Chapter Four

Cooper

"So, what was the fight about this time?"

Brady jumps out of the truck, looking back up at me, and raises his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. It's hotter than it ought to be, and I pull my t-shirt off over my head, dropping it to the floor of the truck before I join in him on the ground.

"She didn't want me to come here today. She wants more… she wants us to settle down. A combination of most of the things we usually fight about." I put just enough boredom into my voice to let him know this is nothing new… as if he didn't already know that.

"I get that you think you've got it made," he says, shaking his head. "You've told me often enough. But can you honestly say you're enjoying life with Meredith? It seems to me you're fighting more and more these days."

"Yeah, we are." As for ‘enjoying life', I guess a little less drama would be nice.

"In that case, do you really wanna go on seeing her?" he says, surprising me. That's not something I've considered before… probably because she always comes back before I have the chance. But if I'm being honest, I know that if Meredith left for good, I wouldn't miss a single thing… except the sex. Not because sex with Meredith is so fabulous, but because I like sex. A lot. And sex with Meredith is convenient.

Should I really be prioritizing convenience in an intimate sexual relationship? Probably not.

But at least I'm being honest. I'm not pretending to something I don't feel, or dressing this up to be something it isn't.

Brady's still staring at me, waiting for an answer I don't have, and I shrug my shoulders, pushing my fingers back through my hair. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because there's gotta be more to life than what you're doing, man."

"I'm not doing anything."

"Which is part of the problem."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're settling."

"Settling? You sound like Meredith."

"No. She wants to settle down. I'm talking about settling. You know? Making do…" He shakes his head. "I'd hate that," he says. "I'd hate to live with someone who made me feel as uncomfortable as you are."

"Which is why I don't live with her."

"No. You just share a bed with her every so often. That's not a relationship, Coop."

"I'm not looking for a relationship. I never have. Not in the sense you mean. I'm not like you."

"Maybe not. But tell me honestly, are you happy?"

He looks into my eyes, as only my oldest friend could, and I know I've got no place to hide.

"It could be worse," I murmur and he frowns.

"If that's your honest answer, then you also have to say it could be better, don't you?"

I'm sure it could, because even if Meredith is convenient, there's no getting away from the fact that we're very different people. We have practically nothing in common. Meredith can be noisy to the point of being raucous… which is something that's reflected in her art. It's loud and brash, and not to my tastes at all. I'm much more calm and laid back… which she interprets as ‘boring'. We don't like the same music, the same movies, and almost none of the same foods. And as for the fighting…

I sometimes think she enjoys it. She certainly instigates it. Every. Damn. Time.

I've often wondered if she does that for the make-up sex. Except that doesn't make sense. We only see each other on the weekends. Why would she waste that time fighting, just so we can make up, when we could have been having sex all along? It's what our weekends are all about… when she's not asking me for more, that is.

"Your silence speaks volumes," Brady says, his voice making me jump, although I hide it with a shrug of my shoulders.

"I was thinking."

"It shouldn't take that much thought."

I shake my head, unsure what to say next, just as Mallory comes out of the house, carrying two tall glasses of iced water. I could use a drink, but just for a second or two, I'm distracted by how good she looks. It's not like I haven't noticed her before… both at work, and this morning, when I stepped outside of my apartment and saw her standing there waiting for me. She's a beautiful woman, and any man would have to be blind not to notice her.

I guess the thing is, I've grown used to seeing her wearing skirts and blouses, with her long blonde hair tied up somehow to keep it out of the way, although there are usually a few stray strands, which she's left framing her lovely face… but that's beside the point. The point is, today she looks different. Not only is her hair hanging loose around her shoulders, in very sexy waves, but she's wearing cut-off shorts that reveal her fabulous legs, and a gray t-shirt that clings to her curves every time it catches in the breeze. It would be impossible not to admire her, and while that's perfectly normal for me, the fact that she works for me means it probably wouldn't be a good idea to get caught doing it. I'm about to look away when she stops walking, almost spilling the water, and stares at me, licking her lips. There's something very erotic about that move, and even if I'm not sure what's caused her sudden stillness, my cock responds to the sight of her slightly open mouth and glistening lips, and all the possibilities that brings to mind.

"Are those for us?" Brady says, breaking the moment.

Mallory startles, turning her attention to him, and steps forward, handing over the glasses. "Yes. Sorry."

"No need to apologize." He smiles at her, taking a sip of cool water. I copy him and am just about to thank Mallory for bringing out the drinks when Addy comes flying through the door. Her earlier shyness has clearly been forgotten, and she runs straight up to Brady, who quickly hands me his water, bending down to lift Addy into his arms.

"How's it going inside?" he says to her, standing up again.

"Okay," she replies, and he nods his head. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. You can ask me anything."

