by Silver James
And Cooper had been waiting for her all spit and polished and handsome, getting flirted with by a woman who looked perfect and—
“Shhh, darlin’.”
She blinked at him. “What?”
“You’re growling. Here. I’ll help you up.”
The next thing she knew, his hands were on her sides and he lifted her easily to sit on the table. While the tech got her prepped, Coop dragged the chair over, sat down and took her hand. Then the tech squirted cold, gushy gel on her bared belly. The sonographer pressed the wand against her skin then made some adjustments to the machine. Moments later, a picture popped up on the big screen.
For several minutes, the tech moved the wand, keeping up a running commentary. The baby was on track for its age. And it had a cute butt, which was the only recognizable body part she could see.
“Your little one is being shy. Let me move over here to see if we can get a look at its face.”
The image on the screen blinked off and when it came back on, the silence in the room was as thick as red clay. Two heads. Were those arms? Britt quickly counted. Four. And four legs. The sonographer squealed like a cheerleader.
“Twins!”
Britt glanced at the walking definition of testosterone and had one thought. Of course, he’d produce twins. Heck, it wouldn’t matter if the condom didn’t break or if she’d been current on her Depo shot. Her eggs never had a chance against his champion swimmers. She stared at him while his eyes remained glued to the TV.
She heard some clicks and the wand moved again, followed by more clicks. “I’ll print out two copies of all the pictures,” the sonographer said. “They look so cute. Too bad we can’t tell their sex.”
She did not want to think about sex of any sort. That’s what got her into this in the first place.
Thirty minutes later, the goop had been cleaned off her belly, they each had a set of the ultrasound pictures, and she was sitting in Coop’s truck, too stunned to argue when he guided her to it in the parking lot. He settled into the driver’s seat, started the truck and punched the buttons for the heater. That’s when she realized she was shivering.
“I’m not cold.”
“I know.”
“Twins.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Did he sound gleeful? She turned to look at him. He was staring straight ahead but the grin on his face crinkled his cheeks and eyes—at least the ones on the right side. He shifted in the seat so he could look at her.
“Marry me, Britt.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“For all the same reasons I’ve given you before.”
“Then move in with me?”
“Wha—? Why?”
“So I can take care of you.”
“I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”
“Darlin’, we all need someone to take care of us.”
She refused to acknowledge that bit of logic. He remained silent for a few minutes and the shivers stopped as the truck warmed.
“Then spend Christmas with me.”
“No.” Okay, that was a knee-jerk reaction but she didn’t want anything to do with him at the moment, especially Christmas, because she couldn’t trust herself.
“Why not?”
“I have plans.” She didn’t, but she’d make some. Today. And he didn’t need to know.
“I want to introduce you to my family.”
“No.”
“Britt.” He was wheedling. And it was working. She didn’t have family. Not anymore.
“New Year’s then.”
“I have plans.”
Cooper went stiff, his voice barely above a growl when he asked, “Do you have a date?”
Was he jealous? Britt mentally rolled her eyes. What did he have to be jealous of? Not that she did have a date.
Before she could confirm or deny, he added, “I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that you’re having my babies.”
Jerk. She swiveled to face him. “Like I could forget? You’re not the one with the swollen feet and ankles, the acid reflux, and the obsessive need to know the location of every public restroom between here and there. Why do you even care, Cooper? I’ve given you the perfect escape. Most men would thank me and disappear so fast they’d leave skid marks. But you? Noooo. Not you. You have to stick your nose in with your demands and your sense of duty and honor and responsibility. Why can’t you just be a big ol’ weenie like most—”
Before she could finish her rant, she was in his arms and he was kissing her. Really kissing her. Like he was dying of thirst and her mouth was the sweetest water in the world. She knew the feeling and wow, was she thirsty for him too.
She was in so much trouble. She pushed away from him and seeing the satisfied smirk on his face, she wanted to clobber him with a two-by-four. Since she didn’t have one handy, she scrambled back into her seat, reaching for the door handle. “Go away, Cooper Tate. Go far, far away. I don’t want to marry you. I’m not moving in with you. In fact, I pretty much hate you at the moment.”
She clambered out and clung to the door until she got her balance. Cooper made no move to get out. She glowered up at him. “I don’t need a husband or a boyfriend. Just stay away from me.”
“I’ll pick you up for dinner.”
She slammed the door so hard the whole truck rocked. She could still hear his laughter as she climbed into her own vehicle. She managed to get it started, in gear and backed out of the parking space. The rest of her drive home was a blur until she realized she was parked outside her condo. Then she thunked her head on the steering wheel and ignored the tears.
“Twins.” What was she supposed to do now?
