Unbroken (Fighter Erotic Romance #4) (7 page)

SHANE.
Witnessing another life being brought into this world through the birth of a child is proof of the existence of a power greater than all of mankind – a miracle, and nothing less. I reserve hope my newfound faith in God, life and love remain as clear as it is today for as long as I continue to walk this earth. Today, I draw every breath with a better understanding of all that life has the ability to offer a man who loves a woman with every ounce of his heart.

“Get that little Marine out of that shit you got him wrapped in Kace, you’re smothering him,” A-Train grunted.

“Keep your hands off of him, Alec. He’s sleeping. You can hold him later. How long are they going to be in there? I popped mine out in like ten minutes,” Kace turned and said as she paced the floor.

“I know he’s hot, he’s got to be,” A-Train said as he reached into the car seat Casey was laying in.

As A-Train began to pick Casey from the seat, I smiled.

Kace stopped pacing and rested her hands on her thighs, “Stop it Alec, you’re going to wake him up.”

A-Train slowly lifted Casey out of the car seat and cautiously raised him to his chest. As he paced the floor with the baby resting against his chest and shoulder, he began to hum. I turned to face Kace, who smiled at A-Train; shaking her head as he walked around the perimeter of the room waiting for an answer from Ripp.

Kace, A-Train, Kelsey, Ripp’s parents, Bug, and Manda were all waiting quietly for an announcement of some sort. Although they’d been in delivery for almost an hour, we had heard nothing. Exhausted, we all used our own method to relax and wait. A-Train, on the other hand, seemed to have a special attachment to Casey, and it couldn’t be hidden. Possibly his newfound love for Bug made it easier for him to develop feelings of compassion. As he paced the floor, his humming turned to a soft hymn. Holding Casey to his chest, the pleasant sound of his singing provided all of us a little comfort. As he walked, his step developed a little bounce to comfort the baby and provide him rhythm. The song he sang was unmistakable;
the Marine Corps Hymn.

“From the
Halls of Montezuma
…”

“To the
shores of Tripoli
…”

“We fight our country's battles…”

“In
the air, on land, and sea
…”

“First to fight for right and freedom…”

“And to keep our honor clean…”

“We are proud to claim the title…”

“Of United States Marine…”

“You see, we’re
first to fight
. Anytime, anyplace, anywhere. As soon as you wake up, I’ll tell you a story about the night Gunny Marshall and I got drunk in Okinawa, Japan. You’ll appreciate it when you’re a little older,” he chuckled.

“You will not, Alec. Don’t fill his head with stories about your drunken escapades,” Kace laughed.

“Just reassuring him he’s safe in my arms,” A-Train grinned.

Kace turned to me and smiled as she tilted her head toward A-Train.

“I see them,” I grinned as I shook my head lightly.

The unmistakable sound of Ripp’s size fourteen Chuck’s slapping the floor of the hallway became louder as he obviously got closer to the waiting room. As we all walked toward the door he jumped into the room, his face filled with joy and his feet still securely tied into a pair of blue and red bowling shoes. He looked like a big, bald, tattooed Bozo the Clown.

“You motherfucker’s ready?” he hollered from the doorway.

“Michael,” his mother gasped, “don’t say that in the hospital.”

“It ain’t a church mom, it’s a hospital. So, you ready for the news?” he shouted, nodding his head excitedly the entire time he spoke.

“Eight pounds and fifteen ounces. Almost a nine pounder,” he smiled.

“And both my little girls are doing just fine,” he shouted.

“A girl?” Kace screamed, “Vee had a girl?”

“
We
had a girl, Shorty, she’s ours,” Ripp smiled.

Immediately, the room was filled with congratulatory remarks and hugs. For some reason, I stood in place as everyone rushed toward Ripp. A little disappointed, I attempted to digest Ripp and Vee having a little girl, hoping all along for another boy. After a moment, I began to feel selfish and walked to where Ripp stood.

“Congratulations Ripp, to both of you. When can we see her?” I asked.

“Hell here in a few minutes, from what they said. But it’s like three at a time, and I don’t want to create problems down there. They’re serious about this baby business,” he said as he raised his eyebrows and nodded his head.

