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The room sits silent until Emerson stands and reaches down to take Elodie from me. She doesn’t look at Cooper or Ford. Instead, she walks right up to Rook, fury filling her face. “Promise me he’s going to pay.”
“I promise,” Rook answers without hesitation.
She nods her head in acceptance. “He loved you guys. You know that, right? He said you were the only family he had. That you were his brothers. Don’t let him down.”
A dark expression stretches across Cooper’s face as he takes that hit and rolls with it.
I love my friend, but she didn’t need to say that. These guys have already taken this on themselves more than I think we’ll ever know. I know Coop blames himself. He might not have said it, but it’s obvious.
I wish I could take away all his pain.
Take away the hurt of the last few months and rewind the clock.
But that’s not an option.
I guess I need to love him through it, the way he wanted to do for me, and hope he’s less of a stubborn fool than I was.
Once Ford and Jessie leave,Rook walks over to the fridge. “What are we doing for dinner?”
Emerson yawns from the couch, while she feeds Elodie under a light blanket Carys laid over them for privacy before going upstairs. “I’m actually starving. Can we order out? I don’t want any of that funeral food. I could go for pizza.”
“Thank fuck. I thought you were going to say sushi or some shit like that.” Rook pulls out his phone and calls it in. “I’m gonna go grab my bag from the truck.”
Emerson’s nearly purple eyes sharpen, focused on me. “Why is Rook getting a bag? What’s in it?”
“He’s going to crash here for a few days. That way, one of us can always be with you girls.” Judging by the venomous expression on her face, I’m glad I’m not within reach right now.
“Do you think one of you assholes could check with me before you make decisions for me?” She asks the question quietly to not upset the baby, but she’s definitely pissed. “I know I’ve been a mess, but I’m an adult. I’m a fucking mother. Do not handle me, Sinclair, or you won’t be happy with the result.” She pulls Elodie out from under the blanket and throws it over her shoulder as she burps the baby. “And I’m not going to smother my baby under a blanket just because two grown men can’t handle boobs.”
Rook walks back in and rolls his neck before a wicked grin stretches across his face. “Those aren’t boobs. Those are watermelons on steroids, woman.”
I expect her to catapult herself over the couch and attack, but Elodie exhales a burp that puts the rest of us to shame, and we all burst out laughing.
Emerson looks at her chest, like it’s the first time she’s seen it, and pulls some little circular pad thing from her bra, then throws it at Rook, smacking him in the face. “Asshole. They’re the best goddamn watermelons you’ll never get to taste.”
He holds up the soaked circle. “What is this?”
Carys walks back downstairs with her sketch pad in hand. She grabs the circle thing from Rook and winces. “Why do you have Emerson’s nursing pad?”
“Her what?” Rook’s expression transforms from confusion to mortification pretty damn quick.
Carys bites her bottom lip, trying to mask her laughter, then pats Rook’s chest with her free hand. “When a woman nurses a baby, her other boob leaks. This sucker...” She holds it up in front of Rook’s face. “Is drenched with breast milk.”
“Fucking gross,” he gags.
“It’s nature, Rook. Get over it.” She slaps the pad back into his hand, then moves next to the couch. “I’ve got to get some sketching done.” She trails a finger along Elodie’s black hair. “Do you need anything, Em?”
“No, thanks. I’m going to try to put her down for a bit and crash until the pizza gets here.” Emerson rises from the couch and adjusts the baby. “On second thought, I’m going to sleep until she wakes up. I can always heat the pizza up. Just don’t let the guys eat it all.”
Carys leans in and kisses the top of Elodie’s head, then heads for the back door.
“Hey, where are you going?” Not my smoothest line.
Her brows shoot up, and she cocks her hip. “I was going outside to sketch. Is that a problem?”
I haven’t told her about the picture I got this morning.
Guess there’s no time like the present.
