Domino Effect (Effect 2)

A happy sob escaped. “I love you, too, Brandt. Don’t let this be a dream.”

I kept pushing in as her walls wrapped around me. “This is our reality, baby. No one is going to take that away from us.”

“Kiss me.”

My lips went to hers. We kissed, slowly making love in front of the crackling fire.

I memorized every movement, never wanting it to end. Our bodies climbed, beads of perspiration formed on our skin, and when we couldn’t hold back anymore, we came simultaneously. I rolled Nikola on top of me, still buried in her.

She sighed contentedly. “Thank you for giving me the special memories you did today. I’ll treasure them forever. I know you were thinking of my wishes from that night.”

I rubbed my hand down her back. “We were both ready. There’s one wish I don’t think we are ready for.”

“A baby.” Nikola had put it out there without hesitation. My breath caught, wondering if she were going to want one right away. We’d talk it out, but I wasn’t ready. “You can start breathing again. I’m not ready either.”

I chuckled beneath her. “I didn’t really stop breathing.”

“Yes, you did.” She kissed my chest. “Someday, in the future, when we’re ready, we can have a little Brandt running around the house. I still want to enjoy our time together while it’s only us. We have plenty of time for a family. It’s not something that should be rushed.” Nikola traced light circles on my chest as she spoke.

I continued to run my hands down her back. “I agree. We’ll work through all our ups and downs together. My mum told me the downs are what make a strong marriage. I’d say we have a good strong foundation to build our life on.”

Nikola nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”

We basked in the afterglow of our love-making and our feelings for each other.

We were over at Anne’s, having lunch before heading home from our honeymoon. Nikola’s parents had gone to Tybee Island after the wedding. I didn’t understand them. They were here from halfway across the world but still wanted isolation. I’d stepped outside to call to Adam. He’d sent a text asking me to call him when I had a moment.

The hum of the traffic sounded in the distance. A bird chirped a late afternoon song. My world seemed as close to perfect as it could be at the moment.

Adam picked up on the second ring. “Hey, man. How was the honeymoon?”

“It was the best part of the entire wedding.”

Adam chuckled.

I reaffirmed my earlier statement. “You’ll see. You’ve got a wedding coming up.”

Someone spoke from a distance. It sounded like Trigger. Adam responded, “Yeah, let Karen handle it. She’s the manager now, it’ll be a good learning experience for her.” Trigger’s voice answered Adam, but it was muffled. “Brandt, are you there?”

“Yeah.”

Adam took a deep breath and my anxiety went up. “A member is trying to get in early. We’ll see how Karen handles it. The reason I wanted to talk is that I received a phone call the other day. We have an offer for a buyout of the club. It’s a good offer.”

“What?” My voice sounded in disbelief.

“We got the offer the morning of your wedding. I didn’t want to talk about it then, but someone wants to buy the club and franchise it. We need to discuss. It’s a serious offer, Brandt.”

I couldn’t believe Adam was actually contemplating selling the club. “Adam, I don’t know. I don’t know if I want to do this.”

“Okay.” He paused. Adam sounded shocked that I wouldn’t jump on this. Did he think marriage would make me want to give up my entire life? He continued, “Will you at least look at the proposal?”

“Sure. I need to get back inside. But you need to be prepared I may not want to sell.” I knew I sounded frustrated. I was frustrated.

He took a big breath. “We’ll talk about it later. Tell Nikola I said hey.”

“Will do.”

I hung up and jammed the phone in my pocket. I pinched the bridge of my nose while I tried to quell my temper. Why was he wanting to change things? I needed to hear his side of the story. In some ways, the club had become a burden as it required constant supervision. It was getting hard to manage with everything else I wanted to do. But I refused to think that way. The club was a huge part of our lives. I pushed the thought of selling the club to the far recesses of my mind. I’d deal with that later. Now, I was going to focus on my bride.

After a few minutes, I went inside. As I approached the kitchen, I heard Nikola and Anne talking as they ate chocolate.

“How does it feel to be a married woman?” Anne asked.

“I never imagined it would feel like this. There’s this peace I feel, knowing how committed we are to each other. I love the feeling of belonging to Brandt.”

I pushed up my sleeves, casually walked into the kitchen, and leaned against the counter. Nikola raised an eyebrow at me. She sat at the bar.

I knew Nikola sensed something was bothering me from the way she looked at me. Anne walked over and set down a plate with a piece of pie on it.

“Here’s your piece. It’s still warm. Are you up for another game of Rook? Have you paid your debt to Nikola?”

I shot Nikola a sultry look as Anne turned her back to grab a container out of the cabinet. Nikola giggled as I said, “I’ve paid my debt. I’m up for another game.” I looked at Nikola. “Shall we have the same stakes?”

I picked up my plate and took a big bite. Warm chocolate goodness filled my mouth. Anne made a mean chocolate pie.

Anne put her hand up as she walked out. “I don’t want to know what you guys are betting about. I’ll get the cards.”

Nikola and I continued smirking at each other. There was coughing down the hallway, then a door closed to muffle the sound out. Anne’s cough had significantly worsened. She seemed slower and more tired. We had a doctor’s appointment in five days. At dinner, Nikola had tried to talk Anne into an earlier appointment, without success.

After she climbed off her wooden barstool, Nikola moseyed over to me. “Are you ready to be defeated again? And to put your fate into the hands of the Magic 8 Ball?”

I bit her lip then ran my tongue over the bite. “Are you ready for that striptease?”

“If you lose, I’ll give you a striptease with a little extra something I bought.”

Nikola swayed her hips as we walked out into the living room. I walked right behind her, whispering in her ear, “What’d you buy?”

“Win and you’ll find out. Lose and it’ll stay my dirty little secret.”

We made it to the card table. Anne was sitting there with a glass of water. She must have brought it from the back of the house. I watched her closely as she dealt the cards. The gravity of Anne’s illness started to sink in. For now, I’d enjoy this moment.

Grabbing my cards, I prepared for battle. Whatever my wife had purchased on the sly was going to be a hell of a surprise. I had to win.

We pulled onto the highway as we made our way home from Anne’s. The sun was setting as the dusky sky turned a brilliant orange. As I went around a truck, Nikola asked, “What was bothering you when you first came back in from calling Adam?”

Remembering what Adam had brought up about the club had me flustered again. I wondered what Nikola would think. I hadn’t even thought about whether she’d want me to sell the club and get into something else. “Umm—we got an offer on Club Envy. It’s supposedly a good offer that Adam wants to entertain, but I don’t know if I do. I don’t know why, but I never thought of us selling the club.”

Nikola laid her hand on top of mine, resting on the console. “That would be hard,” she said. “The club was there for you this last year as you buried yourself in security.”

Exactly.

“What do you think I should do?”

She took a deep breath. I saw Nikola’s chest rise from the corner of my vision. “I think it wouldn’t hurt to at least hear the offer, but you have to be th

e one who decides. I’ll support you regardless of what you choose.”

This was why we were meant to be together. I should have known Nikola would support me in whatever I decided.

We continued driving as we reminisced about our wedding. As we were pulling into the neighborhood, Nikola’s tone changed as she tried to hide her laughter. “Hey, Brandt, can I tell you something?”

I glanced to her as she sat, relaxed in her seat. “Sure, you know you can tell me anything.”