by Ash, Nikki
Four
Bentley
It’s been eight days since the UFC fight and party, and I never imagined so much shit could change in that short amount of time. I am sitting at the hospital with Kayla holding her hand to comfort her as they treat her for smoke inhalation while praying for Liz and Cooper’s daughter Bella, who is in the children’s wing with the same diagnosis. If you had told me that I would end up here with Kayla, I would have told you, you were crazy. If you had told me Cooper has a four-year-old daughter I would have laughed in your face.
After Cooper and his dad got into it the other day, Liz showed up at the gym shortly after to let Cooper know she got pregnant all those years ago in Miami. Unfortunately, Cooper’s ass of a dad stopped her and sent her away. Cooper ended up finding out about his long-lost daughter when he ran into them at the grocery store. When he confronted his dad, the asshole made it clear he didn’t give a shit about anything but Cooper fighting so Cooper ended up quitting.
Nobody has seen him in the last several days and since he refused to go back to the gym so did I. Kaden’s ass is stuck there because he is under contract with the gym as a trainer but Caleb and I aren’t. So, until we hear from Cooper about what he wants to do, we are using guest passes at another local gym. I have a fight coming up so I can’t just stop training. Luckily, Caleb is helping me train so it works out well.
I sent Kayla a few texts but she only replied with single word responses. I had been working up the courage to ask Hayley for her address so I could confront her in person, but after today it won’t matter what her address is since her apartment caught fire with her and Bella in it. Thankfully both of them are ok.
All my life my parents have said we can’t control whom we love. We are destined to be with one person, and when we meet that person we will know it. It’s called fate, and we don’t stand a chance against it. I believe that Kayla is my soulmate. The problem is my parents never explained what would happen if you met your soulmate and they don’t believe in love. If I didn’t already believe in fate, I would be a believer after today.
While I was training with Caleb I hit my hand the wrong way on the punching bag, something I never do, and decided to go to the ER to have it checked out to make sure there wasn’t any huge damage. Imagine my surprise when I saw Kayla and a small little girl being wheeled in by ambulance. Kayla asked me to call Liz to let her know what’s going on - that their apartment caught on fire and both Bella and she are at the hospital- and of course she came immediately. I tried to contact Cooper but he didn’t answer.
That leads me to the present time. While Liz is in the children’s wing with her and Cooper’s daughter, I am currently sitting in the recovery wing with Kayla. Her eyes are closed and she has on an oxygen mask so she can’t really talk. I just hold her hand and massage my thumb into her palm to let her know I am here.
Finding her today in the hospital only strengthens my argument that we are meant to be together. Now if I could just convince Kayla of this, we would be golden. Easier said than done, though.
The door swings open and I see Liz and Cooper come in. Liz looks terrified but as soon as Kayla opens her eyes and lifts her oxygen mask, she calms down and runs right to Kayla. They exchange hugs and Kayla explains that she fell asleep with Bella and woke up to a fire in the apartment. She is so upset and heartbroken that something could have happened to Bella. It’s clear she loves that little girl like her own.
Of course, Liz tells her it’s not her fault and calms her down by telling her it’s ok. Those two are more like sisters than best friends. A few minutes later a cop and a couple of firemen come into the room to explain what happened. I am trying to pay attention but all I can think about is that Kayla almost died. Whoever set that fire should be dead, and if I ever come across him or her I will probably kill ‘em myself.
I look over to the cop handing Liz a photo of the guy who set the apartment on fire and Liz begins to freak out and then hands the photo to Cooper.
“The man in this photo is Marc Cooper. This is my father.”
What. In. The. Actual. Fuck. I know Marc is a first-rate asshole but to burn down their home to keep Liz away from Cooper is fucking crazy. That man belongs in the loony bin.
Liz and Cooper are exchanging words and their conversation is getting heated, but then what he says next shocks the shit out of all of us.
“He’s dead, Liz. My dad is dead.”
I walk over to Cooper to give him a hug and tell him I am sorry. “I know you two didn’t get along but I never thought he was capable of this.”
Cooper doesn’t say anything. He looks fucking defeated like he doesn’t even know how to handle any of this. I can’t blame him. I don’t even know how I would react if I found out my dad almost killed his granddaughter and then saved her. I am pissed as hell that he didn’t save Kayla but Cooper doesn’t need my anger on top of what he is already dealing with.
I look around and realize the cop and firemen must have left at some point. Liz tries to comfort Cooper but he ends up spouting out some shit about them being better off without him and then storms out. Once he’s gone Liz loses it. Kayla is laying in the hospital bed after almost dying from being caught in a fire and she is comforting Liz. She doesn’t cry or even look upset. She is the strongest fucking woman I know.
Finally, Liz calms down and asks the question of the hour. “Now what?”
Kayla sighs and says, “It will be ok, Liz. We will figure it out. We always do.”
The love these two women have for each other is undeniable. I think back to that night on the beach when Kayla told me love isn’t real. Doesn’t she see how much Liz loves and needs her? No, it’s not the same as a relationship but love is love, and Kayla is surrounded by love.
