The Fighting Series Boxset

by Ash, Nikki

  I ignore the dig. “Cool. Tell her I said hi.”

  “That’s it? You said hi?”

  I think about it for a second not sure what answer she is looking for here…

  “Umm… Hi and I will see her later at the gym?”

  She huffs out a “whatever” and goes back to texting.

  A couple of the moms come over and let us know they are going to head out since it’s almost nap time and invite Liz to join us the day after next at the local pool.

  “I am not sure what I have going on but thank you for the invite.”

  “Ok, well it’s an open invitation, and I will send you an invite to our online group. I will get your email from Bentley later. Let me know if Faith starts crawling, Bentley! See you at the pool,” Sara says before leaving.

  Everybody else says goodbye and then it’s just me and Liz left.

  “Seriously?” She barks out.

  “What?” I am confused as fuck as to why this woman is acting so damn weird.

  “While the girlfriend-slash-mother of your child is at work you are hanging out at the park with a bunch of hot women who are all having daddy Bentley fantasies?”

  What in the actual fuck?

  “Please don’t tell me you texted that bullshit to Kayla, Liz. You already know how insecure she is about being in a relationship. Would you be saying this shit if I was a woman at the park with other women? No, you wouldn’t. I can’t help there are no other dads that stay home or join the mom’s group.”

  “Whatever Bentley. I didn’t say anything to Kayla but you should.”

  Faith starts to whine and I know it’s time to get her home for a nap. I scoop her up and wipe the sand off her body and turn to face Liz. “I am not doing anything wrong. Don’t make this something it’s not, please.”

  She sighs loudly but nods ok.

  I get home, lay Faith down for her afternoon nap and begin to work on the laundry. I start to think about what Liz said. Does she have a point? Should I tell Kayla about the mom’s group I am in? I haven’t purposely kept it from her. I tell her all about Faith’s day and mine but if I am honest I don’t include the other women I hang out with in our conversations.

  Every day I hope and pray Kayla won’t wake up and change her mind about us. Sometimes I feel like I walk on eggshells afraid that if I do or say the wrong thing she will walk away from me. So maybe subconsciously I kept that tidbit of info out of our conversations to keep everything on the up and up.

  My phone rings in my pocket and I see it’s my mom.

  “Hey mom, how are you?”

  “Oh, I am good sweetie. How are Faith and Kayla?”

  “Both good. Faith is sleeping and Kayla is at work. What’s up?”

  “Well I was wondering if we could take Faith for the weekend. I was thinking Kayla and you can do a weekend getaway and we could watch Faith. I would love some time with my granddaughter.”

  I laugh at her comment. The woman spends time with her granddaughter several times a week but I am not going to turn down a chance to take Kayla away.

  “That actually sounds really good, mom. We haven’t been away since my birthday when Kayla surprised me. Now I can surprise her. Thanks.”

  “No problem, honey. Why don’t you guys join us for an early dinner Friday and then take off afterwards? You can pick Faith up Sunday night or Monday morning.”

  “Perfect! I am going to make reservations now.”

  I decide to text the guys to see if they want to make it a group thing. Cooper replies a little while later saying his mom would love to take Nathan and Bella for the weekend. Caleb says he is down, and Kaden is down as well. I tell Cooper to let Liz know I am surprising Kayla and to invite Hayley and Ashley as well.

  He texts me later letting me know Ashley’s parents are good to watch her son and Hayley will be joining as well. I send out a group text letting them all know to pack warm clothes because we are flying to Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado. My family has a cabin up there and now seems like the perfect time to take advantage of it.

  I shoot my mom a text letting her know and she replies with a smiley face. Next, I make reservations to charter a private plane from McCarran international to Eagle County Regional, which is only about an hour from the Ski Resort.

  While I am booking the flight, I get a text from Monica confirming our play date for the pool for Thursday. I send her a thumbs up emoticon and continue making plans for this weekend, writing down all the shit I need to pack for us and for Faith. Luckily my parents keep a lot of stuff at their house since we visit often. I also jot down to remember my favorite red bathing suit of Kayla’s. We will definitely be taking advantage of the hot tub at night.

