Epilogue
Three weeks later…
From her cushioned lounge chair on Cheryl and Robert Cooper’s patio, Mac took a sip of her sweet iced tea.
Feeling pleasantly full of the surprise birthday lunch Coop’s family had hosted for his mother, she watched Coop and his dad begin cleaning up the cooled grill.
A breeze passed by, and Mac used her free hand to brush back a few strands of hair from her eyes. She felt like a lazy bum, watching everyone else work, but Coop and his entire family—including the two sisters she finally got to meet—had all but ordered her to sit and relax while they put everything away.
Shortly after she’d been discharged from the hospital, Coop called and filled his parents in on what had happened. Thankfully, he’d spared them the gory details.
All Robert and Cheryl knew was that their son had been held at gunpoint by someone from her past, and she’d been shot. And even after all that, they’d not only welcomed her with open arms today, they’d also been doting on her, hand and foot.
At first, Mac was shocked Coop had shared their troubles with them. When she asked about it, he’d simply shrugged, told her that’s what real families were for. After that, he kissed her on the forehead like it was no big deal.
The more time Mac spent with the Coopers, the more she realized he was right. Being a part of a real family—one not prone to blackmail and murder, like hers—was one of the most incredible gifts in the world.
No, they weren’t perfect, but they were there for one another. Shared things with each other, the good and the bad. Families leaned on one another when they needed to, and offered support when they could.
Coop glanced over at her, his handsome face drawing her away from her thoughts. He gave her a wink and a smile, making her insides tingle and spark to life.
God, I love that man.
With a grin, Mac raised her glass and tipped her head, taking another sip of her tea. She was still having trouble processing how much had changed since the day of the shooting.
The last few weeks had passed by in one, huge blur. She’d spent almost the entire first week in the hospital, which she’d hated. After that, Coop had insisted she stay at his place so he could help with her recovery, which she’d loved.
Jake had contacted Ryker, who worked a deal with the FBI ensuring Mac’s involvement with Moretti, Doyle, and Luca was kept under wraps. Since Moretti and Doyle were both being investigated by the feds prior to the incident, they took over the second they arrived.
Normally Eric and Riley would’ve been pissed to hand over a crime scene to the feds but not this time. Like Eric told Mac when he and Riley came to visit her in the hospital, plausible deniability was a beautiful thing in the law enforcement world.
Olivia’s brother had agreed to help Alpha Team, filling in until she and Coop went back to work. It was presented to Mike as a temporary assignment, but Mac had a feeling Jake would see to it his former Delta teammate stuck around.
Their boss postponed the search for additional R.I.S.C. operatives until things were back to normal. Sometime in the middle of the craziness and settling in with a new baby, Jake also found time to procure all the documentation and signatures needed for Mac to legally change her name.
As of six days ago, she was officially McKenna Anne Kelley. She was no longer living a lie.
Physically, Mac wasn’t completely recovered yet—that would take a few more weeks—but she was feeling better with each day that passed. In fact, she could do almost all of the normal, daily activities again without any assistance from anyone.
Problem was, Coop wouldn’t let her.
The frustratingly sweet man had been a total mother-hen. He waited on her hand and foot all day, every day. To the point she got exhausted just watching him.
Since she was feeling better and much more capable now, Mac had brought up the idea of her going back to her place, just to gauge his reaction.
Every time she mentioned it, he came up with one excuse or another as to why she should stay with him a little longer. She couldn’t ask for a sweeter, more attentive caregiver, but the man was driving her insane.
It wasn’t that he constantly wanted to do things for her—although there were times when the independent part of her felt like screaming.
No, the worst part was Coop’s refusal totouchher.
Granted, she still had another week or two left before the doctor would clear her foreverythingphysical. But Coop had apparently taken that to mean the same thing asnothing.
It wasn’t that he didn’t still want her. She’d seen the heat in his eyes when he thought she wasn’t looking. The poor, overprotective man was torturing himself—and her—for no reason.
Pent-up sexual frustration aside, there was something even more pressing Mac felt the need to address. Something that needed to be said in private.
Mac put her glass down and stood. A twinge of pain pulled at her side, but she ignored it. If Coop even suspected she was hurting, he’d rush over and start hovering again.
