Temporarily Yours (Shillings Agency)

by Diane Alberts

  “Sweetheart, we missed you at Christmas.” Pulling back, she gazed at Cooper over Kayla’s head, her mouth curved in a smile. “But now that I’ve met your infamous boyfriend, I can totally see why you stayed home. I would have, too.”

  Kayla’s cheeks heated. Leave it to her mother to speak her mind without any censure. Very un-Southern of her. “Mom, this is Cooper Shillings. Cooper, my mother, Holly. I’m sure my dad will be along soon, too.”

  “Mrs. Moriarity, I’m happy to finally get to meet you.” Cooper shook her hand. “I’ve heard so many wonderful things about you.”

  Her mom beamed up at him, holding his hand with both of hers. “And I’ve heard almost nothing about you.” She quickly cut her eyes at Kayla, but her warm expression was firmly in place when she returned her gaze to Cooper. “I’m so pleased to meet you and so happy you could clear time in your schedule to join Kayla. Will you be staying for the whole weekend and the wedding?”

  After her mother released his hand, he replied, “I do believe so, yes. I report for my new job on Monday, but I’ll be here until then. Refresh my memory, what day is the wedding?”

  “Saturday,” Kayla offered quickly. Then she smiled at her mom, her heart racing. Already they were running into issues. He should have known when the wedding was, if he was really her boyfriend. “I hadn’t told him since he wasn’t coming originally. Besides, you know how men are with weddings.”

  “Right,” Cooper agreed, taking Kayla’s hand, his fingers flexing. “So, yes, I’ll be here for the wedding, as long as the last minute addition doesn’t cause any problems for you. I know you’ve been busy making everything perfect for this weekend. Kayla told me how hard you work to make everyone happy, and you always succeed.”

  “Aw, well aren’t you sweet?” Her mom melted. Literally melted into a puddle. “Of course I don’t mind adding another person, dear. I’m thrilled to have you here.”

  “Excellent,” he said, smiling.

  “Come, let’s introduce you to everyone else.” Her mother met Cooper’s eyes and offered a sympathetic expression. “But first Kayla’s father is waiting to meet you, too. I apologize in advance.”

  Cooper shot Kayla an unreadable look as Kayla’s mom headed across the room, towing a nervous looking Cooper behind her. “Should I be scared?” he whispered.

  Kayla grimaced and nodded.

  Her sister, Susan, rushed up to the group. Her brown hair was pulled back in an impeccable bun, and her blue eyes were latched on Cooper with surprise. “It’s true? You brought your boyfriend with you! I thought you made him up to get Mom off your back.”

  “I’m right here,” her mom said, not even bothering to act offended.

  “I know, but even you have to admit it was dodgy that she wouldn’t even tell us her boyfriend’s name.” She turned to Cooper. “Said she wanted everything about him to be a surprise for when we met him. Go figure.”

  “Well, I uh,” Kayla fumbled, “I did.”

  “I see that now. But I also know how Mom is about digging into our personal life.”

  “Again, Susan. I’m right here,” her mom interjected. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with my desire to see my children happily married. It’s only natural. But now that we have Cooper—”

  “Mom!” Kayla closed her eyes in mortification. Thank God this relationship wasn’t real, or this conversation would be even more awkward than it already was. “Stop it.”

  “What? Marriage is something that every new couple should discuss up front.” Her mom smiled at Cooper. “It’s good to know where you stand early on, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “Absolutely, Mrs. Moriarity.” He threw his hand over her shoulders. “Marriage is a very serious topic that one should never take lightly, and it’s something we’ve discussed several times. We both know where we stand.”

  She smiled even bigger. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “Stop torturing them, Mom.” Susan hugged Kayla tightly, and Kayla held her close. When the hug ended, Susan motioned her fiancé, Max, over. “Cooper, it’s great to meet you.”

  Cooper stepped forward, both dimples in full force just like Kayla had asked for. “It’s lovely to meet you, too, Susan. Kayla and I are so happy for you and Max.”

  Kayla nodded. “So happy. I can’t wait to see your dress, too. I mean, the picture you emailed was nice but I’m sure it’s even more beautiful in person.”