Kayla looks like she has the world sitting on her shoulders and I vow to do whatever I can to show her that it’s ok to love and accept love from a man. She doesn’t always have to be so strong.
I clear my throat to get their attention and when they both look at me I tell Liz to go focus on Bella and suggest they move in with me. I don’t know what I was thinking except that I want Kayla near me and if she’s living with me maybe she will give us a chance. I also don’t want any of them being homeless. Hopefully Cooper will come to his senses and figure his shit out but until then I figure I can make sure they are all safe.
Liz gets emotional, nods her head, and leaves to go back to her daughter. I can’t even imagine what she is going through. Being a single parent and at such a young age can’t be easy. That gets me thinking about Kayla and how she fits into all this.
Once she is gone Kayla says, “You didn’t have to do that but thank you. Apparently, Cooper isn’t going to man up right now.”
“That’s not fair and you know it. He just lost his dad. He has struggled for years dealing with that man. Marc has Cooper so fucked up he can’t see straight. Just give him some time.”
“I get that but he has a woman and daughter who need his support.”
“And he will come around. Have you and Liz been close the entire time she’s been raising Bella?”
I see the adoration in Kayla’s eyes when I say Bella’s name. “Yeah, that little girl is amazing. When we got back from Miami, Liz found out she didn’t wait long enough to have unprotected sex after starting her birth control pills and was pregnant. We tried to look up your names but got nothing. We lived together and made it work. We went to school, worked part time, and raised Bella the best we could. I love that little girl like she’s my own.”
“Do you want to have your own kids one day?” I ask hoping she will open up to me.
“I do. I want to find a man that wants the same things as me so we can have kids and raise them.”
“What things are those?”
She thinks for a second before answering. “Somebody with a career and his own money who wants to partner up to have a family. Somebody who is looking for an equal and is willing to share the responsibilities, bills, etc
etera.”
Her response tells me she still feels the same way she did all those years ago. I can give her all that but I can do it with love if she would just let me.
“Sounds like the perfect business relationship just like your parents.”
She just nods her head and closes her eyes.
“That’s all I can give anyone.” She mutters before falling back asleep and ending the conversation.
I use this time to text Cooper and when he doesn’t respond I send out a text to Kaden and Caleb. I get a text back from Caleb letting me know Cooper is there. I let him know the girls are coming to stay with us in our spare room until they figure shit out, and for him to let Cooper know as well.
A few hours later Kayla is still sleeping but I can hear her whimpering like she is scared. She must be having a bad dream. I decide to lie in the bed with her to comfort her. Carefully I kneel onto the bed and gently move her over and once I am situated I wrap my body around hers pulling her close to me. She instantly calms down and continues to sleep. She may not want to admit it, but this woman is my forever and I am hers.
I must have fallen asleep because when I open my eyes the sun is shining and she is staring at me with a smirk on her face.
“Well good morning sunshine. First, you take my number without asking, and now you take half my bed without asking? Have you no manners?”
I attempt to stretch but with the bed being so small and me being so big, it doesn’t work out well. I just end up cuddling closer to Kayla, which is absolutely ok with me.
“You haven’t seen anything yet, sweetheart. Now that you will be living at my place I plan to take much more from you. Although, if you would just give it all to me willingly, it would make everything go a whole lot smoother.”
She laughs at me and shakes her head, then attempts to push me off the bed. Good thing the rails are there or my ass would be on the floor right now.
“Let’s go big boy. Out of my bed. You will not be taking anything else from me, and I definitely won’t be giving you anything.”
The nurse walks in and eyes me in her bed not looking too thrilled, so I get up but not before whispering in Kayla’s ear. “Oh, I will and you will, and the sooner you accept you are mine, the sooner we can get to the fun stuff.”
She tries to look like what I said doesn’t affect her but I can see the blush appear on her beautiful alabaster skin. I decide not to point it out though. I don’t need her realizing she is giving her true feelings away.
Kayla and Bella finally get discharged from the hospital. Liz came to the hospital in her car so she takes Kayla to get hers from the apartment complex, and then they meet me at my place.
When the girls walk in, Kayla seems to be impressed at our place but Liz looks nervous. It must be frightening to suddenly be homeless and have a kid-in-tow. I had Caleb clean up the night before but there wasn’t much to clean up. We are actually pretty clean guys. I give them a quick tour of the place and they see all the stuff Cooper bought the night before. I knew he was picking up some clothes for them since they lost everything in the fire but he definitely went above and beyond. There are toys and dolls, and a bunch of girly crap for Bella. He picked up a bed for her as well and a bunch of movies. I don’t want to overwhelm them so after I let Liz know when the funeral will be, I give Kayla a kiss on the cheek and give them their space.
It’s been a few days since the girls moved in and everything is going fine. We have had a few meals together and Bella is absolutely adorable. I have watched more Disney movies than I care to admit but I can’t help it. That little girl knows exactly what she is doing with her cute little pouty face and the way she bats her eyelashes. She even got Caleb to watch one with us! Every night Kayla makes sure to go to bed when Liz and Bella do to avoid me but I think I am wearing her down. She still won’t answer my texts but I catch her staring at me quite often. I am not giving up.
