Chapter 9
Fin
“I just saw the message. Well, I’m calling now,” Vee said, her volume increasing. “I didn’t think they’d have answers this soon.” She pressed her lips together. “Tell me about the autopsy results.” Biting her lip, she nodded. “Wait. I want to write this down.”
I followed Vee to her office near the entry to her condo. After flipping on the light, she went to her desk, laid the phone on the glass surface, and hit the speaker button.
“I’m ready.” Her green stare came to me, and she motioned for me to stay.
The voice coming from her phone was Darin Marsh, Vee’s uncle. “The police emphasized that these results are preliminary.”
The muscles on the side of her face pulled tight as she looked up at me. “What did they find?”
“Preliminary cause of death was basilar skull fracture. They believe in the impact with the truck, his neck snapped forward and back. The injury was so severe it was instantly fatal. The basilar is a bone at the base of the skull.”
Vee wrote the words and swallowed. She underlined the word instantly.
Darin continued, “They did an external and internal inspection, examined Reid’s organs, and collected samples for toxicology.
So far, they’ve gotten the initial test results.
They were looking for the presence or absence of general drug classes.
He warned that these early tests may have false positives. ”
“Did they find anything?”
“Reid’s blood alcohol level was only trace, below the legal limit.”
“He had drinks at the game,” Vee said.
“And Daphne said he had a whiskey before bed.”
“Anything else?”
“Benzodiazepines, beta blockers, and antihistamines were also found. They haven’t yet determined the amount.”
“Was Dad taking those?”
“Daphne only said he took a beta blocker for high blood pressure. She didn’t mention the other two medications,” Darin replied.
“Are they releasing his body?”
“It’s already been transported to the mortuary. Now you and Daphne need to decide on the schedule for services.”
Vee stopped writing. “Thanks, Uncle Darin. I’ll be in touch with Daphne in the morning.”
“Vee?” Darin hesitated. “Did Joe Eads talk to you about the will he drafted?”
Vee’s neck straightened and her shoulders went back.
“We’ll bury my father before we discuss that.
As for the Coopers, everyone needs to do their job—what we’ve been doing.
It’s the only way we’ll make it through this.
Good night.” She didn’t wait for his response.
After hitting the red icon, she pushed her phone away and looked up at me. “You heard.”
I had. It was a conversation that no one wanted to have. There was one bit of good news. I tried to capitalize on that. “Instant is what we all wish for.”
Her green eyes flooded with new tears. “I wish Dad was still with us, but if he has to be gone, instant is better than thinking about him suffering.”
I offered Vee my hand. “Let’s try to get some sleep.”
Nodding, she laid her palm in mine and stood.
After getting ready for bed, I offered Vee my shoulder for a pillow. Without hesitation, she curled her warm petite body next to mine. As we lay in the darkness, my mind went back to a time when we were both at the University of Kentucky.
The reason I didn’t call Vee after I left U of K now seemed to be more of a blessing than a curse.
The woman at my side was still my Vee, the beautiful girl I saved from a group of drunk football players.
She was still the woman who accepted me without expecting perfection.
Not knowing about her father back then allowed me to fall in love with her, not her family’s notoriety.
I wasn’t certain how much time passed before Vee’s breathing took on a soft rhythm of its own and her head seemed heavier. Craning my neck, I kissed the top of her hair and whispered, “I’m not going to leave you again.”
Tuesday morning, I woke up to the sound of water spraying in the shower.
Instead of joining Vee, I went to the kitchen and started the coffee maker.
A search of her refrigerator had me making a mental shopping list. While she was probably fine surviving on rabbit food, there was now a professional quarterback taking up residence, albeit temporarily, who needed more calories than was found in oatmeal and tofu.
As soon as the coffee finished brewing, I took a cup with cream into the bathroom. Placing it on the vanity, I scanned her long, wet hair, down her towel-covered body, and sexy legs. I brushed Vee’s cheek with a kiss.
She feigned a smile. “I think it’s a first, or at least a first since we decided to get back together.”
“What’s a first?”
“We spent the night together without having sex.”
