CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
I Need Help
Reese
Eight months later…
I think losing our baby brought us closer together. Nico and I have been through so much together and it hasn’t broken us or our love. It has only made it stronger than ever.
I don’t know why I was so surprised that Nico was by my side every step of the way. Once again Nico proved to me what being loved is really like, but he is not the only one that has shown me so much love.
Valentina and I have become so much closer after the day she found me in the bathroom. She has become the big sister I didn’t know I needed. Valentina and Rita are the leaders of the badass crew and somehow they have pulled me into the ranks.
Seriously! I have learned to shoot a gun. Twice a week I take self-defense lessons with the rest of the trainees at Briggs Security. It all has gone a long way to help me deal with our loss.
I am actually on my way to the compound when my cell phone rings. I’m not supposed to be at the compound today, but I have been having trouble shaking a few of these pounds and thought stepping up my game will help.
I look down at my phone, but I don’t recognize the number. I furrow my brows which, grabs Nico’s attention as he sits at the kitchen island watching me. I was just about to kiss him goodbye.
“Hello,” I say into the phone as I answer and continue to make my way over to Nico.
“Please Reese, don’t hang up. It’s me, Ty,” I hear the voice on the other end say.
My head whips back as I frown. I now have Nico’s full attention. He scoots to the edge of his seat and reaches for me. Nico pulls me between his legs and takes my phone placing it on speaker. It is a total Nico move and at this point, I don’t even bother to protest. I have gotten use to this.
“Reese are you there,” Ty asks nervously.
“Yeah, I’m here,” I mumble.
“Listen, I wouldn’t even dare call you with this if I don’t really need your help. The last thing I want is to hurt you, but I don’t have anyone else. You know my parents have always thought of me as a fuck up. When they found out about Aurora, the boys and that you divorced me they cut my ass off. Everyone knows you were the best thing I had in my life.
“I know I fucked up, Reese. Shit is just getting worse. I’m losing everything. I just really need you right now. I swear I wouldn’t have called if I didn’t,” Ty pleads.
“What do you want,” I snap in impatience. I can feel the anger rolling off of Nico. Ty needs to spit it out before Nico loses his shit.
There is a moment of silence before I hear Ty huff into the phone. “Aurora has done everything she can to make sure I have no one. I mean no one will fuck with me because of her, my family, my team, hell Josh was my best friend. He won’t even take my calls. Now she is fucking with my career, Reese.
“I’m sorry, I hate to ask you this, but I just need you to watch my boys so I can play tonight. They’re going to cut my ass if I don’t show. Aurora just showed up and dumped them here at my hotel. I don’t have time to find someone I can trust to watch them.
“I’ve already been in a bad situation. My oldest was held for ransom because Aurora is such a raging, neglectful bi- ….,” Ty cuts off and sighs. “Please Reese.”
“No,” Nico barks.
“Shit,” Ty growls in the distance on the other end of the phone.
“Nico, he needs help,” I whisper.
“No, not at the risk of hurting you,” Nico says through a clenched jaw.
I place a hand on Nico’s chest and place my forehead to his. I feel for Ty. His family has never been easy on him. I know they must have taken our divorce hard. His mother always had a soft spot for me and would tell Ty he didn’t deserve me. She actually blamed him for my miscarriage during our marriage.
His father was another story. Nothing Ty did was good enough. I was never sure how he felt about me. He was never mean or disrespectful. He would just keep his distance. Well, with the exception of when I graduated from college. Dr. Roman was there looking just as proud as my dad, which surprised the hell out of me. He did however, make it very clear how disappointed he was that Ty wasn’t there.
I was the one that always had Ty’s back. His parents never seemed to care that he made it to the NFL. In their eyes, he would find a way to mess that up as well. I would hate for them to be right because I refuse to help.
“Nico, we were friends once before everything else. I can’t not help him,” I whisper.
Nico tenses as his hand moves to rub up and down my back. I know he is pissed. I can see it in his blue eyes. If his jaw flexes any harder, I think it would break. I hold my breath as I wait for him to answer.
“Fine, but I am going with you. I don’t want him near our home so we will go to him,” Nico grumbles.
“Thank you,” Ty sighs into the phone sounding truly relieved. “I’ll text you the address.”
“No need, I always know where you are,” Nico says in a warning tone.
“Yeah, I should have known,” Ty grumbles, then ends the call.
