Coop stood up and knelt before her on the worn tile of the hospital’s waiting room. His eyes were shining under the florescent lights.
“Cynthia Holland,” he said, suddenly very formal and nervous, “I don’t know. Honestly I have nothing planned. But will you marry me?”
“David Cooper,” she said, taking his hand, “I thought you’d never ask,” she smiled softly at the absurdity of it all. She leaned in to kiss him.
“Here,” Cynthia and David snapped their heads in Nadia’s direction. They had forgotten for a moment that she was there with them. She was holding out a tiny wire ring with a pearl on it. Coop took the ring and held Cynthia’s hand. He took off her giant diamond and replaced it with the tiny piece of costume jewelry that Nadia had provided. It stopped at her knuckle, too small to go on any further.
“I see a lot in my line of work,” Nadia’s voice was shaking. She put a hand on her chest. “I like to think that I’ve gotten pretty good at reading people, reading situations, seeing what makes up a good family, you know. And despite certain circumstances, you guys definitely have it.”
“Thank you,” Cynthia breathed, she was excited to have what she had known all along be recognized by someone else. She held Coop’s hand and for the first time in the last few days, she truly thought things would turn out alright. Nadia stood up and gathered her notes and papers.
“So, now I’ll meet with hospital staff and their lawyers. I’ll make my recommendations. We’ll have to see if the parents left any sort of will or have any family. Here’s my card. And if you could fill out these forms for me in the meantime, that’d be great. But I’ll tell you this, it’s always great to see a child end up with her birth parents,” she said as she dumped a packet on the table and dropped a pen on top of it.
“Wait we’re, we’re definitely… she’s ours?” Cynthia managed to get the words out before bursting into happy tears.
“Oh yes, I thought someone had told you already. Results are in. She’s yours.”
Cynthia stood up and Coop met her with a bear hug. She buried her face in his shoulder and let herself cry, laugh, and scream. Finally, after everything they’d been through, it was good to have one thing move in the right direction.
“Just one more thing,” Nadia said, putting her hand out. “I’m sorry but I need that ring back. I’m sorry, really, but it’s my sister’s, I borrowed it and I got caught up in the moment, but it’s not mine, so…” She trailed off and shrugged.
“Oh,” Cynthia was caught by surprise, “sure. Yeah, no problem,” Cynthia slipped the ring off and handed it back to Nadia, who smiled and walked further into the hospital.
Cynthia read through the forms and filled out what she could. She was having a hard time focusing after everything that had transpired in the past hour.
After another thirty restless minutes, the doctor they had run into in the hallway emerged into the waiting room. He had some gray in his hair, but was a surprisingly young man.
“I’m Dr. Kittan, one of the surgeons here. You can come with me.”
Dr. Kittan started down the hall at a quick walk. He spoke without looking at them. A lot of the terminology flew over their heads, but they were able to pick up on the important parts.
“The roads are icy this time of year. It’s dangerous out there. It looks like the family’s car was t-boned by a truck that lost control coming down a hill. The driver, Mr. Robison, was killed on impact. Tara and Mrs. Robison were transported here. Unfortunately, the extent of Mrs. Robison’s injuries was too great. The team in the field did everything they could but she didn’t make it out of the ambulance. Tara got lucky. The bulk of the impact hit the front left side of the car, and she was sitting in the back on the right side. She hit her head pretty hard and had some minor, superficial lacerations. In a normal patient, neither would be fatal. But, we couldn’t get her to stop bleeding, and we couldn’t figure out why. That’s where you came in. The information you gave us helped us save her life.
“So, she’s asleep right now. We had her under heavy sedation and of course she’s still working off the effects of the anesthesia. She hasn’t met with the social worker or anything, but I don’t think there’s any harm in you taking a look at her while she’s out. It’s the least we can do.”
