Unbroken (Fighter Erotic Romance #4) (6 page)

SHANE.
There are times in our lives when we aren’t certain of what God’s will is for us. Although I pray almost daily, I never have a
complete
understanding of God’s will entirely. I often ask for the ability to understand, but maintain fear I fall short of just what it is he either expects or wants of me. I live in somewhat of a constant state of worry, wondering if I am making mistakes I will have to pay for later in my life. My self-imposed shortcomings, although I’ve always been uncertain God sees them as so, were all brought into an oddly clear perspective as the doctor stood; his arms holding something small and smeared with bloody matter. I now believe I am a good man; and good will come to me.

“Mr. and Mrs. Dekkar we have a little boy. You’re the proud parents of a little boy,” he smiled.

“Shane…” Kace sighed in an almost inaudible tone.

“Is he okay?” she asked.

I looked down as the doctor held my son in front of me.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

I swallowed and smiled, “He uhhm. He has all his toes.”

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Eight, nine, and there is number ten.

“He’s got all his little fingers, baby. He’s fine.” I said.

And I immediately broke down and began to cry. As I wept, I began to pray.

Thank you Lord for providing Kace and me the greatest gift we could have ever hoped to receive from you. Please be with us and the baby through this first little bit while we’re adjusting to what is new to all of us. You keep him healthy, Lord, and I’ll keep him safe. I promise.

“Shane?” Kace whispered.

“I’m fine, babe. I’m just happy,” I sniffed.

To attempt to explain the emotion one goes through during the birth of a child would be absolutely impossible. I now know to see the results of a love as deep as Kace’s and I have can only be done in one way – through seeing our newborn child. For anyone who may question the love we have for each other, resolution may be found in the eyes of our son.

I reached for Kace’s hand.

Woman, I love you with all that I am.

“I love you,” I cried.

“Congratulations. You can hold him for a moment – we’re going to need to take him for testing – it’s procedure for premature babies,” the nurse said as she handed Kace the small blanket covered baby.

“Shane, he’s just,” she tilted her head toward me as she held the blanket against her chest.

“Perfect,” she sighed.

“He sure is, babe,” I grinned as I wiped tears from my eyes.

She stared down at the baby and her eyes glistened with a newfound fire. As she grinned and held him, she didn’t speak, nor did she need to. Her face told a story a million words could not. A mother’s love for her child was clearly defined on her face. After absorbing the magic of the child for a long while, she looked up and smiled.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Have you chosen a name?” the nurse asked.

We both smiled and nodded.

“Babe, I need to go tell Ripp and Vee everything’s okay. How long have I been in here, anyway?” I asked.

The nurse looked up at the clock on the wall.

“It’s been a little over an hour and a half,” she smiled.

“I need to take him back now,” the nurse said.

Kace reluctantly handed the nurse our son and began to cry.

“Babe?” I asked.

“Happy tears, Shane. Happy tears. I love you so very much,” she said.

“I love you, babe,” I responded.

“I’m going to go tell them, I’ll be right back,” I said as I kissed her.

She nodded and closed her eyes.

As I walked down the hall, I removed the hair net and the booties, but left on the rest of the attire the nurse had provided. In opening the doors to the corridor which led to the waiting room, I stopped looked down at my boots, and inhaled a deep breath. As I exhaled and looked up, I smiled.

Thank you.

Again.

Vee jumped to her feet, “Is everything…”

“Fuck, dude, I didn’t even see you walk up. Is she…” Ripp interrupted.

I opened my mouth and attempted to speak. Overcome with emotion and excitement, I blubbered as I tried to talk.

“Just a minute,” I whispered as I raised my hand to my face.

As I watched Ripp and Vee’s faces conform to a look of worry, I attempted to speak again.

“She’s fine. He’s fine. He’s premature, but we knew that. They said he’s going to be alright,” I nodded.

“Is he…” Ripp began.

“He’s perfect,” I responded.

“Oh my God, I’m so happy for both of you,” Vee said as she waddled over and hugged me.

“Name?” Vee asked.

Give me some strength Lord; I’m making a fool of myself when I try to talk.

Purposely, Kace and I had decided the names we would use for a boy and a girl, and told no one. We wanted to wait until the child was born, and make sure everything fit into place for the name. As soon as we saw the baby, it was apparent we both knew the name was fitting. There was no denying the baby was deserving of the name we had chosen.

