Eleven
MIA
“Tell me again why we have to do so many reps?” I’m barely able to lift the bar above my head as AJ spots me.
“Because we are bad bitches not weak bitches.” AJ speaks with authority, like always.
When I asked her to train me I didn’t anticipate how hard it would be.
I only train a fraction of the time that she does and my body never seems to stop hurting.
She promises me that it’ll get better, but I think she forgets she’s made of stone.
Except her heart. Contrary to what many probably believe, that girl has a bleeding heart.
“Bad. Bitches.” I huff out as she encourages me to do another rep.
“Not weak bitches.” She catches the bar right before it slips out of the prongs meant to hold it.
I’m getting stronger every day but it’s a fight.
And the more I train the more I crave the feeling that I get after I don’t give up and I reach a new level.
It’s addictive, pushing your body to get better and grow.
I get why the Wests are so committed to this gym and the good it circulates back into the community.
“You’re almost ready to up your weight. That’s impressive.” AJ praises.
“She’s definitely got that West Haven grit running through her veins.” Our heads turn to where Eddie just walked into the equipment corner sans shirt and in black shorts. The West men are unreasonably attractive.
“Eddie…” I purr to get his attention. “You should really let me take some promo shots of you working out for the gym. Hot older men are trending.” I wink up at him from where I’m still lying down on the bench.
“You know the rules.” He reminds me. This is a consistent conversation we have.
He’s adamant that the triplets and AJ remain the face of the gym because it’s their home and their future.
I like to give him hell about how hot he is.
And it's just a bonus that me hitting on his dad makes Oliver a little crazy.
Eddie knows my game, and sometimes I think he enjoys seeing his oldest son riled up.
I give a dramatic pout and sigh. “You’re no fun.”
All three of us are standing in front of the mirrored wall that I know Maxwell had installed because he’s a diva.
Eddie towers over both of us as he reaches for a set of weights.
He catches my eye in the mirror and winks before saying, “I’m all kinds of fun, Mia.
It’s where my sons get it from.” I now know why their mother willingly carried three babies from this man in her body.
“You can’t flirt with a girl like that and expect for her brain to still function, Mr. West.” I watch Eddie laugh softly and then start his workout after putting his ear buds in.
I watch the muscles in his back flex and then grin over to where AJ is staring at me in horror.
Okay, so it’s fun messing with Oliver and her by hitting on Eddie.
“Stop checking out my dad.” Oliver comes up next to AJ and gives her a side hug, followed by Eli and Max.
“Tell your dad it’s a crime to be that hot.” I shoot back at him and can’t help the sense of pride when his jaw grows tense.
Maxwell wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me back into him as he hugs me tight.
“Hey sunshine. You’re up early for a workout.
” Oliver glares over my shoulder at Maxwell, so I turn my head and kiss his cheek.
When I pull back I watch Maxwell eyebrows pull together in a silent argument with his brother.
It’s always so annoying when they do this.
“I restocked your favorites.” Maxwell says as he lifts his arms away and pulls out a brand new roll of the hard cherry lifesavers.
Squealing, I take them and immediately dig in.
I worked hard this morning, I deserve a treat.
“My work out this morning actually gave me a revelation.” I speak over the sound of me opening the candy.
I watch as he raises his eyebrows waiting for me to continue.
“New life motto: do DILFS. Not drugs.” I pop one of the pieces of candy in my mouth.
AJ just dead pan stares at me like she can’t believe I just said that out loud. I shrug my shoulders. She shouldn't be surprised by my thoughts any more. The roll of lifesavers is stolen from my grip with Oliver now standing in front of me.
“Give those back.” I reach out for it but he just simply holds it out of reach. Tall men are hot, but right now I want to take him out by the knee caps.
“Absolutely not.” He leans in so close that his nose is barely touching mine. “Not until you behave better and stop hitting on poor old men.”
“I’ll hit on anyone I want.” I counter and reach for the candy again.
When I still can’t even remotely reach it, I huff in his face.
“Your brother got those for me. Because he is thoughtful, unlike you. So, give them back before I have AJ kick your ass.” One day I’ll be able to threaten to kick his ass, until then I will shamelessly use AJ.
