Cooper (The Family Simon 6)

Her father headed to the kitchen while Morgan slowly made her way across the room. She carefully picked up the pieces of glass from the pale green leather sofa and set them in a pile on the coffee table. The busted frame was upside-down, and she stared at it for a good long while before finally reaching forward and scooping it up.

She didn’t have to look at it to know what picture was there. And she didn’t look—not at first. But some invisible force had her turning the frame over, and she stared down at the image, not quite prepared for the deluge of emotion that churned inside her.

In the photo, taken the day of her last meet, an NCAA record-breaking event for Morgan, she stared into the camera, eyes alive, smile wide and open, her arms around her mother and father. Nathan had been there too—he’d snapped the photo.

I can’t remember what this felt like.

The thought brought hot, prickly tears, and Morgan angrily wiped them away, placing the picture beside the broken glass. She turned sharply, wincing again as pain shot up her leg, and faltered when she spied Cooper Simon watching her from the foyer. He stood by the front door, hands shoved into his pockets and looking a bit unsure.

“I, ah…” He nodded toward the kitchen. “Your father said you can start on Friday?”

More than a little embarrassed, Morgan could only nod. How much had he seen and heard?

“Sure,” she managed to say. “I’ll be out at your place by nine.”

“Okay,” he replied, reaching for the door but hesitating as he grabbed the handle. A few seconds passed, and then he opened the door. “I’ll see you then.”

Morgan slowly made her way to the kitchen, grateful to see Hank and her father both gone. She stared at the chili on the counter. At the crack in the window above the kitchen sink. At the worn linoleum beneath her feet.

Everything looked tired and worn-out. She was tired and worn-out.

With a shaky sigh, Morgan turned on the stove and went about the business of getting dinner ready. She did what she always did when things got too intense. She shut down. Clamped down on anything that could make her feel. It was how she got through life, and getting through was pretty much all she could handle. For now, it had to be enough.

5

“That damn dog is going to be a monster. You know this, right?” Cooper slapped Maverick on the shoulder and chuckled when the animal in question, Stanley, jumped at Rick, leaving a trail of mud down the front of his jeans. The puppy barked excitedly and then ran in circles before attacking the large bone Maverick had brought for it.

Rick shook his head and glanced down at his dirty jeans. “I keep hoping he’ll stop growing, but he eats like a horse.”

“Yeah well, I’m not letting Stanley into the house.” Cooper handed his brother a coffee. The two of them were on the front porch enjoying the brisk morning. Sunlight made everything better, it seemed, and with a sudden rise in temperature, he could almost smell spring in the air.

“Where does the beast sleep anyway?” Cooper took a sip of his hot brew and leaned against the porch railing.

Maverick shrugged. “Where else? The bed.”

Cooper’s head snapped up at that. “You let that small horse sleep in your bed? I’ll bet Charlie isn’t too happy about that.”

Maverick made a face. “She’s the one who invited the bloody thing in when it whined all night a few weeks back. Said it was cruel to leave him in the cage. Now as soon as we turn the lights out, he’s in our bed before we even make it up the stairs.”

“And how’s that working for ya?” Cooper smiled wickedly. “I didn’t take you for an exhibitionist.”

“What?” Maverick looked confused, but only for a moment. He cupped the hot mug between his hands and blew on the hot liquid. “Trust me. I’m not getting naked anywhere near that dog. You see the size of his paws?”

“Huge.”

“Damn right they’re huge. And what do dogs like to do?”

Cooper chuckled. “Fetch balls?”

“You got it.” Maverick’s face split open in a grin. “I don’t want Stanley anywhere near my baby-making balls.”

“I hear ya, brother.” Cooper started to take another sip from his coffee and froze. “What did you say?”

Maverick’s grin was still very much in place. “I said exactly what you think I said.”

Cooper tossed his coffee mug over the railing and grabbed his brother in a bear hug. The two men hugged like guys do, a quick hard embrace followed by a heavy pat on the shoulder. Afterward, Cooper and Maverick stood in silence and watched Stanley rip into the bone. This was a big deal. Cooper knew that Maverick and Charlie had been trying to have a baby for a few years now. And that Charlie had suffered a miscarriage in her fourth month just last fall.

Cooper let Maverick have as much time as he needed, and eventually, his brother cleared his throat, though when he spoke, it wasn’t hard to hear the emotion he was feeling.