  “I’ll show it to you tomorrow when you come to dinner,” Susan promised, grinning at them both. “Oh, here’s Max.”

  “Kayla, you’re here!” Max hugged Kayla, then turned to Cooper. His blond hair was longer than she remembered, and he was clean-shaven. He was a little shorter than Cooper, but not much, and he wore a black suit. He looked happily in love. “Hello, I’m Max.”

  “Cooper Shillings.” Cooper shook his hand, inclining his head. “I’m the boyfriend who everyone thought was fake, apparently.”

  Max laughed. “Well, welcome to the family. Glad to see you’re real.”

  “Thank you for having me.”

  Her mother clapped her hands and sighed, looking way too happy to have both the sisters and their men here together. “Susan and Max, you two have to mingle, since it’s your wedding party. Off you go now.”

  Kayla kept Susan close. “But we just saw each other.”

  “You’ll see each other again,” her mom said primly.

  Susan smiled at Kayla and smoothed her satin dress. The red was quite a lovely color on her. “We’ll have more time tomorrow. There’s a reason we took the day off before the wedding to relax.” She counted off on her fingers. “Rehearsal dinner tonight, small family gathering at home tomorrow. A bit unorthodox, given that most rehearsal dinners are the night before. But it’s my day and this is the way I wanted it.”

  Good for you for going after what you want, Kayla thought.

  “Right. Now off you go, Susan.” Her mom gently turned her in the opposite direction. “Cooper hasn’t met your father yet.”

  “Oh.” Susan looked over her shoulder at Cooper and cringed. “Good luck with that.”

  Cooper blinked at her. And he might have paled, too. “Uh, thanks?”

  “He’s not that bad,” Kayla said to Susan. Then she looked at Cooper and tried her best to be reassuring. “He’s really not.”

  “Yes, he is,” her mom said sympathetically. “That’s him, in the corner. Ignore any rudeness you might get—it’s all in the name of his love for Kayla.”

  Kayla watched Cooper’s eyes follow her mom’s gesture, then he stiffened. He turned to Kayla with a scowl. She flinched, not sure why he looked ready to bite her head off. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Nothing at all,” he muttered. He straightened to his full height and then smiled at her mom. “Why don’t you go along ahead of us, Mrs. Moriarity. I just want a second with Kayla before we follow.”

  “Of course, dear. I’ll see you in a few.”

  She practically skipped toward the corner where Kayla’s dad sat, frowning at Cooper even from across the room. Cooper waved at him politely, then turned to Kayla. “At what point were you going to mention your father is the man I’m going to be working for?”

  Chapter Eleven

  Cooper couldn’t believe it. The guy sitting in the corner was his new boss. What the hell were the chances of that happening? He bet Kayla knew. She always knew the answers to weird shit like that.

  But she had failed to tell him about this.

  Kayla blinked at him, then looked over at her father again. “I think you’re mistaken. My father isn’t in private security. He’s a cop.”

  He dragged a hand through his hair. He hadn’t been expecting this. And he didn’t know if this fake relationship with Kayla would work for him or against him in this situation. “A cop that runs a private security firm?”

  “No…he’s just a cop.” Kayla pursed her lips. “A homicide detective. I think you’re looking at the wrong guy.”

  “Well, then,
which one is your father?”

  She pointed at the guy next to his new boss. “The one in the black suit and the green shirt.”

  Of course her father was the guy who looked as if he wanted to pummel Cooper into the ground for touching his baby girl. And of course her father would be a cop who probably had an arsenal of excellent ideas of how to properly dispose of a body.

  “Who were you looking at?” she asked.

  “The one in the grey and purple.”

  “Oh.” She nodded. “That’s Uncle Frankie. Well, we call him uncle, but he’s just a family friend.”

  Cooper sighed. “He’s the guy who hired me.”

  “Oh. Well, let’s go say hi.” She caught his hand and tugged him toward his employer and the man who looked as if he’d like nothing more than to kill him. “It’ll be nice having a friendly face when you meet my dad. Trust me.”

  “What will your father say when—”

  “I don’t know. There’s a sixty-three percent chance that this will backfire, but it’s too late to back down now. They’ve both seen you and they know who you are. There’s nothing to be done except to walk up and say hi.”