It’s a little after eleven at night when I hear a banging noise. I know Caleb is working and everybody else should be asleep so I walk out from my room to check it out.
I realize the banging is coming from the front door and I rush to answer it before it wakes anybody up. When I swing the door open, I see Chelsea, a girl I was dating up until a couple weeks ago, standing at my door looking drunk as hell.
“Hey baby!” She slurs out the words as she wraps her arms around me.
“Chelsea, what are you doing here?”
“I miss you, baby. Can I come in?” Oh lord. This isn’t going to be good. After getting to know Chelsea for a few weeks, I learned that she has a drinking problem. I backed away from her after that but clearly, she didn’t get the message.
“Chelsea, you can’t be here. How did you get here anyway?” I ask looking out towards the parking lot to see if there is a cab waiting for her. Maybe I can catch it before it leaves.
“My friend dropped me off.” I walk her into my room so she doesn’t wake up the entire house while I try to figure out how to handle this. She plops down on my bed, so I take her phone and try to call a couple of people I know she is friends with. Of course, nobody answers, so I resolve I need to call her a cab.
“Chelsea, I am going to call you a cab so you can go home.” When she doesn’t answer me, I look up and find her passed the fuck out in my bed. It’s late and I am tired so I decide to let her sleep it off. I will just take her home in the morning once she is coherent. I grab a blanket from my bed and lay across the futon I have in my room. I sure as hell am not going to sleep in the bed with her. I don’t need to give her any more reason to think she has a chance with me.
I wake up with a kink in my neck and for a second wonder why the hell I am sleeping on my futon when I remember what happened last night. I take a second to stretch when I hear screaming coming from the living room. I look at my bed and it’s empty. Oh shit! I haul ass out to the living room to find Chelsea is in my fucking shirt, going toe-to-toe with Kayla. Then I look around and see Liz who looks like she is trying to be pissed but she is also attempting to hold in her laughter, and of course the scene wouldn’t be complete without Bella mimicking Kayla’s stance of her hands on her hips.
“OK, I can explain.” All three and half women look over at me and I put my hands up metaphorically waving a white flag while praying they don’t all team up and kill me.
The first one to speak is Bella. “Bentley, your friend is wearing no shorts, and mommy says it’s rude to not be dressed when you have company over. You should tell your friend to put on some more clothes.” She scrunches her nose up and if I wasn’t scared for my life right now I would laugh at her cuteness.
Liz snorts and Kayla shoots me a death glare. Chelsea looks like the sight of a child revolts her. What was I ever thinking when I decided to go out with her? I don’t like to waste my time with women I don’t see a future with.
Before I can explain the situation, Chelsea lets out a sound of disgust and retreats to my bedroom.
“Let me explain.” I say again to the women left standing in the living room.
Liz speaks up this time. “There’s no need to explain. This is your apartment. I am just thankful for you letting us stay here.” Damn, Cooper is one lucky guy. He better get his shit straight before he loses her for good.
“Excuse me? No, Liz! It is not ok…” Kayla begins to yell but Liz cuts her off.
“Can we please continue this later? I really need to get Bella to school.”
Kayla and I both nod our heads, and I get the hell out of there before Kayla finds something to stab me with.
After I drop Chelsea off at her place and make it clear to her we are over, I head over to the gym. Cooper sent everyone a text requesting a meeting.
Once we all gather he announces that his father left him the training facilities in the will so he is officially the new owner. I am extremely happy for him. He deserves it.
After telling him congratulations, Caleb and I head to the ring to get a workout in. I am going to be fighting in le
ss than two months and now that Cooper’s shitty dad isn’t breathing down my throat, I find myself wanting to win. With Cooper’s name on the line, I want to make him proud.
“Holy shit, man! I haven’t seen you fight like that in years!” Caleb is bending over panting like a little bitch after I just whooped his ass.
I smile widely and chuckle. I got to admit; it feels good to give it my all again.
“So, what’s up with you and Kayla?” He asks as we head to the juice bar to get a drink.
“I don’t know. She comes from a home where they apparently don’t believe in love. I just don’t get it. What mom tells her daughter that love isn’t real and to never marry because of it?”
“Not every family is perfect like yours, Bent. And to be honest, maybe you are dodging a bullet. In my experience, women are fake as hell and just want one thing from a man. Money.”
Caleb looks sad when he says this and it’s probably the most he’s ever said about relationships.
“From your experience?” I ask trying to get him to continue but he shuts down.
“Doesn’t even matter. I like Kayla. She’s a cool chick, but I don’t trust any women. Let’s practice.”
I spend the rest of the afternoon working out, then shower at the gym, and when I can’t put off the inevitable anymore I head home.
It’s almost ten o’clock when I arrive so I am hoping everybody will be asleep. I open the door quietly and attempt to tip toe to my room. No such luck.
“Oh, well look who it is? Sneaking any more whores into your room tonight so Bella can wake up and see them half naked? Maybe this time you can give her your boxers to wear to go along with your shirt.”