Doomsday Love: An MMA & Second Chance Romance (42 page)

I
feel
like a brand new person.

The sun is at its peak, and I may have slept in longer than I should have. Hell, after my time in Vegas and then coming here and ridding myself of old demons, I deserve it.

I roll over, and notice Drake isn't in bed. I hear the shower running and sit up a bit. It doesn't run long. Maybe 5 more minutes, as I stare up at the ceiling. My entire body is relaxed.

For the first time in years, I can think clearly. Lyrics start to run through my head—words that can’t be ignored. They are very bubbly, and I crack a smile. I can do bubbly.

I rest my head on my stretched arm as I wait for the door to swing open. When it does, he steps out with a fluffy white towel sitting low on his waist.

I can see the imprint of his manhood and I grin. When he notices I'm awake, he reveals a crooked smile.

"Morning," he croons, lips still formed in that breathless smile.

"Good morning. You're up early. Did you get any sleep at all last night?"

He half shrugs. "I got enough. I don't really sleep in anymore. Can't, really. I train at five every morning for three hours straight and then jog three miles."

"Sounds intense."

He smiles. "We should jog together one day."

"Hmm." I sit up straight. "I'd love that...but you'd probably dust my ass. I'm not in the greatest shape."

He comes to my side of the bed. "Doesn't matter to me." He sits beside me and strokes my cheek. "How are you feeling today?"

My lips press. "I'm a lot better actually. I feel so relieved, Drake. Like my chest isn’t heavy."

"Good." He leans in and kisses the apple of my cheek. "There's somewhere I want to take you while we're here."

I thin my eyes. "It better not be that damn bridge."

He busts out laughing. "Nah. Somewhere else."

He stands and walks towards his suitcase on the chair.

"Where?" I inquire, pushing out of bed.

"I don't want to tell you. I want to show you." He peers over his shoulder. "So shower and get dressed for me. I'll order some breakfast while you do."

I walk towards him, pressing my cheek to his back. His skin is soft and warm and I swear his piney body wash gets me every time. He smells so good.

"I'm glad we're doing this, Drake."

He turns and reels me into his arms. "I am too... Snoop."

I push him away playfully, giving him the stink eye. "You're never gonna stop calling me that, are you?"

He licks his lips, cupping my face in his hands. After placing a soft, slightly damp kiss on my lips, he says "Nope," and then he spins me around, slapping me on the ass when I start to walk away.

* * *

D
rake has
Bill take a road that I’ve never been down before. And I thought I knew all the secret ways.

The single-lane road is curvy and slim as Bill puts his foot to the pedal. I look out of the window, at the towering trees and the thick, bundled clouds.

Before I know it, the car begins to slow down.

I spot Lake Ultimate and my breath catches in my throat.

And when I look ahead, at the endless body of water before us, I press my back against the seat.

My eyes dart over to Drake but he’s already looking at me.

“Drake… why are we here?”

His face remains even, even when he notices me clutching the strap of my seatbelt. “Because you aren’t done making amends yet.” He opens the door and steps out. The wind tousles his black hair as he digs into his back pocket. When he pulls out Mitchell’s cross, my chin drops. “Come on.” He cocks his head and then shuts the door.

I watch him walk towards the steep cliff, and the closer he gets to the edge, the heavier my heart booms. My shaky, clammy hand reaches for the silver door handle. I start to pull it, but then I stop.

I look at Drake again. He’s standing there, looking out towards the lake. He picks up his hand and looks at the cross for a short while, and then he looks up at the water.

When he starts to draw his elbow back to throw it, I frown and push out of the car, rushing for him.

“Drake! What the hell are you doing?!” I meet up to his side, snatching the cross out of his hand. “You can’t throw this!”

He spins around to face me. “Then maybe you should.”

“Why would I do that?” I snap.

“Because it will prove to me that you are willing to move past this. I know it’s tough, Jenny, but you have to get over this fear.”

“I’m not afraid,” I lie, folding my arms tightly.

He sees right through that lie. “Yes you are. You hate this cliff. You blame it for being here—for taking Mitchell away.”

“No, I don’t.” I’m still lying. Right through my damn teeth.

He sighs, gripping my shoulders. “Jenny,” he groans.

“Why did you bring me here, Drake? Why, when you know how much I hate this place?”

