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

31. Cordelia

We ordered room service and are sitting at one of the beautiful tables in the dining area of the massive penthouse. “What are you thinking about over there?” he asks. I shrug and take a bite of my fresh strawberry. “Yes, very astute observation, my dear Watson.” I give him a dirty look, and he smiles smugly. “Tell me, mi amor,” he says again.

I stare at him; I really like when he talks to me in a different language. It makes me feel like it doesn’t matter how long we’ve known each other, we are getting to know one another. It’s exciting in a backward way, since we should have theoretically done that before we got married.

“Gem,” Kai prodded. I lift my eyes to him, and he tilts his head, reading me, I’m sure.

“I don’t know. I’m just thinking about…everything.”

“And last night?” he quips, wiggling his brows for emphasis. Unable to hide my smile, I let him see he got to me. “Well, and this morning, too, but who’s counting?” he says. I roll my eyes and try to ignore the heat building in my chest. “I’m going to add that to the list. Embarrassing Cordelia because she had sex with her husband, check.”

“Kai,” I whine.

“Mmm, you know I like it when you whine like that, baby,” he says, leaning forward on the table.

“You know I am trying to be serious here?” I ask him.

“Really? I couldn’t tell. Last time I checked, you were the fun one, and I was the serious one. How the turn tables,“ he says. I giggle a little at The Office reference. “What’s on your mind?”

“What’s next for us? We didn’t really talk about it, and I’m not sure if I should…be acting differently. No, that’s not…”

“You don’t know if you should start looking over your shoulder?” Kai asks with a serious expression so cold it makes my bones shiver. I nod, and he takes a sip of his coffee. “I’m going to be honest. You should not be going anywhere without me or your dad. That being said, I don’t want you to live in fear, Cordi. I didn’t want us to get married quicker to scare you more, but you need to be aware. Also, I plan on taking us on a honeymoon for however long you want. I read that some women like doing babymoons before they have the kid, so if you want to do that, we can.”

“Really?” He nods and takes a drink of coffee. I pop a piece of pineapple into my mouth.

“You need to start dreaming up where you want to go.”

“Anywhere?” I ask.

“Anywhere, the world is your oyster,” he says. The man loves adventure.

“Wait, you’re rich, which means I’m rich.”

He chuckles.

“Wait, should I have signed a prenup?” I ask him. “I read about what they mean, but maybe it would be a protective thing, and based on what happened to your mom, I—“

“You can stop overthinking whatever you might believe is an issue because nothing short of death will get me to sign divorce papers, gem. What’s mine is yours, and this is a forever thing.”

My jaw drops as he walks around the small table and grabs my chin, tilting my head up. His dominance in this moment makes my thighs squeeze together. I love when he takes control, but this is…I’ll add it to my list.

“You’re mine now, for better or worse, stupid or dangerous, richer or poorer; you’re mine, Cordelia Coldwell, and you always will be. Do you understand me?”

I nod in his hold, and he drops his chin, pressing his lips to mine.

“Good, so dream big, and I’ll make it happen.”

“Okay,” I rasp as every nerve ending in my body pops off. Not even an hour ago did he make me scream his name, but time is a concept, right? He looks at me with that predatory gleam in his eyes, and I want to run to see if he will chase me. I know he won’t like it, though, because he’s so intensely protective of me and the baby.

He stands and goes back to his chair. I clear my throat, trying to shake the pregnancy brain from one thing to the five others I need to talk to him about as I sip my chamomile tea. “I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow when we get to Louisiana. Do you want to come?” I ask.

“Absolutely, when is it?” he asks, pulling out his phone.

“It’s at two, so a few hours before your ride.”

He types it into his phone. “I’m looking forward to it.”

I jerk back. “Really? Why?”

He shrugs. “I want to be there for everything, including your doctor’s appointments.”

“Thank you, it was…kind of scary going by myself.”

“Now you won’t ever have to again.”

Tears well in my eyes, and I blink them away, annoyed that I cry at everything. “Thank you,” I rasp. He chuckles and shakes his head. I know I don’t have to thank him, but I can’t help myself. I love him too much not to tell him how much his actions and his words mean to me.

***

We finally make it to Louisiana, and I have to admit it feels good to be back in this truck and RV. It feels like home. We’ve been married for less than forty-eight hours, and I’ve loved every second of it. Kai gets the RV set up and balanced, and I change out of my traveling clothes, putting on a dress since they are easier for appointments.

“Ready?” Kai asks, stepping through the door. He looks me up and down and spins his baseball hat around so the bill is at the back of his head.

“Yeah,” I sigh. I’m a little nervous to go because this is the first time I’ll have him with me. It’s all getting more and more real.

“You look good, baby,” he says, and I brush my hands down the loose-fitted dress. It’s nothing special; an A-line dress with a square neck and thick straps. It’s loose and flowy, hitting mid-calf. I threw on gold layering necklaces and sandals to go with it.

“Thank you,” I mutter and peck him on the mouth, then glance at the messy bun on the top of my head. “We need to go since they will probably have paperwork for me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says as we leave, and he locks the door behind him.

As expected, I had a ton of paperwork to fill out. I will for a while since we keep moving. I’ll have to keep finding a new doctor at least until the season is over, which won’t be for another solid four months, but at least we have breaks in between.

I stare at the line that says to list the couple and write Kai’s name and mine, but it’s the first time I’ve written Cordelia Coldwell on anything other than our marriage certificate.

“You’ve been staring at that form for a while. Need help?” Kai asks.

I bump him with my shoulder and shake my head, turning the papers into the front desk. Twenty minutes later, a nurse calls for us, and Kai hesitates, not sure if he should follow me. I grab his hand and tug him behind me.

