Page 38 of Ready or Not
I vaguely remember rambling about it before Bishop came to the rescue, carting me out of the store.
Then Cooper drove us home while I repeatedly came on Bishop’s cock. It would have been a million times less embarrassing if anyone else had been our chauffeur.
That just goes to show how my luck has been lately.
“You put the crib together?”
“I did.” He nods, swiping back the straight blond hair that always falls over his forehead. “After we got back, I went to talk to my family pack.” His shoulders bounce as his gray eyes meet mine.
Holt’s eyes are a muted bluish-gray, but Cooper’s are bright gray.
Exactly like Dr. Garza’s, come to think of it.
I’m genuinely shocked that I never picked up the family resemblance. They have the same rugged jaw and strong cheekbones.
“My mom and I went out and did some shopping after she and my dads ripped me an entirely new asshole.” He shakes his head, laughing awkwardly.
It’s something I’ve never seen from him. He was always so confident every time he came into the club…
I was always the one embarrassing myself. Never in big ways, but even being around him filled me with such giddy excitement that I’d do silly things, like spin around and trip over a chair I knew was there.
“So, my mom really wants to meet you. I know she has, but…” He exhales heavily. “She wants to bring over breakfast in the morning, so the three of us can sit down and talk.”
I open my mouth to say something, but no sound comes out.
“I know you lost your mom. You’ve been surrounded by a shitload of testosterone. She just thought it might be a nice chance to get to know each other. You’re carrying her first grandchild.” Cooper frowns. “I’m not trying to guilt you into it. If you’re not comfortable, then I’ll tell her it has to wait.”
“I’m not supposed to be under any stress.” I run my hand over my stomach absently. “Does she hate me?”
“God, no.” Cooper chuckles. “Although, I think I put her love for me to the test for the first real time in my life.”
My gaze falls to the floor, but my stomach blocks the way.
The last thing I want to do is cause problems with his family.
The more I think about it, the more I feel like he’s a victim too.
Andrew manipulated both of us.
Cooper definitely could have handled himself differently, but if I were him and felt rejected, I likely would have distanced myself from the situation too.
“Do you want to help me organize some of the stuff?” he asks, appearing directly in front of me. His tattooed hand meets my chin, tilting my eyes up to his. “We bought baby clothes detergent, and my mom helped me do about a million loads of laundry.”
“Was she here while I was having a wave of heat?” I gasp.
“Yeah, but this house is so insulated, she couldn’t hear a thing. We also stayed downstairs. She just helped me take the tags off everything. Then we separated it into loads because she said it all had to be washed before using it.”
“That’s very sweet,” I say around the lump in my throat as he caresses my cheek with his scratchy fingers.
“Nah, that’s what grandmas are for.” He licks his lips as he studies my face. His pupils are so huge, I can barely see the gray of his irises. “Those two laundry baskets are full of freshly washed baby clothes. I was going to fold them and put them in the drawers. Why don’t you sit in the glider, and you can direct me where you want stuff to go?”
“Okay,” I agree.
He grins a lopsided smile as he steps back, and I fight the urge to snuggle into his chest.
Cooper always had this boyish, happy, lighthearted charm that I found impossible to resist. It makes me really loathe Andrew for the distance he put between us.
I aim for the glider and take a seat.