“Thank you, Nico. I know this is hard to understand, but he was a different person once and that is the person I want to help,” I say softly as I look Nico in the eyes.
“This is not hard to understand. This is you. You solve everyone’s problems. If you have a solution you give it. If I were a better man I would let you go on your own, but I’m not,” Nico shrugs.
I laugh. “You are the best man. I know why you are really coming with me,” I look down at my hands I am now playing with. “I can handle this. I promise. I know I freaked out a few times since last year and losing our baby, but I’ve got this. I’ll be fine.”
After the miscarriage, I hadn’t dealt with our friends and family’s growing families so well. I have to say I am a little shamed of how I handled myself. Everyone said they understood, no one blamed me for bursting into tears all the time at the sight of a swollen belly.
I’ve had time to process things now and I am much better. I know that’s Nico’s initial reason for not wanting me to do this for Ty. Well, that and the fact that this is my cheating ex-husband.
Nico lifts my chin. He places a kiss to my lips. “In time Reese, we will have our baby in time,” Nico says as a promise.
“I know,” I whisper. “Let’s go. He’ll need to get going soon, so he isn’t late for the game.”
g
“They’re sleeping,” I whisper to Nico as I tiptoe out of the master suite of Ty’s hotel room.
Nico is sitting on the couch in the main room looking like he owns the place. Ty’s little boys are adorable and they love Nico. He rough housed with them both, keeping smiles on their faces. I think he wore them out on purpose.
Honestly, the two are such sweet little boys that I couldn’t hold any resentment towards them. What their parents did was not their fault. I love that they have Ty’s shy little smile. They are going to be little heart breakers when they get older. I just hope they do better than their dad.
When I reach Nico he pulls me into his lap. “Good. I wanted some time alone with you,” Nico says into my neck as he nuzzles my skin.
“We are always alone,” I laugh.
“And it’s still not enough,” Nico pulls back to look in my eyes and search them. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. They are so sweet,” I say with a genuine smile.
“You’re amazing,” Nico says before capturing my lips.
I moan into his mouth and lock my fingers into his hair. Nico shifts me until I am straddling his lap. I lean my head to the side as he places hot kisses from my lips, to my chin down my neck. He moves to my ear to whisper dirty promises in Italian. I moan and wiggle in his lap.
“Oh great, so he just has any old slut watching our boys now,” I hear the snide voice come from behind me.
I turn to find the heifer that showed up on my doorstep with her two boys, just to ensure she ruined my marriage. I still can’t believe those two sweet boys belong to her. Ty had a few minutes to tell me what’s really been going on. If I didn’t hate this chick before I know I hate her now.
Ty still won’t give her a relationship and come to find out, she blackmailed him into their youngest son. Ty thought it was just sex she wanted, but a few months later she was announcing she was pregnant. None of that changes what he did. It doesn’t excuse him either. What it does do is make my heart break for those little boys because they are only pawns in their mother’s sick game.
“Excuse me,” I hiss.
“You heard me,” she snarls, dropping one hip and placing a hand on the other. “What… Ty won’t take you back so you’re here with the next unlucky bastard?”
I scoff, hard. “You’re one delusional bitch. A pathetic one at that. What happened? I moved out of the way for you. Yet it looks like you still haven’t sealed the deal,” I taunt back.
Her face turns bright red and I swear I can see steam coming out of her ears. I can taste the blood in the water. She is wounded and if I know this vindictive bitch like I know I do, she is going to strike back.
I stand up, out of Nico’s lap. I feel Nico stand up behind me. I can feel his own anger pulsing at my back. Ty has perfect timing. He walks in looking tired right at this very moment.
He looks at Aurora in disgust. “I thought you were coming right back. You knew I had a game. I can’t take this shit anymore. I’m filing for full custody of the boys. I’m so sick of this!”
“So what you think you are going to take my boys and get back with that bitch,” Aurora seethes.
“What are you fucking blind,” Ty roars. “You ruined my chances of ever fixing things with my wife. She’s moved on. Something I wish like hell I could do.”
“Fuck you, Ty. You’re not taking my boys. And trust me, as soon as he finds out she is damaged goods and can’t even give him a baby, she’ll be running right to you,” Aurora says while looking directly at Nico and licking her lips.
