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“I know, Nix,” Nat shushes him in her sweet baby voice. “Auntie Chloe is insane. Don’t you worry about listening to her.”
Carys pulls the blanket tighter around her and burrows deeper against Murphy, who makes an odd face.
He leans his cheek against her forehead like my mom used to do when we were little kids, then rips the blanket away from her.
“Hey...” she grumbles, still half asleep. “Give it back. I’m cold.”
It’s about seventy degrees in here with the air conditioner on, and my girl is in sweats and a hoodie. She shouldn’t be cold. I try to control my reaction as I watch the interaction between Murphy and her, but it’s not an easy thing for me. She shouldn’t be tucked against him. I should be there with her in my arms.
“You’re hot, Care Bear. Like, fever hot.” He looks over at Chloe. “Do you guys have any ibuprofen?”
Carys’s teeth start chattering, and I feel myself getting pissed at Murph. “Give her the damn blanket back. She doesn’t feel good, Murph.”
He tucks it up around her as Chloe comes in with two pills in her hand and a bottle of water.
Carys sits up with a sigh and swallows the pills, then looks around at all of us. Her tired eyes hold mine for an extra beat before she drags them over Nat, who’s feeding a much happier Nixon.
“Sorry, guys. I must have caught a bug. I’m going back to Mom’s house. I don’t want to get Nix sick.”
I stand quickly because fuck this. I’m not going to let her go back by herself. But Chloe moves in front of me. “I’ll come with ya, Carys. I could use some time to sketch anyway. Just let me grab my shoes and my pad.”
Carys throws the blanket off and pulls her hood up over her head while she waits.
When did she get sick?
She was fine when I left her this morning.
Wasn’t she?
My phone vibrates in my pocket just as Chloe comes back into the room.
Chloe:If you’re trying to keep this on the down-low, you’re doing a shitty job, Coop. I’ve got your girl for the afternoon.
Holy shit.
How does she know?
Does anyone else?
How do you answer a text like that? Carys asked me specifically not to say anything about us. What’s this...? Day two? I can’t confirm anything. But there’s a big fat fucking difference between not saying anything and lying to someone about how I feel for the woman who no longer looks like the sun-kissed goddess I held all night last night. She feels terrible, and it shows.
And fuck... I want to be the one taking care of her.
* * *
Later that afternoon, once Dad and Katherine are back from the movies and lunch with Callen, I use that as my excuse to go back to the house. Not that I don’t want to get a little time in with my dad. I do, but I also want to check in with Chloe and see how Carys is feeling without it being obvious. I’m a trained operator, and I already blew keeping us under wraps within twenty-four hours of getting here. The team is gonna bust my balls for this one.
I’m finishing up with the goodbyes with my sister, who’s crying like she’s never going to see me again. She knows exactly how to make me feel worse than anyone else ever can.
“Be safe, Cooper.” Nat hugs me close. I don’t know if she’ll ever forgive me for joining the Navy. “What time do you leave?”
I squeeze her back and press a kiss to the top of her head. “I need to head out around fourteen-hundred if I want to make my flight. Wheels are up at eighteen-hundred, whether I’m on the plane or not. And I need to be on that plane.”
Brady holds her back. “Let him go, Nat. We’ll see him again soon.”
“If you miss my wedding, Cooper Sinclair, I will never forgive you.”
Jesus. Don’t I know that’s the truth.
