by Layne, Ivy
I smacked her arm before snagging another cookie and splitting it with Petra. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Charlie rolled her eyes. “I wanted to. But you were still married, and you wouldn’t hear anything negative about Steve. And then Lucas and Aiden both made me promise to stay out of it. Lucas said Cooper would pull his head out of his ass soon enough.”
I let out a gust of breath and confessed, “Hearing about you leaving Winters, Inc. and starting your own business is part of what made me get serious about divorce.”
Charlie stared at me, her jaw dropped, shocked speechless. I didn’t think it was possible to shock Charlie speechless. “How? What did I have to do with it?”
“Well, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re so young.” Charlie was not quite twenty-six, though the life she’d lived had given her a maturity far beyond her years. “And you changed your whole life because you weren’t happy.”
Violet made a discrete humming sound in the back of her throat. Charlie shook her head. “I didn’t do anything. Aiden fired me, threw me out of Winters, Inc. on my ass. I would have spent another decade being miserable if it weren’t for him.”
“He wouldn’t have let that happen,” Violet murmured.
“That’s why he’s the best, even if he is a controlling jerk sometimes,” Charlie said.
“I didn’t know the part about Aiden,” I said, trying to explain. “But I was miserable with Steve, watching my life pass me by, and then I met you, and you’d had the courage to reinvent yourself. You’d changed everything, had your whole life in front of you, and I was watching mine pass me by. So, I asked Knox to look into Steve, discovered what a cheating rat he’d been, found a lawyer, and then I was free, too.”
“I’m glad that disaster with Aiden was good for something.” Charlie rolled her eyes.
“Other than landing you next door to Lucas?” Violet asked with another raise of her eyebrow.
“Other than that,” Charlie said with a satisfied grin.
My phone beeped and I checked the screen, my heart lurching in my chest. A weather alert. Damn. I couldn’t call Cooper, didn’t want to distract him, but despite the good company and our relative safety, I couldn’t relax until I knew Griffen would be okay.
A clatter of shoes echoed in the hall as Lily, Adam, Emma, and Summer all piled in. Adam was sleepy-eyed and stumbling, barely awake.
Lily took one look at Petra and said, “I’m going to tuck Adam into bed down the hall. Aiden said it’s Charlie’s old room. It’s just a few doors down. Do you want to come with us, Petra? I’m going to read a story.”
Petra slid off the couch, her hand clasped around mine, giving the other women a wary look. She followed Lily and Adam, tugging me along with them. She allowed us to tuck her in bed alongside Adam, curling up, her back against his side, as he drifted off. It took longer for Petra’s eyes to shut, but when they did, she was out.
I tiptoed after Lily back to the library. My seat on the couch was taken, which was fine with me. Now that Petra was settled, I needed to pace.
“Any word from the hospital?”
A room full of head shakes. “Not yet,” Emma said. “No texts, no calls. I don’t want to bug them but—”
Griffen had saved Emma’s life. They had a bond, and I knew she was as worried sick as I was.
“I know,” I said.
I needed to hear from Cooper.
I love you, Alice.
He loved me. With a sickening realization, it hit me that I hadn’t said it back. He hadn’t given me a chance. I’d been so convinced he hated me for almost killing his mother, and then he hit me with I love you and disappeared. I was such a jerk.
I pulled up my phone and stared at the locked screen. He was busy. He had his brothers. He didn’t need to hear from me right now.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I unlocked the screen and typed I love you, too. In case you didn’t know.
No answer. I resumed pacing, trying not to think of all the ways things could go wrong. Tsepov’s men might still be out there. Griffen might not make it through surgery. Maxwell was surely dead.
I checked my phone again. Not even a read notice on my text. I wasn’t going to make it until morning. The waiting was killing me.
I was wearing a groove in the carpet in front of the fireplace when a hand closed around my arm, pulling me into a hug. I looked up into Charlie’s familiar ocean-blue eyes, the color of her chin-length auburn hair identical to Aiden’s.
