The Rivals of Copper County (Copper County #2)

Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

JASPER

“Mother. Fucker ,” I shouted, my voice trembling with rage.

“Shit.” Watt—the beautiful, beloved, warm, and wonderful man I’d spent my whole morning dreaming of being alone with—hung his head in frustration. “You don’t think…”

“Oh, I think. I definitely think. That unmitigated asshole.” I yanked my phone from the pocket of my jeans, pulled up Martin’s message from yesterday, and handed the phone to Watt. “I guess we know what new direction he’s planning on moving in, huh?”

“Fuck,” Watt agreed after skimming the message.

I paced the stretch of kitchen between the island and the sink, back and forth. “And here I was, so proud that I was ignoring him. Ha ha , I thought, looks like you don’t know me as well as you think. You lose. And meanwhile, he’s doing this . Charming one of my kids…”

“Hey.” Watt stepped in front of me, blocking my path, and I ran into him. “I know you’re pissed?—”

“Understatement,” I bit out .

“—but if any part of you is feeling like this is on you, please don’t.”

Until he’d spoken, I hadn’t realized that guilt was exactly what I was feeling, along with anger. Guilt that I was the one who’d brought the Martin plague to Copper County. Guilt that I hadn’t foreseen this… somehow.

I blew out a breath. “I know you’re right,” I said softly.

Eyes still warm on me, one side of Watt’s mouth pulled up in a facsimile of his teasing grin. “Because I’m always right.”

That startled a laugh out of me, which brought my anger down to a reasonable level.

I leaned my forehead against his shoulder. “Thanks,” I whispered. “You help, too.”

“And I always will.” He spoke just as softly as I did, but his words sounded like a promise.

It was absolutely not the right time for us to have the conversation we needed to have or to discuss the napkin list I had in my pocket—a list I’d added a few items to overnight—but the way he was looking at me, the warmth in his eyes, felt like a minor miracle. Like the good that would always temper the bad of whatever life would throw at us.

“So,” Watt said. “What’s the plan?”

“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Derry said. He sounded young and a little scared. “Is this guy dangerous? For real?”

I pulled away from Watt so I could lay a hand on Derry’s arm. “No,” I said firmly. “Absolutely not. Martin, my ex-husband, is an actual modeling agent. My agent, once upon a time?—”

“That’s his name!” Derry said excitedly. “Martin something. ”

“He’s not going to hurt Zach. But he’s probably going to try to get him to sign a contract?—”

“And move to Los Angeles.” Derry’s face fell. “Yeah. Zach mentioned that. That’s when I was like, ‘Wait, dude, you haven’t even graduated yet!’ I guess the guy—Martin—told Zach that people do that all the time. They finish school out there…”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Some people definitely do. I did. And in my case, it worked out okay. It’s not a path I’d recommend, though, Derry. Not unless someone truly knew what they were signing up for. Not unless they knew just how hard that life can be and that there are no guarantees of success. I didn’t know any of that…”

“I remember you saying.” Derry frowned.

“And I don’t believe for one second that Martin will explain any of that to Zach. Martin can be very convincing. He offers you whatever you think you want most… even if he can’t actually deliver it.”

Derry’s jaw worked. “I want to say I don’t think he’d have signed anything or left without saying goodbye… but then, I didn’t think he’d be stupid enough to go meet the guy and tell his mom he was here , so… I guess I don’t know.”

“He’s not stupid,” Watt said. “Zach wouldn’t be the first person to sign a contract and regret it. Older and wiser people than him do stuff like that all the time…”

I nodded.

“…but let’s try to prevent that from happening if we can,” Watt said. “Any idea where Martin might be?”

Derry already had his phone in his hand. “I’ll text Zach and see if he’ll answer.”

I waved a hand at the phone Watt was still holding. “Those messages are the only communication I’ve had with him, other than the time he came to—” I broke off as I recalled a snippet of conversation from that day. “Wait, didn’t he say he was staying at the Crabapple in O’Leary last week? He’s probably staying there again. There aren’t many hotels around here.”

“It’s worth a try.” Watt grabbed his keys from the counter. “Derry, come on. You can text Zach from the car.”