“Well, we didn’t tell you for a reason. You know Kace’s name is pronounced
Kasey
. Everyone calls her Kace, because it’s spelled that way. They have since she was a kid. But proper pronunciation of her name is Kasey. So, we decided to name the boy Casey. C. A. S. E. Y.,” I smiled.

Ripp and Vee both turned to face each other and smiled.

Stay with me Lord.

“And. So,” I stopped speaking as I became emotional again.

“We uhhm. We wanted him to have his mother’s name. So we could hear it spoken in the house. We’d have a Kace and a Casey. So he’s going to share the name of the most beautiful woman in the world, who is also the most important woman in
my
world. We also needed him to have a masculine name for his middle name. And the name would have to be from the most important man in both of our lives. We each wrote our middle name choice on paper without the other knowing, and said we’d repeat it until we both agreed. It only took us one try,” I grinned.

“So what’s his middle name,” Vee asked excitedly.

I looked at Ripp and smiled, “Well, it isn’t
Ripp
.”

“Casey Michael Dekkar. We named him after you, Ripp. You and Kace – the two most important people in my life,” as I finished speaking, tears began to run down my cheek.

“Oh shit. I wasn’t ready for that, bro. Shit, this is too much,” Ripp said as he reached up and wiped his eyes.

There are children all over the earth who have an uncle. Some have many. But as sure as I stood before him, I knew no child on or of this earth would have an uncle who would love him more or protect him better than Michael Allen Ripton.

The best uncle my son could ever hope for.

KACE.
Shane openly expressing his love for me has provided me a satisfaction I have never known. His sincerity in all that he does and says is very fulfilling to me. I would have never guessed another soul could provide me a level of well-being even close to what Shane has, but I’ve never had a child either. Our child’s natural desire to survive requires we provide love, comfort, care and nurturing to meet the yearning they have to succeed at simply continuing to live. Quickly our children develop a bond, and the love experienced by both parent and child is a love which requires no spoken words or outward expression, yet it is deeper than any love I have ever imagined to exist.

Children redefine love.

It had been four weeks since Casey was born, and every moment Shane wasn’t preparing for the title fight, he was poking or touching the baby. My eyes seemed to see the entire world, Shane included, in a far brighter light than I had in the past. After I gave birth, it was as if God gave me a little extra gift of clearer sight and a better understanding.

But no more patience.

“Shane, stop poking him,” I sighed.

Shane looked up from the swing, “How long’s he been asleep?”

“He just finished eating,” I said as I relaxed into the corner of the couch.

“He sleeps like a cat. All day. All night. He eats and sleeps. Maybe there’s something wrong with him,” Shane said as he reached into the swing and started to pick Casey up.

“
Don’t you dare
pick him up,” I snapped.

I sat up and crossed my arms, “He
needs
to sleep. And there’s nothing wrong with him.”

He stood and smiled, “But I want to hold him…”

“But
nothing
. Come here. Sit down and wait. He’ll be up again in a bit,” I whispered as I motioned to the seat beside me.

As Shane sat beside me, he sighed and crossed his arms. His lips naturally formed into a full pout as he relaxed into the back cushion of the couch. Seeing Shane act in this fashion was new to me, and I must admit I liked it a lot. He was like a big child himself, always excited about the baby, and equally attentive toward me. It was as if the baby being born ignited a love within him and the child and I were the recipients. Either way, he was a new man, and one I adored to spend time with.

“You big baby. You remind me more and more of Ripp every day. You’re like a big kid. Quit pouting, he’ll be up in a bit,” I smiled as I wrapped my arms around him.

“All I want to do is see him with his eyes open. I like looking at him when his eyes are open - and when I can see his hands. I like looking at his hands and his feet. You always have him so wrapped up I’m surprised he can even breathe. Let’s uncover him so I can see his hands a little bit, huh?” he said as he stood from the couch.

I sat up in my seat and slapped Shane’s arm as he reached for the swing.

“Leave.”

“Him.”

“Alone.”

“So, if he’s part of me and he’s part of you, babe,” he paused and raised his index finger to his lip.

“He’s
ours
, half yours and half mine. Maybe you should let me have my time with him. I want to unwrap him. Go take a bath,” he smiled as he pulled his arm from his grasp.

“Shane, he’s not
property
. It seems we do this every night. Leave him alone. He’s sleeping. As he gets a little older, he’ll sleep a little less. It won’t be very long, and he’ll be running through the house knocking stuff off the tables and getting in the cupboards,” I explained.

