11. Cooper/Miles

Chapter 11

Cooper/Miles

C OOPER

I woke up feeling the warmth of another body next to mine, a comforting sensation that made the unfamiliar surroundings fade away.

The gentle rise and fall of Miles' chest as he snored softly brought a smile to my face

Last night, after our boat ride, we had driven back to his house, and now, waking up here in his room felt unexpectedly right.

I recalled how we had both snuck past Sawyer, who had fallen asleep in the living room.

In hindsight, we probably didn't need to be so stealthy since Sawyer already knew about us.

Remembering that Sawyer had a hospital appointment for another physical therapy session later, I decided to see if my best friend was still around.

I leaned over and kissed Miles on the cheek, watching his serene expression for a moment before slipping out of bed.

As I made my way downstairs, the comforting smell of brewing coffee wafted through the air. Sure enough, Sawyer was in the kitchen, pouring himself a cup.

"You guys got in late last night," he said with a grin as he handed me a mug.

"I took Miles on a boat ride," I explained, savoring the warmth of the coffee in my hands.

Sawyer raised an eyebrow. "A boat ride, huh? Sounds romantic."

"It was," I admitted, feeling a flush of pride and happiness. "We had a lot to talk about."

Sawyer nodded, sipping his coffee thoughtfully. "I'm glad to see you two finally figuring things out. Miles deserves someone who makes him happy," Sawyer said.

"He does," I agreed, thinking back to the look of contentment on Miles' face last night. "And I'll do whatever it takes to keep making him happy."

Sawyer gave me a long, appraising look. "You've come a long way, Coop. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," I said. "How are you feeling about your session today?"

Sawyer shrugged, a shadow crossing his face. "It's been tough, but I'm getting there. Just gotta keep pushing through," he said.

"You'll get through it," I told him firmly. "You've got us by your side."

He smiled. "Yeah, I know. And it's good to see you by Miles' side too. Just don't sneak past me next time," he joked.

I chuckled. "Deal. No more sneaking."

As I washed my mug at the sink, a suspicious Range Rover parked in the driveway of the house across the street caught my eye.

It couldn't be the neighbor's; I recalled Miles mentioning that their neighbor of five years had just moved out, and the lot was now empty.

My good mood evaporated as I tried to make out the driver through the tinted windows but failed.

"Say, Sawyer, I think I'm heading out for a run," I announced casually.

"What? Why now all of a sudden?" Sawyer asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

"When's your session again?" I countered, trying to divert his attention. "I'm just in the mood for a run."

Sawyer furrowed his brows, clearly sensing something was up. He glanced out the window and noticed the vehicle as well.

"Alright, enjoy your run. My session is still in a couple of hours," he said, his tone laced with suspicion.

Reassured that Miles wouldn't be alone in the house, I borrowed some clothes from Sawyer and headed out for my pretend run.

I kept my pace steady, doing a quick circuit of the neighborhood, all the while keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble. My heart pounded not from the exertion but from the tension coiling inside me.

When I looped back around, I wasn't surprised to see the Range Rover still parked there.

I slowed my pace, making it seem like I was winding down from my run, and approached the vehicle cautiously.

As I got closer, I tried again to get a better look at the driver, but the tinted windows gave nothing away.

I circled the block again, this time coming up from the other side to see if I could catch anything different.

My instincts were on high alert. Whoever was in that vehicle was watching Miles' house, and I couldn't shake the feeling that it was one of Ryder's wolves.

They were watching Sawyer and Miles' home now?

Ryder sure had some guts, sending people here, encroaching on Sawyer and Miles' private space and spying on them.

It made my blood boil. This was a direct threat to the people I cared about, and I wasn't going to stand for it.

This time, I approached the Range Rover from behind the cover of nearby trees and bushes. As I got closer, I noticed the engine was still running.

Whoever was inside, they were ready to leave at a moment's notice. Taking a deep breath, I crept closer until I was almost beside the vehicle. With a quick motion, I peered through the gap in the window.

Seeing Garth sitting in the driver's seat, his eyes fixed on Miles' house, my anger spiked. I knew confronting Garth directly could escalate things, but I couldn't let him keep spying on them.

I circled back to the front of the vehicle, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the open.

"Garth," I called out, trying to keep my voice steady. "What are you doing here?"

He turned his head slowly. Garth seemed momentarily surprised, but then he smirked. "Just keeping an eye on things, Coop. You know how it is," he said.

That excuse again, I thought, irritated.

"Yeah, I know how it is," I replied, stepping closer. "And I know you're not welcome here. Leave now, and there won't be any trouble."

Garth chuckled, his smug grin igniting a fire in my chest. "I'll leave when I'm good and ready. Ryder just wants to make sure everything's in order," he said, his tone dripping with arrogance.

My temper snapped like a brittle twig. In an instant, I partially shifted, my hands transforming into lethal claws. The glass of the passenger side window exploded into shards, scattering like confetti.

Garth's bravado faltered, his eyes widening with a flash of genuine fear.

"You didn't even notice me approach you. What kind of spy are you?" I taunted.

