Coop bounds out of his chair, rushing over to greet me at the door. Lifting me into his arms, he spins me around the room, kissing every square inch of my face.
His excitement is contagious, and I’m giggling like a little girl. “Well, hello there, fiancé.”
“Fian...” He pauses, searching my eyes as a slow smile moves across his face. His eyes sparkle. “Does that mean what I think it means?”
A slow trickle of tears stream down my cheeks as I nod my head. “Yes, Cooper. I will marry you...if you’ll still have me.” My heart is racing. “Unless you’ve had second thoughts,” I rush out, feeling my cheeks warm. “I will never be able to repay you for this.”
“You just did, Princess.”
God, the way he’s looking at me almost makes me feel like this is real. Like he’s marrying me because he can’t imagine living any other way, rather than martyring himself. Oh, I know it isn’t that bad, but there’s still a huge part of me that feels guilty for allowing him to do this. Selfish. I feel selfish for using him this way. In a few years or hell, even months, when this is all just a bad memory and Alex is no longer a threat...if he’s not happy, I’ll set him free.
“I love you, Cooper Hebert, and I know love isn’t everything, but it’s something, right? We can do this. We can be happy...” I swallow the lump in my throat, searching his face for reassurance.
“I love you, too, Spence, and we will be happy.”
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I give Coop another toe-curling kiss before disentangling myself and walking over to sit in my chair. Cooper follows suit, taking his seat across the cluttered desk.
“Whatcha got?” I ask eagerly, rocking in my seat.
Cooper steeples his hands beneath his chin, leaning forward. “Before moving to New Orleans, Mr. Hernandez lived in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he worked as a bouncer for a local night club. Club Rouge. It was a known hot spot for pill poppers...namely ecstasy.” Cooper lifts his brow and smirks. “Alex was allegedly their main supplier.”
My hands clutch the arms of the chair as I drum my feet on the floor with excitement. “A drug dealer! Coop. This is great.”
He chuckles, then quickly frowns. “It gets worse. A seventeen-year-old girl snuck in with a fake ID and ODed...died, right there on the dance floor.”
My heart sinks.
“Several other people were hospitalized from the bad batch of drugs that they also alleged to have purchased from Alex.”
I cup my hands over my open mouth. Stunned doesn’t begin to describe how I’m feeling. “This makes no sense. How is he not in jail?”
“I said alleged. Alex was accused but never charged. He must’ve had some friends in pretty high places...but his reputation was tarnished.”
“So he moved to New Orleans and it all just went away,” I add, finishing his thought.
“Bingo,” Coop says, pointing at me with a wink. “Except nothing ever really goes away, does it?”
I guess not. “So if there is no record, then how can this help our case?”
“Character witnesses.” Cooper crosses his arms on his chest, leaning back in his chair. “Five of the people who were hospitalized are willing to come forth and testify that they purchased their drugs from Alex Hernandez that night.”
My heart starts racing, and I can feel myself beaming. “So it’s done, then? There’s no way we can lose?”
Coop’s head shakes. “I didn’t say that...but, it looks good. We’ve got a shot, Spence, and that’s a hell of a lot more than we had when we woke up this morning.”
Cooper
I thought that learning of Alex’s past would afford Spence a little comfort, but it’s done the exact opposite. She is completely losing it. She’s been sick as a dog and won’t hardly eat a thing. Spencer hasn’t been to work in three days. It was hard enough when she thought that Alex was just a deadbeat, but after learning about his past, she is positively terrified of Kyle having a relationship with this man.
I don’t think she will be able to handle it if we lose, and we still could lose. I have to do something, and I’ve come up with a plan. One that isn’t exactly legal but just might work.
“Dad, I need to go take care of something. I’ve got to go out of town, but I’ll be back before morning,” I call out, walking past his office.
My father comes sprinting out to the lobby. “Just where in the hell do you think you’re going, son? You’ve got court tomorrow damned morning.”
