Chapter 10
Summer
One month later…
“Are you ready?” Seb calls, poking his head into the room.
“Yeah, I think so. Is he here?”
“Bay just texted. They’ll be here in five minutes.”
“Okay, let me put the cake in the fridge, then we can go down.” Today is Nick’s birthday.
He’s never let the guys have a party for him, even though they’ve tried.
But I couldn’t let his birthday go by without celebrating, so I’ve been brainstorming with Seb, Troy, and Gabby about what to do.
The only thing we could agree on was martial arts, so we’re essentially having a tournament in Alex’s yard today.
Since I’m now training twice a week in class at the MMA facility, I’m super excited.
The owner of the facility, Markus, was happy to help us get everything together.
We invited the best fighters around, from Columbia to Savannah to Charleston, to compete.
I really hope he isn’t mad when he finds out.
“Let’s go,” I say to Seb. Alex and E are outside finishing up last-minute setup.
Bay is pulling up with Nick as we step out the front door. I’m very excited, with a big smile on my face, and I’m bouncing on my toes. I rush over and open the passenger door. “Hi Nick,” I smile.
Nick lowers his eyebrows, watching me intently. “Shortie,” he grunts.
“Come on. I need to show you something,” I say, pulling his arm to get him out of the car.
He looks like a giant squished into a little metal box.
I can’t help but giggle as he folds his body uncomfortably to get out.
I get a scowl, but ignore it and grab his hand to lead him to the backyard.
“Ta da!” I say as the setup comes into view.
“What’s this?” He says, eyebrows raised, looking around.
“It’s an MMA tournament,” Seb tells him. “Sunshine organized the whole thing. We’ve got the best fighters from all around coming.”
Nick looks over at me, surprise flickering in those dark, earthy eyes. “Shortie?” He asks.
I pull him along to show him everything.
“So we have two cages for fights. It’s an elimination tournament.
Each person who’s competing will teach a seminar or two during the weekend for free.
We’ve spread the word around town that there will be free training available for anyone interested in coming.
On the left, we have tents for fighters and officials with changing rooms, first aid, a few booths for product sales, and a concession stand. ”
Nick stops and examines the cages as Alex and E join us. “Everything is ready,” Alex tells me.
“Great, thanks, guys.” Grabbing Nick’s hand, I pull him away from the cages.
“Come on, there’s more to see.” He lets me drag him past the cages.
“Look, we have an area divided by ropes for the seminars set up here. Each seminar will be an hour long. We have something for everyone, from beginners to advanced. Markus has been a big help. He’s in charge of the fights, and he has one booth for the weekend, selling products and a signup sheet for classes.
We’ll open the stands up in the morning on your right.
What do you think?” Please don’t be mad.
“Here is the schedule for the weekend,” Alex offers, handing him a sheet. “Markus drew names for the first round fights earlier today, and we have several local sponsors as well.”
Nick reads over the schedule without speaking, then grabs my hand and pulls me away from the other guys. I have to jog to keep up with his long legs. Once we’re out of sight, he lets my hand go and turns to face me. “Why Shortie?” he growls at me.
“Why what? The tournament?” I question. Oh boy. I don’t think he likes it. Dammit, Troy warned me, and I overstepped anyway.
He nods as he paces back and forth in front of me.
“Because you’re my friend, and you deserve to have fun on your birthday.
I know you don’t like celebrating it, but we’re the only ones who know it’s your birthday.
Everyone else just thinks it’s a regular MMA tournament.
It’s our secret, I promise. I couldn’t let your birthday go by without letting you know how much you mean to me, to all of us.
If you’re mad, blame me, not the guys. It was my idea,” I say, getting nervous he really is upset with me.
Nick looks at me, then keeps pacing back and forth. I think I messed up. Shit. “I’m sorry, Nick. I made a mistake,” I mutter as tears well in my eyes. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Nick grabs me and pulls me up into a hug. His hard, warm body eclipses mine, and I feel so safe. He smells yummy, like leather and spruce trees. “Shortie,” he sighs. “I’m not mad. I don’t understand, but I’m not mad.”
