“like I’m on … trial. How about, as my brothers, you just support me regardless . I’m pretty damn sure Mum would have wanted you to do that.”
* * *
Coop glanced around at the unhappy little gathering as a fraught silence descended. It seemed like none of the Weston brothers liked being called on their bullshit or having their mother used against them for a change. Still, he didn’t understand why Lacey didn’t just admit she’d been impulsive and retract her statement?
Unless … he glanced at her as the same sense of foreboding he’d felt last night when he’d woken to her knock returned. What if she was pregnant? Was that the real reason she’d been in such a state last night? He thought back to when she’d said she couldn’t stomach breakfast in a whole new light.
Had she been crying so hard last night because she was pregnant to that lying, cheating scumbag?
Crap. He needed to talk to her. To get to the bottom of this.
To get to Jeremy before Marcus got out his shotgun.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
“Who is it?” Ethan asked again, his voice low and ominous and Coop knew none of them were going to stop badgering her until she confessed.
The scraping of a chair against the floor boards was loud in the tense silence. Coop was surprised to find it was his, that he was on his feet, that every head had swivelled in his direction.
“It’s me,” Coop heard himself say as he slid his hand onto Lacey’s waist. “I’m the father.”
There was stunned silence as Lacey tensed in his hold. “Coop,” she murmured, “no …”
He squeezed her hip reassuringly. Sure, he’d acted on impulse but the last thing he needed was for Lacey to mess it up. It was about to get messy enough. But if she really was pregnant to that Jeremy prick then Coop knew he was a far better option right now. At least until he could get to the bottom of it all.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ethan demanded, his voice an ominous growl as his eyes shot daggers in Coop’s direction. “You’ve been sleeping with my little sister?”
Lacey shifted in his hold but Coop kept a firm hand on her waist. “I’m sorry man, it just happened.”
And at least that was the truth.
Ethan shook his head. “I asked you,” he yelled, stabbing the table with his index finger as Lacey tensed, “to look out for her.”
“Ethan,” JJ said, also now standing, placing a hand on his arm again.
But Ethan shook her off and stalked towards him, and Coop braced for what he knew was to come. He let go of Lacey and met Ethan half way. “You think because someone shot you in the head that I’m not going to punch you in the face?” Ethan demanded.
“Nope,” Coop admitted. “I don’t think that at all.” In fact he expected it.
“Ethan,” Jarrod said, a warning in his voice as he and Marcus moved to avert what was coming.
“It’s not a good look, Eth, for the chief of police to be punching people in the face,” Marcus said as he and Jarrod each put a restraining hand on Ethan’s shoulders.
“He’s right Ethan,” JJ murmured.
“Of course I am,” Marcus nodded. “But there’s absolutely no reason why I can’t.”
Coop stood his ground as Marcus pulled back his fist. When it landed on his jaw the crack wiped out the noise of Lacey’s horrified gasp.
His head snapped back and Coop went down.
Chapter Five
‡
P ain exploded along Coop’s jaw and stars swam behind his closed eyes as he hit the floorboards.
Lacey’s horrified, “ Marcus!” floated down to him, then she was on her knees beside him, one hand on his chest, the other on his forehead. “Coop? Coop! Are you okay? Can you open your eyes?”
Coop wasn’t sure. He was struggling to remember his own name at the moment. “ Coop! ”
The urgency in her voice yanked at his gut and he concentrated really hard on prising open his eyelids. And there was her beautiful face, all concerned and tear stained, hovering over the top of his, her
* * *
Coop glanced around at the unhappy little gathering as a fraught silence descended. It seemed like none of the Weston brothers liked being called on their bullshit or having their mother used against them for a change. Still, he didn’t understand why Lacey didn’t just admit she’d been impulsive and retract her statement?
Unless … he glanced at her as the same sense of foreboding he’d felt last night when he’d woken to her knock returned. What if she was pregnant? Was that the real reason she’d been in such a state last night? He thought back to when she’d said she couldn’t stomach breakfast in a whole new light.
Had she been crying so hard last night because she was pregnant to that lying, cheating scumbag?
Crap. He needed to talk to her. To get to the bottom of this.
To get to Jeremy before Marcus got out his shotgun.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
“Who is it?” Ethan asked again, his voice low and ominous and Coop knew none of them were going to stop badgering her until she confessed.
The scraping of a chair against the floor boards was loud in the tense silence. Coop was surprised to find it was his, that he was on his feet, that every head had swivelled in his direction.
“It’s me,” Coop heard himself say as he slid his hand onto Lacey’s waist. “I’m the father.”
There was stunned silence as Lacey tensed in his hold. “Coop,” she murmured, “no …”
He squeezed her hip reassuringly. Sure, he’d acted on impulse but the last thing he needed was for Lacey to mess it up. It was about to get messy enough. But if she really was pregnant to that Jeremy prick then Coop knew he was a far better option right now. At least until he could get to the bottom of it all.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ethan demanded, his voice an ominous growl as his eyes shot daggers in Coop’s direction. “You’ve been sleeping with my little sister?”
Lacey shifted in his hold but Coop kept a firm hand on her waist. “I’m sorry man, it just happened.”
And at least that was the truth.
Ethan shook his head. “I asked you,” he yelled, stabbing the table with his index finger as Lacey tensed, “to look out for her.”
“Ethan,” JJ said, also now standing, placing a hand on his arm again.
But Ethan shook her off and stalked towards him, and Coop braced for what he knew was to come. He let go of Lacey and met Ethan half way. “You think because someone shot you in the head that I’m not going to punch you in the face?” Ethan demanded.
“Nope,” Coop admitted. “I don’t think that at all.” In fact he expected it.
“Ethan,” Jarrod said, a warning in his voice as he and Marcus moved to avert what was coming.
“It’s not a good look, Eth, for the chief of police to be punching people in the face,” Marcus said as he and Jarrod each put a restraining hand on Ethan’s shoulders.
“He’s right Ethan,” JJ murmured.
“Of course I am,” Marcus nodded. “But there’s absolutely no reason why I can’t.”
Coop stood his ground as Marcus pulled back his fist. When it landed on his jaw the crack wiped out the noise of Lacey’s horrified gasp.
His head snapped back and Coop went down.
Chapter Five
‡
P ain exploded along Coop’s jaw and stars swam behind his closed eyes as he hit the floorboards.
Lacey’s horrified, “ Marcus!” floated down to him, then she was on her knees beside him, one hand on his chest, the other on his forehead. “Coop? Coop! Are you okay? Can you open your eyes?”
Coop wasn’t sure. He was struggling to remember his own name at the moment. “ Coop! ”
The urgency in her voice yanked at his gut and he concentrated really hard on prising open his eyelids. And there was her beautiful face, all concerned and tear stained, hovering over the top of his, her
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