Boomerangers: A second chance romantic comedy (Cajun Girls Book 1)
Boomerangers: Chapter 25

“How’d your errand go last night?” I ask when Cooper shows up, ready to escort me to the courthouse.

He rests his soft lips on my forehead, allowing them to linger as he rubs a hand up and down my back in soothing strokes. Coop’s breath is warm against my skin. “It was fine,” he answers curtly as he reaches for my hand. “Ready?”

No. “Sure,” I lie, forcing a weak smile. Something’s off with him this morning, and I find myself trying to be stronger than I feel to counteract whatever’s going on in his head. Cooper was so confident yesterday. Maybe it’s just a case of nerves, or it could all be in my head. Lord knows I’ve been a complete basket case the past few days.

We arrive a full twenty minutes early and find Gina already there waiting on us. The moment she spots me, her face lights up as she runs over in her ridiculously high heels, her arms flailing at her sides.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming,” I whisper, hugging my best friend close.

Gina tsks. “Where else would I be?”

“Thanks for being here, Gi.”

She waves me off just as an important looking man in a suit approaches our little group.

“Are you here for the custody case?” he asks to no one in particular.

Cooper offers his hand. “I’m Ms. LeBlanc’s attorney, Cooper Hebert.”

The two men shake hands. “My name is William Smith, and I represent Mr. Hernandez. I’m afraid there’ve been some last minute changes and I was hoping that we could speak privately before the hearing?”

My stomach begins to churn, but when I look up at Cooper, he offers me a confident smile and nods, setting me at ease. The three of us follow the flustered man into a small conference room and seat ourselves at one end of the oval table which encompasses nearly the entire space.

“What’s going on?” Cooper asks with an almost smug look. He knows something . . .

“I met with my client this morning, and it appears he’s had a change of heart.”

A sly smirk forms on Coop’s face, disappearing almost as quickly as it appeared.

What did you do, Cooper Hebert?

“What’s that mean?” I ask, not wanting to assume anything, but my pulse starts racing with excitement. A change of heart . . . This must mean—

“We’ve received your counterclaim for full physical and legal custody, Ms. LeBlanc, and my client has decided that he too feels that that would be in Kyle’s best interest. When I return to the city this afternoon, we’ll be meeting to sign papers relinquishing Mr. Hernandez’s parental rights.”

“Are you serious?” I ask as my lips and hands begin to shake uncontrollably.

The attorney, whose name I’ve already forgotten, smiles at me affectionately. “Yes, ma’am. Congratulations.” To Cooper he adds, “I’ll take care of cancelling the hearing.”

Coop nods his head and the two shake hands again before Alex’s lawyer leaves the room.

After weeks of constant worry, this all just feels too good to be true. “S-so that’s it?” My eyes well up as I turn to face Cooper. “It’s over?”

“That’s it, Princess.” His lips turn up in a radiant smile, and I want to run to him, but it’s taking me a moment to process what’s just happened here.

“Fuck yeah!” Gina shouts, jumping up from her chair beside me, earning herself a glare from my sexy as fuck attorney.

“I do still work here regularly, Gina . . . If you could not make that completely humiliating for me, that’d be great.” He winks, unable to wipe the smile from his face.

We won.

“Oh, right. Sorry, Coop . . . but, oh my God, you did it!” My favorite little pixie launches herself at him, wrapping her arms around Coop’s neck and planting big wet smooches on each of his cheeks.

I watch the excitement unfolding around me in a daze. I haven’t yet moved from my seat because I don’t trust my feet not to fall out from underneath me. Apparently, I’m better at this damsel thing than I thought. Once Cooper pries Gina off of him, he returns to kneel before me. Cooper holds my face in his hands, wiping tears away with the pads of his thumbs and then pulling me into his chest. “You didn’t do anything illegal, did you?” I ask staring into the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen.