We piled into Watt’s truck with Derry in the back seat, and Watt drove us down the deserted road to town at a breakneck pace.

At literally any other time, I would have been really turned on by the way he handled the wheel—and probably would have made a teasing remark about it—but I was way too wired.

Concern for Zach tangled with my own thoughts, vying for attention. As worried as I was, part of me couldn’t stop thinking about Watt, about us , about finding out for sure where we stood.

I wanted to tell him how I felt and finally put it out there. More than anything, I needed to hear him say it back. I’d seen the love in his eyes earlier in the kitchen, the soft intensity that had been building between us for so long finally acknowledged and unguarded, but I needed the words. I needed the certainty.

No more confusion.

No more misunderstandings.

But first, I needed to make sure another kid didn’t wander blindly into making the same mistake I’d made, all starry-eyed and full of misplaced dreams.

“Fuck,” Watt muttered under his breath, yanking the steering wheel hard as we were forced to detour around Weaver Street, which was closed for some O’Leary festival or another. I clenched my jaw, fighting to stay calm as Watt maneuvered down a maze of side streets and finally parked at the library, across from the elementary school.

“Dad, I see him!” Derry cried, pointing toward the elementary school playground.

A lone figure in a yellow jacket sat on the swings, slouched over and head bowed. Zach . His lanky form was unmistakable, even with his face hidden under his messy mop of hair.

But then something else caught my eye, freezing me in place. Across the street, I saw another figure, dressed head to toe in designer crap. His stupid, tousled hair caught the sunlight as he hefted a giant suitcase into the trunk of his sleek rental car.

My blood boiled. My heart pounded, adrenaline rushing through me. Before I even knew what I was doing, my legs took off, carrying me straight for him.

“Jasper!” Watt called after me, but I didn’t stop until I was right next to Martin. I ripped the suitcase out of his hands and slammed it to the ground.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I spat.

“Jazz—”

“Don’t even try it. How dare you! I cannot believe that you thought you could come to my town and pull this crap. Was taking my business and my career not enough? Now you think I’m going to let you take one of my kids away from everything he loves? Hell. No.”

“Chill out, Jasper. Jesus. You make it sound like I’m signing him up for hard labor. I made a career for you. I can do the same for him?—”

“Zach is barely eighteen, you predatory asshole,” I fumed. “You know damn well he shouldn’t be signing contracts on his own. You know . Did you tell him about all the casting calls? The constant workouts? The people who’ll be judging his body? Did you tell him about the rejections? Did you tell him he might spend years low-key feeling like he’s not good enough… and that you’ll make him think he should be grateful for the privilege?”

Martin opened his mouth, but I had no interest in anything he had to say. This time, he needed to listen to me .

I jabbed a finger into his chest. “Zach has roots here, Martin. Friends here. You might not understand how important that is, how valuable it is, because you can’t put a price tag on it, but he knows. Did you tell him he’s going to have to kiss that goodbye for a couple years because he’ll be too focused on his career to come back and probably too poor to afford it? Or did you offer him all the shit you think he should want and plan to manipulate him into believing it’s what he wanted all along?”

“Baby.” Watt’s strong arms came around my waist from behind, grounding me… and pulling me out of Martin’s reach. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not ,” I argued. “I cannot believe I married this man. I cannot believe I spent so many years giving a shit what he thinks. I cannot believe that when he told me the best way to get over someone was to get under someone else, I fucking listened .” I jabbed a finger in Martin’s direction. “I would never have hooked up with you in the first place if I hadn’t just heard the news that Watt was married,” I yelled. “And you know it.”

I felt Watt’s arms tighten reflexively around me, and I froze.

Crap . I hadn’t planned on connecting those dots for Watt ever, and definitely not in a screaming match in the street. But as far as I was concerned, it was just one more part of our past. One more part of how we’d finally come back together. One more wrong turn that had gotten us where we needed to be.

“Jasper,” Watt whispered. “Baby. It really is okay. I’ve got you now. And Zach is fine. Derry says he didn’t sign anything.”

“He…” I deflated. “He didn’t?”

