Boomerangers: A second chance romantic comedy (Cajun Girls Book 1)
Boomerangers: Chapter 13

I wake up with a headache of mass proportions, and as I wretch into the toilet, I promise myself that I will never drink again. Of course, it’s a lie. One I’ve told myself plenty of times before. One that, no doubt, I will tell myself again.

The door cracks open and Dad peeks his head into my room as I’m literally dragging myself across the floor to get back to bed.

“Ready for work?” he teases, to which I give him the finger.

He laughs. “Boy, when’re you gonna learn that drinkin’ like that never fixes anything?”

“Ugh,” I groan as my stomach revolts.

“Serves you right for keepin’ that poor girl up all night.”

What is this man going on about?

“Huh?”

“Oh yeah. I had to come outside and pry your drunk ass off of her. Cryin’ like a puss, too. Lord only knows what you said to poor Spence.”

“Ah, shit.”

“That’s the thing with drinkin’ like that, son. You may not remember, but she will. And you’re gonna be in a heap of shit all over again. What part of getting drunk and crying all over the girl sounded charming to you? Huh?”

I stuff my face into the pillow. “Go away,” I mumble.

“I gave you some solid advice and you just wiped your damn ass with it.”

“I’m sick,” I grumble.

“You’re a fool’s what you are,” he says, shaking his head with a big ass grin. “Woo the girl, Cooper. Stop pissin’ her off, and for God’s sake, find your fuckin’ man card before you scare her away for good this time!” he adds, slamming the door.

What the hell happened last night?

I remember going to the bar and playing a few games of pool with a couple of my old buddies. Lots of shots . . . Too many shots. I don’t remember coming home, but I think I remember kissing Spence, although that could have been a dream. It’s so foggy.

I grab my phone from under my pillow and there’s already a message waiting from Spencer.

Princess: Hope you feel better.

Me: Sorry about last night.

Princess: Don’t be. I think I like you better drunk.

Me: I think I like you better naked.

Princess: I’m a lot more agreeable, for sure. :p

Me: So, I didn’t do anything stupid? I can’t really remember.

Princess: I wouldn’t go that far. You don’t remember anything?

Me: I think maybe you kissed me?

Princess: Hey, you promised not to press charges.

Me: I what?

Princess: Nothing. You were really quite charming, actually.

Me: That’s not what my Dad said.

Princess: It’s fine. Don’t even worry about it.

Me: I do worry about it. I’m fucking this all up, aren’t I?

Princess: I don’t know about you fucking it all up. I think I’m doing my fair share. I’m really sorry, Coop. I don’t wanna fight with you. I’m sorry I freaked out.

Me: I’m sorry if I overstepped. I wasn’t trying to make you feel like a bad mom. In fact, I think the exact opposite. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. I admire you so much, Spence. Please know that.

Princess: Thank you for saying that. I feel like a crazy person lately.

Me: Must be something in the air around here.

Princess: Hey, are you not going in to work today? Just saw your truck is still here.

Me: I don’t think I’m getting out of this bed today. I could be dying.

Princess: I’m off to check out daycares with Savage. Call if you need anything. Feel better, Coop.

Me: Later, babe.

I set my phone down on the nightstand, plug it in to charge, and then slip into some sort of alcohol induced coma.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

It takes me a minute to realize that the sound is coming from my bedroom door. “Yeah?” I shout, still half asleep.

The door opens just a crack and Spencer’s face appears. “Oh no. Were you asleep? I can come back later.” She slinks back through the opening to leave.

That wakes me up. “No. No, come in, Spence. I need to get up. What time is it, anyway?”

“It’s almost six,” she says, walking into the room and placing a few Tupperware containers on the nightstand before sitting at the foot of my bed. “I brought you some gumbo. It, uh . . . always helps to coat my stomach after a hangover.”

“You made me dinner, Princess?” A stupid grin overtakes my face.

“Well, I mean, it’s not just for you. We’re eating some, too. Don’t get a big head or anything over it.” She pokes out her tongue, and if my mouth didn’t taste like ass and I didn’t smell even worse, I’d have her pinned to this bed.

I smile and feel some shit starting to form in my throat again. Dad’s right. I’m a pussy gettin’ all emotional over a bowl of gumbo. “Were you making gumbo before you found out I wasn’t feeling well?”

She smirks. “What’s with the interrogation?”

“Answer the question, counselor.”

“That lawyer talk is kinda hot.” She smiles over at me, waggling her brows.

“Were you?” I persist.

“No.” Spencer wrings her hands in her lap.

My head swells at her admission, along with my heart and my cock. “Thanks for cooking me dinner, Spence.”

“You’re welcome, Cooper.”

Our eyes lock and the space between us becomes charged. “You making me dinner is hot.”

“That’s so caveman of you. You gonna start carrying a club and dragging me around by the hair?” she teases.

“Is that an option?”