I grab my suit jacket from the closet and drape it over my arm. “Exactly,” I answer, giving Dad’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze before continuing toward the door.
“That girl’s gonna lose her shit if you take off right now,” he threatens, rubbing at the back of his neck.
My mouth twitches into a half smile. “I’m pretty sure she’s already lost it, Dad. I’m doing this for her. Don’t worry about Spencer. I’ll call her on the way out.”
“Don’t go gettin’ yourself in any troub—”
The door closes behind me, cutting him off mid-sentence. On the way to my truck, I pull out my cell to give Spence a ring. The last thing I want is to have her worrying about me on top of everything else.
“Hello.” Fuck. She’s been crying.
“Hey, babe,” I say, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder and setting my things down on the back seat. “I just wanted to let you know I’ve got some things to take care of for court tomorrow and I have to go out of town.”
“Is something wrong?” she asks with a tremor in her voice.
“No, no...nothing like that. I’ll be back really late, or maybe even early in the morning, and I don’t want you to worry about a thing, okay?”
She scoffs. “Yeah, okay,” she says mockingly.
“I have a good feeling about this, Princess. Try to relax and I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”
My heart knots when I hear her sniffling through the phone. “I’ll try.”
After hanging up with Spencer, I punch the address Stephen gave me earlier this morning into the GPS and begin making my way to New Orleans.
I’ve been parked outside Alex’s townhouse for almost three hours when his black jeep rolls in, parking in the spot right next to mine. I wait until he’s gotten inside before leaving my vehicle and walking over to knock on his door. I don’t want to risk a public confrontation in the parking lot. The conversation we need to have will be between just us two.
“Can I help you?” he asks politely upon opening the door. Alex is about my height with dark skin and hair. His eyes are brownish-black and scrutinizing. Aside from the eyes and dark skin, Kyle doesn’t look a thing like his sperm donor.
“Hi...Alex Hernandez?” I ask to be sure I’m speaking with the right person.
He nods. “And you are?”
“My name’s Cooper Hebert. I’m Spencer’s fiancé. I was hoping that we could have a few words.”
Alex starts to shut the door in my face. “Not interested, buddy.”
I wedge my foot into the doorway to prevent it from closing. “I really think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
His eyes become menacing. “I said I’m not interested.”
“What if I told you I know about Lisa Chedwick? Would that change your mind?”
His face pales and all of his features droop. It’s as if he’s seen a ghost. Without another word, Alex glances around the parking lot before opening the door wider and allowing me inside.
“Excellent choice,” I say, giving him a triumphant wink.
“What do you want?”
I look him dead in the eye. “I want you to withdraw your claim and sign papers officially relinquishing your parental rights to Kyle.”
“No.” He stares me down, but I can see the nervousness in his posture by the way he’s suddenly shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
“No?” I huff. “You went through an awful lot of trouble reinventing yourself to throw it all away now, especially over
a kid you’ve never even bothered to see...Moved to a new state. Got a respectable job. A beautiful, wealthy, revered fiancée...How do you think she’s going to handle it in court tomorrow when she learns that the man she’s about to marry is a liar? A drug dealer? A murderer?”
Alex is seething. His jaw clenched tight.
I scrunch my nose up, shaking my head. “Probably not too well, am I right?”
“He’s my son.”
At that I laugh. “That boy doesn’t know you from a stranger on the streets. He already has a family who loves him. He’s happy and well cared for. Do what’s in the best interest of Kyle and leave him the hell alone.”
“And if I don’t?” he asks, moving half a step closer in an attempt to intimidate me with his size. We’re similar in height, but he’s got a much bigger build.
“Then I guess we’ll see you in court, along with statements from five of your former clients that say you sold them bad ecstasy that night. The night they all ended up in the emergency room and their friend died of an overdose from drugs she too obtained from you.”
Alex reaches for the knob, pulling the door open. “Get out of my house, Mr. Hebert.”