“Sit, Alice. You’re just winding yourself up with the pacing.”
I stayed where I was, not pacing but not sitting either. I didn’t think I could sit. “I didn’t tell him I love him,” I whispered, the confession physically painful.
“He knows,” Charlie said, simply.
“What if he doesn’t?” I pressed, my worry for Cooper and Griffen and everyone I loved mixed up in a tight, ugly ball of fear.
“He knows because if you didn’t love him you would have brained him by now.” Charlie gave me a little shake. “He knows, Alice. And so do you. Griffen is going to be okay. Lucas thinks Tsepov’s men will scatter as soon as they know he’s dead. You’ll be out of the woods in no time.”
“I want to be out of the woods now,” I complained mulishly.
“Sit,” Charlie said again, not acknowledging my whine.
She was right, I was just way to stressed out to think clearly. I let her push me to an armchair and hand me a cup of herbal tea with an impish twinkle in her eye. I handed it back. “Coffee.”
“It was worth a try,” she said, taking the tea and replacing it with a cup of coffee.
I sipped and tried to participate in the conversation, only checking my phone every thirty seconds or so. I was with friends, safe, Petra was sleeping, but I couldn’t relax. Not until Griffen was stable and Cooper was back. Conversation moved from Summer’s disaster of an engagement party to their plans for a wedding to Knox’s renovations and speculation on when Aiden would propose. Violet didn’t seem worried about the latter.
“I told him we needed to slow down and date like normal people—” she said.
“—and then he moved you into Winters House,” Charlie finished. “He would have married you months ago if he wasn’t worried he’d scare you off.”
Violet’s lips curved. “This is only temporary.”
“Yeah, right,” was Charlie’s response. “I’d love to see you try to move back out. If you do, let me know so I can make some popcorn and call everyone else. Now that everyone is settled down, we need the entertainment.”
Violet rolled her eyes, somehow managing to look elegant and not like a recalcitrant teenager.
Two cups of coffee later, I was on my feet again, holding up a hand when the entire room scowled at me. “I’m going to pace. Don’t try to stop me.”
They all settled back, clearly recognizing a woman on the edge. How long could surgery take? It had been hours. The sun was cresting the horizon, daylight spilling into the library. I jumped and whirled at the sound of footsteps coming down the hall, even as I registered that they were too light to be Cooper or one of the guys.
A small woman with silvery-blond hair poked her head into the room. “Hi.” She gave a little wave. “I’m Sophie. Mrs. W said to tell you breakfast is ready. She is not happy you didn’t wake her up. Aunt Amelia is also not happy. I told her it was Violet’s fault.”
I expected Violet to be annoyed at being thrown under the bus, but she only gave a serene smile. “Good, Amelia needs something to get worked up about or she’ll get bored.” She stood, and everyone else did the same, following her down the hall to the dining room.
I barely noticed the grandeur of the Winters House dining room. I ate mechanically, only half-tasting the delicious breakfast set in front of me, obsessively checking my phone. I caught Charlie watching
me with worried eyes, but she let me stew.
Finally, as I was finishing my millionth cup of coffee, Lily's phone beeped with a text. “They're on their way.”
“And?” Emma prompted, her eyebrows arched in impatient query.
Lily gave a frustrated shrug. “That's all. Just On our way. I guess they’ll tell us when they get here.”
The next twenty minutes were among the longest in my life. I was exhausted with worry. I just wanted to see Cooper, to know Griffen would be alright. To tell Cooper I loved him. To hear him say the words when the world wasn’t falling down around our ears.
The front door opened, and we flooded from the dining room to meet them. As soon as I saw their faces, I knew. Maxwell was gone. I wanted to ask about Griffen, but I waited.
Cooper put us out of our misery. “Griffen came through surgery. He’s in recovery now. He’ll have some mobility loss in the shoulder, but otherwise, he’ll be fine. No other serious injuries from the team in the building when Tsepov’s men hit.”
