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She straightened her spine. “I’m fine, Copper. Beth and I are fine. We don’t need help.”
He smirked, one reddish eyebrow climbing his forehead. “So, you want me to go, then? Don’t want me to take Beth for ice cream?”
It was then, thirty pounds of kiddo came racing back into the living room with a white sheet of paper flapping from each hand. “Ice cream!” she screamed as though talking over music at a concert.
Copper sat back down and cocked his head, waiting. She wanted to shove that eyebrow back in place.
Fine. With a roll of her eyes, she nodded. “Not so loud, Bethy.”
Squealing, Beth climbed back on Copper’s lap. “Ice cream?”
“You bet, princess. Came to take you on a date. You, me and the two biggest bowls of ice cream you’ve ever seen.”
“Yes,” Beth said on a breath. Her eyes were so wide, both Copper and Shell laughed. “What about Mommy?”
“Aren’t you sweet to think of your pretty mommy. I think she’s going to stay here and do some mommy things while we’re gone. That okay?”
Beth frowned, deep in thought. Shell bit her lower lip to keep any more laughter at bay. Beth was like her, she weighed possibilities and didn’t make too many rash decisions, despite her excitement and zest for life. “’Kay. But let’s get mommy ice cream so she won’t be sad.”
“That sounds like a good idea, princess. You know what kind your mom likes?” He was talking to Beth, but his gaze stayed on Shell.
His behavior made her head spin in so many directions. Questions popped up from every corner of her brain.
Why was he doing this?
Why did he call her pretty?
Why had he held her on his lap last night?
None of those would ever be answered, but her mind didn’t seem to care. It loved to torture her with what she’d never have.
“Yep,” Beth said. “Mommy loves chocolate.”
“Chocolate, got it.” With a wink for Shell, he scooted Beth off his lap. “Go get your shoes and your jacket.”
She was off in a flash bouncing down the hallway.
“Thanks for this, Copper.”
“Happy to do it, babe. You know that princess has got me wrapped.”
“She’s got all of you guys wrapped around her fingers.”
“Truth.”
They fell into silence as they waited on Beth. Copper had gotten big news today. Shell had to say something. As much as she hated Rusty and wasn’t thrilled about his return to Townsend, Copper had no idea of her feelings. And Rusty was his beloved can-do-no-wrong little brother. For a time, Shell assumed his conviction for aggravated assault would knock him from the undeserved pedestal Copper kept him on, but no such luck. All five years he’d been a resident of Hotel Penitentiary, Copper had stuck to his guns, telling anyone who asked the case was bullshit. “Good news about Rusty, huh?” The words tasted sour on her tongue.
Copper lit up. Anticipation radiated from every pore in the man’s body. “Fuck yeah. Thought we’d still have a few years before the chance for an early release. Best fucking news I’ve had since you moved home.”
Her breath caught, and her heart swelled. King of mixed messages right there. Though really, was he? Everything he said could be the words of one close friend to another. Anything deeper she gleaned from it was all in her head.
“The guys must be excited.”
Copper chuckled. “Most are, I think. Though not Jig. Those two never meshed.” With a shrug, he scratched his beard. “I know Rusty can be a lot to take, but he’s not a bad guy. Shit,” he laughed at himself. “I pretty much raised him from the time he was ten. Feel more like his pops some time, you know?”
She nodded because it seemed like the thing to do.
“Tried to do right by him, but he had it rough. His childhood was violent and fucked up with our asshole of a father. Then he was orphaned at ten, I moved him away from his home, and became immersed in the MC. Fuck, it’s a wonder he’s doing as well as he is.”
Shell couldn’t keep her eyes from widening. In all the years she’d known Copper, he’d never opened up to her like this. Never given her any glimpse into the inner workings of his brain. Over the years she’d heard snippets about Copper’s father being a vicious drug dealer in Ireland, but that was as far as the gossip went.
Must have been hard for Copper to take on a ten year old who’d had a violent and unstable upbringing for the better part of his life. Even harder to care enough to try and turn that life around. Part of her understood Copper’s blind love and support of Rusty a little more. It had always gone beyond the bond of brotherhood. Copper felt responsible for Rusty, and probably guilty for Rusty’s rough situation as a kid.