  “Shit.” He dragged his hand down his face. He didn’t like this, but she was right. He couldn’t exactly tell them the truth, could he? “Fuck it. Let’s go.”

  She nodded and they crossed the room to stand in front of Kayla’s unfriendly looking father. “Dad, meet my boyfriend, Cooper Shillings.” The smile on her face was forced, but hopefully only Cooper noticed that. “Cooper, this is my father, Greg Moriarity. And that’s his best friend, Frankie Holt.”

  Cooper tensed but managed a smile. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Moriarity.” He shook hands with her father. The man practically broke his fingers, but Cooper didn’t flinch. “And nice seeing you again, Mr. Holt.”

  Mr. Holt shook his hand, his brow furrowed. “Cooper. I didn’t know you were dating my niece.”

  Cooper forced a laugh. “And I didn’t know my girlfriend was your niece.”

  “I’d imagine not.” Mr. Holt didn’t let go of his hand. “How does she feel about you leaving?”

  “She is right here,” Kayla said. “And I’m fine with it.”

  “Yes, sir, she is.” Cooper extracted his fingers from the man’s hold. “We have a great support system.”

  “Wait a second.” Kayla’s father watched him with narrowed eyes. “What’s the position and where is it?”

  “It’s an overseas assignment.” Mr. Holt sat back down and smoothed his suit jacket. “Mr. Shillings here used to be a Marine, and he’s going back over with his team as a guard now. He leaves next week.”

  Cooper shifted on his feet. This was the complication Cooper had been trying to warn Kayla about. What would her father say about a boyfriend that was leaving her behind to go fight overseas? “Yes, I am.”

  Her dad narrowed his eyes on Cooper. “So, you get involved with my baby girl and then you leave?”

  Cooper flinched. He didn’t do that and never would. “Actually, sir, I—”

  “Stop it, Dad,” Kayla cut in with. “He’s just doing his job. He’s trying to protect the people fighting for his country. It’s honorable and I’m proud of him.” Kayla curled a hand around his biceps, surprising Cooper. “Don’t you dare give him a hard time about that. You of all people should support him.”

  Mr. Holt cleared his throat. “We’ll take good care of him, Greg.” He looked at Kayla. “I promise that much.”

  She nodded, but she looked a lot paler than she had before. “Thanks, Uncle Frankie.” Then she faced her dad again. “Just so you know? I’m behind his decision one hundred percent. No odd numbers or decimal points.”

  Cooper glanced down at her, something warm taking over his heart. “Thanks, sweetheart. I support you, too.”

  “I know.” She smiled up at him. “And you’re welcome.”

  Her dad relaxed a little bit, his eyes still locked on Cooper and Kayla—watching the way the two of them were interacting. Something told Cooper her father saw way too much, but he nodded and gestured toward the empty seats at the table.

  “Sit. Talk. Drink,” her father said.

  Kayla squeezed his arm again and sat down gracefully. She might not be used to this charade, but she was fucking good at it. The way she kept smiling with those bright blue eyes of hers shining up at him made him want to wrap her in his arms and hold her close all night long. Hell, maybe even longer.

  “Sir, I’m very excited to meet you, just for the record. Kayla told me a lot about you,” Cooper said, focusing on Kayla’s father. “I’m honored to be here.”

  “Are you now?” He eyed Cooper, his voice clearly skeptical. “So, tell me more about yourself.”

  Cooper gripped his own knee under the table. “I was in the Marines, and I’m from Maine, near Kayla. I just recently got home after getting out, and now I’m about to make my next career move…” He broke off, smiled, and gestured toward Mr. Holt. “But you already heard that part earlier.”

  Mr. Holt laughed. “We’ve already completed the background check, Greg. He’s legit.”

  “I see.” He tapped his fingers on the table. “Parents?”

  “Still happily married and living in Maine.”

  “What do they do—or are they leaving the country, too?”

  Kayla rolled her eyes. “Dad.”

