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

41. Kai

That morning, I woke up with Cordi wrapped in my arms, naked as the day she was born. I can’t keep my eyes off her as the morning light glows softly over her curves. The sheet is down around her waist, and she’s tucked into me. Because I run so hot, I keep her plenty warm.

I could stay here forever. I want to stay here forever. Forgoing my workout, at the very least, I stay in bed in awe of my best friend. She hums and rubs her cheek against my chest before opening one eye at a time. “What time is it?”

“I have no idea.”

She looks up at me with her eyebrows scrunched together. “Since when have you not had any idea? It must be early if you’re not even up for your workout.”

“I skipped it.”

“Why? Are you not feeling well?” she asks, and I grin, shaking my head before scooting down the bed so we’re nose to nose. She scrunches hers. “Morning breath,” she mutters, trying not to move her lips.

“Since when do I care?” I mutter back and gently set my lips on hers, slowly deepening the kiss. I want it to last as long as possible. Her hand comes to my chest over my heart, and she tosses her leg over mine, so the only thing keeping us from being chest to chest is her stomach. I dip into her mouth, and she swipes past mine in a sensual twist of her tongue. A growl bubbles up my throat, and I grip her thigh tighter.

A phone buzzes in the background, and I ignore it while relishing in her body against mine. It buzzes again, and Cordi pulls back.

“Are you going to get that?” she asks, sliding her hand under the sheet to my thigh.

“If you continue your exploration, that would be an immediate no,” I say, glancing down. She grins and scrapes her teeth on my chin. It buzzes again, and she stops her hand from going where I want it.

“Okay, that’s the third time. You should answer it.”

I groan and reach for it on the nightstand, seeing it’s Liam.

“Brother, this better be good because I am with my wife, and you have —“ Cordi gasps and leans up on her elbow to slap my chest with wide eyes.

“Please, please, please don’t finish that sentence,” Liam begs.

I grin and wink at Cordi. “Fine, you were interrupting a perfect morning, so this better be worth it.”

He’s silent on the other side.

“Does Em need to be on this phone call?” I ask.

“I already talked to his face, seeing as he’s sitting next to me.”

That makes me sit up. Cordi does the same and pulls the sheet up over her chest. I grab for her hand. “Okay, then talk,” I bark.

“The trip with Mom went well, by the way. Nothing strange or out of the ordinary.”

“I talked to her last night. She said she enjoyed herself. Can we get to what this is about, please?” I ask as my heart flips around in my chest nervously. Cordi squeezes my hand, and I stare at her while waiting for one of my idiot brothers to speak.

“I’ve been doing some digging since I’m on their little team. The short version is the Costas are looking for hackers for voting machines to be able to switch votes at random. They figured out they need different skill sets because not all counties have the same machines.”

“He’s getting ready for literally every eventuality, and he hasn’t even officially announced his campaign,” I grumble. “Have you been watching the news?” I ask him. It wouldn’t surprise me if our infamous father staged a drug bust or illegal weapons confiscation to make himself look better for when he starts the circuit. I make a point to keep the news consumption regarding my father to a minimum.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that the beach house was some kind of distraction or coincidence. Nothing else makes sense,” Emerson says.

“Maybe the simplest answer is the right one,” Cordi whispers. I nod.

“Then how do we explain the man watching our mother and my wife?”

“That’s what bothers me the most. But if we send someone to put eyes on Fred, that could put their lives in danger,” Emerson says.

“We can’t ask someone to do something we aren’t willing to do ourselves,” I tell them.

“We can’t go because people know us in DC and Massachusetts even if it’s been years. That could create a whole different disaster for us,” Liam says.

“So much for playing offense,” Emerson grumbles. I glance at Cordi, and nerves zip through my body. I hate the not knowing. My gut tells me this is different. This is nothing like the past issues we’ve had. Liam can’t hack into it, and Emerson can’t anticipate it. We’re stuck while our father, yet again, is ahead of us.

We talk a little longer, but there is nothing else for us to do but wait, stay on guard, and hope that our father is dealing with his own stuff and will leave us alone. The past begs to differ, but even so, it’s something we can hope for.

I hug Cordi to me and inhale her honey scent.

“It bothers me that we don’t know what he wants. Those men went after Mom, the Malibu house was tossed, and then that guy who was watching. It feels like they are trying to keep our attention split,” I say.

“So that means we need to prepare on our end. You have already done that,” she says, waving her hand in the air. “Not to mention the gun training. I think sometimes, Kai, we have to remember that we have to keep living. If we’re constantly trying to anticipate him, then he has control. Your mom worked really hard to get you out from under your father’s thumb. Don’t put yourselves back under it.”

The mere thought of that makes bile churn in my stomach. But she’s right. “Damn, gem, just slap me in the face, why don’t you?”

“I won’t let him take what we have.”

I smile at her strength. I love her for it. She didn’t have to go through what we did, and I’m grateful. Our father is still alive, but for most of our lives, he’s been a ghost. No one said anything about the living haunting you.

***

We decided the bedroom across from the master was the best place for the baby. Cordi wants a little crib next to her for the first six months before we put him in a room on his own, and I ordered the bassinet she asked for.

In the meantime, I started building furniture while Cordi slowly but surely filled the closet with baby clothes and other supplies. I’m building the crib she decided on, and as I struggle to put together the base because you apparently need four hands, Cordi walks in.

“Hey babe,” she says.

I glance at her and try to hold the piece in with my thigh to screw it in.

“You okay?” she asks. I nod, holding a screw between my lips, slowly driving the drill into the wood with the other screw.

“So, uh, I was thinking the other crib should go to your mom’s, just in case.” I stop drilling and look up at her and take the screw from my lips.

“What do you mean, just in case?” I ask as my heart rate jumps and sweat beads on my forehead. I don’t like what I think she’s implying. “I figured we would have one there when we visited, but it seems like you mean something else.”

“Kai, if we…need to run, she’s the next safest place, right?” I nod. “I want to make sure he has a bed to sleep in, even if we don’t. I don’t want him not to have what he needs because of the family he was born into. He can’t control that.”

My throat tightens, and my brain feels like it’s being squished between a rock and a hard place. I don’t know how to respond to that. I won’t let that happen. I refuse to let that happen.

She sits next to me and crosses her legs. “I’m not trying to upset you, Kai, but based on the conversation from this morning, we have to be prepared.”

I grip her hand. “I know, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry about all of this.”

She shakes her head quickly. “There’s nothing to be sorry about, but if something does happen to us, I want him to have a place.”

I nod. “You’re a good mother, Cordi. It’s hard, but you’re right. It’s a good idea to have…an alternate space.”

“It’s only a backup,” she says.

I wince at the thought, and she reaches for the instructions.

“Let’s put this crib together.”

And just like that, I have to consider the possibility of leaving this kid either motherless, fatherless or an orphan. Yet, I can’t find it in myself to regret any of it. I don’t know what kind of man that makes me, let alone what kind of father.