She tips her head in the cutest way imaginable and says, "You know how it hurts when you fall over?"

"Yes." Brady nods his head, waiting for her to get to the point.

"Well… does it hurt when you fall for someone?"

I can't help smiling, although I have no idea how Brady's going to handle that question, and I glance at Mallory, confused by the blush on her cheeks. That's kinda cute, too, and for a second or two, I'm distracted again… until Brady clears his throat.

"Sometimes," he says. "It depends who you've fallen for, and how they feel about you."

"What is falling for someone?" Addy asks. "Is it like tripping over them? Because that would be really careless."

Brady chuckles. "I guess. But it's not quite the same as tripping over, and it's not something you can control. It just happens."

Addy nods her head, like she's thinking, and then rests it on his shoulder, before she quickly pulls away. "Ew," she says, pulling a face.

"What?"

"Your t-shirt. It's all wet."

"Sorry. I'll take it off." He lowers her to the floor for a moment, yanking off his t-shirt and then lifts her into his arms again. "Better?"

"Much." She rests against him and he smiles, kissing the top of her head.

He's taken to being a step-father like a duck to water, and although I've never heard Addy call him anything other than ‘Brady', it wouldn't surprise me if the word ‘Daddy' crept in there sooner or later.

"Are we moving house today or not?" Laurel's voice makes us all jump and we turn collectively to see her coming out of the house, carrying a large box.

I dump the glasses just inside the back of the truck and go over to take it from her. "We're just taking a break," I say and she smiles up at me as I relieve her of the heavy burden she was carrying, and she comes to join us by the back of the truck, where I put the box by my feet.

"Addy told us it's going okay inside," Brady says.

"Yeah. We're nearly finished… thanks to Mallory."

She turns, and Mallory shakes her head, blushing again. That really is adorable, and I have to smile. She's staring at me, and just for a second, she smiles back. Once again, my cock responds, and although I know I shouldn't be thinking about her like that, I contemplate her delicate pink lips wrapped around my dick as I hold her long blonde hair behind her head, and…

"I didn't think you liked showing off your tattoo," Laurel says, bringing me back to reality, which is probably just as well.

"I don't mind when I'm among friends," Brady replies with a smile that's directed at me.

Does Laurel honestly think I wouldn't have known about his tattoo? He told me about it a few days after he had it done, which has gotta be something like nine or ten years ago. It seemed out of character, although I didn't question it, and he didn't explain the meaning behind the design of laurel leaves and roses. I only worked out the significance of that at the beginning of this year, a few days after he told me he'd been in love with Laurel since just before she went to college. He'd decided to wait for her to return, never expecting that when she did, she'd fall straight into the clutches of Mitch Bradshaw. The outcome of that brief liaison is currently being held in Brady's arms, and even though Mitch did the right thing and married Laurel, I'm pretty sure they both wish he hadn't. At the time, I'm imagine Laurel was relieved. She probably even believed herself to be happy. But she didn't know Mitch. Not like Brady and I did. We'd grown up with him. We knew what he was capable of.

As for Brady, he must have been devastated. He kept it to himself, though. I knew nothing of his feelings for Laurel at the time, but hearing that my best friend had been in love with someone who was unattainable, and had stayed in love with her for so long, made no sense to me. I'd never wait nine years for a woman. Hell, I'd struggle to wait nine minutes. But in Brady's case, it seems the wait was worth it.

Laurel looks up at Brady and leans in to him a little, her finger tracing over the lines of his tattoo, which starts on his chest and makes its way over his shoulder. They gaze into each other's eyes, and I guess Laurel must know the significance of the tattoo herself by now… that it's all about her.

Everything Brady does is about her… her and Addy now, and while I've never wanted anything like that for myself, I'm pleased for him. I'm pleased he's found what he was looking for.

I turn away to load the box into the truck, catching a glimpse of Mallory. She seems confused, although I'm not sure why… especially as she's staring at me. I glance down at my chest, just to make sure there's nothing untoward going on. Okay, so I'm a little sweaty, but there's not much I can do about that. Not in this heat.

With the box on the back of the truck, I grab the glasses of water, handing Brady his, so we can finish our drinks. We need to get on, and once we're done, we hand them back to Mallory. Laurel persuades Addy to let us continue with our work and go back in the house, and the three of them depart, although I notice Mallory glances at me over her shoulder as she gets to the front door.

"Do I look okay?" I whisper to Brady as he climbs back into the truck.

He stares down at me, tilting his head. "You look as okay as you usually do. Why?"

"No reason."

Except I can't work out why Mallory keeps staring at me. She sees me every day, and has barely given me a second glance before… not that I've noticed, anyway.

"If we can shift that couch further back," Brady says, "the beds will fit in more easily down the side."

I focus on the job in hand, and have to agree with him, climbing back inside the truck.