“Because I need you to accept that this was his fate—just like I’ve accepted my mother’s. You’ll feel a lot better, I promise.”

“Your mom’s was an accident. This wasn’t.”

He gives me a solid look.

“I can’t!” I look towards the lake and wince. “He jumped off this very cliff. Every time I see or even think of it, it’s like a slap in the face. My heart drops, I feel like I can’t breathe—”

“But you can. You’re breathing now.” He turns me around and then steps behind me. Wrapping his hands around my middle, he pulls me close to his body and rests his chin on my shoulder. “Mitchell would want you to move past this. He came here for a reason. Did you think of it that way?”

“Yeah, because it’s a sure way to kill yourself,” I declare.

“No. When I see this place, I can only gather serenity. Looking at this lake. Thinking about what could be done differently. Whether he jumped or not, he felt safe here. He had to. Otherwise he never would have come here. You have to find security in your escape… otherwise there is no escape. There is no freedom. There’s just entrapment. He felt trapped enough at home.”

I swallow hard, staring down at the cross. The sun reflects off of its scratched, silver surface.

“If I move past it, I’m scared I’ll forget him altogether.”

“You won’t,” he assures me, his lips to my ear. “He was your only brother. You trusted him. You loved each other. You won’t forget him, not even twenty years from now.”

I bob my head, my eyes now burning from unshed tears.

“We should… bury this here,” I whisper.

Drake releases me and pulls me back a step. “You want to leave it behind? I wasn’t really serious about throwing it out there. I just needed to make you get out of the truck.”

A laugh bubbles out of me when he cracks a smile. “I figured.” Gazing at the lake, I step aside while rubbing my fingers over the cross. “Actually, no. You know what?” I move backwards and then reel my arm back, flinging the cross over the cliff.

It shimmers as it flies in the air and then descends. I don’t know when it hits the water or how long it takes, but when it’s finally out of my hands, I let out a large breath of relief. I stare down at my vacant palms.

“Mitchell would want me to move on,” I whisper.

Drake comes closer, threading his fingers through my hair. I look up into his sparkling green eyes, and his smile is warm and comforting. The gentleness of it makes me realize he’s right.

I don’t want to think of this place as some sort of hell. Mitchell came here for a reason. He never talked to me about it, but I have a feeling he came here more than once.

There were nights when he’d come home really late. He’d smell like the outdoors when he checked in on me—like he’d been standing outside for a while, so long that nature would seep into his clothes.

He used to think I was sleeping, but I would be faking it.

That was when life was… enjoyable.

That was before he ever gave me the cross.

“I miss him.” Two tears fall down my cheeks.

Drake wipes them away and then kisses my forehead. “I know you do.”

Our eyes lock for a split second. His swim with compassion and understanding. He doesn’t have a guard up right now and neither do I. I am completely vulnerable to him.

He tilts my chin and I clutch the front of his T-shirt, wrenching him in for a deep kiss. The wind streams through my hair, causing my dress to flap like a free flag. My heart is pumping so hard I can feel the viscous pulse in my hands.

He holds me tight and I sink into him, so glad that I found him again.

My Drake. My Doomsday.

Maybe… well, just maybe this is meant to be.

If I have fears, he’ll face them with me. If I have a problem, he will make it his problem and he will handle it with me. If I feel broken or down, he has the power to mend and uplift me.

“Thank you,” I breathe when our kiss breaks.

He caresses my cheek and then reels me into his embrace. “Always, baby,” he murmurs in my hair.

A
stretch
of sunlight spills across my face as I roll over. A cool breeze drifts through the billowing white curtains. The French doors are open. He’s awake.

Groaning, I sit up straight and rub the tiredness out of my eyes. The backs of my legs rest on the edge of the bed, and in the air I smell something sweet.

And then salty.

A smile sweeps across my lips as I stand and walk towards the vanity. The fingers of my left hand wrap around the edge of the chair in front of it. I look at the picture of Mitchell and me hanging in the crease, between the mirror and the painted wood.

I do what I always do when I see it. Kissing two fingers and then placing it on the photograph.

“I think today is going to be a good day, Mitch.” I fluff my hair before walking to the closet and grabbing a robe. I’m practically naked. Only my panties linger. I don’t know when I put them back on last night, but there is one thing I do know.

