The Risks We Take Duet Box Set

90. Cooper

COOPER

“ A re you sure we can’t just stay home?” I ask, even though I know there’s no chance we can. Skipping dinner tonight isn’t an option, even if I’m trying to come up with a reason we can cancel as I grab a shirt from the closet.

Carys steps out of the bathroom in a pair of skintight dark jeans and a creamy sweater that falls off one shoulder, leaving her bare skin exposed. She smiles as she moves in front of me and buttons my shirt. Her hands skim my chest and spark a fire that never stops burning for her. “You look very handsome.”

I grab her ass in both hands and squeeze. “I can think of so many things I’d rather spend the night doing to you, baby. Do we have to go?”

“Yes, we have to go. I owe Declan. If any of our family is going to go easy on us, it’s Dec and Belles.” She brushes a kiss to my jaw. “Don’t pout.”

“Men don’t pout, babe,” I tease, knowing full well I’m pouting. “We’re stoic.”

She drops a hand to my chest and trails it down along my abs. “How about this...?” Carys sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. “If you come to dinner tonight, I’ll let you do naughty things to me when we get home.”

I grab her wrist and bring her fingertips to my mouth, kissing each one. “What kind of naughty things, baby?” My cock jumps in my pants at the words alone.

I wonder if the pharmacy has lube.

She leans in and whispers, “Anything you want.”

“Let’s go to dinner.”

F amily dinners are not a small thing in our family.

Nothing is small with as many of us as there are.

Carys parks her little clown car and takes my hand in hers. “You ready for this?”

“Do I have a choice?” I ask, only half serious—well, maybe three-quarters...

She shakes her head no and grabs the flowers we picked up from the market for her mom and hands me the bottle of wine. “Remind me why we’re being so formal.” I press my hand to the small of her back as we walk up the front steps of the house, knocking once before entering.

“Because I’m nervous, okay?” she admits with a slight tremble in her voice.

I place a chaste kiss on her lips, just as Gracie runs into the room and giggles, then yells, “Uncle Coop kissed Aunt Carys.”

“And so it begins.” Carys presses her forehead to mine. “Wanna make a run for it?”

“Nope. You said we had to be here. Now get ready because I hear more little feet.” I press my lips to her forehead quickly, then catch Callen and Everly under my arms and fly them into the kitchen where Dad, Katherine, Belle, and Declan are waiting for us.

“Here.” Declan hands me a beer after I put the kids down, and Annabelle deposits Nixon in Carys’s arms.

“He’s teething,” Belle sighs and walks away.

“Uh, hi?” Carys looks around at everyone with wide eyes and a fussy baby.

Declan shakes his head. “That little devil was up all night last night and all day today. Which meant the girls were also up all night and all day. Belle’s exhausted, the girls are hyper, and Nixon’s pissed because Belle takes her boobs away every time he bites her.” He hugs Carys, then adds, “Welcome to hell,” and follows his wife out of the room.

Katherine finishes her glass of wine and pours another, filling it to the rim. “Welcome home, guys.”

N ixon calmed down after they put him in a swing, and he chilled while we all ate dinner.

“Carys.” Belle places her napkin on the table and smiles warmly. “I stopped by the bakery earlier and spoke to Amelia. She mentioned you and Chloe were taking a tour of the empty shop next to Sweet Temptations tomorrow. Are you guys thinking of opening a lingerie boutique?”

My head spins to Carys. “You didn’t mention that earlier.”

“Sorry,” she whispers as a flush covers her face. “We were busy.”

My brother laughs, and I kick him under the table like we’re twelve-year-olds instead of grown men.

“That would be incredible, honey. Main Street has really had a nice revival over the past few years. I think you’d do well there.” Katherine beams at the idea of Carys putting down roots in town, and I can see why. I just wish we’d had a chance to talk about it in private first.

“It really would–”

A loud bang rings out, and I throw myself at Carys, taking both of us to the ground with my body covering hers. Shielding her. “Everybody get down,” I yell.

Chairs scrape as the blood pounding in my ears intensifies.

“Cooper . . .” Carys braces my face. “Coop.”

Fuck . My stomach drops as I realize no one else is moving.

“Look at me, Cooper.” Her thumb traces my cheek. “Come back to me... We’re safe, Coop.”

“Cooper.” Declan’s hard voice demands my attention. “We’re good. One of the girls pulled the microwave down, trying to get the cupcakes Belles put up there earlier. The girls are fine. Carys is fine.”

Carys presses her lips to mine and whispers, “I’m safe, Coop. I need you to breathe for me.”

I slowly look around as humiliation clutches me in its grips. “I’m so sorry.” I move off her and help her up. “Are you okay? Jesus , did you hit your head?”

“I’m fine. Are you okay?” she whispers to me, while everyone stares intently at the two of us.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I think we should probably just go?—”

“No,” Declan and Dad say at the same time.

“Come on, little brother. Why don’t you come outside with me?” Declan shoots me his dad look , and I feel like I’m about to walk the plank.

I look at Carys, who nods her head, encouraging me to go with him.

Declan and I walk into the backyard, the tension around us smothering me.

I move further away, not in the mood for him to act like some version of Dad with his everything will be alright speech.

“Listen, Dec?—”

“No, Coop. You need to listen. You’re not okay. You’ve been dealt a shitty few months. And it just keeps piling on. But you’ve got to deal with it. Have you talked to anyone?” He stares at me, waiting. “Because when I asked Carys yesterday if you’d talked to her about any of it, she wouldn’t say.”

I don’t say anything either.

Mostly because I don’t know what to say.

“After Leah attacked Belles while she was pregnant with the twins, we went to therapy together for months.” Declan sits down on one of the chairs surrounding the firepit and leans his elbows on his knees, a strangled expression etched on his face. “Want to know which one of us had the worst nightmares? Let me tell you, it wasn’t my wife. The one held at knifepoint. It was me.” He drags both hands down his face, reliving the worst day of his life. “The feeling that I failed her—that I caused it—haunted me. It still does.”

“It was my fault, Dec. I can deal with what happened on the op. I don’t like it, but I’m not responsible for it.” I picture the look on Carys’s face as she stared across her bedroom at me while Axel stood behind her. “She had a gun pressed to her head because of me.” I drop into the chair across from him and hang my head. “I don’t know how to deal with that.”

“We’re gonna deal with it together. Because that’s what family does, little brother.” I groan, and he ignores me. “Starting tomorrow. I’ll be at your house at six a.m. Be dressed and ready to work out.”

“What are we doing?” I push, wanting answers.

“Just be dressed and ready, Coop. Trust me.” Declan kicks his feet up and gets comfortable.

I eye him skeptically. “Aren’t we going back inside?”

“Nope. It’s noisy as hell in there, and the girls just broke Dad’s microwave. I’m staying right here where it’s quiet. So, since I’m staying right here. Might as well tell me what’s been going on.” The fucker smiles, thinking he’s smooth.

But I tell him anyway.

All about the op.

About the hospital and finding out everything that went down.

The next few weeks in California.

The threats. The baby. Fixing things between Carys and me.

“Do you want to stay here in Kroydon Hills?” It’s the first question he’s asked since I started talking, and I don’t have a solid answer.

“I don’t know. I’ve got to figure out what the fuck I’m doing with my life, now that the Navy is done with me. I was looking into private contracting in California, but it sounds like Carys might want to stay here. We’ll have to figure that shit out together.” Guess it’s time to start thinking about it. Probably past time. “I also need a car...”