I pull back so I can see his face. “What don’t you understand?”
“Why you did this? Why do you care?”
I look more closely at Nick. He really seems confused.
“Nick, you’re one of my best friends. I’m happy that you were born.
All of us are. You’ve been there for me every day since I met you.
Hell, you found me when Ben kidnapped me and took care of me afterwards.
Seb told me they’ve tried to celebrate your birthday before, so I’m not sure why you’re confused. ”
Nick lets me go and plops down against a tree, hanging his head, so I take a seat beside him. “I’m not a good person, Shortie. Never have been. I don’t deserve a celebration.”
“Yes, you do, Nick. Why do you think you’re not a good person? We haven’t known each other long, but I haven’t seen anything bad.”
“You don’t know me or my past. If you did, you’d stay far away,” he replies.
Oh, my broken, grumpy giant. All these years he wouldn’t celebrate because he felt unworthy, but nothing could be further from the truth. “That’s not true. Even though you keep everyone at arm’s length, I’ve seen your heart. You are a good person, Nick. I’d bet my life on it.”
Nick scoffs at me as he tugs on the blades of grass. “I know a little about your life before you moved in with Seb. I know how you’ve treated me since I moved here. I’ve seen you teaching martial arts to others. You’re patient and kind when we train. Why can’t you see what I see?” I ask him.
Nick looks even more upset now than when I started talking.
Good job Summer. He ticks points off on his fingers.
“I’m a hacker. I’ve killed people. I’ve seen women being raped and killed.
I’ve helped distribute drugs to kids. I’m the reason guns were on the streets of Charleston.
I’m the reason my father got away with all the awful shit he did.
Should we celebrate someone who has done all of that? ” He snarls, venom in his eyes.
This powerful man is shouldering the blame for all that transpired while living under his father’s roof.
He was just a kid. I don’t accept that, so I boldly get up and crawl into his lap, wrapping my arms around him in a hug, leaving a space between our bodies.
“You are not your father, and you’re not responsible for what happened when you lived with him.
You were a kid. It is not your fault,” I say, leaning back to look into his eyes.
“You listen to me, Nick Bouras,” I tell him sternly.
“You put that asshole away in jail. You are worthy of friends, of family, of love. You created your own family and life away from him. You are a success, and you need to stop blaming yourself for the past. We are your family, and we love you, and we’re proud of the man you’ve become.
You. Are. Worthy,” I say, shaking his shoulders.
Nick stares into my eyes, waiting for…something. “You believe what you’re saying, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do, 100%. You need to work on believing it, too. No more self-loathing allowed,” I tell him. I give him my best no nonsense glare.
Nick shakes his head at me, but I’m rewarded with a genuine smile. “You might be crazy, Shortie.”
“Possibly,” I shrug. “Doesn’t mean I’m wrong.” He pulls me into another hug, then stands up with me still in his arms. So strong. After his grip loosens, I unwrap my legs from around his waist and step back. “Are you okay with the tournament?”
“Yeah, you’re nuts, but it’s amazing, Shortie.”
“Good. Now, what do you want to do tonight?”
“Nothing, just relax,” he says, shaking his head.
“We can do that. Come on, there’s one more thing I want to show you inside,” I tell him, grabbing his hand to pull him back towards the house. The rest of the guys are still hanging out by the stands where we left them.
“All good?” Seb calls.
“Yup, let’s go upstairs. We’re relaxing tonight.
I want Nick to see his last surprise.” Everybody follows us inside to Alex’s level.
I let go of Nick’s hand once we’re inside the apartment and walk over to the fridge.
Pulling out the cake, I turn and set it on the island.
Nick sticks his finger into the frosting and takes a lick. “Hey,” I say, slapping his hand.