I can’t keep wrestling my boyfriend into sex. He always wins.

I shower up quickly and then get dressed in a pair of shorts and a camisole. I slide into my favorite blue and grey floral kimono and then walk down the stairs of our new home.

We live right on Laguna Beach—a nice, two-story home with a breathtaking view from our bedroom and my music room.

When I get down to the dining room, I laugh out loud.

Drake is at the end of the table with a black apron on that says: Who Says Fighters Can’t Cook?

As he places all of the food down, I catch his attention and he straightens his back, smiling.

“You’re up early.”

“So are you.” I walk towards him. “What is all this?”

“All for you, baby.” He plants a kiss on my forehead when he passes by me. “I know I interrupted your studio session last night, so I’m making up for it now. Tonight, I won’t disturb you. I just really needed some of you.”

“You always interrupt me when I’m smack dab in the middle of a good song.” I laugh.

“We had fun last night. I regret nothing.” He flicks his wrist. “But we do have to eat early because I have plans and I want you to tag along with me.”

“Plans?” I ask, picking up a biscuit. “What are they?”

“I have to meet Oscar within the next hour.”

“For what?”

“Local interview. But guess what?”

“What?”

“Kylie will be with him.” He smirks.

I shriek. “Really?!”

He nods, and I hook my arms around his neck. I haven’t seen Kylie since Vegas. She’s been working in New York with a new job. It’s high profile voice acting. It’s her thing, and I don’t blame her for not wanting to miss any days. She needs to build a reputation.

“Why didn’t she tell me she was coming?” I ask, planting a hand on my hips.

“Because it was meant to be a surprise.”

I give him an evil-eyed glared. “Soo… why did you just ruin it?”

“Because I don’t think any of us are up for the squealing and giggling—oh, and lets not forget the happy tears.” He wiggles his eyebrows and I nip the tip of his nose with my teeth. He laughs, squeezing me tighter in his arms.

“Well, just for that,” I say, sitting down as he does. “I’m doubling up on the squeals.”

He picks up a piece of bacon, his upper lip peeling back to reveal those beautiful teeth. “You just wouldn’t be the Snoop I know if you don’t.”

* * *

T
he ride
to the magazine company in San Diego doesn’t take too long. It’s only about an hour-and-twenty-minute ride, but knowing my best friend will be waiting there leaves me no reason to be patient.

“I’m so excited to see her.” I clutch Drake’s hand as he helps me out of the car. There is a tall building in front of us, but he leads the way to a restaurant right beside it instead.

I frown a bit. “Are you hungry again?”

“Not really.” He side-eyes me.

“Then why are we going to this restaurant?”

“I’m meeting someone here.”

He releases my hand to open the door. I look up at him warily before walking inside. It’s a nice restaurant. Mediterranean, I can tell.

I see some of the chefs cooking behind the counter. Thick, white cylinders are planted throughout the room in columns, almost like a ballroom. There are only a few people here, all eating. All elegant.

“This way,” Drake says, walking past me. He walks down a long corridor and I stay on his heels.

“This better be a shortcut,” I hiss at his back.

He glances over his shoulder, still wearing that damn smirk. My heels click across the marble. I try hard to keep up with him. His strides are much longer than mine, and in these heels, I can’t walk too fast. They are six inches tall. I might end up spraining an ankle if I overdo it.

Once we reach a door at the end of the hallway, Drake pushes it open. When he does, my eyes stretch wide. My walking turns into baby steps.

Right in front of me is one of the greatest ocean views I have ever set eyes on. The deck is set up of tables with white umbrellas over them and tall bar chairs. The vaulted ceiling above is made of smooth brown wood, the lights dim set.

Drake steps aside to hold the door open for me and I walk out on the deck slowly, in complete awe. The blue water ripples and shines with the bright San Diego sun. Music I’ve written and recorded flows through the speakers in the corners above me.

I turn around rapidly to look at Drake.

But as I do, I realize the door is shut and he is no longer standing.

No.

He is now on one knee, and stepping up the stairs that I didn’t even notice to my right is Kylie, Oscar, Otto, and Preach.

Kylie has her phone in her hand and on the screen is…Dad? Yes, it’s him! He’s on FaceTime and he’s smiling so hard right now. I cup my mouth when I realize what’s happening. My eyes shoot down to Drake, and the wind lightly passes by me, creating a moment like never before.

