Boomerangers: A second chance romantic comedy (Cajun Girls Book 1)
Boomerangers: Chapter 21

It’s a quarter to eight, and I’ve been crying for almost an hour, no closer to a solution. My heart hurts. The pain is worse than any I’ve ever experienced. My baby. Not my baby. Heaving sobs wrack my body.

A cough draws my attention toward the door, which I never even heard open.

“Cooper?” I call out, squinting my eyes through the dark room at the magnificent figure looming in the doorway. My heart pounds. For a brief moment, I’m filled with hope, allowing myself to believe that he’s here to rescue us. My white knight come to chase the bad guy away. But, only briefly. It takes just a split second for me to remember that my life couldn’t be further from anything even slightly resembling a fairytale. He’s probably horny and tired of waiting. He knows better than anyone how stubborn I can be. “Coop, I can’t do this right now. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for running out on you the other night, but I’m really not feeling well.”

Cooper doesn’t retreat but instead steps into the room, shutting the door behind him and twisting the lock. Is he seriously doing this right now?

“Please go.”

“You are a lot of things, Princess, but I didn’t take you for a liar.” His voice is fire dipped in ice. Both soothing and scathing all at once.

“Excuse me?” I gulp.

Cooper kneels at the side of my bed. His face just inches from mine. So close that his warm breath makes my skin tingle when he exhales. “Why are you crying?” Cooper’s hand reaches out, brushing damp hair from my cheeks. He knows. It’s in the tone of his voice, the softness of his touch. He’s both angry and hurt. He wants to lash out but his need to soothe my pain takes precedence.

“Gina,” I choke out.

Coop’s brow furrows. “What?”

“She called you.”

His head shakes. “I assure you, she did not.”

“Then who?”

Cooper clenches his jaw and sighs. “For God’s sake, woman, will you fucking talk to me?”

Feeling a little too vulnerable in this position, I sit up, and Cooper rises from the floor, perching himself beside me on the edge of my bed. When I remain silent, he releases a frustrated growl, conceding with a deep sigh. “Landon heard you on the phone with Gina and freaked out. He was waiting for me in the driveway when I got home from work and told me everything.”

My hand cups my mouth and I gasp. “Oh God. Oh my God.” My poor baby.

“He was scared that you’d be angry at him, but he had enough sense to ask me for help because he knew that you needed it . . .” Coop shakes his head. “I only wish you trusted me enough to do the same.”

“I’m sorry, Coop,” I cry, reaching for his hand. I just want to crawl into his arms and hide from the mess unfolding around me. “I know I . . . I have no right to ask, especially after the other night, but do you think you could just . . . Would you just hold me for a while? I’m so scared, Cooper,” I sob. “I promise to tell you everything later.”

Cooper lifts my hand to his mouth, kissing each of my fingers as he toes off his shoes. Then he crawls into the bed, pulling me down to lay beside him. Coop presses kisses along the side of my face while holding me close. He doesn’t pester me for answers, sensing my need for silence . . . for solace. And just as I’m beginning to drift off to sleep, I feel his soft lips on my cheek as he whispers the four words I’ve longed to hear for fifteen years. “I love you, Princess.”

The sun hasn’t yet risen when I feel someone staring at me. I must’ve rolled over during the night, because when my eyes flutter open, it is Cooper’s big brown orbs I find gazing into mine. “Hey,” I croak. “What time is it?”

“A little after two.”

“Have you been awake this whole time?”

Coop smiles lazily, rubbing his hand up and down my arm. “I dozed off for a bit, I think. Are you feeling better?”

“A little. Thanks for staying with me.”

“My pleasure . . . Ready to give me some answers now?” he asks, and I nod my head. “Start from the beginning. I need to know everything if we’re gonna find a way to nail this asshole.”