“Sorry, I don’t know how this stuff works,” he mutters.

“You will after today. Good thing you’ve already seen it all,” I say and step into the room the nurse led us to.

“Your nurse will be with you shortly. Your gown is on the table if you want change into it now.”

“Okay, thank you.”

She nods and closes the door behind her.

“What does that mean?” Kai asks.

I grab the hem of my dress and start to pull it over my head. “It means that I get to have fingers and instruments shoved up my vagina in order to check on the baby. Then I get to lie here practically naked and wait for them to put ice-cold gel on my belly to see the baby.”

“This is complicated,” he says.

I chuckle and look for a way to get on the table because there is, of course, no stool. “Kai, can you,” I say, gesturing to the table. He grabs my hips and swiftly lifts me onto the table. “Thank you.” He scrunches his eyebrows, and I grab the scratchy paper gown.

He rubs it between his fingers, frowning. “Is this how all of these appointments will be?”

I pull the paper around my back, and the front hangs open. “Honestly, I don’t know. But this was how the last one was, so I can only assume. I’ll ask your mom,” I mutter, trying to make myself comfortable. Kai walks around the room, looking at the diagrams of a woman carrying a baby and all the organs around the child. There’s information about what happens when you go into labor, and his skin color has turned a few shades lighter.

“Alrighty, you two. How are we today?” the doctor asks as she closes the door behind her. Kai looks at her wide-eyed, then looks at me. “First time?” she asks.

I nod, putting my hand on my stomach. “It’s our first,” I say and look at Kai. He shakes himself out of the fear of what’s going to happen in about four to five months and comes to stand by my side.

She nods and looks at her file. “Looks like you’re into the second trimester?” I nod. “Okay, but why am I just now seeing you?”

Embarrassment floods my body, and I don’t know why since I have nothing to be embarrassed about. “Oh, we move around a lot. He’s an athlete, so where he goes, I go.”

She looks between us. “And are you okay with that?” she asks.

I flick a look at Kai and he’s frowning at her. I reach for his hand, linking my fingers in his, and lift my chin, looking her in the eye. “Yes, I am. I was told it’s perfectly fine for the baby.”

She does that annoying doctor smile. “Yeah, it’s fine, but stability for a child is very good when you have the baby, of course.”

“He will be in the off-season by then. We aren’t worried about it,” I tell her, forcing the irritation down. She nods again. Kai moves his hand in mine, and I relax, realizing I was digging my nails into his skin.

“So, you are well into your second trimester. We should be able to see the sex of the baby by now.”

I perk up at that. “Really?” I look up at Kai, and he smiles at me. “Do you want to know now?” I ask him.

“Whatever you want,” he says.

The doctor starts by checking my blood pressure. “Since this is your first, have you considered doing Lamaze classes? They do have online options.”

“I thought they would be a good idea, but I wasn’t sure when the best time was to start.” I leave out the other details like I didn’t have anyone to be there with me, and I was freaking out about how I was going to make things work. Breathing classes were the last thing on my mind.

“Now would be a good time since you have, give or take, three to four months to start practicing.”

“We will start them tomorrow,” Kai says, squeezing my hand.

“Alright, go ahead and lift your legs.”

I do, and she pulls out the stirrups. Kai coughs, and I look up at him. “What is she doing?” he asks.

I grin and keep his hand in mine. “It’s okay, she’s checking to make sure the baby is where they need to be. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s better since you’re here.”

The doctor washes her hands at the sink and puts on gloves. She does the cervical check, and Kai’s jaw drops, his eyes darkening. I squeeze his hand.

“I don’t like that,” he grumbles and kisses my temple.

I laugh a little. “Get used to it, daredevil.”

“This is scarier than any jump I’ve done,” he admits. “I’m pretty sure you’re braver than me, gem.” My eyes burn as I watch him.

“Everything looks good. Let’s do your ultrasound. And to confirm, you do want to know the sex?” We nod at the same time. “Great,” she says, switching gloves again and flipping on the machine. “This is going to be cold,” she warns, and I hiss at the cold sting of the gel. She runs it around my stomach, and Kai’s hand holds mine as we watch the screen in nervous anticipation.

“Oh, there they are,” she says, pushing a few buttons. The picture gets bigger, and she tilts the wand to the side. “Congratulations, Mom and Dad, you’re having a boy! There he is,” she says and hits a button again.

Tears well in my eyes, and I look back up at Kai. He’s staring at the screen with glittering eyes, and a tear escapes his vaults. I lift my hand and brush it away. He refocuses on me and grabs my face, kissing me deeply. Then he pulls away and leans his forehead against mine. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” I rasp.

“Alrighty, love birds, everything looks good, and we will get your paperwork ready for the next place you end up at. Your due date should still be around November fifteenth.”

“Thank you,” I say, and she nods and leaves the room.

“I don’t think I like her,” he mutters, staring at the door.

“It’s a boy, Kai. A boy.”

He grins, reaching for the paper towels she gave us, and starts wiping off my stomach.

“You said you knew,” he says to me.

“I don’t know how we’re going to do those breathing classes,” I mutter as he hands me my underwear. He lifts me off the table before helping me back into my dress.

“We will figure it out together, baby, I promise,” he says and kisses my forehead.

“Okay,” I rasp, looking into his eyes. The lawyers are working on full custody, and I want Kai’s name on that birth certificate after Rafe surrenders all his rights. I’m afraid to say anything to Kai until the paperwork is complete. I don’t want to end up in some weird custody battle and have this baby caught in the middle like I was between my parents. But as far as I’m concerned, this child is Kai’s. Like he said, blood doesn’t matter. He’s been here since he found out, and that counts for everything in my book. I just have to wait to tell him.