My heart is pounding, my mouth dry from a lack of words.

“I needed witnesses,” Drake murmurs, smiling so boyishly it makes my pounding heart melt. “Come here, Jenny.”

I swallow thickly, walking forward. He reaches for one of my hands and I give it to him. Holding it in his, he kisses it with his lush lips, and then he looks up at me beneath thick, black eyelashes.

“Jenny, from day one, I knew you were someone that I would never be able to deny. When we were in fifth grade and I heard you defend me in front of the whole class, I just knew. I knew you were going to be the girl that would either be my ruin, or turn out to be my serenity. Fortunately, I was dealt the latter.” He laughs and I let out a mix of a sob and a giggle.

“I have known you for most of my life. We’ve laughed. We’ve cried. We’ve endured some of the wildest shit in such a short period of time. We lost one another once, and it was the hardest thing to accept. Knowing that my girl was out there. Not knowing what she was doing or who she was with or how she was handling herself.” His eyes line with tears, and mine fall as he holds my hand tighter.

“I wanted to fight against this before and I don’t know why. I guess I was just thinking I was as corrupt as my dad, or maybe like I would never amount to anything—better yet, enough to have you. I thought one day you’d see me for who I really am and you’d go running. But you never did. You saw the real me, and you accepted me for who I am. You welcomed me into the swinging doors of your gentle heart and loved me like I’ve never been loved before.”

He cracks a half-smile, huffing a laugh. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I love you, Jennifer Roscoe, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t care what challenges we may face or what we may go through, but I do know that as long as you fight, I will fight. I know that I will never love another woman as much as I love you. I don’t want to love anyone else because you are all I need. You are all that I want and you, Jenny, are the woman that I want to share the rest of my crazy life with. With you, I’m not just Doomsday. With you, I am a person. I am real, and you have never given up on me. With you I am Drake Winslow Davenport. So…”

He pulls away and looks at Oscar. Oscar walks forward and hands a black jewelry box to Drake, winking at me in the process.

A laugh bubbles out of me as he opens the jewelry box and reveals the large, square cut diamond placed delicately on top of a shiny silver band. It sparkles beneath the sun, the reflections dancing on my skin.

“Will you marry me, Jenny Roscoe?”

That squealing I promised him comes through tenfold and I throw my arms around his neck, landing on my knees. My mouth attacks his, kissing him deeply, so deep I feel like I’ve fallen into him.

My head is bobbing and my body is so close to him. I’m not sure how to react, all I know is I have never felt happier in all my life.

“Yes!” I scream. “Yes, I will, Drake! I will marry you!”

He reveals his full set of pearly white teeth, and then he picks up the box, taking out the ring. He grabs my left hand and slides it onto my ring finger, and my heart prances in my chest. Just looking at it there—having him claim me—it feels so surreal.

“Oh my gosh. You are going to be my husband,” I laugh with thick tears streaming down my cheeks.

He nods. “And you are going to be my gorgeous wife. The reason Doomsday
can
love.”

“Yes.” I beam, my grip snug around him. “The reason Doomsday can love. Wait until the world hears that one.”

He lets out a deep rumble of laughter, and then he envelops me in his arms, standing up. My legs wrap around his waist, and Kylie does a crazy, wild cheer, demanding us to kiss.

Oscar and Otto are hooting and hollering as if he’s just won some big fight, and me? Well, I couldn’t have asked for a better proposal.

Drake and I have been through hell and back.

Just when I thought all was lost, he swooped right back in and saved me.

I have denied myself happiness for long enough. Now that we will be one, the future will only become so much brighter for us.

I know Mom will be happy when I tell her.

And I also know Mitchell is happy now.

I know he’s watching me, so glad that I’ve found peace in such a cruel, dark, and dangerous world.

Our lips lock and I sink into my fiancé’s large body, holding his face in my hands.

Through all of our fighting—all of the battles and wars—we have won.

We have conquered.

And now?

Well, let’s just say nothing will be able to come between us again.

I was once a lonely princess trapped at the top of a gloomy tower, and he was my beast in shining armor, ready to save me.

I am the reason Doomsday can love.

And I will also be the one Doomsday saved.

This fighter named
Doomsday
is my world, and I am one lucky bitch to have him.