“It’s mine, isn’t it?” He replies. “It’s good. What kind of cake?”
“Well, I figured out you like black forest cake, chocolate, and cheesecake, so it’s all three. The base is cheesecake. Then you have the cherries, then a layer of chocolate cake, all covered in chocolate and white icing.”
“Damn Shortie. Thank you,” he replies.
“I’m making your favorite for dinner too,” E adds, “so everyone out of the kitchen.” He shoos all of us away, so I place the cake back in the fridge, then let the guys know I’m calling Jake.
Going into the right bedroom, I flop onto the bed I’ve been using.
Alex had a double bed put in this room to replace one of the twin beds after the last time I stayed here.
The larger bed is for E and Seb to use. E has been staying here for the last few weeks since his dad returned home, but we’re all crashing here for the weekend.
There’s no diving or track meets either, so it worked out perfectly.
We start up again next week with three more weeks to go.
I fill Jake in on the last few days and the tournament we organized for Nick.
I rejoin the guys after my call. Seb is in the kitchen with E, so I take a seat between Bay and Nick on the couch. “So, Nick, movies? Hot tub? Pool? Something else?” I ask.
He thinks before answering me. “Food, hot tub, movies.”
“Sounds good.” My phone dings with a text.
Pulling it out, I see texts from Gabby and Holly asking how the surprise went.
I’ve hung out with them a few times over the past month, and we’ve become closer.
I let them know we’re all still alive and I’ll see them tomorrow, then I text Zander to check in.
He and Troy are hanging out tonight before they join us here in the morning.
The past month has been hard. A very active hurricane season, unpredictable.
You know a storm’s coming, just not how bad it’ll be and what effects will occur.
I have new triggers, mostly places, that I know will panic me.
Nightmares occur at random times. Memories surface out of the blue that are easy to handle one day and debilitating the next.
I’m physically healed, but mentally and emotionally I’m a work in progress.
Feeling restless, I give Nick’s hand a squeeze, then get up to help in the kitchen. “What’s up, Sunshine?” Seb asks, pulling me into his side and placing a kiss on my head.
“I’m feeling restless. Can I help E?”
“Always. Want to caramelize the onions and garlic?”
“Can do.” E and I work seamlessly in creating Nick’s favorite dinner of steak with sauteed onions and garlic, cheesy potatoes, and Caesar salad.
After we eat, I make the guys sing Happy Birthday to Nick, who glowers at me but blushes at the same time.
I give him an enormous slice of cake with his fingerprint in it.
He seems to enjoy his dessert, and then we change to hit the hot tub.
Alex and Bay decide to practice their diving while we relax in the warm water.
At least when they're at home, they wear shorts instead of speedos. It’s a little less distracting.
After a few rounds, they show us their new dive.
They try it twice before coming over to us.
“Any insights, guys? We’re getting worse at this dive than when we started the season,” Bay asks.
E and Seb offer their thoughts as I study Bay and Alex.
They’re very close in height, less than an inch separating them, but Alex seems to be bulkier than Bay.
It’s not something I’ve noticed before. Could that be the issue?
Bay seems just slightly behind Alex during the spins. “Alex, have you been working out more?”
“Um…” Alex mutters.
The guys laugh as I think about what I said. “No! Not like that, you pervs. I mean, you seem to have more bulk than you did before. Bay is slightly behind you in that dive. Could your strength level have changed, like there’s more power in your twists and turns than before?”
Bay turns to examine Alex more closely. “You know, she may be right. You are bulkier than normal.”
“I guess I have been in the gym more in the past few months,” Alex replies, thinking.
“Let’s try it again. Try to pull back a little when we jump this time,” Bay says. They try a few more rounds, and it improves. Hopefully, they'll work it out.
Nick picks a few fight movies to watch after we’ve showered off from the pool and hot tub. We spread out on the couch with popcorn, except for Nick, who has another slice of cake. It’s comfortable and relaxing.