I black out. Forget the self-defense lesson and all the stuff Val and Rita have been teaching me. I go straight hood. I mean I dig back to my roots from going to visit my grandma and being picked on every summer by the other kids that lived in the neighborhood. The ones that always told me that I acted and talked white.
I am across the room with Aurora in a head lock as I punch her in her head and face, which is a feat in itself as she is taller than me. At this point, I really don’t give a shit. As I grab a hand full of her hair, someone tries to pull me off of her. Ty almost pulls us apart, but I dip under Ty’s arms and spin around his back.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I see Nico cold clock Ty for touching me. I snort and commence to whipping Aurora ass. She is on the floor holding her face, so I rear my foot back and stomp the bitch.
“Don’t you fucking touch her,” I hear Nico roar.
Meanwhile, I feel Aurora needs to understand why I am whipping her ass. “I tried to be civil. I gave you a pass when you showed up at my door with them kids,” I yell as I stomp her again and again. “But no, you going to come in here with your home wrecking ass, talking shit. You got me in here, all out of character, having to whip your ass. You going to call me damaged, bitch, I got your damage,” I throw a punch to the side of her head.
“Nico, come on man,” I hear Ty bellow. “She’ll press charges. I don’t want Reese to get hurt.”
“Trust me, when she is done, I will take care of this. You go and make sure the boys don’t come out here,” Nico says calmly.
“Shit,” Ty mutters.
I can hear them talking, but I can’t stop. “When I finish whipping your ass, you’re going to take your tired hoe ass up out of here and you’re going to forget Ty and those boys exist. If I so much as hear you tried to contact them or come around, I’m going to make your ass come up missing,” I stomp her in her back one last good time. “Try me if you want to.”
I give her that last warning as my chest heaves. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. As the room comes back into focus I turn to Nico with my head down.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper with my head down. I’m so embarrassed. I haven’t lost my temper like that since I was a teenager.
Nico moves over to me and lift my head. I am stunned by what I see in his eyes. Straight desire blazes in his intense blues.
“Sorry for what,” Nico asks, lifting a brow. “You did what you had to, Bella.”
“You’re not disgusted with my behavior,” I wrinkle my nose.
Nico bends, pulling me into his erection, he leans into my ear. “What I am, is turned on. I plan to fuck you into next week as soon as I get you home. That shit was so fucking hot,” Nico breaths hotly in my ear.
I look up at him in shock. Nico grabs my face and delivers a searing kiss that proves his point. I cling to his shirt and moan, drowning out the whines and groans of Aurora, as she lies in a heap on the floor.
“Let’s go, Michael is on his way to handle this,” Nico says as he breaks the kiss and waves to Aurora like the trash she is.
~B~
Nico
I know Reese has been training with Valentina and Rita, but that is not what I just saw back at the hotel. What I just saw was a little street brawler and it was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. Reese is a force in her own right.
I had no intentions of pulling her off of that woman. To me, that woman received what she had coming to her. An eye for an eye. I didn’t like the things she said to Reese.
I may not like Ty either, but I used to be a professional athlete. I have seen a lot and almost fell into a trap or two myself. Granted, not with a wife at home, but I have seen it happen to the best of them. It disgusts me what he has gotten himself into, but the woman herself disgusts me more.
What I wasn’t going to allow was Ty to place his hands on Reese. I don’t care if he was trying to help. He is going to have one hell of a black-eye come tomorrow. I would have knocked him out when he first grabbed Reese, but she was in the way.
I shake my head to clear it of that mess. I had my brother go to clean up the mess, but I needed to get Reese home so that I could ravish her. It was the best loving making we have ever had. I think we covered every surface in this entire apartment. She may not have a voice in the morning.
I smile to myself. It has been a long road this past year, but we are getting there. Seeing Reese with Ty’s boys and her not breaking down was a great thing. We’re going to make it. Besides, Vita refuses to stay away from Reese.
When Reese would cry at the sight of the other children, after we lost our son, Vita would climb in her lap and hold her. It broke my heart and soothed it all at once. Reese would cling to her and just let go, while Vita would stroke her hair like a little adult. Vita is such a small child and had no understanding of what was going on with Reese, but in a way, Vita did for Reese, in her time of need, what Vita had once done for me. My oldest niece will always have a soft place in my heart.
Yes, Reese needed that release today. It was unfinished business. Now she can bury that along with the rest of the pain she has been through. We can move on.