Cooper

He and Beck painted the walls a warm tan color that complements the dark hardwood floors perfectly. We got some warm cream rugs to place on the floor and one large baseball-shaped one for the center of the room. He hung up the three large letters that spelled Zac’s name on the wall last night, finally completing the room.

We had two large, cherry wood bookshelves that were already full of different sports memorabilia, books, and stuffed animals. After a very long shopping trip with Dee, Zac’s closet is now stuffed with more clothes than a newborn baby could ever need. Hell, I’m pretty sure he has more clothes than both Asher and I have combined.

I wander down the hall and open the door to his room. I smile when I see all of the small touches that Asher picked out himself. From the baseball-shaped beanbag seat that is definitely something Zac won’t need for a few years, to the tiny football mobile that hangs above his crib, and my personal favorite, the framed photo of Coop that sits proudly on his dresser, facing his crib.

I feel my heart melt when I think about how happy Asher was when he placed that picture there. He set it down, stepped away, and considered its location in the room then moved it a few more times. Each time, he would circle the room and see what kind of view our son would have of his birth father.

After closing the door silently, I make my way down the hall and into our bedroom to get dressed. Asher called the guys late last night and asked that they all meet us there at noon. All I can do now is hope that, at the end of the day, whatever is meant to happen does. I selfishly pray that the day ends with Asher turning over all of his evidence on Dominic Murphy.

Asher is in the middle of shaving when I walk into the bathroom, dressed and almost ready to go. I decided to go for comfort today. At this point in my pregnancy, comfort is really all that matters, and with my nerves already going haywire, I need every advantage I can get. I have some loose-fitting maternity jeans, one of Asher’s old USMC sweatshirt that still hangs large on my body—even with my expanding belly—and my favorite pair of worn Chucks.

“Damn, you look hot in my clothes.” He reaches down to adjust himself, and I smile when I see the thick budge in his jeans.

“These days, your clothes are the only things that fit. I guess it’s time for me to go get some more fat-girl clothes.” I sound like a brat. I don’t mean to, but I’ve been struggling with the new—wide—version of my body.

“What have I told you, Sunshine? I fucking love your body. Your body is changing and growing because it’s keeping our son alive. Don’t ever think of that as a bad thing. It’s goddamn beautiful.”

He gives me a sweet kiss, laughing when he sees his shaving cream on my face, and then turns back to finish the task. With nothing left to do but wait, I head to my laptop and attempt to get some work done on my book. I’m actually shocked to say that it’s almost done. With all the extra time I’ve had since I stopped working with Dee, I’ve stepped my writing up and everything else just started to fall into place.

My story, the one I have been molding for years now, is finally coming to fruition, and I feel an overwhelming sense of pride in my story and, more importantly, in myself. I have Asher to thank for that. For encouraging me to follow my dreams and never give up.

I am just finishing another chapter when I feel him walk up behind me. He cuddles close and kisses my head.

“Are you ready to go?” he asks.

“Yeah. Just let me save this and turn everything off.”

Once I’ve grabbed my purse off the back of my computer chair, I walk down the hallway and work on strengthening my courage for what’s to come. Time to make sure the emotional basket case is locked up tight and the strong woman Asher needs me to be right now is ready to play ball. I push all my fears, nerves, and worry aside and get ready to walk the road less traveled with my fiancé.

Damn, I love the sound of that.

***

The drive to Corps Security doesn’t take long. Since the apartments are pretty centrally located to everything in town, we make the short drive in about ten minutes. I notice when we pull up that we’re one of the first to arrive. Sway isn’t even manning his normal spot—front and center in his salon’s front window. I swear, sometimes I wonder if that man even works. The only time I ever see him actually doing hair is when one of us girls goes in. Other than that, he’s bopping around the room with his ever-present smile in place.

I see Axel’s huge black truck sitting next to Greg’s minivan—rather Melissa’s minivan. Other than that, the parking lot is pretty vacant. I guess that’s normal for a Sunday afternoon. All of the businesses around Corps Security close up on Sundays. The guys are normally closed as well, but with this emergency meeting, they didn’t waste any time coming together and being there when Asher said that he needed them.

Those men truly are the definition of brotherhood.

I come out of my musing when Asher’s hand gives mine a small squeeze. I look down to where our hands are laced together on his thigh before looking up and giving him a forced smile. He shakes his head and lifts my hand to give me a kiss.

“Everything is going to be okay, Sunshine. Trust me, okay?”

I nod my head, not trusting my words. I just know that, if I open my mouth, all of my careful bravado will crumble. I get another squeeze of his hand before he lets go and climbs out. I watch his dirty-blond hair shine when the sun hits it. His face seems…almost peaceful, and I don’t even let myself think of what that could mean.

“Let’s head on in,” he says, reaching out to help me step down.

“Hey,” I whisper, grabbing his arm before he starts walking towards the door. “I love you.”

He gives me a heart-stopping smile, turning to wrap his arms around me. “I love you, too,” he says against my temple.

It seems weird to walk into the lobby of Corps Security and not see Emmy. I know there’s a lot going on with her and Maddox right now, but this place just isn’t the same without her bright smile greeting me. The last report I heard from Asher about those two was that he got a very short message from Maddox saying that he was handling shit and he had Cat. I don’t know who the hell Cat is, but I hope that Emmy is okay with her.

Even with Emmy gone, we usually had the pleasure of being greeted by a very attractive Davey. He’s almost too attractive for his own good. His cheekbones are high and strong, his jaw is perfectly square, and when he smiles, his blindingly white teeth seem to blink at you. The girls always joke that he looks like he walked straight off a runway and strutted right into CS. Which I would believe since he managed to catch the eye of the master strutter himself—Sway. Those two have been a heavy and adorable item ever since they first met.