12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

London

I wake up feeling so alive and refreshed it's unnerving. The house is empty, and I miss both of them so much I take a quick shower and walk over to Colton's ranch, where I know they are. He has a house full, with two of his brothers and a friend from work over. Bean is riding Maya, while another boy is riding Rebel. I'm introduced to Luke, a coworker at the airline that the Ford brothers own, and after some small talk, with one eye on Bean, and the other eye on Cooper, who can't take his eyes off me, Bean returns from her horse ride and dismounts with Colton's help.

Bean trots over to me, as we talk amongst ourselves, and gives me a hug. "Did you have a good nap, mommy?"

"I did, thank you. Did you have fun riding Maya?"

She nods emphatically.

"You can come over and ride her anytime." Colton reiterates.

Luke interjects. "Yeah, my kids are over here a lot."

Cooper's hand is in mine. Bean notices, and then she looks up at me, with a puzzled look on her face. "Mommy?"

"Yes, baby?"

"You still look really tired. I don't understand how you can sleep with Cooper, without clothes, and get a good night's rest. Didn't you always say that a good pair of pyjamas is the key to getting a good night's sleep?"

My face heats. Jack has to turn away, but I can see his shoulders vibrating. Colton covers his face with his hand, scrubbing it up and down. Luke purses his lips together, turning his focus on his kids, who are playing in the barn, pretending in vain like he didn't hear her comment loud and clear. And Wade, well, Wade doesn't have a filter. He doesn't even try to mask the awkwardness. His voice is flat and his eyes are dancing. "Yeah, mommy…what are you doing not wearing any pyjamas? And in bed with Cooper, too, huh?"

Cooper releases my hand and walks by Wade, muttering to him under his breath. "Thanks, asshole."

I go for aloof, since I know I'm sunk, no matter which way I go here. "Well, mommy forgot her pyjamas." Okay, so I lied. Tell me you've never told a little white lie your entire life. I choked.

Bean isn't convinced. She places a hand on her waist. "You forgot your pyjamas?" She turns to Cooper. "And you didn't notice that my mommy wasn't wearing any pyjamas?"

Jack is bent over, coughing, he's trying so hard not to laugh. Colton tries but fails not to snort a laugh, but at least he has the grace to walk away, pretending to tend to the kids in the barn. Luke joins him, but the vibration of his shoulders is unmistakable from behind him. And Wade, well, he's just so helpful. "Yeah, hey, Coop. How come you didn't remind her to go get her pyjamas?" He's enjoying this all too much, smiling, practically beaming, almost dancing on the spot with glee.

Cooper grits his teeth together, but his face is twisted into a smile. "Well, I would have, but I was asleep." He says through said gritted teeth.

"Oh, I'm sure you were." Wade says unconvincingly.

Jack takes a breath, inhaling and exhaling with effort, trying like hell to keep his composure.

"Yes, Bean," I say. "Cooper was asleep, and I forgot my pyjamas."

She tilts her head, still full of questions, evidently. "And why were you in his bed, anyway? You were sleeping in my bed."

Wade gets his licks in. "Yeah. Just what were you doing in bed with Cooper? Without pyjamas?"

"I woke up and went to the washroom, and I forgot which room I was in." I explain, speaking in pauses, making it up as I go along.

Wade mockingly places a finger on his chin, while Cooper purposely steps on his foot to try to shut him up, but Wade is adamant to dig a bigger hole. "When exactly did the pyjamas come off?"

I draw in a deep breath, face burning, realizing that I'm drowning. Bean's face is set as she awaits my answer. "Well, when I woke up, I thought it was time to get up for work, so I took them off to get dressed, but then I was half asleep, and when I realized it wasn't time to get up, I forgot to put them on."

"And you forgot to go back in the room with Bean." Wade adds, eyes dancing, trying but failing to keep a straight face.

"And why didn't Cooper tell you you were in the wrong bed?" Bean asks.

"I was asleep." Cooper says, too quickly.

"Yeah, that must have been tiring, having a woman sleeping next to you, naked, wasn't it, Coop." Wade mutters, but we all hear him.

Jack is taking cleansing breaths, but he still can't contain himself, so he's not even trying to turn around so we can see him. Luke keeps looking over here, but both him and Colton are doing their best not to overhear, since they see the reaction on both Jack and Wade's faces.

Bean shakes her head and huffs, walking towards the house, taking my hand in hers.

…"Oh, mommy. I hate to tell you, but you were having sex."

