23. Chapter 23
Chapter twenty-three
Sutton
“ A ye yo, Malibu, is that you?” a deep voice calls out.
Cooper cringes. “Great.” His eyes close as he drops his head back in frustration.
Tonight is the first night we’ve been out in a week. Cooper and I have been filling in alongside Nate and Vivian at Fisher Landscaping almost every night this past week to help out Miles and Delia since a few of their employees came down with a stomach bug and they were in desperate need of hands. Do I have a green thumb? No. Do I have any kind of landscaping experience? If a riding lawn mower counts, then yes. If it doesn’t, then no.
So needless to say, we’re in desperate need of a relaxing night out.
A tall man with shaggy brown hair stops at our table. His face beams with joy as he says, “It is you.” He punches Cooper’s shoulder. “I almost didn’t recognize you without the—”
“Yeah, it’s been a long time, Greg.”
“What’s it been, fifteen years?”
“Fourteen, but who is counting.”
“Damn.” He shakes his head. “I can’t believe it’s you, Malibu, in the flesh. Where’s your boyfriend? What’s his nuts?”
I almost question the boyfriend comment, thinking maybe Cooper has a much more adventurous side to him that I haven’t seen. Just the thought of Cooper with another man has me squirming in my seat. But then I realize this is a man he knew in high school, so he’s most likely talking about Nate.
Cooper clears his throat and gives Greg a tight-lipped smile. “Nate’s at home with his wife.”
Suspicions disappointingly confirmed.
“No shit? Your boyfriend married a woman. Unbelievable. I always thought the girls you two dated were some sort of front to hide your love for each other.”
“Alas, it was not.”
Greg turns his eyes to me, finally noticing there’s another person at the table. “And who might you be.”
“Sutton, Cooper’s girlfriend.”
Greg’s gaze roams down my body, settling on my breasts for a good seven seconds before he seems to remember we can see him. “Damn, Malibu. You did good.”
Ew .
I already didn’t like this man, but his blatant checking me out is another strike against his already failing likability.
Cooper glares at him with disgust.
“Greg,” a man calls from the bar. And the asshole turns his head, giving the man a thumbs-up.
“Well, looks like I’ve gotta boot, scoot, and boogie,” he says, throwing his thumb over his shoulder. “See ya around, Malibu.”
I wait till the man is completely out of earshot before I lean my forearms on the table. “Malibu?”
“Stop.”
“Come on, Coop. Tell me!”
“No.”
“Why not, Malibu?”
“Because it’s embarrassing.”
“Pssh, even more reason to share with me. You know I live for the cringe.”
“Sutton, will you please drop it?”
“Nope.” I sip on my drink, waiting for him to go on.
“Okay, if I tell you, will you promise not to ever call me it?” His eyes implore. He’s serious. Whatever the story behind the name is, it bothers him.
I squeeze his thigh. “I promise.”
He huffs out a long breath. “Okay, so growing up, I was super into trying and experiencing new things.”
“You still are.”
He grins. “True, but it was different then. I wouldn’t just try something new. I would immerse myself in it. I would learn and experience everything I could. I would adapt aspects of things into my personality.”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad thing. Isn’t that basically what we all do every day? We find something we like. We do it. We enjoy it. We share it with others? What did you get super into, surfing? And they called you Malibu for that? That doesn’t seem so weird or anything to be embarrassed about.”
He grumbles something quickly under his breath.
“What was that?” I lean in closer to him.
“I said it was for the movie Malibu’s Most Wanted .”
“You liked that movie that much? I mean, it’s fun to watch, but…” I aim a confused look at him. “I don’t get it?”
“No, I was super into basketball.”
“I’m not seeing the connection here.”
“My favorite players all happened to be black men. They were, still are, my idols. And I wanted to be just like them.”
“Okay?”
His cheeks flush with embarrassment as he says, “I got my mom to buy me a durag.”
The corners of my mouth tilt up.
“I wore that thing every time I played any sport. I was determined to believe that it was going to make me a great, like them. Hell, I even wore it to bed.”
“That’s the cutest thing ever. I bet it smelled like crap, though.”
He laughs, “It did.” He takes a sip of his beer. “It was all fine and dandy until some kids at school started calling me Malibu’s Most Wanted. At first, I didn’t even realize what they were saying or that they were making fun of me for wearing it. I just thought it was cool, like my idols.”