  Kayla

  It’s Thursday morning and my only appointment of the day was cancelled because the fighter has to go out of town for a last-minute photo shoot. I decide to surprise Bentley and meet him at the pool at the local Y. Liz told me she is joining him as well. I go by the house, grab my bathing suit, and head to the swimming center.

  I pay for my swimming pass and head to the locker room to change. There are a few moms changing their babies in there while conversing.

  “My God, he is like sex on a stick.” One woman says fanning herself.

  “Seriously and the way he is with his daughter. If I wasn’t married I would be all over that,” another woman says.

  “Yeah, well I’m not married so maybe I should be all over that,” another woman says.

  I hear them leave as I finish changing, and then go in search for my sex-on-a-stick. When I get to the pool I spot Bentley and damn he looks good. He is holding Faith up in the air and then brings her back down into the water making it look like he is plunging her into the water but in reality, he does it so gently the water barely parts. I can see her toothy grin from here. I look for Liz and see her talking to the women I just saw in the locker room.

  I walk over to join Bentley in the water but before I can make it over the women who were just talking to Liz join him in the pool with a baby on each of their hips.

  I watch for a few minutes and it’s clear he knows them. Holy shit! It hits me. MY sex-on-a-stick is the same sex-on-a-stick they were talking about! Oh, hell no! That shit ain’t gonna fly.

  I pick up my pace and walk quickly over to the edge of the pool and walk down the steps on a mission to claim my damn man. Bentley sees me immediately and at first looks shocked to see me here. He almost looks guilty but then his mouth quickly morphs into a smile.

  He must tell Liz I am here because she looks over at me and her face definitely looks guilty as sin. One thing about my best friend is she can’t hide shit from me and something tells me she knew all about this. I give her an eyebrow up silently saying what the fuck and her eyes bulge out knowing exactly what I mean.

  I swim to Bentley and without saying hello to anybody else around him I wrap my arms around his neck and give him a kiss that screams MINE! He’s still holding Faith and when she spots me kissing her daddy she begins to squeal in his arms wanting me to grab her.

  “Surprise,” I whisper to Bentley so only he can hear.

  He stares at me for a brief moment gauging my tone and then says, “It definitely is.”

  He grabs the back of my neck with his available hand and kisses me once more. Faith’s squeals get louder and we both separate and laugh. I take her from him and give her chubby little cheek a big wet kiss.

  “I didn’t know you would be joining us,” Liz says nervously.

  “My appointment cancelled so I thought I would surprise you guys.”

  “Hey, Bent, do you want to get out to give the babies a snack? It was my turn to bring snacks and I brought yogurts.”

  I look over to the woman who not five minutes ago stood in the locker room saying she would be all over that if she wasn’t married clearly referring to my boyfriend.

  “Bent?” I ask Bentley.

  He at least has the decency to look sheepishly at me. “Kayla, this is Monica,
Sara, and Roxy. They are in the Mommy and Me group Liz and I belong to.” I turn to glare at my best friend who has never mentioned this before.

  “Umm…well actually I am not exactly in the group. I just met them the other day. My membership is still pending upon approval from the admin.”

  I shoot her another death glare and she looks down at Nathan pretending to pick imaginary lint or some shit off him. Yeah, my best friend and I will definitely be having a conversation later. But for right now I do what any respectable woman does when she is caught off guard but can’t let those catty bitches know. I fake it!

  “OH! That group! I remember you mentioning them,” I first say to Liz. Then turning to the bitches that want my man I say, “Nice to meet you. I have heard so much about you guys.” I put my hand out to shake their hands and they each shake my hand.

  Bentley looks scared as hell at this point knowing I haven’t really heard shit about the hot moms he’s been chilling with.

  “Sooo… yogurt?” I ask nobody in particular. Everybody nods and says yes and we all get out to get the yogurts.

