Hook'd (29 page)

Cameron groaned as he woke up from his slumber, his entire face and body aching with excruciating pain. He lifted his head to see blood stains on his pillow. He rubbed the blood off his bruised lips, spewing out a curse word under his breath. In that moment, the cold reality struck him with the painful memory of his defeat, igniting a deep hollowness in his chest. The most disappointing moment in his life.

And just like that, he thought back to Slick's betrayal. And that cut even deeper than the fight itself. He still couldn't believe what he had done. From the lying, paying for his wins, to orchestrating the rape, he just couldn't imagine Slick would ever do that to him. He had truly been like a father to him. He respected him. Trusted him. Only for him to turn on him the way he did. And it hurt. It really did.

Cameron turned over to find Reese nowhere in sight.

"Reese," he uttered weakly, wincing at the sharp pain in his rib.

Too sore to go looking for her, he slowly sat up. Planting his feet on the carpeted floor, he sat at the edge of the bed, rubbing his fingers through his fade with a sigh.

Fuck. He was in so much pain.

The bathroom door swung open.

He turned his head to see her entering the room, dressed in his oversized T-shirt, with her long thick brown legs exposed to his view. The beautiful sight brought him back to the memory of him exploring her body in all different positions as they made love all through the night. Damn, he missed her. All those groupies didn't amount to having that one woman he loved. At all. And he wasn't ashamed to admit that.

"Feeling okay?" She eased herself between his legs.

"Yeah," he sighed.

She rubbed his bruises, her soft hands soothing him. "Still hurts?"

He nodded.

Her fingers ran through his fade as he rested his head against her stomach. Her presence brought more comfort than she would ever know. Emotionally, mentally, physically, he just felt...broken. He was so damn disappointed in himself. He had worked so hard to get here. Thought he had done the best he could. Only to realize his career had all been a lie.

Slick's words echoed in his brain. Maybe he was right. Maybe he would never be one of the greats. Deep down, he would always be that weak kid from the projects that would never amount to anything.

"You know what I’d always see when I was in that ring?" he broke the silence.

"What?" she asked softly.

"Myself."

Her hands stopped moving.

"Every fight, I used to be intimidated getting into that ring. You never know what could happen. Some dudes might fight better than you. Might have more skills than you. But myself...I wasn't afraid of. I was only afraid of becoming that weak kid that I promised I never would. And in that ring, all I saw was him. That same weak kid that was told he wasn't shit. That he would never amount to anything. I wanted to get rid of him. I wanted to beat him down so fucking bad. And it'd helped me win. But now, I realize...that that same kid I was tryna get rid of, never left me. He'd always be there...no matter how much I try to fight him away." His heart pained as emotions he could no longer fight, burst from the depths of his soul. Tears emerged as he finally stopped holding it all in.

Reese held him tighter, soothing him.

"Shh..." She bent down and kissed his temple. Her lips caressed his face, kissing his tears away. "Look at me..."

He met her warm gaze.

"I know it hurts right now, but you can't let this break your spirit...you can't," she whispered, rubbing his nape. "You're stronger than that."

He lowered his head, and she forced him to meet her gaze. "Remember what you told me?"

He shook his head, unsure of what she meant.

“It’s just
you
and fear in that ring. No one else. And you could either let it knock you down, or you keep fighting that mutherfucker till the bell goes off. Remember that?"

He cracked a smile. He did remember saying that. It just sounded funny hearing her say it for some reason.

"Yeah, I do." He nodded.

"Then you do that. Okay?"

He nodded, her encouragement bestowing a sense of strength he had lost. She was right. He couldn't let something like this get him down. He had to keep fighting no matter what.

He stared into her beautiful face, running his fingers through her short tresses. He thought back to the first time they met. Just the thought made him smile. Who would've ever thought that the mean, bold, feisty woman that cussed him out in that restaurant, would've grabbed his heart the way she did? He sure didn't.

But that was life.

Unpredictable like a mutherfucker.

"I love you," he said, meaning every word.

"I love you too." They kissed passionately. After a moment, she pulled away. "Oh, and one more thing..."

"What?" he asked.

"I might be pregnant."

  Epilogue

~7 Months Later~

"As you all know, it’s my last day..." Reese announced within the boardroom. "After today, I will no longer be the CEO of this organization."

She stared at the 37 members of her executive team, from board members to management, each one playing a key role, no matter how small.