Dr. Kittan stopped walking and held a door open. Cynthia saw the outline of a little girl under the blankets. She walked in slowly and sat on the very edge of the bed, trying her best not to disturb her. Gently, she picked up her hand and looked at it in hers. She had dreamed of this moment for so long. She ran her fingers through her hair. It was matted with blood. Coop stood awkwardly at the edge of the bed.
“Can you get me a washcloth? Something from the bathroom?”
Coop came back from the in-room bathroom with a wad of wet paper towels. Cynthia carefully squeezed the excess water onto Tara’s hair and gently began to work the dried blood out. She wanted to do everything she could. She wished she could have healed the cuts under her bandages and eased the pain that was waiting for her when she woke up. After a few minutes, Cynthia turned around and looked at Coop. He was still standing at the end of the bed with his hands in his pockets.
“Come here,” she said quietly, holding her hand out to him. He came forward and took it.
“I just… I feel like…” he trailed off. He didn’t have to finish; Cynthia knew what he was thinking. The past few days had been almost an out of body experience for both of them. At least Cynthia had more preparation than he had; she had known they had a child out in the world somewhere. Coop had never considered that. Within a matter of a few short days, he had to come to grips with the fact that he was a father and that he had missed the chance to be in his child’s life for the last six years. Then, he was faced with the possibility of losing that child forever. Now, standing in front of her, he had no idea how to act.
“Come here,” Cynthia said again, reaching further for his hand. He slowly took it out of his front pocket and allowed himself to be pulled forward. Cynthia laid his hand onto Tara’s. His hand was nearly twice the size of hers.
They sat there for a few minutes, saying nothing. They sniffled a bit and wiped some tears away. Eventually, a nurse returned to the room. It was someone they hadn’t seen before; they didn’t recognize her. She quietly asked that they leave. They hesitantly obliged.
Cynthia knew that it was inappropriate that they were there. What would they say if Tara woke up? She would be scared. She would want know where her parents were. How would they explain that? And how would they explain why they were there?
It was curious, though, that no next of kin had arrived at the hospital yet. It had been hours since the accident, and no one from Clive or Bunny’s family had come for them or Tara. Cynthia asked the nurse as they walked back to the waiting room.
“Were you able to get in touch with any relatives?”
“No, unfortunately, the poor thing. The police are still looking, but we haven’t found anyone to call yet.”
This news encouraged Cynthia. It was selfish, of course, but maybe this meant there was a chance for her and Coop to take custody. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, so she didn’t let herself linger on that thought for too long.
They drove for a few minutes in silence, before Coop broke the ice.
“So, where are we going?” He asked. Cynthia laughed. She hadn’t thought of that.
“Your place, I guess. If that’s ok with you, of course.”
“Of course,” Coop replied, taking her hand in his and kissing it softly.
Coop slowed down when they hit their street.
“Hey,” he nudged Cynthia, who had closed her eyes, “there’s a truck at your place.”
Cynthia sat up and looked out the window. There was a moving van in front of her house. Clearly, Glen hadn’t wasted any time.
“And I didn’t think he had it in him,” she said, shaking her head, “I wonder what he had to pay them to work through the night like this.”
/>
Cynthia couldn’t care less where her things ended up. All she needed was Coop. They continued down the street and pulled into Coop’s driveway. They both went inside and collapsed into bed, still dressed. Coop was asleep within minutes. Cynthia stayed awake a bit longer. She had no idea what the future held, and she was sure it wouldn’t be easy. But, deep down, something was telling her that it would all be worth it, that the best was yet to come.
Chapter 6: Two Years Later
Cynthia stood behind the tall wooden doors of the church. She had worried that this moment would be less exciting because it was her second wedding, but thankfully she couldn’t have been more wrong. She had never been happier or more excited in her life.
If it were up to Coop, they wouldn’t have waited two years to do this. But, despite an iron clad prenuptial agreement, Glen refused to make things easy.
She took a deep breath and took hold of her father’s arm.