I nod, having said all I came here to say. I only hope it was enough.
Spencer
“How’d your errand go last night?” I ask when Cooper shows up, ready to escort me to the courthouse.
He rests his soft lips on my forehead, allowing them to linger as he rubs a hand up and down my back in soothing strokes. Coop’s breath is warm against my skin. “It was fine,” he answers curtly as he reaches for my hand. “Ready?”
No. “Sure,” I lie, forcing a weak smile. Something’s off with him this morning, and I find myself trying to be stronger than I feel to counteract whatever’s going on in his head. Cooper was so confident yesterday. Maybe it’s just a case of nerves, or it could all be in my head. Lord knows I’ve been a complete basket case the past few days.
We arrive a full twenty minutes early and find Gina already there waiting on us. The moment she spots me, her face lights up as she runs over in her ridiculously high heels, her arms flailing at her sides.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming,” I whisper, hugging my best friend close.
Gina tsks. “Where else would I be?”
“Thanks for being here, Gi.”
She waves me off just as an important looking man in a suit approaches our little group.
“Are you here for the custody case?” he asks to no one in particular.
Cooper offers his hand. “I’m Ms. LeBlanc’s attorney, Cooper Hebert.”
The two men shake hands. “My name is William Smith, and I represent Mr. Hernandez. I’m afraid there’ve been some last minute changes and I was hoping that we could speak privately before the hearing?”
My stomach begins to churn, but when I look up at Cooper, he offers me a confident smile and nods, setting me at ease. The three of us follow the flustered man into a small conference room and seat ourselves at one end of the oval table which encompasses nearly the entire space.
“What’s going on?” Cooper asks with an almost smug look. He knows something...
“I met with my client this morning, and it appears he’s had a change of heart.”
A sly smirk forms on Coop’s face, disappearing almost as quickly as it appeared.
What did you do, Cooper Hebert?
“What’s that mean?” I ask, not wanting to assume anything, but my pulse starts racing with excitement. A change of heart...This must mean—
“We’ve received your counterclaim for full physical and legal custody, Ms. LeBlanc, and my client has decided that he too feels that that would be in Kyle’s best interest. When I return to the city this afternoon, we’ll be meeting to sign papers relinquishing Mr. Hernandez’s parental rights.”
“Are you serious?” I ask as my lips and hands begin to shake uncontrollably.
The attorney, whose name I’ve already forgotten, smiles at me affectionately. “Yes, ma’am. Congratulations.” To Cooper he adds, “I’ll take care of cancelling the hearing.”
Coop nods his head and the two shake hands again before Alex’s lawyer leaves the room.
After weeks of constant worry, this all just feels too good to be true. “S-so that’s it?” My eyes well up as I turn to face Cooper. “It’s over?”
“That’s it, Princess.” His lips turn up in a radiant smile, and I want to run to him, but it’s taking me a moment to process what’s just happened here.
“Fuck yeah!” Gina shouts, jumping up from her chair beside me, earning herself a glare from my sexy as fuck attorney.
“I do still work here regularly, Gina...If you could not make that completely humiliating for me, that’d be great.” He winks, unable to wipe the smile from his face.
We won.
“Oh, right. Sorry, Coop...but, oh my God, you did it!” My favorite little pixie launches herself at him, wrapping her arms around Coop’s neck and planting big wet smooches on each of his cheeks.
I watch the excitement unfolding around me in a daze. I haven’t yet moved from my seat because I don’t trust my feet not to fall out from underneath me. Apparently, I’m better at this damsel thing than I thought. Once Cooper pries Gina off of him, he returns to kneel before me. Cooper holds my face in his hands, wiping tears away with the pads of his thumbs and then pulling me into his chest. “You didn’t do anything illegal, did you?” I ask staring into the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen.