My cheeks rose. “Oh, I thought about it.”
Laying her hand on my bare shoulder, she leaned closer. “I did too, but I think I needed what you gave me—a shoulder to cry on and the comfort of not being alone.”
“Do you mind if I shower? While you…” I shrugged. “Do whatever it is you do?”
“I don’t mind. But if you drop those shorts and there’s nothing underneath them, I may have to reevaluate what I need to do.”
I stood behind her, peering over her in the mirror and wrapping my arms around her waist. Lowering my voice, I deepened my tone. “Ms. Hubbard, whenever you need my cock buried in your tight pussy, I’m available.” I wiggled my eyebrows in the reflection. “As we speak, I’m getting hard.”
Pink filled her cheeks as she wiggled her sexy ass against my growing erection.
“If you want to start your day with a quick fuck, I’m not opposed.”
Pressing her lips together, Vee shook her head. “I do want that and I’ll take comfort in knowing it was offered.” She sighed. “It’s nice to spend even a few minutes thinking about something good.”
“Well, fuck. I guess that means my shower will be cold.”
“Poor Fin,” Vee scoffed.
I made eye contact in the mirror as I dropped trou, my erection standing to attention. “You did this.”
“Guilty as charged.” She turned, facing me and leaning against the vanity. Her focus was not on my eyes as she nibbled her bottom lip. “I’ll take a raincheck.”
The cold shower did little to lessen the rigidity of my cock. If I were alone, I could have managed the issue, but I didn’t think masturbating was the best use of my time. The thoughts of what Vee had in store for the day and for her future helped tame my penis into submission.
Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around my waist. “What are your plans for today?”
“I think I’ll go first to Maker’s Mark. I want to meet with people first and get everyone’s mind set on the Raiders game. Then when I’m done there, I’ll head over to Daphne’s. She and I need to finalize the arrangements for the funeral.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“How about you don’t?”
My head tilted as I took her in. “I told you last night, I’d argue about this and win.”
Vee nodded. “You said Tilson told everyone to stay home today. If you’re at the football center, there will be questions.”
“You were ready to tell your dad.”
“I was.” She inhaled. “Now I can’t. Please don’t think this means I don’t want what’s happening. It just means my plate is overflowing at the moment.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding. “Speaking of plates, I’ll make some breakfast.”
Wearing blue jeans and a Coopers t-shirt, I slid the spatula beneath the omelet, I flipped it as Vee emerged from the bedroom. My lips curled as I took her in, from her pulled-back hair, bright emerald eyes, and down her satin top and navy skirt to her matching shoes. “You’re stunning as always.”
She came closer. “I could get used to all this cooking. As long as you’re okay with me gaining forty pounds.”
“You could stand to gain some weight. Forty…” I shrugged. “I’d still love you.”
Vee hummed as she looked down in the pan.
“Vegetable omelet with Swiss cheese.”
“In the other pan?” she asked.
“Vegetable and bacon omelet with Swiss cheese. Grab some plates.”
Soon, we were both seated at the large kitchen island, eating and sipping our coffee. I’d been thinking about her request to handle today without me. “I get that you need to do today alone. What about tonight?”
She lowered her fork. “I’m being selfish.”
“You want to be alone?”
“No,” she answered quickly. “I’m selfish because I don’t want to be alone. I also want to be here.”
“You haven’t seen my place. You might love downsizing.”
“Fin, will you please plan on staying here” —she shrugged— “for a while.” She started talking faster. “I’m not asking you to move in. I’m just asking…well, if you don’t want to—”
My kiss interrupted her.
“You’re rambling again.”
Her lips curled. “Your answer?”
“After I get you safely down to your car, I’ll go to my place and pack more clothes and clean out my refrigerator. Yours is woefully sparse.”
“Thank you.”
Vee’s phone vibrated on the marble surface. The name Grant was on her screen. She rolled her eyes and picked up the phone. “Grant, what couldn’t wait for me to get to Maker’s Mark?”
Her cousin’s voice was loud enough for me to hear every word. “What the fuck is going on with you and Griffin Graham?”