“Mommy! How do I look?” Tara spun in a circle, showing off white beaded dress. Cynthia smiled instantly, as she did every time Tara called her Mom. Coop and Cynthia were awarded custody of her a few days after she was released from the hospital, but it still had taken her almost a year to call them Mom and Dad.
“Beautiful honey. And what about me?”
“You are the most amazing bride I’ve ever seen!” She smiled and took her place at the front of the procession.
The doors opened and Cynthia saw Coop, waiting at the altar. He looked amazing in his black tux, with his hair slicked back. He gave a little wave to his daughter and his bride.
“Are you ready?” She asked her daughter.
“Yes,” Tara replied, holding up a basket of flower petals, “are you?”
“You have no idea,” Cynthia laughed, thinking excitedly of the bright future in front of them, “you have no idea.”
The Campus Bad Boy
Veronica Cross
The Campus Bad Boy
Copyright 2016 by Veronica Cross
First electronic publication: August 2016
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to person, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Warning: Due to mature subject matter, such as explicit sexual situations and coarse language, this story is not suitable for anyone under the age of 18. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older, and all acts of a sexual nature are consensual.
The Campus Bad Boy
Chapter 1: Move-in Day
Alex slammed the trunk of her car shut. She had already made two trips from the parking lot to her dorm room on the second floor. She grabbed the sleeve of her t-shirt and wiped the sweat from her forehead. The heat was almost unbearable, and the humidity made it hard to breathe. Alex took the hair tie from her wrist and bent her head forward. The hair on the back of her neck was drenched. A light breeze cooled the sweat on her shoulders as she wrapped her long, blonde hair into a pony tail. Alex flipped her head backwards, and her hair arced towards the sky before landing against her back. Ok, last trip.
Wedging her laundry hamper between her arm and her hip, Alex made her way across the parking lot. Heat waves rippled up from the pavement. Her flip-flops smacked into her heels with each step. As she walked, she saw a guy leaned up against a tree. He was wearing a black shirt and faded jeans. His hair was dark and slightly curly. Alex stumbled as she missed the first step up to the dorm entrance. Her flip-flop ripped, and the plastic toe piece broke free from the foam bottom.
Alex’s hamper flew from her hand, and clothing scattered around her. She picked herself up from the concrete and dusted herself off. She held up her shoe. Great. With a groan of frustration, she started grabbing her laundry from the sidewalk and the steps. She stuffed the clothing haphazardly back into the plastic hamper.
“Need a hand?” Alex looked up to see the guy from the tree standing beside her. One of her bras was hanging from his fingertips. He smiled cockily at her.
Alex’s face turned red. She jerked her bra away from him. “I’ve got it. Thanks.” She buried the bra under a pile of tank tops and hobbled up the steps. It wasn’t even one of her cute bras. Ugh! Why couldn’t he have picked up the pink, lacey one? This year was already off to a fabulous start. Alex rolled her eyes as she entered the air-conditioning. Her cheeks still burned with embarrassment.
She made her way down the hall to her dorm room. Doors lined the hallway in an offset pattern. Handmade welcome signs were taped to the doors with names listed to help students find their rooms. Alex’s name was posted on the last room on the right. At least she wasn’t on the third floor. Alex watched as a family struggled to carry a small loveseat up the stairs. She wiggled her key into the lock and threw the door open. There was a dark haired girl shoving a bin of snacks under the desk by the far wall.
“Oh, hey!” The girl stood up and put her hands on her hips, “You must be Alex. I’m Tish. Nice to meet ya!” The girl held out her hand.
Alex set down her hamper and wiped the sweat off of her palm before shaking the girl’s hand, “Same.”
“This is the last of it.” An older man with graying hair said as he wheeled in a mini fridge.
“Sweet! Thanks, Dad!” Tish bounced over to him and gave him a hug. “Where’s Mom?
“Taking pictures of some squirrels outside.” He jerked his head towards the window.
“Mmkay. Hey, Al, I’m gonna go say goodbye, then I’ll be back to finish unpacking.” Tish waved as she and her dad headed out to the hallway, leaving a pile of bags in the middle of the room.