"You guys are gonna have way too much furniture, you know that, don't you?"

"Yeah," he says. "But we're gonna sell or donate most of Laurel's things. We've lived with it all for long enough, but she doesn't want the reminders of Mitch now we're starting our new life."

"And neither do you?" I say, grabbing one end of the couch.

"No, I don't. So, we're just gonna dump most of it in the garage at the new house, except Addy's bed, and some of the things from the kitchen."

"And clothes?" I say with a smile.

"Obviously."

I nod my head and between us, we lift the couch, moving it to where it needs to be.

It takes another three hours, but eventually, everything from Laurel's old house is packed into the truck, and Brady climbs into the cab to drive it over to Cedar Street. Laurel follows behind in her Lexus, along with Addy, and Mallory and I bring up the rear. I know where we're going, so I don't worry about sticking too close to them, to the point where I take my time, putting my t-shirt back on before getting into the car.

"Are you okay?" I ask, turning to face Mallory.

"I'm fine, thanks." She gives me a smile, which seems much more like the ones she'd offer when we're working together at the clinic, and I wonder if I imagined that interlude earlier. Was it just the fact that I thought she looked sexy and adorable that made me read more into her reactions?

Probably.

I start the engine, turning the car, and driving slowly toward the main road.

"Where are we going now?" Mallory asks, breaking into my thoughts. Not that I mind.

"Cedar Street."

"Is that where Brady lives?" I glance at her as we get to the top of the driveway, noting that her lips are slightly parted and I struggle not to recall my earlier thoughts. She really has got a beautiful and very fuckable mouth. What I don't understand is why I've never noticed it properly before.

The answer to that certainly isn't because I'm seeing someone else and wouldn't dream of looking at another woman. Being with Meredith has never stopped me from looking before. It's never stopped me from having wayward thoughts, either. So why now? And why Mallory? Why have I failed to see those delectable lips, or wonder about having them wrapped around my cock? Presumably because whenever I've looked at Mallory, I've either been thinking about work, or I've been more focused on her captivating ass.

"No." I say, remembering to speak at least, although I'm surprised by the slight croak in my voice.

"But I thought we were moving both houses into one?"

"We are, but we're gonna offload all of Laurel's things at their new place in Cedar Street before we collect Brady's."

"Oh, I see."

"Sorry. This is probably a lot more work than you bargained for," I say, pulling out onto the main road.

"No. It's fine."

"On the bright side, we're only dumping most of this into the garage."

"Really?"

"Yes. They're gonna use Brady's furniture for the best part."

"Because her furniture brings back memories of the past?" she says, reminding me I told her the story behind Mitch's death while we were driving over here. I don't know why I did that. It's not something I've told anyone before. But I still feel guilty for asking Mallory to keep it to herself. That didn't need to be said. I know she's not a gossip, and that I can trust her… but I guess I was confused. Not by Mallory's perfect mouth, or by the way she blushes and smiles at me… although she's not doing that anymore. No, I was confused by the fact that I'd shared a secret with my receptionist, and not the woman with whom I occasionally share my bed.

"Something like that," I say.

"That's understandable."

"Yeah, it is."

I turn onto Cedar Street, spotting the truck and Laurel's car almost immediately. Their house is the third one along on the left and I park up, getting out of the car. I'm about to go around to help Mallory, but she's already getting out by herself, and she stands, her hands on her hips, and smiles over at me. "It's a lovely house."

I nod my head. All the houses down here are the same; detached with a yard out front, space for a couple of cars and a large garage… which is just as well, considering what we've got to put inside Brady and Laurel's. Inside the houses, there are four bedrooms upstairs, and in Brady and Laurel's case, a completely open-plan downstairs. I haven't seen it for myself, but he told me all about it not long after they first came to see the place, unable to stop smiling.

Our job may have been made easier by the fact that we're not putting all of Laurel's furniture into the house, but there's still a lot to do, so rather than standing around admiring the place, we get on with unloading the truck.

We're only about ten minutes in before I need to take off my t-shirt again, although I throw it into my car this time, worried it'll get muddled up with Laurel's things. When I return to the truck, I can't help noticing that Mallory's staring again, and that she keeps biting on her bottom lip. There's something about the look in her eyes that makes me smile. That's because I've seen that look before – although not on Mallory. I know it well enough, though, and I realize what she's doing now, and why she keeps gazing at me. She's admiring the view… just like I am. The fact that she stares at me most of all when I'm not wearing my t-shirt is very gratifying, and I have to say, I'd like her to return the favor, so I could admire her properly.

She and Laurel focus on taking some of the clothes and kitchen things into the house, while Brady and I take care of the heavy furniture.

"Can I assume you've measured the bedrooms to make sure your bed's gonna fit?" I say, as we deposit Laurel's old bed at the back of the garage.