  “It’s fine. I don’t mind.” Cooper smiled at Kayla, trying to show her that he didn’t care about her father’s curiosity. Because he didn’t. He understood wanting to protect the people he cared about. It’s what he wanted to do, too, overseas. “My father owns a private security firm, among other things, and my mother is an artist.”

  Mr. Holt perked up at that. “Your father owns a private security firm, but you’re working for me?”

  “Yes.” Cooper shifted his weight and tugged on his collar, despite himself. “That’s right, sir. I feel it’s important for a man to make his own way. I don’t want to get a position because of my last name.”

  Her father nodded and Cooper swore he saw something that wasn’t hatred in the other man’s stare. Maybe…respect? No. That couldn’t be it. Maybe he just had something in his eye. “All right.” He looked over Cooper’s shoulder. “I’ll see you two later, though. Max’s family just got here, and I have to go say hi. Frankie? You coming?”

  Mr. Holt stood. “Of course. I’ll see you two later.”

  Cooper inclined his head, then watched as they left. “Well. That was interesting, to say the least.”

  “It went better than I thought it would.” Kayla leaned her head on him. “You did good, by the way.”

  He kissed her temple. This snuggling thing didn’t feel too bad. “It’s the dimples. No one can resist the power.”

  “Not even my father,” she said, laughter in her voice. She lifted her head and grinned at him. “Right?”

  “Especially not your dad.” He stood up, then held his arm out for her. “Ready to have a drink?”

  “How about ten?”

  He pretended to consider this. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’d hate to have to restock the bar.”

  “I’m not that bad.” She swatted his arm, then curled her fingers around his biceps. “Let’s do this.”

  He led her toward the bar, strangely content to have her at his side.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next hour flew by in a haze of introductions and mind-numbing craziness from everyone. Everyone wanted to know how they met. Wanted to know what Cooper did for a living. How long he was staying. Everyone wanted to know…well, everything. Everyone wanted to meet Cooper, and Kayla wanted everyone to meet Cooper.

  Sure, she’d been hesitant about this at first, but he was such a great guy that the whole being her “boyfriend” thing came naturally to him. Sometimes even she forgot it was all an act. She wasn’t sure what to make of that, exactly, but, hey, whatever.

  It totally worked.

  Even now, Cooper was surrounded by he
r female family members, and they all hung on every word he said. He had them all enamored, and he didn’t even have to try. She couldn’t believe it. His strong baritone voice cut through the space. “…and then the plane landed, and the rest is history.”

  “Wait, so you flew with her? That’s how you two met?” her mom asked, her eyes wide. “How did that go?”

  Susan leaned in. “And how did your not-even-there-yet relationship survive it?”

  “Oh, I found her nervousness charming.” Cooper threw his arm around Kayla’s shoulders and smiled. “She needed a knight in shining armor, and I’ve always had a thing for a damsel in distress. We were the perfect fit.”

  Cue eye roll. “Yeah, we really were. Still are, somehow.”

  “Because we work,” Cooper said, reaching out and cupping Kayla’s cheek. His warm gaze stared down into hers, stealing her thoughts right out of her head. “So very well.”

  Even though she knew he was putting a show on for the women, she still had to catch her breath when he leaned in and kissed her sweetly. He looked at her as if she was the only thing that mattered to him. And it felt real—his lips on hers and the emotion behind them.

  Man, he was good.

  He had them all on puppet strings, and he was the puppeteer. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be on a string, too. She pulled back, her cheeks burning. Cooper stared down at her, something unspoken and deep in his eyes.

  Something she couldn’t read. “Hey,” she whispered.

  “Hey,” he said back, his gaze finally clearing. He noticed her family, then gave them a sheepish grin, “Oops. Forgot we had an audience.”

  “Keep him,” her mom whispered. She turned her attention to everyone else. “All right. Enough bothering the lovebirds. It’s time for me to go on stage, and then it’ll be you, Kayla. Everyone, to your seats.”

  One by one, they all dispersed to their assigned seats and Cooper led her to the table next to her father. Her heart was still racing from the kiss he’d given her earlier, and her legs were a little bit wobbly. This was freaking ridiculous. She wasn’t the type of girl to swoon over her man, and she wasn’t about to start with a fake relationship of all things.