“No.” She laughs, rising from the bed. “I have to get back and feed the kids. I hope you start to feel better.” She places a hand in my hair and moves it down, tracing the side of my face. “Is there ever a time that you don’t look absolutely gorgeous?”

I feel sick again and not from the hangover. It’s because she’s leaving and I don’t want her to go. “Will you come back?”

“When?”

“Tonight . . . after you get the kids to bed. I’ll shower and change the sheets and we can maybe watch a movie? If, you know . . . you don’t have plans or anything.”

She smiles. “I’d like that.”

The minute she leaves, I hop up and jump into the shower. Then, I strip my bed and throw on a fresh set of sheets and blankets. I tidy up the room, and when it’s cootie free, I sit and enjoy the best damned bowl of gumbo I’ve ever eaten.

“Coop,” Mom calls out, advancing down the hall to my room. The door opens and she walks in. “Elaine said that Spence is coming over tonight. I guess that means you’re feeling better.” Her eyes dart around the room and she nods, looking impressed. “I was gonna ask if you wanted me to come freshen up in here, but I can see you’ve been busy.”

“Thanks, Ma.”

“You’re welcome, baby.” The back of her hand goes to my head to check for fever. I don’t bother telling her that hangovers don’t produce temperatures. She never listens, anyway. “You still don’t look too good.”

I shrug. “Still kinda queasy. We’re just watching a movie.”

“I’m happy the two of you made up. I was getting worried,” she says, sitting next to me on the bed. “Elaine’s worried, too.”

I stare up at the ceiling, releasing a frustrated breath. “Y’all need to stop worrying and back off.”

“Oh, Coop,” she says, patting my cheek, “that’s what mommas do. We worry. And then we step in and offer some divine intervention when our little ducklings lose their way.”

There’s no use arguing with this woman. She’s bound and determined to mettle in my affairs. So, I try a different approach, hoping to get rid of her quicker.

“Thank you for everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Her eyes tear up. “You’re welcome. I just want the best for you.”

“I know, Momma.” Leave already . . .

“Be a gentleman, Coop. I mean, I’m not gonna tell you not to have sex, because she seems to really like that sort of thing.”

My eyes get huge when I spot Spencer standing in the open doorway with a finger to her lips, indicating for me to be quiet. Oh shit.

“Just you know,” Mom continues, completely oblivious, “try to be more tender this time. Take it slow and show her how much you really care about her . . . that she’s more than just a quick romp in a dirty bathroom.”

Spencer literally spits out a laugh, and Momma’s face turns beet red when she realizes her speech was overheard.

“Spencer!” Momma says nervously. “When did you get here?”

Spencer cannot stop laughing long enough to answer. Her response is broken up between guffaws. I think she says she just got here. I can’t be sure.

Momma looks ready to cry with embarrassment, and, well, she should. She walks over to the door, giving Spencer a pat on the back in greeting. “Y’all have a good time, and, uh . . . well, holler if y’all need anything.”

“You’ve done enough.”

She clears her throat. “Right, well . . . I’ll just leave y’all to it, then.”

“Bye, Mrs. Nelly.”

Spencer is still giggling when she shuts the door.

“Lock it,” I tell her before she starts walking to the bed.

“Feeling a little sure of ourselves, are we?” Spence teases, doing a little shimmy as she twists the lock.

I waggle my eyebrows with exaggeration. God, how I wish. “Actually, I’m still not really feeling well. Just trying to keep the crazies out.”

“I thought my momma was bad. Is she always like this?” Her thumb points over her shoulder toward the door that my mother just left through.

I shake my head and shrug. “Just since you came back. She’s got Dad on my case, too. It’s, uhh . . . it’s been interesting, to say the least.”

Her lips form a little O and her eyes get big. “Your momma just gave you permission to fuck me in your bed, Cooper James.”

“You misunderstood. She specifically forbade me to fuck you in this bed. I think she used the word tender.”

“It’s a good thing I like that sort of thing, huh?”

I’m so embarrassed. “I’m really sorry, Spencer.”

“Pfft.” She waves her hand. “Don’t be. The whole town seems to think that enjoying sex makes me a whore. It’s not just her.” She’s saying that it doesn’t bother her, but I can see the sadness in her eyes. Hear the tremor in her voice. “Funny thing is, I’ve only had sex with three people, Coop. Three. I kinda feel like if I’m gonna get labeled, I at least should have had the fun that goes along with it.”

I’m ashamed to admit that I’m shocked by her confession. Not that I ever assumed she was giving it up to everyone. But that means she’s only been with her kids’ fathers . . . and me. “Well, I for one am A-okay with the fact that you missed out on all of that fun.”

As Spence walks over to the bed, I lift the covers for her to crawl in beside me.

“I bet you are,” she whispers, climbing in.

I place a kiss on her forehead as I reach across her body to the table for the remote. My heart starts pounding as her warmth and the smell of her perfume engulf me.

“Coop,” she says nervously, her fingers fiddling with the button on her shirt.