"It's been a successful 15 years, and it's going to be hard to leave after so long." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "When I started this organization, I was just a young woman trying to find herself in the world. I didn't know what my purpose was, but I knew I wanted to make a change. So one day, after feeling so broken, and lost, I did some soul searching... I said, 'you know what? I want to help women who've been where I've been. Who knows what it's like to lose hope.’ And I wanted to restore that, however way I can.

"And I did. With the help of every single one of you. There's some of you who've been with me since the beginning. When we barely had any funding. Back, when nobody believed in us. But the most important thing was, that we believed in our mission. And we didn't stop. We kept pushing. And years later, look where we are now. Free The Heart has grown so much." She softly smiled. "And I have all of you to thank for that. Each and every single one of you has been a key to this organization's success, and there is no way I would've gotten this far without any of you. So, thank you. From the bottom of my heart."

The room filled with applause. Reese took the tissue Naomi handed her, and wiped her eyes.

"Wait, wait, wait. I just wanna say something," Lillian announced, grasping everyone's attention. She stood next to Reese. "Sharese, you are just...God sent.  You've been such a wonderful leader for this organization, and again, I thank you so much for blessing me with the position to do the same. I'm going to have some very big shoes to fill. But I thank you, so much. Your heart is much bigger than what you give yourself credit for. It's because of you so many women's lives have been changed for the better. We ourselves, have become better people working for Free the Heart. And we as a team appreciate you, more than you could ever imagine. So, thank you. To the wonderful, Sharese..."

Everyone lifted their glasses, clinking them together in her honor. She gave a soft smile, whispering, 'thank you.'

*

"Hold on baby, I gotta make it nice and hot for you," Cameron told her.

Reese waited patiently as he prepared the Jacuzzi. He placed his hand in the bubbling water, then nodded with satisfaction. "Alright, c'mon...let's get you in." He approached her and grasped her hand, leading her to the tub.

She eased one foot in at a time, before immersing herself in the water. She basked in bliss, as the warm bubbling water put her aching body at ease. God, she needed this.

"How does it feel?"

"Like Heaven."

"Good. Now let me put some music on."

Fetty Wap's,
My Way
blared through the speakers, and her eyes shot open.

"Are you serious right now, Cam?"

He smiled, dancing to the music. "This song goes hard, baby."

"Boy, if you don't turn this mess off..."

He swayed his shoulders to the up tempo beat, before thrusting his pelvis in the air, only causing her to burst in laughter.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm giving you a show. You know you feelin' it! 'Baby won't you come my wayyyyy...got something I want to sayyyyy!" He sang along, in the most ear wrenching voice she ever heard. 

"Seriously Cam, this is torture!"

He stopped singing. "So, you really just gonna disrespect my beautiful singing like that?"

"Beautiful? It sounds like death."

His jaw dropped. "Oh, you got jokes. You lucky you cute and shit."

"Shut up."

"Alright, what you wanna hear then?"

"Anything but this. The last thing we need is this baby to pop out, twerking."

He laughed. "Twerking? My daughter ain't gonna be doing that shit."

She lifted a brow. "And how do you know? She just might."

"Yeah, you right. Let me go ahead and change it. Put on something a lil' more sexy."

He shuffled through the playlist of his IPod, and Jodeci's,
My Heart Belongs To You
, reverberated from the speakers. She shut her eyes in bliss.

"Yesss, this is what I'm talking about."

"Sets the mood don’t it?" He bobbed his head to the music. Soon after, he stripped off his clothing then slid himself in the tub. As he sat behind her, she leaned against his chest, snugging herself in his brawny arms. He softly massaged her shoulders, alleviating her with just the mere touch of his rhythmic fingers, and she moaned. He just didn't know how much she needed this. He truly was god sent.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Emotional."

"Was it?"

"Yeah..." She nodded with a sigh. "It's just hard moving on from something you've built and been a part of for so long, you know?"

"Yeah, that's tough," he understood. "You think it's something you'd ever regret?"

"No," she said honestly. "It's time to move on. I want to be there for the baby. Be the type of parent my own mother wasn't. I owe her that."

"And you will."

Now 7 months pregnant, she would no longer have the energy nor time to continue her position. She wanted to take some years off to raise her child, and be the best mother she could be without the hassle of her demanding career. She worked so hard to get to this point, now it was time to bear the fruits of her labor. In every way possible. She would forever miss Free the Heart. The people, the special memories, the work, the pain and all. It hurt to let it go, but it was time. She was more than positive Lillian would be an effective leader to carry the organization to higher heights. She had no doubt about that.

