Fighting For Light: A Dark Sports Romance (The Coldwell Brothers)

22. Kai

It’s official. She said yes. Not on a whim, but because she wants to be my wife. We’re going to have a baby. I smile to myself as I drive us home. Her arms are as tight as they can possibly be around my torso. I pat her hands as we speed down the street another block.

This will probably be our last ride together for a while. She’s popped now, as she calls it, and I can’t get her close enough to me, which can throw our balance off. I’m not okay with that. Though I love a good thrill and taking risks, this is not a gamble I’m willing to take.

My brothers and I have a tendency to be a little stupid. I’m sure there’s some psychological reasoning for that, but I don’t care to know.

I take risks every time I get on my bike. But now I take my long look at Cordelia and make sure I land every time. She needs me now, just as much as I need her.

Something I’ve never felt before shifted in me the moment I could see she was actually pregnant. My heart raced, my muscles tensed, and a primal instinct surged within me to care for my woman and child. The way I take risks has to change now, but I’m surprisingly okay with it. It doesn’t bother me. I’m happy to do it. I want to do it.

We get to my trailer, and Reece is sitting outside, typing on his computer. I park the bike and help Cordi off before swinging my leg over it. She waves to her dad, and he waves back to both of us.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she says as she climbs the stairs.

I follow and close the door behind me. “And what’s that?” I ask her.

She shoots me a look and fills the electric kettle with water from the fridge. “He’s not mad at me because I’m pregnant. He’s mad at me because I kept it from him and then sprung it on him instead of being straight up the moment I found out and asked him for help. I hurt him, I know that. But you know what, Kai?” she says. “He hurt me, too, with how he reacted, and it’s going to take me a minute to finish being honest with him. I will tell him. I just need time.”

I step up to her and give her a brief kiss on the lips. “Take all the time you need, babe. I support whatever choice you want to make. But your dad loves you, and as someone who knows what it’s like to have the opposite, don’t wait too long, okay?”

She tilts her face into my hold and tilts her chin up, asking for another kiss. I give it to her instantly.

“I love you,” she whispers.

I grin against her lips. “I love you, too.”

***

We got carried away and lost track of time. So we hurry intoBrunch!, a bright breakfast place on the beach. Mom smiles as we approach, and I lean down to kiss her cheek. “Sorry, we’re late.” Her eyes glitter looking between Cordi and me. I pull out Cordi’s chair and get her seated before sitting next to my fiancée. Never in a million years did I think I would ever say that word, and I’m still getting used to it.

“Oh, that’s okay,” she says lightly, glancing at Cordi’s finger, missing nothing. I go to put my arm around her chair, but it’s too far away, so I grab the edge of it to pull her closer.

“How was your evening?” Mom asks.

I shrug. “It was fine, though it was hard to sleep.” I glance at Cordi, and she smiles back.

“I’m sure,” she says, and Cordelia snorts into her orange juice, avoiding my stare. Mom leans forward after taking a sip of her coffee, and I tense up. Cordi doesn’t know what I had planned on telling her this morning, and now isn’t the place or the time. Our little bubble will burst, but I want to be the one to pop it because I owe her that.

“So, my darling Cordelia, how are you feeling?” Mom asks. I glance at her.

“I’m doing alright. The morning sickness isn’t so bad. I’m just eating everything in sight now,” Cordi says as she works on a croissant.

“When I was pregnant with this one,” she says, pointing to me, “all I could think about was banana bread. I was either making it or buying it every other day.”

Cordelia grins at me. “That’s funny because he hates bananas,” she says. I lift a shoulder.

Unless they are baked into something. “They’re gross,” I grumble.

Cordi giggles and nudges me.

“I’ve been obsessed with peaches lately. I’m trying to get creative with them, though, instead of eating them raw.”

“That isn’t the worst of cravings. It could be chocolate cake, right?” Mom says.

Cordi nods, grinning. “That does sound good, though.”

Mom lifts a hand, and a waiter comes by. “Please bring us three orders of eggs, bacon, sausage, a plate of Pain au Chocolat, and a slice of chocolate cake.” He dips his head and saunters off. I pour the thermos of hot water into Cordelia’s teacup before drinking my coffee.

“That ring looks beautiful on you, Cordelia,” Mom says quietly.

Cordi looks down at it. “Thank you, and…thank you for giving it to Kai,” she says.

My mother meets my eyes before looking at Cordi. “So then you know what comes with… being a Coldwell,” she says cryptically.

“Mom,” I bite softly. She waves me off and stares at Cordelia.

“I am aware of it, Esmarie, but Kai and I haven’t discussed it yet. That was intentional. I trust that Kai will tell me when the time is right,” she says and rips off a piece of her croissant.

I stare at Cordi in awe. My best friend, my future wife, is loyal, but I’m starting to wonder if her loyalty is overly trusting of me. I haven’t done good things, and I’m willing to tell her all of them so she has a full picture, even if it hurts. But she wanted to wait when we were at the beach, and I couldn’t bring myself to take that from her.

