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“She’s with me,” Cooper growls. His arms go around my waist.
“Yeah, well it looks like you gave her a panic attack, so great fucking job, asshole.” Sebastian tries to keep his tone calm, but I don’t miss the anger in it. He hates Cooper.
“You motherfucker.” Cooper tries to lunge for him. I grab Cooper, hoping to stop him. Big Ed tries to step in. His name comes back to me. My panic attack is trying to fade away, but the fact that Cooper and Sebastian are about to come to blows doesn’t help. I can’t make out what anyone is saying.
“Stop!” I try to shout, but it doesn’t sound as though words come out. Black spots dance in my eyes as the attack takes over again. I drop to my knees before everything goes black.
CHAPTER13
COOPER
It’sbecause Fischl collapses that the asshole gets a punch in. When she drops to the ground, my focus zips from Big Ed and the dick to Fischl. In the process, a fist makes hard contact with my chin. Instinct makes my arm cock back. Big Ed grabs my wrist before it can find a target.
“Another time,” he suggests. “You, call 9-1-1,” he says to gutless wonder who sucker-punched me. Then, he turns to me. “You, get me a towel with cold water.”
I want to argue and send him off to get the towel, but he’s the emergency personnel and I run a construction company. I do as I’m told. By the time I get back, Big Ed has her on the bed. We all ignore the disastrous state of the sheets, but pencil dick’s face is red with fury.
“You call 911?” I bark.
“I wouldn’t need to if you didn’t cause her to have a panic attack,” he shoots back.
“You sound like she has them all the time.” I stare at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes. What the hell has her life been like that she has these episodes on the regular?
“I get that there’s some conflict between you two, and it’s not making a good environment for healing and recovery.” Big Ed lays the towel across Fischl’s forehead. “If you can’t mind your tongues, you should step out into the hall.” He mutters something under his breath about how his toddlers have better manners. Asswipe and I snap our mouths shut and glare at each other until Fischl lets out a low whimper. I drop to the side of the bed and grab her hand. “Babe, I’m here.”
“Cooper?” she asks faintly. Her eyelashes flutter as she blinks weakly. “I thought I dreamt you up.” The words catch in her throat in a half sob. My heart clenches at the pain in her voice.
“No way. I’m real. I’d show you how real, but we’ve got an audience.”
She slowly rolls her head from side to side to take in Big Ed and the other guy. “Sebastian?” She heaves a deep, watery sigh. “I had a panic attack.”
“I know, sweetheart,” he says, coming forward to take her other hand.
I almost break my jaw clenching it tightly so that something unhinged doesn’t come out and send Fischl back into an unconscious state.
“Let me take you home,” he adds.
“Absolutely not.”
“Guys, remember what I said about healing and recovery?” Big Ed interjects.
Before we start fighting again, sirens blare outside the house.
“The EMTs are here. Go down and let them in,” I tell the other guy.
“I’ll do it.” Big Ed ambles toward the door. “Tension in here is thick enough to choke a man.”
“Fischl will do better at home where everything is familiar. Her kids will want to see her too. Won’t that be nice, sweetheart?”
I just fucking know he added that endearment on purpose to get me to act out and upset Fischl. I grind the back of my teeth together to keep from telling him what I think of his fake-ass act. Once I have myself under control, I give out the orders. “Fischl will be staying here. My kid will be moving in here as well. You and the girl are welcome to stay over if you want.”
“I don’t know,” Fischl begins.
“That’s what’s best for all of us.” I leave no room for argument. I’m not letting Fischl out of my sight, and I want my son here. “Too much time has passed, Fischl. We need to start making up for all the things we’ve lost. There’s no point in looking backward. My mom, your parents—they’re gone. We need to look forward and put our family back together. That can’t happen if you’re living in someone else’s house.”
She rubs her lips together and then nods. “I know you’re right, but it’s going to be so awkward and difficult.” Her hand comes up to rub her heart. “Van isn’t going to take this well.”
The other guy puts his hand on her forehead. I swear, I’m going to kill him once we are out of sight.
