39. Sutton

39

SUTTON

I combed out my damp hair and then ran my fingers through it in a half-hearted attempt to air-dry the strands. I might not have the energy to blow-dry it, but at least my hair was clean. I’d also been vomit-free for over twenty-four hours, which meant I felt like a new woman.

The feeling of Cope holding my hair back and rubbing a hand down my back flashed through me. Just like his words from the day before still echoed in my mind. “ I’m already in love with you. ”

I’d played them over and over, with alarming frequency. It wasn’t fair. Not when I hadn’t given them back. Cope saying them at all had startled me senseless, but he didn’t wait for my response. He simply carried me into the bathroom and ran me the perfect bath, not leaving my side for a second.

Staring into the mirror, I studied my face. My skin had regained most of its color, and my eyes had lost the dullness they had while I was sick. With a few good meals, I’d be back to normal and could hopefully return to work.

Strains of laughter came from downstairs, making my mouth curve. I needed to go relieve Cope and Arden, who’d gone above and beyond while taking care of Luca. I slid my feet into comfy slippers and headed for the stairs.

I might’ve been out of breath by the time I reached the bottom, but none of that mattered when I caught sight of the vision in front of me. Luca raced in a circle around the living room. It was impossible to tell whether he was chasing the massive cane corso and adorable yet bumbling puppy, or if they were chasing him.

“Throw it to me!” Luca shouted.

“Incoming,” Cope called, launching a tennis ball toward my son.

I couldn’t help but stop and stare. Cope had on a pair of black joggers that fell loosely around his hips. The gray tee that read Seattle Sparks clung to his defined chest as he released the ball, his biceps flexing. But it wasn’t his body that had my heart halting. It was the light in Cope’s dark-blue eyes as he looked at my son. The joy in his expression at the chaos that reigned in his living room.

Warmth spread through me, but fear followed fast on its heels. Because as much as this all felt like a dream, it also felt tenuous at best. As if the safe harbor Cope had given us could be broken at any moment. Shattered beyond recognition.

Luca caught the ball with a shout, and I worried Arden’s large dog might take him out. He easily could’ve, given he probably weighed twice as much as Luca. But the dog just barked in what could only be sheer joy. Gretzky tried to leap at Luca but fell into a sort of tumbling roll instead, then bounded off to the other side of the room.

“Arden, did you see that?” Luca shouted. “That catch was sick!”

Arden grinned from where she sat cross-legged on the floor. “Maybe baseball is in your future, too.”

Luca just shook his head. “Naw, I just want to do hockey and jiu-jitsu, like you.”

I couldn’t help the groan that left my lips. All three heads turned to me. “Hockey wasn’t bad enough?” I asked, my lips twitching. “Now, you actually want to fight people? ”

Luca grinned widely, exposing the tooth that was growing in. “Fighting is the best part of hockey, so yeah.”

I turned to Cope. “I blame you for this.”

He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I’m not the one who let Luca watch me spar with Kye.”

“And it was freaking AWESOME!” Luca yelled.

Arden simply shrugged. “I couldn’t miss a workout, and Kye’s gym has a class for kids.”

“It starts this fall,” Luca said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Kye said I’ll just be old enough. Do you think I can take it? Do you?”

My stomach lurched, and I knew it wasn’t from the twenty-four-hour bug I’d had. Cope crossed to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s give your mom a break. She just got puke-free. We don’t need the thought of her kid battling in a fight circle making her nauseous.”

Luca’s chin took on a stubborn angle. “I’m not gonna forget about it.”

Cope chuckled. “Trust me, I have learned that your stubbornness is legendary.”

That only made Luca smile huge again. “That means I get what I’m after.”

Cope leaned in closer to me, speaking in a stage whisper. “Sometimes, he scares me.”

Luca giggled. “Kye showed me his tattoo gun, too. I definitely want ink when I turn eighteen. But if you give me permission, I can get it before then.”