“Maxwell?” Summer whispered.
Evers crossed the hall to take her in his arms. “He didn't make it, baby. He never regained consciousness.”
My heart sank. I knew, but I'd hoped. For Cooper, for Petra, I'd hoped. Tears blurred my eyes as I vaguely took in Knox holding Lily, Axel embracing Emma.
A hand closed over my elbow. I looked up to see Cooper, his face somber, eyes guarded. “Will you come with me?”
Heart heavy with dread, I nodded. He’d said he loved me, but that was before his father died. I’d said it back, and he hadn’t responded. Maybe it was all too much. Maybe he’d said it in the heat of the moment but he hadn’t meant it.
I followed him back down the hall to the library, where someone had already cleared the trays from last night, leaving the room immaculate as if we’d never been there.
Turning, I faced Cooper. I wasn't ready for this, but I was no coward.
“I’m sorry about Maxwell.”
“Me too.” Cooper had that same oddly hesitant look I’d seen in the cabin. “Are you okay?”
I didn't know how to answer that. No, I was nowhere close to okay. I lied. “I'm fine.”
“Petra?”
“Still asleep down the hall with Adam. She didn’t see anything. Neither of us did. Thank you for—” My throat locked. He’d said he loved me and walked out, knowing he might not come back. He got us to safety and then he left us. “—thank you for—” I couldn’t get the words out.
Everything burst at once, and I strode across the room, punching him in the shoulder, tears pouring down my cheeks. “You could have died, you idiot! You left us. You kept us safe and then you left us. You could have died, Cooper! What am I supposed to do if you die?”
I sobbed as his arms closed around me, holding me tight against the strong length of his body. I knew what I was saying was all wrong. Cooper would never have hidden in that safe room with us when his father and Griffen were in danger.
He’d done what he had to. He’d done the right thing. I knew that. I loved him for always doing the right thing. I’d been so scared, huddled in that room with Petra, hearing the muffled gunshots and not knowing.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. For everything.”
He rubbed his palm over my back, soothing me as my tears ran their course. I should be letting Cooper cry instead of bawling all over him. It was his father who’d died. I was being a selfish jerk. Again. And still, I cried, cried until my eyes ran dry.
When I stopped, I stayed where I was, pressed against him, breathing in the salt and man scent of him. Cooper. In one piece. With me. Cooper.
He held me, but he didn’t say anything. He’d said he was sorry. What was he sorry for? None of this was his fault.
I pushed away, wiping under my eyes. I was probably all blotchy and puffy. Great. Still, he was silent, taking me in with guarded eyes. The agony of waiting was too much. I couldn't take it a second longer.
“Cooper—”
“Do you remember your promise?” he interrupted.
Promise? What promise?
“At the cabin. You promised you’d never walk out on me again. I’m holding you to that, Alice.”
“What?” I wasn’t going anywhere. If anyone was going to walk, I figured it would be Cooper.
“If you try to go, I’ll follow you. You love me. I know you do.”
“Cooper, I—”
“I can make it up to you. Make up for Lacey, for Maxwell, for everything that’s gone wrong. Just give me a chance.”
“Cooper,” I cut in, “what the hell are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere.”
Cooper stared at me, face blank. Slowly, he said, “Alice, my mother tried to kill you. My father brought the mob into our home.”
“I know. I was there.” Reaching up, I lay my palm against the side of his face. I couldn’t blame Cooper for being a little spun, for getting all of this backward. He’d just watched his father die. “I put your mother in the hospital, Cooper.”
He gave a quick shake of his head, and I dropped my hand, confused. I couldn’t forget Lacey, bleeding and unconscious, lying in the midst of all that broken glass. If I couldn’t forget, how could Cooper?
Catching my hands in his, he said, “I need to know if you can forgive me.”