“Name?” Kace asked.

“Listen up,” Ripp said, raising his hands in the air.

He smiled and lowered his hands, “Jessica Ann Ripton. That’s her name. We’re gonna call her Jessie. Casey and Jessie. Got a nice little ring to it, huh?”

“Close as I could get was something that rhymed, bro,” he said as he slapped my shoulder.

I smiled and thought of the two of them growing up together, playing and learning of life and everything in it. Children appear to change everything in life, and rightfully so. They should. The future of this earth is dependent upon our children growing into adults and being equal to or greater than the generation before them. If I learn from my mistakes and teach my children what I have learned, eliminating my many shortcomings, they’ll be able to begin life a generation wiser.

“How’s Vee doing?” I asked over the crowd.

“She’s doing great. I need to get some cigars, we need to celebrate,” Ripp said as he reached for his wallet.

“Got ‘em right here, Ripper,” Kelsey said as he reached into his gym bag.

“Brought several of both, just in case,” he said as he began handing
‘it’s a girl’
cigars to the group.

As everyone became louder and more joyous over Ripp and Vee’s new baby girl, I looked toward the window which faced the parking lot in front of the center. A-Train, still holding Casey, walked by slowly, seemingly unaffected by the crowd. As he walked, he continued to sing. A small lump raised in my throat as I watched him looking down at Casey intently. One by one, we were bringing a new generation into this earth. Each child would carry a small piece of us with them as they developed and grew. As they grew into adulthood, they would be a product of their parents, the friends and the family they were exposed to as children.

As I continued to watch A-Train, Kace walked up and embraced me, nodding her head toward A-Train as she did.

“He loves that little boy,” she grinned.

“He sure does,” I smiled.

I turned and looked around the room, still smiling at the thought of the changes we were all going to witness in each other’s lives.

Casey and Jessie.

It did have a nice ring to it.

SHANE.
Ripp pushed himself from the table and stood from his chair, “So, we went bowling to try and focus on something other than the baby. She was standing in her lane holding her bowling ball and she reached back,” he paused and swung his right hand rearward slowly and raised his eyebrows.

“Fucking BOOM!” he quickly raised his hands in the air as he shouted.

He glanced back and forth between A-Train and I as he spoke, “Slimy shit went everywhere. She didn’t even see it comin’. It was crazy. She wore that little dress because she said she couldn’t bowl in them stretchy pants she’s been wearin’. Anyway, so the shit just gushes out on the bowling alley, right there on the lane, and she drops her ball and starts screamin’.”

I looked at A-Train and shook my head as I rolled my eyes, “Damn, Ripp too much information. That’s gross.”

“It ain’t gross, bro. It’s when Jessie had enough. She wanted out. So anyway, Vee turns to me and says
Ripp my water broke
. And she just stands still lookin’ at the floor, like she’s in shock. Hell I went runnin’ over there and I slipped in this shit and fell on my ass. Now, I stand up, and I’m covered in baby water. So I get up, pick her up, and fuck…you know me, I’m all excited. I take off for the door, screaming. I slip again, and drop her to the floor. Just
bam!
Vee hits the floor and starts moaning. And we ain’t even in the clear yet. I’m still swimming in this puddle of slimy shit, and trying to get her to the car. So, I pick her up again, and the entire bowling alley is holding their hands over their mouth, lookin’ at me like I’m some drunk that can’t walk.”

I looked up at Ripp and began to laugh, thinkin of him excited and covered in Vee’s
baby water.

“Now, I step to the side, get me some good solid ground, and I take off for the door like I’m a runnin’ back for the Dallas Cowboys. After I got her in the car, we hauled ass for the hospital, and the rest of
that
story you know. But here’s the
rest of the story,
” he paused and raised his eyebrows in an exaggerated fashion.

“So there’s more?” A-Train chuckled.

“Oh hell yeah. Fucking cocksuckers. Listen to this,” he nodded his head and reached for his beer bottle.

After drinking the remaining beer from the bottle, he waived at the waitress and raised two fingers in the air, ordering another round of beers.