Mom’s expression goes serious for a moment, and Cordi sits up a little straighter. Her hand goes to her stomach and begins rubbing back and forth. I slip my hand under the table and rest it on her stomach. Her hand pauses and slips it under my own.

“That may be, sweetheart, but I want you to understand something that your future husband will never understand,” Mom says, and I frown at her. I don’t know what there isn’t to understand. I lived through it, we all did. “Kai may do whatever it takes to take care of you, your child, and his family, but a mother knows when all of her resources and options are expended. There is a spirit within you that knows for the sake of her child, she must act.” Mom pauses and levels me with a stare before she continues, “If that means you run and you have to leave the man you love, then you do it at any cost.”

I glance at Cordi, and the blood has drained from her face. Anger and the desire to tell her everything right in this moment surges up, but Cordelia speaks before I can get my words straight. “Esmarie, I’m so happy I will have a mother-in-law like you because my mother doesn’t hold a candle to you. But my place and this child’s place are with my soon-to-be husband. That means good, bad, ugly, and against all odds.“ Her cheeks are pink, and there is a look of total determination in her eyes. Pride, strong and sure, fills me.

Mom gives Cordi a look of respect and winks at me. We will all be okay.

My phone rings in my pocket, and I pull it out, expecting Reece to be calling, wondering where I am, but it’s Liam. Rising from my seat, I kiss Cordi on the cheek before waving my phone at Mom and going to the front of the restaurant, away from prying ears.

“You usually text, so that must mean this is serious,” I say in greeting.

Liam grunts, and I hear his fingers fly over the keyboard. “I spoke with Emerson. He’s on his way back to Mom’s place. I’m already here. I found something interesting… hold on,” he says. I wait a moment. “One?” Liam says.

“Hey, Emerson,” I say.

“Hey, so Mom told us the news,” Emerson says.

My lungs squeeze, and I take a deep breath, trying to steady the pounding in my heart. I knew I would have to talk to my brothers, explain what’s going on, and tell them the whole truth. Whether I want to admit it or not, Rafe is a threat to me and mine. My brothers need to be aware of any and all threats.

“I want to say congratulations, but I also want to punch you in the face because you told me to stay away from women,” Liam grumbles.

“I did, and that still stands, you ass. But this is different, Three. You’ll understand.”

Liam curses.

“And how is that?” Emerson asks.

I look both ways before crossing the street to my truck, paranoid that anyone could be listening. “Hold on a second.” My gut churns with paranoia. I get on the ground and look under the truck, just in case. Looks clean.

I hop up and, slide into the vehicle, and turn it on to get some cool air going. “It’s a messy story, but you all know Cordelia.”

“Yeah, and?” Liam chastises.

I lean my head against the headrest. “She’s pregnant,” I say with more strength than I feel right now. Before they can volley questions at me, I continue, “And I’m not the father.”

Emerson curses this time, and it’s silent on both ends.

“So you mean to tell me you couldn’t stand to see your bestie in trouble, so you saved her by offering to marry her?” Liam clarifies.

If I could glare at him, I would. I don’t answer right away, but Emerson speaks up. “Is this a good idea, Two?” he asks, ever the strategist. He’s always thinking five steps ahead before we even have the information to do it with.

“Probably not, but she needed me and…” I’ve never told anyone this other than Cordi and Mom. “I love her, guys. She’s it for me.”

“That explains a lot,“ Liam says. I roll my eyes, and Emerson sighs.

“She doesn’t know everything yet, but she is aware it’s messy. I will give her details after my comp tonight. I gotta get my head right for freestyle. We need to have perfect scores all around, or we’re going to drop in standings. Then there will be a whole other mountain of issues.”

“Well, that makes things significantly more complicated, but so be it,” Liam grumbles.

“I’m not going to apologize,” I say sternly.

“No one asked you to. We will protect them. You deserve to be happy, brother,” Emerson says. My heart surges. I love my brothers. They will treat Cordi like our own. There is no question about it.

“Mom wouldn’t tell me what Dad said, so I can only assume she didn’t tell either of you,” Liam says. Emerson and I both say no, and she likely never will. “She would if she felt like it was necessary. That brings me to the next order of business. But it also changes some things. What Mom didn’t know about the Malibu house was that our cameras were hacked, not just shut off. Someone was looking for something, and, guys, they were good. They left no trace behind. The only reason I know is because I set up a fake firewall, so if someone broke through it, I’d know they were looking for something,” Liam says.

“Did you figure out what they were looking for?” Emerson asks.

“No, I didn’t. The beach house holds none of our information or the private server. It’s literally the normal Wi-Fi and cameras that upload to a cloud that is completely separate from the one we work with. It would be very difficult to find back doors to things that aren’t connected.”

“Do you think it was some kid messing around?” I ask him. Kids are good with tech these days, so I don’t want to rule out the simplest answer. I glance at the clock. I need to wrap this up and shovel food in my mouth.