Brady has a bed that's seven feet long, and he smiles up at me.

"Do I look stupid?"

"Occasionally."

He shakes his head, smiling, and I can tell he's already so much more relaxed for having left behind the house that used to belong to Mitch Bradshaw.

"Addy's chosen her room, and Laurel and I think we're gonna have the one at the front."

"Because it's next to Addy's?"

"No, because it's next to…" His voice fades and he pushes his fingers back through his hair.

"What's wrong?" I ask, turning to face him.

"Nothing."

"Then why did you stop talking, and why do you look so troubled?"

"Because I wasn't supposed to say that."

"Say what? You didn't say anything."

He sighs. "Maybe not, but… oh, I guess it can't hurt to tell you, just so long as you promise to keep it to yourself."

"Keep what to myself?"

"That the room next door to ours is going to make the perfect nursery."

Nursery? I struggle to take that in for a second… but only a second.

"Are you telling me Laurel's pregnant? Seriously, Brady… what's wrong with you? Why have you let her carry heavy boxes all day?"

"Because she's not pregnant yet," he says. "We thought she was, but she wasn't, and now…"

"And now you're trying to make sure she is?" I say with a smile, which he returns.

"Yes, if you must know."

"So this isn't entirely planned? It's more of an accident that didn't happen, but which you've now realized you both want?"

"Exactly."

"I'm guessing that means you were less than careful at some stage?"

"Maybe."

I shake my head at him. "I thought you knew the rules, man."

"I do. But one day you're gonna meet someone who makes you lose your mind, and forget every rule in the book. And I wanna be around when it happens."

"It won't," I say firmly. It never has yet, and I can't see why that would change… even though he has, beyond recognition. "I didn't realize you wanted kids," I say, putting our focus back on him. I feel more comfortable that way.

"Neither did I until now. But Laurel wanted to have another baby… with Mitch." I notice his slight hesitation and shake my head.

"Yeah… like that was ever gonna happen. He'd never have agreed."

"On the contrary. He did."

I can't believe it. "He agreed? Seriously?"

"Yeah… at least in principle."

"Because in practice he was knocking up Kaylee Prentice?"

He sighs, frowning. "Yeah," he says. "Although I guess we'll never know whether that was intentional."

"I shouldn't think it was… not when he was still married to Laurel."

"No, but Mitch has never been very careful, has he?"

Addy's presence in the world is testimony to that, and I shake my head.

"He was a real piece of work, wasn't he?"

"Something like that. It's been plaguing Laurel for a while."

"Kaylee's pregnancy?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "That, and Mitch's motives."

"In screwing around?"

"In all kinds of things. She's still coming to terms with it all, and she keeps firing questions at me… like the other day, she asked me why I thought Mitch had proposed to her."

"What did you say?" I ask.

"I started to say it was because he loved her. I didn't want to offend her, but she told me not to bullshit her."

"At least she can see him for what he was."

"I know, but she still needs answers."

"Did you have any?"

"I told her he probably did it so no-one here would think badly of him."

"We all thought badly of him."

He smiles at the reminder. "Those of us who really knew him did, but there were still enough people who thought he practically walked on water, and Mitch liked that. Plus, he'd only just opened the gym. He wouldn't have wanted to tarnish his reputation by abandoning Laurel, having got her pregnant."

"No, I guess not."

He lets out a sigh. "It's just a shame he couldn't have been faithful to her."

"You don't mean that," I say, and he smiles.

"No, I don't… not really."

He heads for the garage door, to go back out to the truck, and I follow. "You're sure this is what you want?" I say and he turns to face me, looking puzzled. "You're not just trying to make Laurel's dreams come true by having a baby with her?"

He smiles. "I'd do anything for her, you know that. But I want this, too, Coop. I really do." His smile fades and I'm struck by the bleak look on his face. "I can't tell you how gut-wrenching it's been the last couple of months, when we've found out Laurel's not pregnant. Obviously it's worse for Laurel, but I… I feel like such a fucking failure."

"Hey, man… It's not your fault."

"Really? It sure as hell isn't Laurel's, is it? She fell pregnant the first time she was with Mitch, so…"

"That's not what I meant. You guys have had a lot going on, and most of it has been pretty stressful. You just said Laurel's still plagued by what Mitch did. Between that and moving house, and everything else you've been dealing with, I think you need to cut yourselves some slack. Get settled into your new home and give yourselves a chance to relax for once. I'm sure it'll happen."

He smiles, although it's a little half-hearted, and I feel sorry for him. I may never have wanted to be a father myself, but that doesn't mean I don't get it.

"You're probably right," he says.

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right. And in the meantime, just enjoy yourselves… unless you've forgotten how to have fun, of course."

He shakes his head at me and murmurs, "As if," under his breath, jumping up into the back of the truck, while I smile at him.