  Bentley tries to stop me by putting his arm on mine but when I turn around and growl out a ‘not now’, he stops and takes the hint.

  I lay Faith down on the lounge chair that Bentley has everything sprawled out on and change her wet diaper. Liz comes up to me and like the best friends we are, apologizes with only her eyes. I nod slightly letting her know we are good, and sit on the chair with Faith between my legs. Bentley sits down on the edge of the chair and begins to feed Faith a yogurt. She gets so excited batting at the spoon wanting to grab it herself. This little girl is our entire world. I feel choked up when I think about some other woman spending time with my daughter. Is that what Bentley needs? Does he need a woman who stays home instead of works? What if after all we have gone through to get here, I am not the woman he needs? And then I think about the deceit. Not once has he mentioned that he is hanging out with all of these hot moms during the day while I am at work. He has to know this is wrong or else he would have mentioned it to me.

  I close my eyes to hold back the stinging of tears threatening to spill over. When I open my eyes, Bentley is looking at me with a pained expression. He opens his mouth attempting to speak but with those women around I am not doing this here. I shake my head no and he sighs but nods ok.

  We spend the rest of the afternoon at the pool, and while we have a blast as a family with our daughter, it’s tainted by all of the secrets that have been kept, and all the questions I want answers to. Is this where it all ends? Is this where my mom gets to say the ‘I told you so’ I have always feared?

  Bentley

  Fuckin’ A! I know I technically have nothing to feel guilty over, but at the same time I know I do. When Kayla closed her eyes, I could see it in her face, the insecurity that I might want these other moms over her. I could see the fear in her that I am going to break her heart and that her mom was right and she was once again wrong. I wanted so badly to explain, to hold her and tell her she is all I will ever want but she wouldn’t even let me talk.

  The day comes to a close, we say our goodbyes, and since we took two separate vehicles Kayla and I part ways and agree to meet at home. Kayla takes Faith home with her so I stop by the florist and pick up a dozen roses. I know it’s totally cliché but at this point I will try anything.

  I walk into the apartment and Kayla spots the flowers immediately. Tears start pouring down her face and I have a feeling flowers weren’t the right move. I set them down on the end table and go over to her picking her up and putting her in my lap sitting us down on the couch. Faith is playing in her exerciser twisting and turning while banging the keys that make noise and light up.

  I turn Kayla so her legs are straddling my thighs and let her cry into my shirt for a couple of minutes before I speak.

  “Baby, please stop crying. I will throw the fucking flowers away. I am sorry.”

  She looks up at me with wide eyes vulnerable eyes and quietly asks, “Do you still want to be with me?”

  “What are you talking about, woman? Of course, I still want to be with you. You are my forever.” I give her a soft kiss on her lips. They taste salty from her crying. That is officially my least favorite taste in the world.

  “When I went into the locker room to change I didn’t know it at the time but those women were talking about how hot you were and saying if they weren’t married they would want to be with you. One woman even said she isn’t married and wants you! And then when I saw you with them, having fun with Faith and their kids… Is that what you want? A woman who will stay home with the baby? And why didn’t you tell me about this group? Do you know how crappy it feels to be kept in the dark about what you do numerous times a week?”

  Jesus…women and their big mouths. I know these women have occasionally flirted but I have ignored it. I figured it was just innocent and since most of them are married I let it go. They have never approached me or said anything remotely inappropriate. The truth is them gossiping is the equivalent to what guys do when they see a hot woman. However, pointing that out to Kayla is not going to help the situation. I might be a guy but I am not a complete idiot.

  “Those women can say whatever they want. You are the only woman for me. I joined that group so Faith and I could socialize with other parents; that’s it. I love being home with Faith. I love that you enjoy your job. I told you this before and I will say it as many times as you need to hear it. I am ok with you working. If you ever want to stay home, then you can do that. You choosing to work instead of staying home doesn’t change how I feel about you. You are a great girlfriend and mother. Ok?”