* * *
Britt stared at the bouquet of flowers—a beautiful Christmas arrangement in a crystal vase. From the weight of it, the thing was real cut glass. She almost hadn’t opened the door and was now wishing she hadn’t. The delivery driver thrust the flowers into her hands and boogied back down the sidewalk before she could react. She cautiously set the vase on her kitchen counter. A card was tucked into the extravagant green and red plaid bow.
Her fingers shook slightly as she freed the envelope, opened it, and withdrew the card. The handwriting was bold. Firm. And she recognized the signature. Merry Christmas. I’ll pick you up at 7:00 for dinner. Dress casual. Cooper. Her heart did a little giddy-up and she swallowed around the lump of anticipation in her throat. No. Just...no. He was wearing her down. Flowers. Lunches delivered from her favorite restaurants. And flowers. Not every day. But often enough. And deep down, what woman didn’t appreciate flowers? Food and flowers were one path to her heart. His calls and concern and always asking if there was something he could do to help derailed her resolve.
The man was nothing if not persistent.
She’d go to dinner. And she’d tell him again, when he asked, that she would not marry him. Except more and more often, daydreams crept in. She’d be staring at a screen shot of a radar presentation looking for data and zap! Just like that, a thought of what it would be like to be sitting in her own space at his house would hit her. Surely there was room in that place for an office all her own, a spot where she could hang maps and whiteboards on the walls. With a worktable holding printouts and photos. A desk with her computer and a printer. A place that could stay messy—well, it would seem messy to anyone but her. She’d know where everything was. Her office where she could decorate it any way she wanted, where she could shut the door and walk away from her research, knowing it would all be in the exact same place the next time she entered. She really didn’t want much.
And then there were those daydreams of sleeping in his arms, of the kissing and touching and making love that went with sharing the same bed. Since the night of the November gala, she’d found lots of excuses to take weird detours when she drove to the TV statio
n, all of them designed to keep her away from Cooper’s house, but she still ended up driving past it, and straining to catch a glimpse of it. Or the man.
And there she went again, lost in thoughts of the man who’d become the bane of her existence. But if he stopped calling, texting, dropping by—and sending her flowers—she’d miss him.
* * *
Cooper leaned back in his chair and pretended his fingers didn’t itch to touch Britt. Since they’d first gotten the news she was having twins, he’d managed to con her into going out with him several times. The Christmas arrangement he’d had delivered that day also worked. After picking her up, they’d driven to Othello’s in Norman, the iconic Italian restaurant on Campus Corner. Ensconced at a table in a dark corner, he watched her eat, plotting how best to get his way. He wanted to spend Christmas with her. And he wanted her to move in with him. Better if she married him, but just having her under his roof would go a long way in his plan to seduce her into accepting his proposal.
“Stop staring.”
“I can’t help it.”
She blinked up at him, slowly chewing the bite of chicken parmigiana she’d just taken. He tracked the muscles in her throat as she swallowed. “What do you mean? Staring at people while they eat is just plain rude.”
“You’re beautiful.”
She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner. “Don’t change the subject. And don’t you dare say I’m glowing.”
He flashed her a half smile at that declaration. “Well, you might be glowing just a little. And you are beautiful. You also look tired. I don’t like seeing the dark circles under your eyes.” He reached across the table and took her free hand in his. “I want to take care of you, Britt.”
She bristled, as he knew she would. “I can take care of myself.”
“Of course you can. But you don’t have to.”
“Why won’t you just go away?”
No way would he answer that question truthfully. This was a familiar dodge on her part and he suspected she mostly said it by rote. Besides, she probably wasn’t quite ready to hear that he was falling in love with her, that he hoped she’d love him back. And it had nothing to do with the fact she was having his babies. He’d been mooning over her long before he discovered her bombshell. “Because I’m here to stay.”
“Gah. Don’t make rhymes.” She paused to twirl spaghetti around her fork, then ate it. “What about your other baby mama?”
“She’s not my baby mama. I’ll remind you that the prenatal DNA test cleared me completely. As soon as Chance threatened to countersue, she agreed to the test and then dropped her suit.”
She shook her hand loose and concentrated on eating. He let a few minutes of silence pass before speaking again. “Spend the holidays with me.”
“I can’t.” Did she sound disappointed?
“Why not?”
“I told you before, I have plans.”
“Change them.”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Both.” She set down her fork and now she studied him.
“Why not?”
“We’re too different.”
“How so?”
“You’re...old-fashioned.”
“That’s a bad thing?”
“You drive me crazy.”
“You’ll never be bored and since you’re something of an adrenaline junky...” He deliberately let his voice trail off. That was a very touchy subject for them both.
“Face it, Coop. Things will never work between us. You have to know that.”
“I know nothing of the sort.”
Twelve
I know nothing of the sort.