I stepped out of Cope’s hold, looking between him and Arden. “Anything else I should know about from the twenty-four hours I was out? Were there piercings? Tequila shots with a rock band?”

Luca just laughed harder, but at my movement closer to my son, Brutus stepped between me and him, taking on a defensive stance and letting out a low growl.

“ Ruhig ,” Arden clipped. “ Komm .”

In an instant, the dog eased and trotted over to Arden. He plunked his big, furry butt down, and Arden scratched his head. “Sorry. He’s become partial to Luca.”

“What was that?” I asked, staring at Brutus.

Arden’s hand slid down to Brutus’s chest. “He’s a trained guard dog. Personal protection. He’s bonded to me, but those instincts take over with Luca because he loves him.”

“Aw,” Luca said, jogging over to the dog and throwing his arms around his neck. “I love you, too, big guy.” Brutus licked his cheek in answer.

Cope moved in closer to me. “He’s trustworthy. Promise. Trace had him trained at one of the best facilities in the country. He’s been with our family since Arden was seventeen.”

I looked between the dog and Arden, yet again wondering what her story was. But before I could ask any careful questions, a ball of blue-gray fur tore across the living room with something in its mouth.

“Gretzky!” Luca yelled, launching to his feet to chase after the dog.

“That’s my slipper,” Cope shouted, moving in the direction that Luca and the dog had gone.

Brutus took off after them, thinking it was some new game.

Arden pushed to her feet, shaking her head. “You shouldn’t chase him. It only reinforces that it’s a game.”

“Tell that to my slipper,” Cope shot back, making a dash for the shoe but missing as Gretzky ran back in my direction.

“Someone had better find the other one,” I warned. “That’s liable to get holes in it, too.”

“I’ve got it,” Arden said, heading for the far hall as the boys raced after Gretzky.

I lowered myself into the overstuffed chair. This was too much excitement for my first venture out of bed in a day and a half.

“I found the other one,” Arden called. “But I don’t think you’re going to want to use it again, Cope.”

Cope strode back into the living room with Luca, Gretzky, and Brutus on his heels, just as Arden appeared holding a shoe out in front of her, as far away as possible, a big ole dog poo right in the slipper.

Cope’s jaw dropped. “There is no way all that shit came out of that tiny, adorable creature.”

Gretzky let out a yipping bark, dropping the slipper.

Cope turned to the puppy. “Tell me you didn’t expel that from your tiny body. It was Brutus, wasn’t it?”

Arden scoffed. “If it was Brutus, I wouldn’t be able to lift the slipper.”

Cope scrunched his nose. “For the love of God, take that thing outside. The puppy, too.”

“It’s okay, Gretzky,” Luca said, patting the puppy.

Cope sent them both a mock glare. “Tell that to my poor slipper.”

My phone dinged in my pocket, and I reached for it. I hoped like hell Thea wasn’t drowning at the bakery without me. But as I opened my text thread, I felt the blood drain from my face.

There was a screenshot of some sports blog featuring a photo of Cope and me coming out of the church after Teddy’s funeral. My head was tipped down, and my sunglasses covered much of my face. No one should’ve known it was me. But someone did.

Unknown Number

You think I don’t recognize your sweet little body, Blue Eyes?

My phone dinged again and again.

Unknown Number

Or that fucking necklace around your throat.

My fingers lifted to my neck. It was a little silver star adorned with gemstones. I wore it often and had since college. I’d only managed to hang on to the necklace because Roman knew the silver and gems were fake.

Unknown Number

Should’ve hocked that instead of that stupid, goddamned locket. Only got fifty bucks. And I’d say you owe me a hell of a lot more than that.

Unknown Number

I gave you everything. Clothes, cars, the house of your dreams. And you and that kid just took and took and took. It’s time you paid me back. Now I know where you are. Know you’ve got cash from your hockey player. I knew you could whore yourself to get what I needed.

Unknown Number

Pay up Blue Eyes or I’m coming for you and that kid.