Cooper

I can still hear Wade laughing as we walk back to the house. Remind me to kill him a little bit, later. The good news is, after all that hooplah, that Bean made a couple of new friends. Luke's kids are great. Maggie is about Bean's age, and Brad and Brent, Maggie's twin brothers, are two years younger. As we walk back into the house, I quickly change the subject. "So, did you have fun with Luke's kids?" I ask Bean.

"Yeah, they're fun." Her face changes. "But their mommy died. It's so sad."

London places a hand on her back, face sobering. "Oh, I know, sweetheart. It's terrible."

I try to get in there, not letting the subject lessen the holiday mood, despite the little hiccup a moment ago. "Hey, why don't you go grab that wreath-shaped pan? We'll make a wreath cake and decorate it with the rest of them little candies and food coloring and things."

Bean manages a smile. "Okay. Is it in the basement? Where you showed me?"

"It sure is." I grin, hoping to God that she isn't catching on that I want a moment alone with her mama.

"I'll go get it."

As soon as Bean walks down the stairs to the basement, I turn to London. "I'm so sorry about that."

She chuckles. "It's okay. It couldn't be avoided. Is Bean okay in the basement alone?"

I wave. "She's fine. She loves it down there. I've got all kinds of neat things for her to check out."

Her voice lowers. "How did Luke's wife...pass?"

"Oh, she got into a car accident. Head on. Died instantly. It was tragic. I remember when Colton told me about it. I went to the funeral. Don't know the guy well, but he's been coming around here for a while. He's the only dude at the airline with kids that young or at all."

"And they were divorced?"

I nod."Yeah.A couple of years."

"And she didn't take the kids with her?"

I swallow, thinking about the story. "She was one of them types. Not cut out to be a mama, I suppose. Didn't have a healthy bond with the kids. The twins were an accident, and she was devastated, Luke said. She never wanted any kids but ended up having three. It was too much."

"Gosh, I don't mean to judge, but I couldn't imagine not having children. Bean is the light of my life."

I smile. "I can see that. She's quickly become the light of mine, too."

Something flashes in her eyes. They sparkle. "God, I love you."

"I love you, too." I kiss her on the mouth. "You ever run away from me, and I'll search the ends of the earth and back for you."

Her eyes suddenly get glossier. "Oh, don't cry, baby." I chuckle, resting my forehead on hers tenderly. "I know that there's a lot you can't tell me, but you are in safe hands, darlin'. I promise you that."

Snaking her arms around my neck, she embraces me, pulling me close. I squeeze her tight to me. And that's when Bean comes upstairs, holding the pan in her hand. She sets it down and joins the hug. London takes one of her arms and wraps it around her, so it's a three-way hug. "See? We make a nice family, don't we?"

London chuckles, swallowing back her emotion. "Yes, I suppose we do, baby."

"Good. Now all this family needs is a kitten."

We both snort a laugh and release each other. "God, Bean, what am I going to do with you?" London says.

Bean shrugs. "I don't know. Buy me a kitten?"

I pick the wreath pan up. "Well, don't expect one under the tree."

"Or ever." London adds. "Come on. Let's get dinner made. I have to go to work soon."

London

Blake hands me my drink order, and I take it to the awaiting table. There is no live band tonight, but there is Christmas music playing, and no dance floor available. It's ironic how the festive season brings in more patrons ready to drink and toss out all their hard-earned money, instead of socking it away for Christmas presents. But I won't complain. The tips are good, and it's all I can do to not take over Blake's books back in his office. The man is terrible at accounting. His records are so poor I'm surprised he hasn't been audited yet. I'm so eager to help him more than I already have, but anything I do will be a dead giveaway.

The questions will only lead to danger. It makes my gut clench though, because he's such a wonderful man, and he's given me way more tips than I've earned. I'm certain he knows that I've got some trouble. Something tells me that everyone that patronizes and works here at Mingles has some unspoken issue. Like Liz, one of the other waitresses. She's as smart as a whip and is cut out for way more than this place, yet she works her tail off, providing for her son. Her boyfriend, Nate's father, doesn't sound like much to me. But who am I to judge? Look what I was married to.

After I deliver the drink order, I see Cooper walk into the bar, and I'm shocked. His face is odd. It doesn't light up when he sees me, and he's supposed to be at home, watching Bean, so I know that something is wrong, and my stomach clenches at the thought. But when I find out what's wrong, it's nothing like what I thought.

Cooper

Even though my mind is reeling after my surprise guest showed up earlier, I take the first opportunity to talk to Colton, as I enter the bar. "You got trouble, man?" He asks me, not expecting to see me tonight.

"Yes and no, but it's not what you're thinking, and I can't talk about that now, while London's here."