“Okay, so this entire time, I ain’t got time to think about checking out or turning in my shoes. Or payin’ for that matter. I’m worried about Vee and Jessie. So, we haul ass outta there, and we have the baby. A week passes. Now I got these chicken-shit five dollar vinyl tri-color bowling shoes I wore out of there. And I got the ones Vee was wearin’. You know, even preggo she wears Jimmy Choo’s or whatever. So, I go to the bowling alley to take the shoes back, and this little prick says
thank you Mr. Ripton for returning the shoes, we’ll waive the cost of the bowling, but we don’t have your shoes any longer
,” he placed his hands on his hips as if preparing us for the punchline.

“So I look at this little prick, and I say,
Mr. Ripton is my father, who you tryin’ to impress peewee? Now give me the fucking shoes before I snatch your skinny ass over the counter
. See, they got my best Ed Hardy’s, and I ain’t havin’ that shit,” he paused as the waitress dropped two more beers off at the table.

“And he says
we don’t have them
. And I look over the counter and say
you said ‘any longer’. Where’d they go?
” he reached for his beer, shrugged his shoulders, and took a drink.

“Now, to make a long story short, I pull this little fucker over the counter, and he tells me they decided to snatch our shit and sell it on Ebay. On motherfuckin’ Ebay. Some shit for brains fucker in Japan or Malaysia or Great god damned Britain is gonna be wearin’ our shoes. Wanna know why?” he raised his eyebrows again and took a drink of his beer as he focused on me.

I shrugged my shoulder, “Why?”

“Because of
you
,” he snapped as he nodded his head sharply toward me.

He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, “Those fucktards sold my shoes under the claim I was the future Heavyweight Champion of the World’s sparring partner and best friend. Can you fucking believe that shit?”

I picked up my water and took a sip from the cup, somewhat annoyed. I have spent the majority of my life attempting to fly under the radar of the public. Keeping to myself and living a life without the influence of outsiders has always been my intent. Being under the watchful eyes of the general public, and living with their scrutiny of me and my lifestyle choices isn’t something I have ever desired. In fact, I prefer to be left alone. The thought of any of what Kace and I do being exposed to the public without our desire or knowledge is unsettling.

“Did you hear me?” Ripp asked.

“I heard you,” I sighed.

“Sorry Ripp. I really don’t want any of this. I want to fight the fight, and I’d love to win it, but I don’t want shit like this going on. I really don’t. I’ll pay for the shoes,” I grumbled.

“It ain’t that big of a deal. It’s just funny, really. Fuck it. SO, how’s Casey?” Ripp asked as he pulled his chair from the table and began to sit.

“Casey’s doing just fine,” A-Train responded.

Ripp turned toward A-Train and smiled as he shook his head lightly, “Dude, you got to drop the baby. You need therapy. That poor kid is gonna have callouses from you fingerin’ him all damn day. Jesus, A-Train. Every time I’m over there, you’re walking around holdin’ that poor kid.”

“Hey, someone’s gotta pay him a little attention. You damned sure haven’t, uncle Ripp. Shane should have named him something else. I love that damned kid, he’s gonna make a fine man someday,” A-Train nodded.

Rarely do we see people change in front of our eyes. Sometimes, after the passing of a reasonable period of time, two or three years maybe, we’ll see subtle changes in a person who we are familiar or intimate with, and look back at the person they used to be and acknowledge change. The change, be it good or bad is recognized in comparing the former person to the current person. Seeing significant change in a person over a short period of time rarely happens.

A-Train had changed in the last few months. After the birth of Casey, he had become quieter, more relaxed, and somewhat compassionate. The changes are certainly welcome, especially with Kace. I, on the other hand, have a difficult time understanding just what happened to cause change him so drastically in a short period of time. Hopefully, he’ll slowly make whatever adjustments are needed to allow him to forget the atrocities of the war he continues to mentally wallow in. Time, I suppose, will tell.

“And Jessie will make a fine woman,” Ripp said as he raised his beer bottle in the air.

I leaned forward in my chair and raised my glass of water. As our drinks clanked together over the center of the table, A-Train nodded his head and smiled.

“Here’s to living, loving, and leaving the past where it belongs. Behind us,” A-Train said as he lifted his bottle.

Living.

Loving.

And.

Leaving the past where it belongs.

Behind us.