A normal puff of dread threatens to gurgle in my belly. “This isn’t Cooper’s first brush with fame. Either he’ll deal with them, or we’ll deal with him.”
Kiva lifts a brow. It’s a very clear question.
How do you know?
“Can you please send Hiramys a message and ask her to block all gossip sites from my phone?” I ask.
The second brow joins the first.
It’s like she’s pointing out that self-improvement isn’t something you expect to happen when hanging out with Cooper Rock.
“Of course,” she says.
“Thank you.” I nod to her, then to Scott One as well. “If you’ll both excuse me, I’m going to check on someone who’s not having a very good evening.”
Kiva hasn’t commented on the décor.
Neither has Scott One, but then, he wouldn’t.
Scott Two would, but only because he used to work for Geofferson and participated in executing the proposal.
Grateful as I am that I got Scott Two in the split, I’m more grateful that he’s still outside.
“Stay away from windows,” Kiva tells me before she ducks out the back door.
Scott One grunts again and takes the front door.
And I head for the stairs.
One night. I’m telling myself I getone nightwith Cooper, no rules, just a chance to work him out of my system while enjoying the thrill that is all of Cooper’s energy focused on making sure everyone around him has a fabulous time, and the minutes are slipping by.
But when I get to the top of the steps and finally locate his bedroom after guessing wrong the first two times, I realize he’s not alone.
There’sstillsomeone else in the house, and he’s talking to them in his bathroom.
What?
“You’re gonna have to get on board, big guy,” he’s saying. “Yeah, you’re right. We had a deal. But the thing is, everything’s changed. I’m freaking the fuck out. Everything I thought I wanted—it’s all changed. But we can’t keep doing this. You can’t hold me hostage. We have to find a different solution to getting what we need, okay?”
Oh.
My.
God.
What the hell is going on?
I wait for thebig guyto answer, but all I hear is silence and the quiet hum of betrayal building inside of me.
Whoelseis here if he’s throwing a prom for me?
And why is Cooper talking to him like they’re in a relationship?
Oh my god.
Am I about to walk into some kind of poly situation?
“I’m not saying we’ll never have fun again,” Cooper says. “But I am saying you need to step out of my game, and we need to cool it for a while longer. Okay, yes, maybe alongwhile.”