Cooper’s assertion had been ricocheting around in Britt’s head for two weeks now—two weeks that she’d managed to avoid his calls and texts. She’d steered clear of his big family Christmas. She used the time to herself to work on her dissertation and avoid temptation. With classes at the university on winter break and storm chasing on hold because of the mild weather, she’d finished the first draft. She missed the thrill of the chase and so long as she had no complications, her doctor said she could continue.
She’d also learned that the documentary she and Leo had put together was up for a regional Emmy. With the awards gala a week away, she’d broken down and gone shopping. Her blue formal from November no longer fit and while she didn’t believe she had a snowball’s chance in hell to win, she wanted to look...pretty.
Not that anyone would notice. Sure, Leo and she were going together. So was his wife. She didn’t have a plus-one on standby. Other than Cooper. And no way was she going to involve him any deeper in her life. Coming to depend on him wasn’t a good idea. She was an independent woman and she would do this on her own terms.
Britt rubbed at her temple with the fingers of her left hand while she stroked the side of her belly with her right. The twins were more active and it seemed her stomach had ballooned almost overnight. She hadn’t felt pretty at all in any of the dresses she tried on. So now she was taking a break at Cadie B’s Southern Kitchen in Bricktown. She sat at a table near the windows overlooking the canal patio.
“Mind if I join you?”
Startled, Britt jerked her head around. Katherine Tate was already pulling out the chair across from her and settling into it. “Um...” She blinked several times, gathering her thoughts. “I guess not since you’re already sitting, Mrs. Tate.”
The older woman’s frosty smile would have unnerved Britt but for the momentary twinkle in Mrs. Tate’s eyes.
A waitress approached with a menu but Mrs. Tate waved it away. “You’ve already ordered?” Britt nodded mutely. Mrs. Tate smiled at the waitress. “I want today’s special, water with lemon, and coffee.”
Silence stretched between them until the water and coffee had been served. Britt, her nerves stretched tight, opened her mouth but snapped it shut when Katherine spoke.
“Please call me Katherine. You are, after all, carrying my grandbabies.”
Shocked speechless, Britt stared at Cooper’s mother. Her head tilted, almost of its own accord, and her lips pursed. All sorts of thoughts raced between her brain and her mouth while she attempted to form a complete sentence that would sound coherent.
“Something you will learn about me, Britt. I don’t play around. I speak my mind and I appreciate others who do the same.”
“Okay.” Britt stretched out the word, scrambling for something even semi-intelligent to say. If Mrs. Tate could be blunt, so could she. “You’ve surprised me. I’d think that you would at least question my veracity and motives.”
“I know my son moped around for months and suddenly, he sees you at the fund-raiser and perks right up. I also know that his brothers and cousins remain...skeptical.”
“But you aren’t?”
“No. When that man accused Cooper and his sister filed that lawsuit, my son vehemently denied even knowing the woman. You?” Katherine inclined her head slightly in Britt’s direction. “You he pursues with a single-minded intensity that reminds me of his father. It’s like that with the Tate men. When they fall, they fall hard. And they fall only once.”
Britt eyed the older woman, bewildered by Mrs. Tate’s demeanor and the entire gist of this conversation. Her brain scrambled for an excuse she could use to extricate herself. No subterfuge came to mind so she chose bluntness.
“Why are you telling me this?”
Katherine fingered the pearls around her neck but didn’t speak. Britt attempted to wait out the other woman, but impatience got the best of her. “Look, I don’t like to play games either. I don’t want your son. And I don’t need him.”
“Would you have told him if he hadn’t discovered your condition on his own?”
“On his own? I told him.” Even if she hadn’t wanted to.
“After
he found out you were pregnant and put two and two together.”
“Fine. I had my doubts, especially after that scene at the museum during the gala. I figured if I told him, he’d want nothing to do with me. And that works just fine and dandy for me because...” She leaned forward, her gaze holding the other woman’s while she very carefully enunciated each word. “I don’t want anything from him.”
“You don’t?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
She gaped. “Am I sure? Of course I’m sure. The only reason I waited to tell Cooper in the first place—”
“Is because he pinned you down.”
“No, I would have told him.” She blew out a breath and barely resisted rolling her eyes. “Fine. Still, I would have told him eventually because he had a right to know. You can tell your bullheaded son that getting married just because I’m pregnant is a stupid idea.” She held up a finger to stall the retort hovering on Katherine’s lips because she had a full head of steam up. “Tell Hero Boy that I don’t need or want him. The babies are half his so he can damn well pay his share of support but me? I’m off-limits.”
Katherine’s smile was smug. “You’ll do, my girl. You’ll do quite well indeed.”
Britt leaned back in her chair, thankful the waitress appeared with their food. She’d do? What did that even mean? She took a bite, keeping a narrow-eyed gaze on Katherine. What was it about this family that they totally ignored anything they didn’t want to hear.
