“Thank you!”
Several minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom, face fixed. The door was open, but there was no sign of Mehki or Cooper. Panic rose in me as I raced to the front door, calling my son’s name.
“Meh—!” I froze when I spotted my son outside, his head down, staring at the ground. Next to him, Cooper was on his knees, pointing to the grass.
“Angel, what…?” Tee stopped next to me. “What the hell are they doing?”
At first I wasn’t sure, but it was clear the two of them were looking at some sort of insect. I studied them, noting the way Mehki’s face brightened when Cooper told him something. My son clapped with glee, jumped up and down, then held out his hand just in time to let Cooper drop what was most likely a spider into it.
“I don’t know,” I murmured, watching them approach the door. The unmistakable delight on Mehki’s face hadn’t faded the entire way up the sidewalk. Cooper seemed to have a way with him, and it warmed my heart.I might be in trouble.
Cooper held back and allowed Mehki to step on the porch first. “Hi,” he said, his voice smooth, deep.
The sound bypassed my fluttering stomach and went straight to my pussy. “Hi,” I croaked.
Mehki tugged at my shirt, effectively pulling me out of my Cooper haze. “Mommie!”
I met my baby’s dancing eyes. “Yes, babe?”
“Mr. Cooper helped me catch a spider,” he exclaimed, his wide grin still on display. “I thought it was a Harvestmen, but Mr. Cooper told me it was a Cellar Spider.”
I frowned. “A… Cellar Spider?”
“A Daddy Long Legs,” Cooper offered.
“Oh,” I muttered.
“Harmless,” he added.
Clutching the charm on my necklace, I nodded. “Babe, let’s leave the spider outside, okay?”
Mehki’s smile fell. “Aw, but I wanted to keep it.”
“You can keep it, but it has to stay outside,” I told him.
“Um,” Tee chimed in. “I think I saw an empty aquarium inside. Maybe he can put it in there?”
I gave my friend a skeptical look, because one thing we could agree on was that bugs and spiders deserved to be killed as soon as possible. “Really?” I lifted an eyebrow. “Are you going to help him put it in there?”
Tee let out a strained giggle, glanced at Cooper and said, “No. But I’m surehewill. I’m Tierra Willis, by the way.”
Cooper shook Tee’s outstretched hand. “Cooper Prescott.” He looked at me. “I’ll get the spider settled for you. No worries.”
“Be my guest.” I waved a hand, gesturing for him to take over the spider duties.
* * *
“Do you have everything you need?”I slid a bottle of water over to Cooper, who was typing furiously on his phone. It had been a few hours since he’d arrived. After he’d safely secured Mehki’s spider, he walked me through his process, giving me a verbal outline of what I could expect during construction—ifI chose to let him to do the job.
We spent much of the time touring the house. He’d taken measurements, snapped pictures, and talked about construction-related things. None of it was foreign to me because Malachi had owned a construction company. I knew all about zoning, box cribs, drywall, and weight-bearing columns among other things.
Cooper thanked me for the water. “I think so. Once my architect reviews everything, we can get started on the design elements if you choose to let me do the job.”
He keeps saying that. Through everything, he’d made sure he reiterated that none of this would happen without my approval. I liked that about him. He wasn’t a typical man, trying to overtalk me and patronize me. He seemed to pick up on the fact that I knew a little something, so he shot straight, spouting off costs and giving loose estimates for certain materials.
“I’m thinking we can get to work next week if you’re in agreement,” he added. “Barring any delays with the work permits.”
Again, he’d made sure I knew it was my decision. Although his grandfather had asked him to do the job, I loved that Cooper wasn’t pushing the issue.