“How old were you?”
“Eleven or twelve, I think.”
“That’s so shitty.”
“Yeah, it was. I got so tired of the constant teasing and Malibu’s Most Wanted references that I just stopped wearing them.”
“Those little fuckers bullied you out of wearing something that you loved.”
He glances away, his smile replaced with a glum expression that tells me he is lost in negative memories.
Red-hot rage fills my veins. I jump to my feet, letting my anger for the small child version of Cooper take control as I storm across the bar until I’m beside Greg.
“Sutton,” Cooper yells after me. “Stop.”
But it’s too late. I tap on the tall shaggy-haired bully’s shoulder, waiting for him to turn around.
He does, and when he sees me, a triumphant smile graces his face.
I bat my lashes up at him before glancing down at my cleavage. His gaze follows mine, just as I wanted.
With his gaze now locked on my breasts, I cock my balled-up fist before slamming it into his stupid jaw.
Pain ricochets from my fist through my arm.
“Fuck,” we both cry out at the same time.
Cooper is there in the next heartbeat. “Sutton, what did you do?”
Tears stream down my cheeks as I just raise my hurt fist up with the assistance of my other arm.
“The bitch punched me, that’s what she did,” Greg shouts.
Cooper spins so fast, putting his back to me as his demeanor shifts from one of concern to something still. “Watch your mouth.”
Greg huffs out a laugh. “You can’t be serious. She just broke her fucking hand punching my face, Malibu.”
I leap forward. “And I’m about to break the other,” I seethe, fighting to get around Cooper to teach that shit a lesson.
“You two need to leave. Pay your tabs and get out,” the bartender shouts over the crowded room, pointing to both me and bitch-ass Greg.
Cooper nods, reaching into his back pocket to pull out a couple of twenty-dollar bills and then sets them on the bar. Placing his hand behind my back, he leads us back to our table to grab our jackets and my purse.
I sniffle the entire way to the truck as we walk in silence. Cooper buckles me into the passenger seat and then rounds the truck. I can barely see him through the tears clouding my vision as he climbs in, closing the door and turning in my direction.
“Are you okay?” His voice is quiet.
I sniffle again, wiping my nose with my undamaged hand while shaking my head. “No,” I cry out.
“Oh, baby,” he coos, reaching across the seats to pull my good hand into his. “Why did you do that?”
“Because he was mean to you.”
“That was when we were kids, Sut. It doesn’t matter now.”
“No, not just when you were kids. He did it tonight. Multiple times. I can’t. I won’t stand for someone treating you like that.”
He kisses my hand. “You are so sweet to defend me. I really, really appreciate it, but can we both agree that violence wasn’t the best method?”
“Not the best method? Did you see the way his face lit up bright red from my skilled punch?”
A soft smile tugs at his lips. “Yes, I bet his jaw is going to hurt for days. But I’m also worried about your hand.”
“I think I broke it,” I whine.
Cooper leans in and kisses my forehead. “I do too. Now let’s get you a professional opinion on that.”
I swallow. “Okay.”
“Yep, it’s broken,” Dr. Bryan Asshole says as he walks into the ER room I’m waiting in.
“No way. I call bullshit, Dr. Asshole,” I murmur sleepily. They gave me a good dose of some pain medication when we first came in, and ever since, I’ve been walking on cloud nine.
He slowly shakes his head. “It’s Athule, but you already knew that, Sutton.”
Cooper smiles at him apologetically. “Sorry, she’s a little high from the meds.”
Dr. Asshole just shakes his head with a tight smile.
“Nah, Coopy, it’s not the drugs. It’s him. I called him that when he was dating Viv back in the day.” I motion for him to come closer, and he leans down as I try to whisper to him. “You need to stop being so nice. He’s basically your best friend’s enemy.”
“Baby, Nate doesn’t have enemies.”
“He should. And if he did, it would definitely be the guy who dated his wife when they broke up for a hot minute.”
Cooper sighs, rubbing his head with his hand as he straightens. “Does this mean she needs a cast or something?”
“Yes, she will need to contact an ortho in the next few days for an appointment. They will do more x-rays and most likely proceed with a cast from there.”
“Why does she have to wait?” Cooper asks.
Asshole, MD walks over to the bed and points at my hand, which is twice its normal size. “The swelling. We can’t cast it until it goes down.”