“Let’s go home.” Cooper places a tender kiss on my forehead, causing my whole body to shiver. He takes my hand into his own. The way he avoids answering my question doesn’t miss my attention as he gently tugs, leading me in the direction of the door. I narrow my eyes at him, making sure that he knows it, and follow Coop out of the court house with every intention of revisiting this conversation later.
Gina and I have a moment in the parking lot, holding each other and bawling our eyes out, while Coop looks on affectionately from the truck.
“Still think fairytales don’t exist?” she asks in my ear.
I look at the ring on my left finger—the one that signifies the engagement fabricated to solidify our case—and frown. “Oh, they exist.” My heart is filled with dread. “Just not for me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s no reason to continue the charade, Gina,” I answer quietly. “We don’t have to get married now.”
As if it just dawns on her as well, my best friend’s face falls. “Well, it still could happen.”
Not likely. “I’m too happy to be sad right now, Gina. Can we not talk about this?”
“You’re right. Let’s mourn next week.” She gives my hands a gentle squeeze. “Don’t keep the man waiting.” Gina kisses my cheek. “I’ll talk to you later.” She motions her head to the truck where Cooper’s waiting patiently. “So freaking happy for you, babe,” Gina says before swatting me on the ass and heading off in the direction of her car.
I climb up into Cooper’s truck, which is already nice and toasty. He’s listening to some thuggy rap music, and it makes me smile because I know it’s not a coincidence. He’s fully aware of how much I can’t stand it.
As soon as I’ve buckled my seatbelt, I reach out to power off the radio. Coop’s eyes dart to the side momentarily and he smiles knowingly.
“Where’d you go last night, Cooper?” I try again, staring at his profile.
He coughs, never taking his eyes from the road. “I told you. I had some last minute details to work out.”
“Did your trip have anything to do with what happened today?”
Cooper flicks the left blinker on then makes the turn onto our street. I keep staring expectantly as he pulls into his parents’ driveway and parks the truck. “Maybe, a little,” he finally admits, turning to look at me.
“What’d you do, beat him up?”
He chokes on a laugh. “No...”
“Ugh,” I growl.
“Will you just tell me?”
“Can’t you just thank me and leave it alone?” He’s really not going to tell me.
“I did thank you.”
Coop’s eyebrows waggle. “I could think of a few other ways you could thank me.”
I gasp in mock horror. “Really, Cooper?”
“Hey, I’m not as opposed to hooking as you seem to be.” He shrugs. “I will happily accept payment in sexual favors.”
What the hell? Why not?
“What’d you have in mind?” I ask, already unbuckling his belt.
“That’s a fantastic start.” Coop groans, his body jerking as I pull the zipper down, slipping my hand into the opening of his boxers and fisting it around his shaft.
“Start?” I quirk my brow.
“Mmhmm.” Cooper’s mouth slowly curves into a sexy smile as he begins thrusting gently into my palm. “I’m sure we can work out an installment plan of some sort.” His voice is strained as I begin working my hand up and down his length, feeling him harden and swell in my palm.
My tongue darts out to moisten my lips before dropping my head into Cooper’s lap and sealing them around the head of his erection. His hands grip my hair, and I take him as deep as I can manage, working the base with my fingers.
The throaty sound of his moans and the way his back arches, pushing him deeper into my mouth spurs me on. Swirling my tongue around his length, I hollow out my cheeks as I work him slow and deliberately.
Giving head is not something I’ve ever particularly enjoyed, but with Cooper, I find it incredibly arousing. The sexy noises he makes and the way he completely loses control. It takes immense restraint not to reach between my legs and rub out the ache that’s building in my core. My panties are soaked, but this isn’t for me. This is all about him.
“Fuck, Princess. Oh God. Don’t stop...Don’t stop, baby.” His hands tighten in my hair to the point that it’s almost painful as he guides my head up and down his cock, reaching for his release. His entire body jerks as it sprays down the back of my throat. I continue sucking until his body goes slack, taking every last drop.
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