"You mean Stella." He says firmly, reminding me that I have to put that hat on right now.

"Yeah." I nod in thanks. "Listen, I need you to hire me some suits to watch her for me. She's in way more trouble than I thought."

"This from Jenkins?" He confirms.

Another nod. "Exactly. Are you able to help me out without her knowing?"

"I sure can.Consider it done."

"Thanks, man." I shake his hand. "I've got to go talk to her. Do you think Blake will mind?"

"He'll insist. Just let him know on your way in."

"Sure thing."

I motion to Blake and he gives me a nod and gestures to his office. It's like if none of us could talk around here, it wouldn't be a problem, since we're all so used to hand gestures and the like, when we're on stage. London looks at me and I gesture to her for her to follow me. She delivers the rest of her drink order and Blake motions to Liz to go and cover her table. "Hey, darlin'. Sorry to interrupt, but I had to talk to you." I tell her, as I close the door.

"You look like you're going to puke, Cooper. What's wrong?"

I kiss her quickly, not wanting this to feel like it's a lecture, or that anything has changed between us, because nothing has, nor will it, ever. "Don't worry. I dropped Bean over at Liz's so Nate could watch her. This won't take long."

"Is everything okay?"

I sort of sidestep the question. "I wanted to tell you myself, before word got around. I'd never want you to think that I'd keep anything from you." I hear it the moment it comes out of my mouth, but it's too late. My eyes roll and I sigh. "That's not what I meant."

"Cooper, honey, out with it." She prompts. "I know what you mean."

The air comes out of my lungs quickly and I just blurt it out. "I had a visitor at the house a little while ago. It was Tommy's daughter. You know? My landlord?"

Her face falls."Yes.I remember."

I rake a hand through my hair. "Tommy died."

"Oh my God."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I said."

She's in shock, just like I still am. "H...how?"

"Heart attack. He went fast. Doctors said he didn't feel a thing."

It takes a moment for her to process. And I'm silent, letting her do just that, before I say more. After a few beats, she says. "I'm so sorry. I know that you were good friends with him for a long time."

"Yeah. We were. He was a great guy. He barely charged me anything for rent, like I told you. And he wouldn't take anything more for you and Bean being there, either."

"You told me that before, too." She says, almost dreamily. "But, what does this mean? Are they going to sell the house?"

"No. That's why I wanted to come and see you. Because word's going to spread around town fast, I think."

Her gaze is on mine. Concerned washed all over her face. "What's going on?"

"Well, that's why Laura wanted to see me." I pause to clear my throat, and take a second to explain. "Tommy left the house to me. In his will it's clearly stated. He wants me to have the house, the property, everything."

She blinks, still in a state of shock. "But, what about his family? Why didn't he leave it to his family?"

"London, that family is rich. And they own all the rest of his estate. Not to downgrade the levity of this generous gift, but, that house is likely a drop in the bucket compared to all that his kids just inherited."

"So, it's yours? All yours?" She clarifies.

"Laura also said that he left enough money for me to pay for all the expenses and upkeep for the rest of my life. She said that she would arrange for the payments to go into my bank every month, or I could get a lump sum."

"Jesus. Are you serious?" Her eyes are wide.

"I'm very serious. Tommy was beyond kind and generous. And he trusted me. I'm so grateful. I just...I don't even know what to say."

I do know what to say. I want to tell her that I want her and Bean to stay with me, forever, but I know that she'll freak out. With all that I know and shouldn't know, I know that that would be a reasonable reaction. London can't make any commitments to me and I get it. But this is one hell of a Christmas gift. "I feel awful. I can't imagine how hard this must be for his kids."

"Yeah." She shakes her head. "Are you okay? I mean, I know that this is a huge shock, and I know how close you are to him."

I'm closer to you. I love you more than I've ever loved anything else in the whole world, and I want you to stay with me, always. In this house that I can now call my own. Our house. But I know that there's not a damn thing I can do about it now. You couldn't even sign your name on the deed right now. Is all I want to say to her, but none of those words gets uttered. Instead, I just say. "Yeah. I'll be okay. I'm sorry to barge in on your shift, but I didn't think that this could wait. I'm sure some of these boys in here tonight are going to get wind of it, and I didn't want you to find out from anyone else except me."

"You're sweet. I appreciate you doing that, but it wasn't necessary." She says softly, pulling me to her. "I would never begrudge you for something like that, especially after all that you've done for me and Bean."

"All the same, I thought you should know."

There are so many other things I think you should know, too, but I can't tell you any of them. Just like you can't tell any of your secrets to me.

...but all this soon comes crashing down, and there's nothing that either of us can do to stop it.