I nudge Cooper and nod toward our daughter. “See, one holiday isn’t going to change how she feels about you. She loves you.”
The weekend passes by way too fast. On Saturday, Kayla, Hayley, my mom, and I all spend a wonderfully relaxing day at the spa. I invite Ashley to go as well, but she’s heading out with Tristan to visit her parents. When we get there, it’s clear Kayla has booked us for everything. An hour massage, facial, mud wrap, and of course manis and pedis. I didn’t realize how much I really needed this kind of pampering. Saturday night we all go out to dinner at a yummy Italian place, and Sunday everybody comes over for a backyard barbeque. I’ve noticed that while Bentley joins us for dinner and the barbeque, he and Kayla are completely avoiding each other. I really need to ask her how her living arrangements are working out.
Now it’s Monday, and Cooper is dropping Bella off at school on his way to the gym, so I can see my parents and brother off on their flight back home.
I pull my parents into a loving embrace, sad their trip is already over. I love where I live, but I also wish I could be close to my family. “Oh, Mom, Dad. I’m so glad you guys came. I miss you so much.”
“Sweetheart, I’m going to miss you, too. But I’m so happy for the love that Bella and you have found. Cooper is a great man and father, and I feel so much better leaving, knowing he’s here taking care of my girls,” my dad says through glossy eyes.
Next, I give Mathew a hug goodbye. “Don’t be a stranger.”
“You never know. Maybe after I finish my two years, I’ll decide to transfer to ULV,” he says with a wink.
“Don’t even tease me!” I shout, and people walking by stare at me. We get to the security entrance, and since I don’t have a ticket, I can’t go any further. We exchange a few more hugs and then they’re gone.
Twenty-Eight
Liz
After seeing my family off, I head straight to the gym to get caught up on some bookkeeping. Cooper is already there, training with Kaden, and when he catches my eye, he gives me a wink. God, I love that man.
I’m not even in my chair yet when Kayla comes bounding into my office, her face red and hands in the air.
“Aghhh!!! I swear that man is trying to drive me insane!”
I have a feeling I am about to hear all about Bentley. “Who?”
“Oh, give me a break, Liz. You know who I’m talking about... Bentley!”
And as if she’s beckoned him over, the man of the hour comes walking into my office. So much for getting any work done.
“Hey, Liz.” Bentley addresses me when he walks in, and it doesn’t go unnoticed he just completely ignored Kayla. I look over at her and she’s shooting daggers at the poor man.
“Hey Bentley, what can I do for you?”
Kayla huffs, and when nobody acknowledges her, she does it again louder.
“I just wanted to see if there’s anything else I need to do before the fight next week.” I do everything in my power to contain my laughter. It’s blatantly obvious he’s going out of his way to ignore Kayla, yet he looks so uneasy doing it. I just want to hide him under my desk to get him out of her line of attack. It’s only a matter of time until Kayla boils over, burning everyone in her line of sight.
“Let me check for you.” I pull up his file, but before I can get another word in, Kayla loses her shit.
“Excuse me, mister. I know you think the world revolves around you, but Liz and I were talking first. So, you’re going to need to get in line. As a matter of fact, you can go wait outside.” She’s practically shouting by the time she makes it to the end of her sentence, and then she’s up, out of her seat, and pushing him out the door.
Bentley looks terrified. Seriously? This is a grown ass man and a fighter. What the hell is he afraid of Kayla for? She weighs like one twenty dripping wet.
Before the door shuts, I yell, “It’s all covered, Bentley. I handled everything.”
And he may have responded, but the door slams shut, blocking out all outside noise. Kayla sits back down and takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself.
“Care to explain why you just lost it on your roommate?”
“Liz, he is so maddening. I seriously need to find a new place to live. The problem is I actually like living there. Caleb is awesome. He’s barely home and when he is, he’s totally chill. Bentley on the other hand is driving me up a damn wall.”