“For fuck’s sake. No, he didn’t.” Martin drew himself up, brushing his suit sleeves and straightening the cuffs of his shirt. He looked thoroughly annoyed. “I offered Zach a very good, very fair contract. And he was going to say yes … but then he chickened out. Started spouting some crap about ‘ balance is key’ and ‘ only stretch as far as it feels right, listen to your body .’” He snorted. “Sounded like the mindfulness bullshit you always used to go on about.”

My anger flared again, briefly, but before I could lunge at him, Watt whispered in my ear, just low enough that only I could hear. “Please don’t kill him. If you get caught, they probably won’t give conjugal visits, and it would be a real bummer for me, discovering gay sex at thirty-seven only to lose it. But, you know, your call. I’ll support you either way.”

I snickered. Then I snorted. Then I doubled over right there on the sidewalk as laughter bubbled up uncontrollably. Even as Martin drove off, muttering something about crazy small towns, I couldn’t stop laughing. And through the laughter, as tears welled up in my eyes, it hit me like a ton of bricks:

This was my life now.

I got to keep this.

I wasn’t a Copper-plate, and I would never have to leave again when the season was over.

And best of all, I got to keep Watt. The man who got me, who calmed me, who fired me up.

Who loved me.

I turned around in his arms. “I love you, Watt Bartlett,” I whispered.

This wasn’t the right place, and possibly not the right time, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t keep the truth in one second longer.

Watt didn’t bat an eyelash at the public declaration. Instead, his face lit up with a smile that made my chest tighten, and he replied loud and clear so that everyone would hear it and believe it. “And I love you, Jasper Wrigley Lancaster.”

I let out a ridiculous sob-sniffle, completely uncaring about the tears prickling in my eyes. Twenty years . It felt like twenty years I’d been waiting to hear those words. And I wasn’t sure when I’d evolved into a crier, but I was rolling with it.

“And I’m staying in Copper County,” I added, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.

“You are?” he demanded. “Wait, really? For sure? Because I saw part of your pros and cons list for Los Angeles at the bar last night, and I know you have big dreams?—”

“I ripped that list up, Watt. That’s what I wanted to tell you last night. None of those dreams are actually mine anymore, if they ever were. I was clinging to what I thought would make me happy, but when I thought about what actually makes me happy…” I pulled my YAY FOR COPPER COUNTY! list from my pocket. “It turns out they’re all right here, and they all involve you. I bet you I can convince you— mpfh. ”

Watt kissed me soundly, his strong arms wrapping around me, locking us together so tightly I knew we’d never truly be separated again .

Then he pulled back and grinned, eyes glinting with mischief, and took the list from my lax fingers. “Let’s see this—oh.” When he looked at me again, his eyes were soft and warm. “Jasper… my name is written on this paper like thirty times.”

I nodded.

“ Making scones for Watt ,” he read.

“Having someone appreciate my baked goods is a real plus,” I assured him.

“ Jumping in the lake with Watt. Leaving the light on in the window for Watt. Being there for Watt when Derry leaves for college. Kissing Watt. Skating with Watt ? — ”

His smile was contagious. I couldn’t help smiling back just as giddily, so I didn’t try. “ I’ve mastered gliding forward, I think,” I told him seriously. “I’m ready to learn how to stop.”

“ Telling Watt that he’s a way better cook than I am, and also better at blowjobs, and that he can drive my Jag whenever he wants … Aw, Jasper. Baby, that’s so sweet?—”

“Hey! That’s not on there. That’s definitely not on there.” Laughing, I tried to steal the list back but got a little bit distracted when Watt kissed me again.

“I’m convinced,” he said a little while later. “You should definitely stay in Copper County. You win the bet.”

“Watt Bartlett,” I said mock-severely, twining my arms around his neck. “Is this what our bets are going to be like now that we’re in love?”

“That when you win, I win, and vice versa?” Watt pressed our foreheads together. “Yeah, Jasper. That’s exactly how it’s going to be because that’s how it’s always been. You and me. Rivals. Best friends. Lovers. Building a life together in this town. And I bet you’re gonna love it.”

That was one bet Watt would win for the rest of our lives.