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“He really won’t use it.”
I whip my head back to Jessica, not really comforted by her words.
Because if he won’t use it unless he needs to, what exactly would make him need to?
“Stop it,” the pretty blonde tells me. “Don’t go there.”
Guess she read my mind.
“Let’s grab coffee one day this week. I usually work three twelve-hour shifts at the hospital. So, most of my week is free. You can ask me all the questions I bet you’re dying to have answered.”
I forgot she was a nurse.
Ford joins us, wrapping one big, beefy arm around his wife, and presses his lips to the top of her head. “Ready to go, Jessie?” His warm brown eyes soften when she tucks herself against him.
“Text me. You’ve got my number now, Carys. I want you to use it.”
“Thank you.” I force a smile. “Coffee sounds perfect.”
And this is how it goes... Cooper says goodbye to his team, and this incredible group of men all offer me their support, their help, and tell me not to hesitate to call for anything. Somehow, I’ve gained a whole new family, and this one accepts Cooper and me without explanation or interference.
Once everyone is gone, Coop and I stand in the kitchen with Linc, Em, and Trick.
Everyone is quiet.
Hesitant.
Cooper has an arm banded around me as he holds my back to his chest and leans against the counter. “It’s just a few months. Then I’ll be back.” He gets a little choked up. “Don’t go getting into any trouble while I’m gone.”
Trick gives him theguynod. “Be safe, brother.” He slaps Coop on the back and walks out of the room.
“And then there were four... that I actually think should be two.” Emerson reaches out for my hand and tugs me away from Cooper. “Let’s give the boys a minute, CC.”
Cooper and Linc have been together since boot camp, all through BUD/S, and now the team. I can’t imagine this is easy on either of them.
Em and I walk into the living room, giving the guys a little space. “You’re going to be fine. You know that, right?”
I take a deep, stuttering breath. “I think I do. It’s just hard. I couldn’t wait to get home to him, and he’s already leaving.”
“You could go with him, you know.” Emerson says the words I’ve been quietly thinking all day. “Take a few months off and work on your designs in Virginia.”
“Drop out of school to follow him across the country? Even if I could come up with a way to explain that to my mother, I don’t think it would work. As much as part of me wants to, I’ve got things to do here. And this isn’t permanent.” At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself all day.
“Just remember that, CC. Remember that it’s not permanent, and you’ll be fine.”
Cooper and Linc walk into the room, laughing at something, but as he reaches out for my hand and our skin touches, all laughing stops. “Ready for bed?”
I nod silently and let him lead me down the hall to his room, suddenly nervous. When I walk past him, he pulls me back against his chest, and his warm breath ghosts across my ear, leaving my body humming with anticipation. “You okay, baby?”
I drop my chin down, giving him better access, and let him take my weight. “It’s just a few months. We’ve got this.”
Cooper presses his hot mouth to my pulse point, and I melt against him. His lips skim up my neck as his hands gather the hem of my sundress, and he tugs it over my head. He sucks in a quick breath, and I smile triumphantly, knowing he likes what he sees.
Hidden under my plain green-and-white-striped, jersey-cotton tank dress, I’m wearing one of the designs Chloe and I worked on a few weeks ago. It’s a dark-green French-lace thong with tiny silk ties on either hip and a matching balconette bra with green silk covering the lower half of my breasts, plumping them up, while matching white lace barely covers the top.
Cooper’s callused fingers slide down my sides and under the waist of my panties before stopping abruptly.
I turn my head back to him just as his arm bands around my waist, and I’m lifted off my feet. “Cooper,” I squeal before I’m dropped on the bed.