Would this be the end of her journey? Definitely not. She would still continue to affect the lives of others. But she would do so in other ways. She wanted to travel abroad. Be involved in volunteer work, on a more global level. Later on down the line. Financially, she would be okay as well. She had enough funds saved to last her for a long time. And not to mention a financially stable man, who would make sure she and their child were well taken care of. Soon, after the baby was born, they would be moving together in their luxurious 7 bedroom Long Island home, they had just bought weeks ago. And Reese couldn't wait. It was going to be a big step starting a new life with Cameron. And she was more than ready to embark on that journey.

December 17, 2015

Warmth soothed Reese's soul as she stared into the face of her baby girl. Her fragile body swaddled in her arms, she wanted nothing but to hold her close. Those innocent brown eyes, small button nose, lips and ears, soft curly hair, and cocoa brown skin, she looked angelic as can be. Reese traced her fingers along her smooth skin, her chest swelling with emotions. Beautiful.

Camryn Lewis.

Born 8 lbs., and 5 oz.

Her pride and joy.

As she stared into her beautiful face, she thought about her own mother, and wondered how anyone could ever give up her their own child. Something so precious. Innocent. Pure. A heaviness deepened in her chest as she fought back tears. No matter what, she would never abandon her baby. She would never put her own daughter through that kind of pain.

She was a part of her. Mind, body, and soul.

She would forever be.

"Hey, baby...this is Daddy," Cameron whispered, holding her in his arms. Reese rested her head against the pillow, watching them with a warm smile.

He had been in the hospital room the entire time, comforting her through her 14 hours of labor. Even through all the cussing, screaming, yelling and all, he never left her side. Not even once. And she was thankful for that.

"Knock Knock."

They glanced ahead at the petite, brunette haired nurse at the doorway.

"You have some visitors," she informed her.

Yasmine entered the room, holding a bouquet of flowers. "Hiiiii!"

Donette and Linda also appeared with gift bags and balloons. Reese gleamed at the sight of them, greeting the ladies as they shared hugs and kisses.

Yasmine gasped. "Oh my gosh. She's gorgeous!"

"She sure is," Linda agreed.

"What's her name?" Donette asked.

"Camryn," Cameron said proudly. It had always been his dream to have his firstborn named after him, and since Reese loved the name but preferably spelled differently for a girl, they came to a mutual agreement to give her that name.

"Can I hold my goddaughter, please?" Yasmine asked with excitement, and Cameron handed the baby to her. With a gasp, she held her in her arms, coaxing her with soothing words. "Hi, sweety. I'm your Auntie Yasmine...Aww, you are just the cutest. Oh, I can't wait to spoil you."

Reese smirked, shaking her head. Knowing Yasmine, she would most definitely spoil her. That was for sure.

"She looks just like you, Cam," Yasmine teased.

"She does?" He blushed.

"Mhmm. Same eyes, nose and everything. She's way cuter though."

They all laughed.

Not before long, Cameron's friends, Bryson and Deshawn appeared, as well as Vance and Zara, his other close friends she had gotten acquainted with over time. Lillian had even stopped by to send her love, gifting her with a large special card signed by each of her staff from Free the Heart sharing their well wishes. Throughout the time, everyone galled over their precious newborn, wanting to hold her as they all snapped pictures, capturing the special moments.

After visiting hours were over, Cameron and Reese laid together in the bed, as their daughter slept soundly in the bassinet. As her head rested on his firm chest, his arms embraced her with protection. It felt so good to finally be alone. She was exhausted. And as much as she appreciated everyone's company, there was nothing more comforting than just being with her family.

Family.

Her heart warmed at the thought. For so many years, she had been alone. No family to call her own. But now, she was blessed with the two most important people in her life. And she couldn't be more thankful.

"I love this one," Reese said, gazing at the picture on his IPad. This particular one was of just the three of them, with Camryn snuggled in her arms, she and Cameron were cuddled on the hospital bed, smiling at the camera. Like two proud parents. It was beautiful.

"Got my ass smiling like a chipmunk," he joked.

She laughed. "It's adorable, though."

"Yeah, it is."

"You know I always dreamed of this..." she reminisced, staring at the photo.

"What?"

"Just having a picture like this. Of my own family. I never thought I would ever have that..." she shrugged, getting choked up. He kissed her cheek.

"Well, you do now."

"Yeah," she whispered with a smile, watching their daughter.

"There's only one way to make this complete though."

"What?" She looked at him.

He dug in his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it and she gasped at the beaming diamond ring.

"Will you marry—"

She kissed him before he could say anymore. He didn't even have to ask.