“Just a peek?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes. Shane was so cute. His training in the last ten or twelve weeks had him in better shape than he had ever been in. His training required we eat separate foods for our meals, his primarily of complex carbohydrates and lean protein, and mine more bland foods that would not upset the baby’s stomach.

Shane’s extensive training had developed muscles I had no idea a man even had. He had trimmed every ounce of fat from his stomach, his chest was massive, and when his shirt was off his ‘v’ was more pronounced than ever. Seeing him stand beside the baby with his muscles flaring and beg like a little kid was adorable.

I leaned forward and stood from the couch.

“A peek,” I whispered as I walked toward the swing.

Shane scurried toward the swing and bent over slightly, peering down at the baby. He stared excitedly, rubbing his hands on his jeans as I repositioned the blanket the baby was wrapped in. As I uncovered his hand and forearm, Shane looked up as if seeking approval.

I smiled and nodded my head.

Shane reached down and touched the baby’s hand, slowly separating his fingers and spreading them apart, “I think they’re bigger. Look, babe. They’re bigger. He’s going to have big hands.”

“They aren’t any bigger than they were this morning when you were looking at them,” I smiled.

“They’re bigger than they were yesterday. If this keeps up, he’s going to grow out of this onesie he’s wearing in a day or two. Maybe I should get some more. Some bigger ones,” he said as he continued to spread the baby’s fingers and inspect his hand.

“Maybe I already have a hundred onesies in the nursery, Shane,” I laughed.

He released Casey’s hand and pushed his hands onto his hips, “You know that’s another thing, here before long Ripp and I will be shopping for both of our babies. And you and Vee getting to buy everything is just
wrong
.”

I shook my head and giggled, “Really? You and Ripp shopping for baby clothes?”

“Uh huh.”

I shook my head at the thought, “Now that they’re putting those commercials on the television you can’t go anywhere without people all over you. If you went shopping with Ripp in a store full of women, it would be on the ten o’clock news.”

He shrugged his shoulders, “We already talked about it, as soon as Vee has her baby, we’re going. Wait and see.”

Shane no more than finished speaking , and his phone bean to ring. He glanced toward the sound, turned back to me, and rolled his eyes, “Kelsey just a little too excited about the fight.”

“Are you going to get it?” I asked.

“I’ll call him back,” he said.

Shane’s phone stopped ringing, and immediately mine began. We looked at each other and instantly our faces filled with excitement.

“Vee!” Shane shouted.

I ran for my purse and answered the phone as I pulled it from the bag. A muffled voice came from the phone as I held it to my ear. Although the sound was not very clear, it was easily recognized.

“
Shorty, this is Ripp, hold on
,” the voice crackled.

I cupped my hand over the phone, and waved my arm toward Shane, “It’s Ripp.”

I heard the unmistakable sound of Ripp’s Chevelle in the background. As he accelerated, I could hear the tone of the exhaust change as he shifted gears. When the tone flattened out to a dull roar, he spoke again.

“
We’re headed to the hospital, Shorty. Tell Dekk. Grab Casey and head that way. The Birthing Center on Duval. Sorry it’s a shitty connection, you’re on speaker and the phone’s in my lap…hold on baby, we’re almost there
,” he shouted.

“Uhhm. Okay, we’ll be there as soon as we can,” I said excitedly.

“You sure it’s time?” I asked as I began to pace the living room.

“
It’s time for sure. I’ll tell you about it when you get here. I gotta get off, we’re coming on the exit. Hang on babe
…” the phone went silent.

“Shane they’re almost at the Birthing Center over on Duval. Let’s get Casey ready,” I said as I walked toward the nursery.

“I’ll get the car seat,” Shane responded.

The thought of Vee having a baby the same age as Casey was so exciting. Shane wished for a boy, and believed Casey would have a little brother of sorts to play with and grow up beside. Shane had already decided he wanted Casey to be home schooled and sheltered from all of the atrocities in the world. A-Train expressed big plans for Casey to grow up and be the Commandant of his beloved Marine Corps. Ripp, on the other hand, wanted him to be a boxer like his father. Personally, all I wished for was that he continued to be healthy and happy.

Neither Ripp nor Vee had expressed any outward desires for a particular sex preference, and only indicated they wanted a healthy baby. The thought of Vee having a little girl excited me and made me a little jealous. I think secretly all women want a little girl in their life. Thinking of Ripp, however, with a little girl…

Not in a million years.