The Risks We Take Duet Box Set

76. Cooper

COOPER

“ H ey, man. Did you hear Trick is being sent stateside for rehab next week?” I stare at Rook, who’s cutting his omelet into perfectly portioned squares. I’ve never met anyone as regimented as he is, and that’s saying something since I’ve been in the Navy for four years.

His forks stops halfway to his mouth, and his forehead wrinkles. “No. The fucker didn’t tell me. Is he being discharged?”

I shrug. “Don’t know. He texted, and trust me, that’s not the kind of thing you want to talk about in a text.”

“Sorry, man. Have you given any thought to what you want to do?” He shifts uncomfortably because this whole conversation sucks. Well, at least it does for me.

“Not really. This was it.” I push my empty plate aside and pick up my coffee. “This was the plan. I didn’t have a backup. I figured I had another fifteen years before I had to figure out what came after the teams.”

Rook watches my movement with a question on the tip of his tongue.

You don’t serve together as closely as we have and not learn each other’s ticks. At least, that’s what I’d have said before our last op. “Ask your question, brother. I can tell you have one.”

“Have you talked to anyone yet?” I open my mouth to answer him, but he cuts me off, annoyed. “I don’t mean one of us, shithead. I mean a shrink.”

“Have you?” I counter. “I’m not the only one who lost something on that mission. And I’m aware enough to know that not only did I lose my job and a piece of my identity, but I also lost two friends. Not just one.”

“Point taken.” He takes a card out of his pocket and slides it across the table to me. “She comes highly recommended. I’ve spoken to a few guys who actually didn’t hate talking to her. You gotta talk to someone, Coop, or you’re gonna explode, man.”

I stare at the card for a long beat before picking it up and flipping it over. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good.” He points his fork at me. “You know...” His head snaps up at the sound of Elodie crying upstairs, then mumbles something about babies.

“Do I know what?” I prod, curious about where his head is.

He watches me as he finishes his eggs, then washes it down with an entire bottle of OJ. “Phoenix is looking to expand.”

It’s my turn to study him, and something twists in my stomach.

I hadn’t thought about going into the private sector. I’m not sure I want to.

“I was going to finish our deployment, then get out. But since we’ve been sent home and currently have no team, I’m putting my retirement papers in when we clean up the Axel shitstorm. You could come with me.”

We both turn as Carys skips down the stairs, singing a soft song to Elodie. She crosses the room and stops next to me, then drops a kiss on my lips. “Good morning.”

Rook coughs to hide his laugh, and I expect Carys to be embarrassed, but my girl surprises me when she kicks his foot. “Whatever. Don’t be jealous, soldier boy. In fact...” She carefully transfers Elodie to Rook’s arms and sashays into the kitchen.

One of my t-shirts is tucked into black leggings, cupping her ass perfectly, and my eyes stay glued to her as Rook grumbles about holding Elodie.

Carys makes herself a cup of tea, then joins us at the table. “Any chance Elodie and I can read a book outside for a little while? I could use some fresh air.”

I glance over at Rook, who shakes his head.

“Probably not the best move, Carys.” I grip her hips and pull her down on my lap.

“Fine,” she huffs. “What are you guys doing today?”

I run my nose along her neck, and Rook groans, so I take Carys’s lips in a quick kiss and give Rook the finger. “We’ve got data to work through.”

“What does that mean?” She scrunches her nose, like an afternoon on a computer sounds awful to her.

“It means you need to get off your man’s lap and grab this baby.” He shifts Elodie carefully in his arms and lets her wrap her tiny fingers around his pinky. “I don’t do babies, no matter how much you try to force it. I already pulled the short straw and agreed to drive Emerson to the pediatrician tomorrow. And seriously, didn’t this kid just get out of the hospital? Why does she already have to see a doctor and be around all those germs?”

“Fine.” She stands and lifts Elodie, then stage whispers, “I think you’re wearing him down, sweetheart.”

Elodie rests against Carys’s chest, quiet and sleepy. It paints a pretty picture. Not that I’m ready for kids. I’ll leave that to my siblings for a while. “What are your plans today, Carys?”

“I told Em to take a nap. Once she wakes up, I need to get a little sketching in. I promised Chloe I’d work on a few things this week, and the week’s already over.” She grabs a banana from the table and hands it to me. “Can you peel that for me, please?”

I guess it’s kinda hard to do one-handed. I hand her back the peeled banana, and instead of taking it from me, she bites it right out of my hand. “How’s that been going? Le Désir?”

She takes another bite and smiles. “It was so much easier when we were both in Kroydon Hills.” Then she bites her lip, realizing what she just said. “Don’t get me wrong. I love being here, and I’m so happy to help. But we had a process in place the past few months, and it worked really well.”

Rook grabs our plates and takes them into the kitchen, leaving us alone.

“You want to move back to Kroydon Hills?” I watch her face, wanting to know the truth. Hoping she won’t just say what she thinks I want to hear.

She sways the slightest bit while she thinks about her answer. “I think I do. It’s not a must. And luckily, my job will let me work wherever I need to, but I’d like to go home for a little while. If only to get Le Désir really producing how we want it to. We were kicking around a few different ideas before I left, and we’ve got so much to still figure out.” She runs a hand over Elodie’s back soothingly, and I might be jealous of a baby. “But here’s the thing, Coop. We’ll figure all that out together. Because I go where you go.”

I stand and press a hand to her back, ghosting my lips over hers. “Yeah, baby. We’ll figure it out.” Because she’s wrong. Without the Navy to dictate my next move, I’ll be the one following her.