“Yeah?”

Spencer takes a deep breath. “I probably shouldn’t ask, and I know it’s none of my business, but . . . Were you with a lot of girls?” Her cheeks flush as she gnaws on her thumbnail. “Never mind. It’s been fifteen years. Of course you were.”

I really don’t want to answer. It’s uncomfortable. “I don’t know,” I say honestly. “So, I mean, yeah. I guess there were sort of a lot. I don’t remember most of them, to tell you the truth.”

She nods, and I watch her throat move as she swallows.

“Before you married Tate, there was only you,” I add, because I want her to know that I didn’t go off to college to fuck around.

Spencer’s body stiffens.

“I just wanted you to know that.”

“Thank you,” she whispers, her voice clogged with so much emotion that it pierces my heart.

“Can we watch the movie now?” I ask, wanting to end this conversation before we make ourselves feel any worse.

“Yeah, what’re we watching?” She moves closer, snuggling into the crook of my arm.

“You’ll see.” I already chose the movie and ordered it while she was away, so when I power on the TV, the title is on the screen. Bad Moms.

Just like I hoped, she busts out laughing. “You are too much.”

“I try.”

“See, the bad moms are the cool ones.”

“That was hilarious!”

“It was. I’m glad you enjoyed it.” I fish around in the blankets for the remote and click off the TV.

Spence moves to leave, and I pull her closer. “Stay with me?”

She blows out a long breath. “Coop, I have to go. I can’t be sleeping over at men’s houses. I have kids.”

“I want you so bad,” I groan. “You have no fucking idea.” I can’t believe that after all these years I finally have this girl in my bed and I’m too nauseous to do anything about it.

Her hand trails down beneath the blankets. “Oh, I think I have some idea.”

My body jerks at her touch.

“Ooooh!” Spence pulls her hand away and flies out of the bed.

“Where’re you going?”

She flips on the light switch before returning and throwing the covers back. “Do it.”

She’s lost her marbles. My brow furrows. “Do what? There are lots of its I could do, Princess. You’ll have to be a little more specific.”

“Do your trick.” She is absolutely bursting with excitement. It could be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

I can’t stop laughing. “You’re serious right now?”

She bobs her head while staring at my crotch. “Of course I am! You said it was better without the pants. Now get ’em off,” she orders, snapping her fingers. “I made you dinner.” Bribery.

“You take ’em off.”

“You think I won’t?”

I smirk. “I know you will.” I just want her to touch me.

Spencer straddles my legs at the knees and grips the waist of my basketball shorts and underwear. I lift my hips, and in one fell swoop, she has them down. It’s a damn good thing I’m not shy because Spencer is staring like it’s the first time she’s ever seen a dick. Which, I know for a fact, is not true.

“Is something wrong?” I ask, amused by her reaction.

Her mouth droops, hanging open for a moment before clamping shut. She doesn’t make a sound. “No,” she finally whispers, shaking her head. “It’s just, well . . . bigger than I remember. You think maybe it kept growing after we broke up?”

“I don’t know, Spencer. I didn’t keep a growth chart or anything.” I laugh.

“Right. Okay.” She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and releases it with a sigh. “I’m ready.” The bed starts to shake as she bounces on her knees, rubbing her hands together with excitement.

I can’t help but to shake my head at the absurdity of this moment before putting on a little show for my girl.

“That’s amazing.”

“I like to think so.”

Spencer pokes out her tongue, scrunching her nose. Then, her eyes light like she’s just gotten the most incredible idea. She leans forward while peering up at me through her long, dark lashes, and without breaking our gaze, she runs her tongue along the tip of my cock. “I think you’ve earned yourself a reward, Mr. Hebert.”

High school Spencer refused to ever put her mouth anywhere near my dick, and I never asked her to do anything she was uncomfortable with. Apparently, grown up Spencer is a little more adventurous.

And really fucking talented. “Holy shit, Spence,” I groan, fisting my hands into her hair. “Where’d you learn to . . .” Nah, I don’t even want to go there. “Never mind. Just . . . don’t . . . stop . . .”

And she doesn’t. Not until she’s sucked me dry. Spence kisses her way up my stomach, teasing my nipples, sucking my neck. She feathers her soft lips along my jaw before planting a final kiss in the center of my forehead.

I am boneless, blessedly numb. Lost in sensation. My heart beat echoes in my head as the blood whooshes in my ears. “Spence,” I say, cradling her face between my hands.

“’Night, Cooper,” she answers as she cups her hands over my own, pulling them down from her face. She slips out of my bed, rushing to the door before I can try to convince her to stay. “Feel better,” she calls as she twists the lock and pulls it open.

“Already do.”

She beams. “Ah, the healing powers of orgasms.” Spence winks at me before squeezing through the crack. When I hear her footfalls clambering down the steps, I know that she’s really left.

I find myself smiling after her minutes after she’s gone. A lovesick fool, more desperate than ever to win her back. Game on.