Chapter 36 - Cooper
Cooper
Waking up in Teddy’s arms is something that will never get old. Snuggling deeper into his hold, I sigh in contentment.
“Everyone will be chomping at the bit to see you this morning.” His voice is sleep-roughened, and I feel the vibration of it where my face rests on his chest.
“I know,” I groan out. “How long do you think I can avoid them?”
His responding snort is not reassuring. “You know as well as I do it’s a miracle that they haven’t already circled the wagons.”
As if summoned by his words, there’s a sharp rap at the door. Groaning, I flop onto my back. “Go away!” I yell.
“Either you open this door, or I will,” Max yells back.
“Bullshit! You don’t even have a—” The door swings open, and in walk the three people who, for some unknown reason, I’ve decided to call family.
“—key.” I finish lamely. “Why are you like this?” I screech, scrambling to grab the covers from where they’re pooled at my waist. I proceed to pull them up to my chin like some scandalized maiden, making sure to cover both myself and Teddy, who just chuckles.
Traitor. Of course, having gotten up at some time in the night to use the bathroom, he is wearing underwear.
Meanwhile, I’m as naked as the day I was born.
“Oh, calm down. Lane’s the only one here who hasn’t seen it before, and truly it’s not like he’s missing anything,” Max sasses.
Sitting up, I stare at her indignantly. “Excuse me?! I’ll have you know that I am above average. There’s plenty to miss, thank you very much.”
She rolls her eyes so hard I’m mildly concerned they might end up stuck.
“You, my lovable best friend, are an idiot. That wasn’t a size joke.
That was a ‘once you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all’ joke, and since Everett’s mom is the only person in this room without their own…
” She shrugs before softening her gaze and pouting delicately.
“And above average? Let’s be so for real, babe. ”
I feel my face heat at her faux-sympathetic look. God save me from best friends with no filter. “You did not just say that.”
“I clearly did. Now, stop deflecting, and get your ass out of bed. I need coffee, and we’ve got less than thirty minutes before you turn into a hangry bitch.”
Lane is laughing so hard he’s barely able to stay upright.
Honestly, you’d think being his first friend would inspire some amount of loyalty.
“Ugh, fine, but only because you mentioned food. Now get out so we can get dressed. Only Teddy gets to see my junk these days, and I’ll be damned if any of y’all—sorry, Mom—are looking at his, covered or not. ”
The three of them laugh, but Mom steps forward to usher the other two assholes towards the door.
Teddy and I make quick work of dressing.
Max wasn’t exaggerating about me being hangry.
My stomach is already starting to voice its displeasure at being empty.
When we make it down to the hotel lobby, the three amigos are there waiting for us.
Lane hands me a muffin, which I devour in three seconds flat.
“Now that the beast has been given its offering,” Max starts, pointedly ignoring the middle finger I flash in her direction. “Do you all want to eat here, or would you like to go to this brunch place I found online?”
“Oh, it’s been a minute since I’ve had a good brunch.” Mom’s face lights up at the idea.
“Sounds like the brunch spot it is, then,” I say, because there’s nothing that I wouldn’t give that woman. Mom smiles at me, and my chest warms with happiness.
The restaurant is only a fifteen-minute drive away. Thankfully, nobody brings up the elephant in the room while we’re in the car. My reprieve doesn’t last long, though. The waiter has barely finished taking our drink orders when Max asks, “What the hell happened yesterday?”
My hand finds its way to my mouth, but Teddy grabs it before I can start biting my nails. I smile when he kisses each of my fingertips. “Um, well”—my knee begins to bounce under the table—“did Teddy tell y’all anything last night?”
“He told us that Silas attacked you, and the trial date was moved,” Mom says before Max can chime in.
“Honey, you know you don’t have to tell us anything, right?
We’re worried about you because we love you, but that doesn’t mean we have any expectations.
We’re here if you wanna talk about it. If not, we’ll respect your boundaries. ” At her words, Max appears chastened.
“She’s right,” Max says. “I’m sorry for coming on so strong. It’s just…seeing you like that yesterday—I can’t fully describe it. I haven’t seen that look on your face since we made it off the streets, and it terrified me. I felt helpless, and you know what that does to me.”
Her words bring a small smile to my face.
“Trust me, Max, I know good and well what happens when you feel helpless, but Teddy really did give y’all the gist of it.
I’m not really wanting to get into the specifics of what he did.
But I will say, for the first time, I actually defended myself against him, and that felt amazing.
I know I’ll have to face the retraumatization when I get home, but right now, I just want to focus on making it through this trial. ”
After that, the conversation turns to lighter topics.
Max teases Lane mercilessly, and he just blushes the entire time.
Mom looks around the table, pride beaming on her face.
Teddy is his usual quiet self. More often than not, his eyes are on me, but he gets dragged into Max and Lane’s antics every now and then.
His entire body lights up when he laughs, and it’s my favorite sight in the world.
As for me, I spend most of my time stuffing my face and bouncing from conversation to conversation.
I’m not quite sure when I leaned into Teddy, but when the waiter stops by with the check and sighs dreamily in our direction, I realize I’m practically sitting in his lap.
Mildly embarrassed, I grin, kiss his cheek, and unglue myself from him.
Mom and Max head for the ladies’ room while Teddy heads up front to pay, and Lane and I are left alone to make our way to the car.
His quiet voice draws my attention. “I know I’m still new to this little family, and you and I both know I’m more likely to put my foot in my mouth than help, but I want you to know I’m here.
Any time. Any place. Y’all are the main reason I’ve managed to stay sober this time around. I’d like to pay that back some day.”
Stopping, I turn to face him fully. “Is that what you think this is? You think we’ve invited you into our family as what?
A favor?” When all he does is shrug in response, I press on.
“Lane, I know we got off to a rough start, but you’ve shown me repeatedly the type of friend you are.
I mean, sure, you’re kind of an ass, but have you met Max?
She’s basically the wicked bitch of the west, and we still love her. ”
Lane’s lips quirk, wanting to smile, but he smothers it.
“Being friends with you is no favor. Even if you had absolutely nothing to offer, we’d still love having you around—but don’t for a single second think that you don’t bring anything to this family.
You didn’t hesitate to come on this trip to be by my side, and that means a hell of a lot more than I’ll ever be able to express.
” The idea that pops into my head then feels crazy but also right.
Deciding not to overthink it, I just go for it. “Can…can I hug you?”
Lane’s body goes stock-still. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I think I am. Just don’t squeeze too tight, okay?”
“Okay,” he says, exhaling an audible breath.
Cautiously, I step into his personal space.
My heart rate speeds up slightly, but not nearly as much as I expected.
Slowly, I lean in until my chest meets his.
My arms slip around him, and his arms come up to mirror mine, his hold loose.
We stand there hugging for about a minute, and it feels…
nice. Not as easy as with the others, but Lane is still new to me.
It’ll get easier. Gently, I extract myself from the embrace.
“Thank you,” I say. “You’re the first new person I’ve hugged.”
Lane finally lets a genuine smile creep out. It’s the first one I’ve seen on him, and holy fuck, his entire face transforms. “Happy to pop your hugging cherry,” he says, waggling his eyebrows.
“Way to ruin the moment,” I deadpan.
“Really though, thank you for trusting me with that. It’s been a long time since anyone trusted me with anything.” He’s more serious than I’ve ever seen him now. The contrast is stark.
“Thank you for being someone that I can trust.”
Max struts up to us. “What are you two losers talking about?”
“How much of a bitch you are,” I retort, then take off running to the car.