His glower deepened, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. I retracted my claws, forcing myself to calm down, though my blood still boiled.

"Consider this your warning. Next time, you won't get off so easy," I growled, my words carrying a promise of retribution.

Garth's gaze flicked between me and the shattered window, the threat sinking in.

Without a word, he started the engine and drove away, the tires screeching as he sped off.

I stood there, watching the taillights disappear down the street, my pulse pounding in my ears. After taking a few deep breaths, I returned to the house.

MILES

I stood by the kitchen entrance, puzzled by a few things.

First, why had we ended up back at my place instead of Cooper's motel room last night?

Second, why wasn't Cooper beside me when I woke up? And third, what on earth was Sawyer doing by the sink, standing as still as a statue?

He hadn't moved an inch for the past five minutes.

I bet if I threw a spoon at his head, he wouldn't even flinch. I really wanted to test it out but decided against it—Sawyer had just gotten out of the hospital.

Instead, I shuffled over to the fridge, my slippers squeaking against the wooden floor.

Sawyer didn't seem to notice, still fixated on whatever was outside the window. I opened the fridge door, making sure to clink a couple of bottles as I took out the milk.

Still no reaction from him.

Finally, I slammed the door shut, causing him to jump. He quickly pulled down the blinds, blocking my view of whatever had caught his attention.

"Should I grab you a chair or some binoculars or something—hey!" I exclaimed as Sawyer turned me around and guided me to the table, forcing me to sit with my back to the window.

For someone who'd just been discharged from the hospital, he was annoyingly strong.

"Seriously, what were you looking at?" I asked, my annoyance growing with each new surprise this morning.

This wasn't how I imagined starting my day. I had expected to wake up with Cooper beside me, maybe some cuddling, maybe something more.

I definitely didn't expect to see my brother first thing, and certainly not doing this.

"Hey!" I repeated more forcefully when Sawyer didn't respond.

Before he could answer, the front door slammed shut. It was Cooper.

Sawyer, moving as quickly as he could with his slight limp, hurried over to Cooper and pulled him into the hallway.

They started talking in hushed, urgent tones, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.

Curious, I stood up and tiptoed toward them. Just as I reached halfway, they both came back into the kitchen.

Sawyer noticed my attempts to listen in and smirked. "Eavesdropping again, Mily?" He ruffled my hair with the old nickname he hadn't used in years.

I frowned, swatting his hand away. "I'm not a kid anymore. And don't call me that."

It was a name Sawyer used to get rid of me when I tried to tag along or listen in on him and Cooper back when we were kids.

It would get me riled up, and I'd usually hit him on the shoulder or whichever part of him I could reach, or stomp away. But now, the words didn't bother me as much.

Because in the past, Cooper would join in on the teasing, laughing along with Sawyer. This time, though, Cooper shook his head, walked over, and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

"Good morning. Have you eaten?" he asked.

I was stunned, not sure if it was because Cooper kissed me in front of my brother or because he seemed to be taking my side.

The gesture was unexpected, a clear break from the teasing I'd braced myself for. Sawyer raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised too.

The atmosphere was tense, with an awkward silence hanging over us. Sawyer cleared his throat, breaking the quiet. Cooper just smiled and gave my shoulder a quick squeeze.

I felt a bit embarrassed, not used to this kind of public affection, especially in front of my brother.

I could feel my face heating up. I ran my fingers through my hair nervously and quickly turned to grab the loaf of bread from the kitchen counter.

"Do you want some toast?" I asked, trying to shift the focus.

"Sure, thanks," Cooper replied.

I heard the chairs scraping against the floor as Sawyer and Cooper took their seats at the table.

For a moment, I thought things were settling back to normal and we could just focus on breakfast.

But when I turned to set the plate of toast on the table, I noticed it moving slightly, as if someone were pushing it from underneath. They were clearly trying to kick or nudge each other under the table.

I rolled my eyes. They could be so childish sometimes.

I placed the plate down a little too forcefully, and the noise made them stop immediately. Cooper coughed and smiled.

"Thanks," he said, reaching for a piece of toast.

As I glanced at Cooper's hand, I noticed it was bruised and had small cuts with tiny shards of glass still embedded in them. My breath caught in my throat.

"Cooper, what happened?" I asked, grabbing his hand.

Cooper and Sawyer exchanged a glance, and the room fell into an uncomfortable silence. I stood up abruptly, anger bubbling over.

"You two aren't saying anything? Fine." I marched over to the kitchen cabinet and pulled out the first aid kit.

"I know you're both hiding something. What happened out there?" I demanded, my voice trembling slightly as I returned to the table.

I locked eyes with Sawyer, hoping he'd break first. But he just glanced at Cooper, as if silently asking, "Are we going to tell him or not?"

Just as they were about to respond, my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Uncle Ben.

There were also over 30 unread messages, which made my heart race.

I picked up the phone. "Uncle Ben?"

"Son, you need to get down to the bookstore. Your friend is panicking, and there are a lot of people here," Uncle Ben said urgently.