“Thoughtful.” His eyes harden and his tongue nips at his bottom lip.
“Sure he is.” He reaches down and gently grabs my wrist, holding a second too long before opening my hand.
He places the candy in my open palm before closing it and walking away.
No snide remark shot back at me, no teasing, he just leaves.
“He is so moody.” I turn to where the others are standing and just staring after him.
Maxwell averts his eyes and Eli looks at AJ.
She just stares at me, something emotional in her eyes.
She definitely wants to say something but she’s choosing to stay quiet.
“Maxie, want to be my back up plan for my date tonight?” I try to change the subject.
I don’t actually need a back up plan, but it’s always fun to have them close by.
“Why are you going on these dates?” Eddie’s voice startles me. I forgot he was in the corner.
“I like trying new things.” The answer to his question is something that AJ has been asking me for weeks.
I’m really only dating to curb the appetite I have for a certain sad fighter.
And not a single one of them captures my attention enough for anything more than crappy drinks and mediocre food.
I spent my whole life set up for one relationship, one purpose.
I hate it. And I decided a little over a year ago that I am made for more.
I can do more. The dates are just a reminder that we shouldn’t be confined to one thing.
We are given every color of the world to paint our life the way we want.
I left Adam the minute I found out he was cheating on me, even though I wanted out so much sooner.
I left and made a promise to myself that I will not be defined by who my parents are and what they want for me.
I want to do so much more in this world. I want to do good.
“Just be careful.” Eddie has that parental note to his voice and it tugs at my heart a little bit. I’ve only ever heard him use that tone with AJ.
“Promise.” I nod to him before he heads to a different section to work out. I turn back to where Maxwell is standing, hands in his pockets. “So you coming?”
Eli steps forward with the expression covering his face that tells me that I will not like what he has to say.
Eli is the brother you can count on to be collected in his emotions but always honest. “I’m free tonight too.
I’ll come with Maxwell.” He looks up at the ceiling and I watch him take a deep breath.
“Pretty sure Ollie is free too. We’ll make it a boys night.
You get your protection. Everyone wins.”
“The last time I had a date and Oliver was around, my date ended up with me alone.” I argue. Given, that was entirely my fault. Davey was cute enough but after Oliver’s hands were on my body he was all I wanted.
Eli narrows his eyes, “maybe pick better dates.”
“Maybe he should control himself.” I lower my voice but keep it steady. I know that everyone knows something happened between me and Oliver, but I also appreciate that we all just kind of pretend it’s not a thing.
“This is him controlling himself.” He whispers so only I can hear him and I understand the weight of his words.
He doesn’t want me pushing Oliver over the edge.
Loud pops light up the empty space and I look to see Oliver working the bag in the corner.
He has his headphones on and he’s fully locked in on his rhythm of hitting the bag.
I glance up at the clock and realize I have to leave soon. I have a shift at the coffee shop and then classes at Melinda’s center. Something twists inside me at the sight of Oliver upset but it’s not my place to ask questions.
One of my favorite parts of the week is my art classes with the kids at Melinda’s center.
I’m possibly the worst artist to ever lift a paint brush to a canvas but I love the way that even a mistake is considered beauty in art.
Melinda taught me that life is full of strokes of mistakes but we can always find something beautiful because life never stops moving.
Sometimes I make Rory come in and actually teach the kids something that is good and not just me pretending to be good at this. This is one of those times. I can’t get Eli’s words out of my head. And I’ve been trying to decipher the meaning of them the whole afternoon.
“Think any louder and the walls will start speaking.” Melinda’s voice should have startled me, the woman is so soft that even her footsteps barely make noise. But her words are always melodic in some sense and they calm my spirit.
“Maybe they hold all the answers.” I’ve been watercolor painting a sunset for an hour. And it still looks like a toddler had a color war and it got rained on. I’m a terrible artist. But Melinda still allows me to teach these kids how to paint, poorly.
She sits down next to me and picks up a paint brush. She dips it into the water and gets a deep purple started to help me fix my mess. “What answers are you needing, sweet girl?”