  She sniffles and nods her head. “Just promise me if you no longer want me you will tell me. Please don’t ever cheat on me Bentley. I couldn’t handle the humiliation.”

  “Stop! Don’t say stupid shit like that. I am not that Jackass from when you were a teenager. Nobody is cheating, leaving or using anybody.”

  I grab Kayla’s chin and give her a quick kiss. “I love you. I love you just the way you are. I would never cheat on you. Just let me love you, baby. I am sorry for not telling you about the mom’s group. It was wrong of me. I will never hide anything from you again.”

  I don’t wait for a response because I know I won’t get one. While she doesn’t freak when I tell her constantly that I love her, she doesn’t say it back… yet. I set her down next to me on the couch, pick up Faith and hand her to her. I reach down putting my arms on either side of Kayla’s head and give first Kayla a kiss, and then Faith one. I breathe them both in as I kiss them and it’s the best smell. I wish I could bottle it up and keep it forever. These two girls are my world. “Now, we have some packing to do!”

  Kayla’s eyes dart to me in confusion. “For what?”

  “Surprise. My parents are taking Faith for the weekend. We leave tomorrow night after dinner with my parents. You need to pack warm clothes with plenty of layers. Oh! And that sexy-as-hell red bikini is a must. That’s all I am telling you.”

  * * *

  “OH. MY. GOD!! ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?” Liz yells causing people to stop eating and look at us.

  “Shh…chill the heck out,” I say while feeding Faith another bite of mashed potatoes.

  “This is so exciting!” Ashley chimes in.

  Once I knew we were heading out to Breckenridge on an impromptu mini-vacation with all of our friends for the weekend I decided it would be the perfect time and place to pop the question to Kayla. I already purchased the ring awhile back, now I just need to figure out the best way to do it.

  I am currently having an early lunch with Liz, Ashley and our kids, hoping they can help me plan something romantic before we head out of town tonight.

  “Do you have a ring?” Liz asks with tears in her eyes. I have never been around women so much since I have started staying home with Faith and one thing I have learned from these women is that they are full of emotions. I have always known they have emotions, but
after spending so much time with all these moms I could write a book on how crazy their emotions really are. Happy, sad, mad, I can’t ever keep up. Men have one emotion. Chill.

  “Of course, I do and no you aren’t seeing it before Kayla does. Now help me out here. How should I propose? Alone? In front of everyone?”

  Liz frowns. “Hmm…I think you should do it alone. We can all celebrate afterwards but what if she says no?”

  Ashley’s eyebrows shoot up. “Do you think she would say no?”

  “She’s going to say yes. We have come a long way. We are together and we have Faith. Her biggest fear is being heartbroken. I just need to convince her that forever is the opposite of breaking her heart.”

  “I agree with Liz. Do it alone. That way she doesn’t feel overwhelmed or pressured.”

  “Alright. Alone it is.” I attempt to give Faith another bite of potatoes but she isn’t having it. She closes her mouth tight and shakes her head.

  We continue to discuss the different possible ways I can propose while Bella and Tristan play with Faith and Nathan. They are making crazy faces at them, which causes them to squeal and clap in response. Faith loves all the attention.

  “Has Kayla mentioned anything about not being able to have more kids?” Liz asks quietly.

  “No, but if she ever wanted to, I will make sure it happens. For now, Faith is all we need.”

  “You’re a good guy, Bentley. Thank you for taking care of our girl.”

  I give Liz a wink and nod. Nothing more needs to be said. I will always take care of Kayla.

  I pay for lunch, and we grab our kids and all head home. Everybody will be meeting at the plane tonight to fly out together.

  Nineteen

  Bentley

  Dinner at my parents went well. We said our goodbyes to Faith and thanked my parents for watching her. I decided it would be best to take a cab to the airport and leave my car at my parents so we don’t have to deal with parking. Kayla’s Volvo SUV has been having some issues so I need to look into getting her a new vehicle. I love my BMW so maybe I will get her one as well.