“Forgive you for what?” Cooper felt guilty? God, we were idiots. I started to laugh. Cooper’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.
“Griffen is right,” I said through giggles that bordered on hysterical. “We are dumbasses. This isn’t your fault, Cooper.”
“It's not yours, either.”
“I did almost kill your mother.”
Cooper shook his head. “As much as I hate to say this, she had it coming. And you didn't almost kill her. Didn’t Griffen tell you?” He shook his head again. “Never mind. He didn't know. She's fine. She'd lost a lot of blood and she hit her head, but she's fine. Not speaking to us at the moment, but I can't say I'm sorry about that. She's lucky I'm not pressing charges for breaking and entering, trying to murder you and kidnap Petra.”
“I love you, Cooper. You said it twice, and I was so surprised I never got to say it back. I love you.”
“Why were you surprised?” he asked, stroking a finger down the side of my face. “What was all of this about if not love? Of course, I love you. I’ve loved you forever.”
“Good, because I’m not going anywhere. Except home. With you.”
Cooper pulled me against him, looking down into my face, the blank shock finally erased from his eyes, replaced by a heat I knew would warm me for the rest of my life.
“Home,” he agreed. “But not yet. We’re staying here for a while. Our place is a crime scene. And we don’t have a door.”
“What?” What had happened to the door?
“Don’t ask. You don’t want to know.”
Normally, I didn’t like to be shut out of information, but this time Cooper was right. I didn’t want to know. He was safe, Petra and I were safe, Griffen was going to recover, and Cooper loved me. That was all I needed to know.
Out of nowhere, the world turned upside down and I was over Cooper's shoulder, moving through the room and into the hall.
“Cooper! What are you doing? Put me down.”
He didn’t answer, opening a door not far from the library and flicking on a light. A lock turned, a metal bar snicking into place. My hair flipped back over my head as he set me on some kind of counter. I looked around. Wine everywhere.
With that wicked grin I loved, Cooper said, “The Winters House wine room. I happen to know it’s the only room on this floor with a deadbolt. I want you to myself, just for a minute.”
His lips stroked over mine and the rest of the world fell away. His family waiting outside. Petra, soon to wake up. We’d be there for all of them. In a
minute.
For now, Cooper was all mine, and I was his. I fell into his kiss, my body wrapped around his, my heart full of Cooper.
He was everything I’d ever wanted. Everything I’d dreamed of.
I’d keep my promise. I’d never leave him, never give up on him. We belonged to each other. Now and forever.
Epilogue One
Alice
Cooper dumped me on my ass, a bright spark of glee in his ice-blue eyes. My tailbone smacked the mat, but I wasn't even mad. It had been too long since I'd seen him so carefree. So happy. If it took tossing me on my butt in the sparring room to put that look on his face, he could do it all day as far as I was concerned.
Let's be honest, I never want to get in a fight again. I'm no pushover, but fisticuffs are not my thing. Even so, after everything that had happened with Lacey, Maxwell, the invasion of the Russian mob—I'd realized that Cooper's training wasn't a joke. I wanted more.
I didn't need to be on his team of scary operatives. I just wanted to know I could protect myself. Protect Petra. If anyone ever tried to put a hand on me again, I wanted to know I could put them on the ground long enough to get away.
As I’d guessed weeks before, sparring with Cooper never stayed all business. Even when we had the best of intentions, once we were sweating, his hands on me, my hands on him—things happened. Good things. Hot things. Naked things.
I wasn't complaining. For the first time in what felt like forever, life was approaching normal, and it was better than I'd ever imagined normal could be.
Lacey, after finding out Maxwell was dead, had gone completely silent for a full day before quietly asking Cooper to find her a residential treatment center. No one was expecting a miracle, but it was a start.
We were still trading off at the office, Cooper working mornings and me afternoons so Petra had time to adjust, though days like today we took advantage of her nap time and left the office to Cooper's brothers.