Alex kicked off the shoe she still had on and dropped the broken flip-flop on the ground. It smacked against the tile floor. She opened one of the drawers on her dresser and started shoving clothing in it. Her dorm room had a large mirror with two sinks wedged between twin closets. There were two lofted beds, one on each side of the room. Under the beds, both she and Tish had a desk, dresser, nightstand, and a chair. Alex examined the faded red upholstery on her chair. There was a black mystery stain on the edge of the seat. She glanced at Tish’s chair. No mystery stain there. Alex shot a furtive glance at the door before lugging her chair over to Tish’s desk. She swapped the chairs and skidded the stain free one back to her side of the dorm. As the lock clicked open, Alex quickly sat down on her newly requisitioned chair, trying not to look guilty.
“Okie dokie! I’m back.” Tish smiled as she started to unpack her things. She scooted her chair back, paused for a moment looking at the seat, then shrugged her shoulders. “So, where ya from?” Tish peered over her shoulder while she draped a feather boa around her bed post.
“Texas. You?” Alex pulled her fitted sheet out of the hamper and climbed up the end of her lofted bed until she was at the foot of the mattress. The wood rungs were at awkward intervals, making climbing and balancing difficult.
“Colorado. It’s crazy how hot it is here!” Tish said incredulously. Alex smiled as she tossed a fleeting gaze over to Tish. Her roommate was balanced precariously on top of her nightstand while she tossed a bright orange comforter over her bed.
“Knock, knock!” An older blonde girl was standing in the open doorway. “Time for student I.D. pictures!” She stood off to the side and waited while Alex and Tish climbed down from their perches to join her in the hallway. Alex rummaged around quickly for a pair of flats. She slipped them on and joined the other two in the hall. Other freshmen were already filing past. “I’m Emily, your Resident Assistant. My room is on the second floor if you need anything.”
She gestured to the stairwell as she guided them to the door that led out the back of the dorm. “Just follow the crowd to the Nathaniel Building. You’ll get your I.D.’s there.” Emily smiled warmly and went back to rounding up other freshmen.
“This sucks.” Alex ran her fingers through her sweat soaked ponytail. Her clothes were sticking to her and her thighs were starting to get heat rash.
“Well, at least we’re all sweaty and nasty.” Tish walked along beside her, holding her arms away from her body. Beads of perspiration were already running down her forehead. The two of them giggled as they mingled in the sultry crowd.
Off to the side in a sitting area with trees, Alex saw the dark haired boy from earlier. He was sitting in a metal chair with his boots propped up on a wire, mesh table in front of him. There was a girl with a pixie cut sitting next to him. Her tank top was low cut, and she was leaning forward seductively. He was staring off into the distance across from him while she tried to carry on a conversation. The girl saw Alex looking at them, and her face contorted in disgust. The guy turned to see what his companion was glaring at. When his eyes landed on Alex, his lips curved into a crooked smirk. Alex jerked her head back to the front and made it a point not to glance in their direction again.
“Guess this is where we’re heading.” Tish nodded to the building up ahead. There was a line of assorted freshmen zig-zagging out the door. Tish and Alex joined the end of the line. The grass by the edge of the sidewalk waved in the slight breeze. The shadow of the Nathaniel building offered some relief from the afternoon sun. White columns stretched up from the concrete porch. The building was constructed of brick in multiple shades of red ranging from dark muddy brown to sun-bleached pink. The line moved fairly quickly. Alex stepped across the threshold, squinting in the sudden lack of sunlight.
“Next!” A guy standing behind a tripod called out. Tish hopped up in front of the plain, blue backdrop and made a funny face as the camera light flashed. “Next!” Tish stood off to the side waiting for her I.D. to print as Alex stood in front of the camera. She went to move her bangs out of her face just as the flash went off. “Next!”
Romance: Pummel Me: A Boxing Romance Page 19