Cooper nods in understanding while I just stare up at him in awe. He is so damn beautiful. From those full lips to the glasses that cover my favorite amber eyes.
I’m happy to have him in my life. To have him with me now.
I sit up in the bed and reach out for his hand. He looks at me and smiles while pulling my hand to his lips for another kiss.
“Give it to me straight, doc. It was my extreme strength that broke my hand.”
“No, it was an unskilled fist. You tucked your thumb, the number one thing you’re not supposed to do when punching someone.”
I hold up my bad hand. “Sorry I’m not an expert on physical violence. Unlike you.”
Bryan’s eyes turn to slits as a tight smile forms on his face before he turns his attention back to Cooper. “A nurse will be in shortly to go over paperwork with you guys.”
“Thank you,” Cooper says.
I wait until the door closes. “You were being too nice to him.”
Cooper laughs. “You were being too mean.”
“No, I wasn’t even close to being as mean as I can be.”
Cooper sits on the bed and hands me my phone. “Do you want to call Vivian and tell her?”
“Oh my God, yes,” I squeal in delight as I struggle to use only my left hand to navigate my phone to her number.
She picks up on the first ring. “Hello.”
“Hold on to your panties, Viv. You are never going to guess who Cooper and I just ran into.”
“Who?”
“Are your panties secured to your body?”
There’s a moment of silence before Viv replies, “Yes. Secured and ready for potential panty-blowing-off news.”
“Bryan.”
“Who?”
“Bryan. Dr. Asshole. Don’t tell me he was so boring that you already forgot about him. Let me just refresh your memory. He was a dud you dated to pretend you could move on from Nate.”
Viv chuckles. “Ah, that Bryan. Honestly, I just erased him from my memory. Where did you guys run into him?”
“The hospital. He’s my doctor.”
“The hospital,” she yells. “Oh my God, Sut, are you okay? What happened? I’m on my way. What room are you in? Do you need blood? I will donate blood.”
“Hold on, Mother Teresa. I’m about to be discharged, so no reason for you to come here.”
“Fine, I will meet you at your house. What do you need? Food? Medicine? A new blanket?”
She doesn’t even give me time to respond before she says, “Never mind, I’m just going to get you them all,” and then hangs up.
“Well, sounds like we are going to have a Viv-shaped third wheel tonight in our bed. Hope you are prepared for how she hogs the covers,” I tell Cooper as his fingers furiously type away on his phone. “Wait, who are you texting?”
He glances up at me. “Vivian and Nate are blowing up my phone right now.”
“Let me see.”
He passes the phone to me, and I see two threads filled with messages from the past five minutes.
Nate
You guys ran into that dick-bag Bryan?
Was he as hideous as I remember?
Please tell me he’s at least balding.
Answer me, Cooper, or I’ll tell Sutton every deep, dark secret you have ever shared.
“Ha,” I yell out in triumph. “I knew they were enemies.”
Cooper
Yes, we did run into him. He is Sut’s doctor tonight. And yes, he’s hideous, basically a mix between an orc and a troll.
And don’t get me started on his hair. His hairline might still be in place, but man, it’s so thin you can see his scalp. I give him another three years before he is completely bald.
You’re a good friend.
And you’re a shitty one. Don’t you dare threaten to spill my most sacred secrets ever again.
Noted.
Secrets.
I wonder how much I’d have to bribe Nate to get him to spill a few for me.
Ooh, maybe I can enlist Viv to use her body to pry them from him.
I stash that plan away for another day as I open up the thread between him and my best friend.
Vivian
Cooper, what did you do to my best friend?
Cooper
Excuse me?
No I will not, not if you are the reason she is hurt.
Vivian, I would never do anything to hurt Sutton, and you know it.
…Okay, you have a point. Sorry. I love you and I know you would never hurt her, it’s just… I go feral for my people.
You and Sutton have that in common.
So tell me what’s going on? Why is she in the care of Dr. Athule?
She may have broken her hand while punching a man in the face tonight…
Was that man Dillon?
I wish.
Why on earth would she do that, then?
You’ll have to ask the untrained fighter when you see her.
“You didn’t spill the beans to Viv about what happened.”
“Of course not. I know you, Sut. You’ll want to make a big production about it.”
My chest aches. He does know me. “Thank you.”