and he latches right on to his mom. “A natural, like his dad,” I tease before dropping back into the chair. “You look beautiful, Katie.”

  Her head rests back, and her eyes are closed. “I’m still pretty tired.”

  “You just pushed two little people out of you not even four hours ago,” I point out. Watching my boys come into the world was like watching a miracle.

  “I know, and I’m so glad they are here. Look at all the hair they have.”

  “Hairy little beasts like their dad.”

  “I can’t wait for Marissa to get here and meet them.”

  “Me too. She’s going to be a mother hen with the two of them.” I still can’t believe we had twins.

  “You’re probably right.”

  “Thank you,” I say after a few minutes of silence. The only noise is the boys’ suckling.

  Katie looks up at me, brows furrowed, and her ice blue eyes etched with confusion. “For what?”

  “For giving me your love, giving me three beautiful kids, and a life I only ever thought my parents had.”

  “Chamberlain.” Her eyes start to water.

  “No more tears.” I get up and kiss her forehead. “I love you, Katie.”

  “I love you, too.” She can’t wipe her eyes since she is holding the boys, so she blinks them away.

  Duncan, the little pig, is the first one to finish and unlatches from Katie. “Let me see him.” My huge hands make him look like a little doll instead of a baby. I hold him to my shoulder and pat his back until he burps, and then I cradle him to my chest while Katie does the same with Cayden.

  “Knock, knock. Put those boobies away; you have visitors.” Beth’s singsong voice floats into the room.

  “Mommy? Daddy?”

  “Come on in, baby doll,” Katie calls to our daughter. She comes around the curtain wearing her jeans and a shirt with Big Sister written across it, and her hair is braided. Beth and Scott follow her in and then Fiona. They all stop at the foot of the bed while Marissa crawls on top to see her brothers.

  “Which one?” Marissa points at Cayden.

  “Marissa, this is your youngest brother, Cayden.” Katie holds him out for Marissa to see him. “Would you like to hold him?”

  “Yes, please.” She moves between Katie’s legs and holds her brother with such care I would cry if Scott wasn’t here. “Hello Cayden, I’m Marissa, you sister.” She kisses his nose making his fist bat at her. She giggles. “He’s silly.”

  I look up at our two best friends, and they look different. They’re standing closer to one another than they normally would. Something must have changed between the two of them.

  “May I see Duncan now, Daddy?” Marissa comes to me now. Beth takes Cayden and sits down with him while talking.

  “Sure.” I help her onto my lap and move Duncan so she can see him.

  “Hello Duncan, I’m Marissa, you sister.” She repeats to him and kisses his nose like she did with Cayden. But his reaction is different; a smile comes to his face and fades quickly. “He smiled at me!” Marissa squeals. All five of us adults hush her.

  “You can’t be too loud, princess. Your brothers need lots of sleep for the next few months.”

  “Oh, sorry,” she pouts.

  I kiss her. “Don’t worry; you have a lot to learn like me. We’ll learn all this together, okay?”

  “Otay.”

  “Let me see that little guy.” Scott takes my son. I’m not going to lie; I hold my breath until he takes the seat next to Beth with Duncan. But as I look at the seven members of my family, I feel like I’m still the champ.

  Katie and I reign over our love for each other, our children, and our family. No championship belt is worth the same as this.

  I will keep this with me.

  ALWAYS.

  The End

  Note to From the Author

  Dear Reader,

  I wanted to personally thank you for taking the time to read The Predator Part Two. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. This book was meant from the very beginning to be in two parts and I hope part two has lived up to the beginning

  Be looking for news on The Predator Series Wildfire Knockout coming July 21st, 2017

  If you have enjoyed this book, please consider writing a spoiler-free review on the site where you purchased your copy through. Reviews are beneficial for both future readers and for me to grow and improve as an indie author.

  Thank you so much for downloading and reading.

  With love,

  Brooke May

  Acknowledgements

  God; because with Him all things are possible. He has helped me heal when I was sick and He has gifted me with my imagination and growing courage to put myself out into the world. He has helped me through so much by giving me this talent. I thank him daily.

  My family; Thank you for teaching me love and showing me your support and love on a daily basis. Thank you for standing beside me and putting up with my strange and bizarre ideas. Especially you Mom, you’re the one I seem to torment the most.

  To the Warden; thank you for putting up with my random questions, my odd behavior, and encouraging me to reach for my dreams. Thank you for being the best man not only to me but to our boys as well.

  To my boys; thank you my wonderful little disasters for being everything and more to me. I do this not just for me but for you two, to teach you that no matter what your dreams are you can reach them with a little hard work. Big B I love how you are as random as me and Little E no matter what mood I’m in you can always find something to make me laugh.

  To my beta babe, Manda; thank you for taking every chapter I send you to read and giving me your full, honest option on my words. You drive me to write every day (mainly because I don’t want to be hunted down by your redheaded fiery) and give me that boost I need to know my words are getting stronger.

  Breny, Becca, and Rebecca; thank you for being the final eyes on this book baby of mine and for cussing at me. I love you for it; means the passion of my words filled your heart.

  Jen; thank you once more for doing such a wonderful job combing through my words and helping me make it the best story it possibly can be. I’m glad it took me a while to find an incredible editor. I’m so grateful for you.

  Tracie; thank you for this cover. It truly rounds out the Predator duet.

  My K.B.A.B.E.s thank you for being my tribe! COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! Yeah, you know what I mean.

  Thank you Booksmacked for helping with my release blitz and day, for helping get ARCs out, and for just being absolutely amazing! And Mel, woman you are fucking awesome! Your passion for books is powerful and wonderful to see.

  To all the bloggers and fellow authors out there thank you for doing what you love. Thank you for inspiring me with your own written words and for the bloggers who love to read and sp
read their love to everyone.

  And to you, my readers; thank you for finding my books and reading them. Without you, none of this would be possible. Thank you for your support, your reviews, wonderful words, and your encouragement.

  About the Author

  Born and raised in Northern Wyoming. Brooke spent a great deal of her childhood and even well into her adulthood in her imagination and creating different stories. With an overactive imagination life has been truly entertaining.

  A mother of two wild and reckless boys and a wife; Brooke keeps busy year round doing things with her pups and family. When she isn’t writing, can usually be spotted walking somewhere in town, at the library with her youngest, or up in the mountains four-wheeling, hiking, fishing, and some hunting. A notebook and camera are never far from her side when she is out on her adventures with her family.

  She loves hearing from readers and anyone who feels like talking. Feel free to pay her a visit whenever.

  Want to know more about future releases, teasers, and other fun Brooke may have in store feel free to join her mailing list here.

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorbrookemay

  Twitter: @B_May88

  Instagram: BrookeMay_Author

  Books by Brooke

  My Cowboy Series:

  My Cowboy

  Faith in My Cowboy

  Loved by My Cowboy

  The Predator Part One

  The Predator Part Two

  Coming soon:

  The Predator Novella: Wildfire Knockout July 21st, 2017

  Moto X Book One: Roosted November 1st, 2017