“No, I don’t because it may be simple Wi-Fi, but like I said, I had additional firewalls put up. A kid messing around with hacking would have probably left some kind of tag telling us they did it. This was coordinated, and it keeps us from seeing whoever was in the house.”

“I’m going to drive down there today and talk to the neighbors,” Emerson says.

“Don’t scare them away, One,” Liam jokes.

“You said there was chatter?” I remind Liam. His mind zips around like a squirrel looking for nuts he just buried.

“Yes, chatter. The Costa mob is up to something. They started contacting people on the dark web who can hack multi-key two-fish encryptions. They’re even asking about elliptic curve cryptography, which hasn’t even—“

“English, Liam,” I grumble.

“Right, so, they are looking for people who are very good at hacking things like government, top-secret level things.”

Emerson curses, and I sigh.

“This could have nothing to do with us,” I tell them.

“It’s reelection season, Kai. He doesn’t lose, you know this,” Kai says.

“So that means he’s going to, what? Steal state secrets? I don’t think these things are linked, Three,” Emerson says.

It’s a stupid thought. There is literally no reason for our dad to have any of that information. “He probably has to figure out how to buy votes because he doesn’t have the picture-perfect family to sway them. I’m surprised he lasted this long, but his people can sure spin bullshit.”

Emerson curses, and at the same time, the answer clicks into place in my mind. “What if the Costa’s are trying to find ways to buy votes for the Coldwell campaign?”

“That’s sort of what I thought,” Liam says. “They put out a contract for high-level hacking on the dark web, so I went ahead and volunteered myself —playboy69 reporting for duty. So we will know what’s happening as soon as they approve me for the job.”

“Good idea,” I tell him. “Wait, really?”

“What?” Liam asks.

“Playboy sixty-nine? Really?” I ask.

“What? It’s funny because—“

“No, Liam, I get it,” I huff.

“That still doesn’t feel right,” Emerson says. “That doesn’t feel like a plan A. That feels like a plan B.”

My stomach sinks, and I look at the restaurant. I need to teach Cordi how to use a gun. “The next time I see his face, I will put a bullet in his head. That should do the trick,” I grumble, thinking about the exposure for Cordi and our kid. I won’t have it. I would go to prison for life for killing my father before that happens.

“I’m going to ask our neighbors at the beach house and see if they have any cameras that point that way. We need leverage,” Emerson says.

“I’m going to make sure I get on that team for Costa to see if I can learn anything else, even if it’s a plan B.”

“Do it anyway,” Emerson says. “Two, keep Mom and Cordelia close and be on the alert.”

“Got it,” I say and turn off the truck. “Mom knew he would come back. These past years have been torture for her. She acts like she’s fine, but…” I trail off. Mom has lived waiting with bated breath and paranoid anticipation that the devil will come for her again. He’s clearly desperate, and we don’t know why. We need more pieces of the puzzle.

“When is the wedding?” Liam asks.

I jog across the street. “I don’t know, but I’ll let you know as soon as possible. Mom was talking about planning it.”

“Maybe that can work in our favor,” Emerson says.

My feet halt, and my hand tightens around my phone. “Don’t you dare consider making her bait,“ I grit out.

“Brother, I love you, but you’ve already put her in the spotlight. So now we have to make her shine so brightly she’s untouchable by making her a Coldwell,” Emerson says. Deep down, past my need to keep her and the baby as close as possible, I know he’s right.

“We will build contingencies. Let us know about the wedding. I’ll talk to Mom, and we will get back to you,” Emerson says.

“Alright,” I mutter, and we all hang up without goodbyes. I saunter back into the restaurant, schooling my features. Mom and Cordelia are eating as I drop into my seat next to her. Cordi takes a sip of water, then I grab her chin and crash my lips against hers. I don’t care who’s watching. It’s one thing to know of the realities of life and the circumstances around it. I’ve been aware of my reality for many years. We know how to protect ourselves and each other. But when you add the vulnerable into it, a baby that cannot fight for themself, and my best friend who truly has no grasp on the level of power my father has over others, it makes me want to puke and set the world on fire to protect them.

I glance at Mom, and she seems to read through my fa?ade. And Cordelia does, too. I’ll have some explaining to do. The plate of eggs, bacon, and sausage is waiting on my plate, long cold now, but I eat them anyway, hardly tasting them. The girls talk until it’s time for us to go so I can get ready for tonight.

“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?” Cordelia asks, sitting on the couch in the trailer. I take a step towards the door and hesitate before spinning around and taking three large steps to her, dropping to my knees. I lean forward and press my lips to her belly, and she gasps softly before running her fingers through my hair. “What’s going on, Kai?” she asks.

I look up into her beautiful, ocean-blue eyes and say, “I need to get my head straight for tonight, otherwise, I can’t jump. I will tell you everything after.”

She senses the stress in my voice. “Okay,” she whispers.

“I love you,” I tell her and haul myself out of the trailer.