“Let’s go home.” Cooper places a tender kiss on my forehead, causing my whole body to shiver. He takes my hand into his own. The way he avoids answering my question doesn’t miss my attention as he gently tugs, leading me in the direction of the door. I narrow my eyes at him, making sure that he knows it, and follow Coop out of the court house with every intention of revisiting this conversation later.

Gina and I have a moment in the parking lot, holding each other and bawling our eyes out, while Coop looks on affectionately from the truck.

“Still think fairytales don’t exist?” she asks in my ear.

I look at the ring on my left finger—the one that signifies the engagement fabricated to solidify our case—and frown. “Oh, they exist.” My heart is filled with dread. “Just not for me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There’s no reason to continue the charade, Gina,” I answer quietly. “We don’t have to get married now.”

As if it just dawns on her as well, my best friend’s face falls. “Well, it still could happen.”

Not likely. “I’m too happy to be sad right now, Gina. Can we not talk about this?”

“You’re right. Let’s mourn next week.” She gives my hands a gentle squeeze. “Don’t keep the man waiting.” Gina kisses my cheek. “I’ll talk to you later.” She motions her head to the truck where Cooper’s waiting patiently. “So freaking happy for you, babe,” Gina says before swatting me on the ass and heading off in the direction of her car.

I climb up into Cooper’s truck, which is already nice and toasty. He’s listening to some thuggy rap music, and it makes me smile because I know it’s not a coincidence. He’s fully aware of how much I can’t stand it.

As soon as I’ve buckled my seatbelt, I reach out to power off the radio. Coop’s eyes dart to the side momentarily and he smiles knowingly.

“Where’d you go last night, Cooper?” I try again, staring at his profile.

He coughs, never taking his eyes from the road. “I told you. I had some last minute details to work out.”

“Did your trip have anything to do with what happened today?”

Cooper flicks the left blinker on then makes the turn onto our street. I keep staring expectantly as he pulls into his parents’ driveway and parks the truck. “Maybe, a little,” he finally admits, turning to look at me.

“What’d you do, beat him up?”

He chokes on a laugh. “No . . .”

“Ugh,” I growl. “Will you just tell me?”

“Can’t you just thank me and leave it alone?” He’s really not going to tell me.

“I did thank you.”

Coop’s eyebrows waggle. “I could think of a few other ways you could thank me.”

I gasp in mock horror. “Really, Cooper?”

“Hey, I’m not as opposed to hooking as you seem to be.” He shrugs. “I will happily accept payment in sexual favors.”

What the hell? Why not?

“What’d you have in mind?” I ask, already unbuckling his belt.

“That’s a fantastic start.” Coop groans, his body jerking as I pull the zipper down, slipping my hand into the opening of his boxers and fisting it around his shaft.

“Start?” I quirk my brow.

“Mmhmm.” Cooper’s mouth slowly curves into a sexy smile as he begins thrusting gently into my palm. “I’m sure we can work out an installment plan of some sort.” His voice is strained as I begin working my hand up and down his girth, feeling him harden and swell in my palm.

My tongue darts out to moisten my lips before dropping my head into Cooper’s lap and sealing them around the head of his erection. His hands grip my hair, and I take him as deep as I can manage, working the base with my fingers.

The throaty sound of his moans and the way his back arches, pushing him deeper into my mouth spurs me on. Swirling my tongue around his length, I hollow out my cheeks as I work him slow and deliberately.

Giving head is not something I’ve ever particularly enjoyed, but with Cooper, I find it incredibly arousing. The sexy noises he makes and the way he completely loses control. It takes immense restraint not to reach between my legs and rub out the ache that’s building in my core. My panties are soaked, but this isn’t for me. This is all about him.

“Fuck, Princess. Oh God. Don’t stop . . . Don’t stop, baby.” His hands tighten in my hair to the point that it’s almost painful as he guides my head up and down his cock, reaching for his release. His entire body jerks as it sprays down the back of my throat. I continue sucking until his body goes slack, taking every last drop.

When I raise my head from his lap, Coop’s eyes are still closed. His breathing labored. Smiling triumphantly to myself, I wipe at my mouth then turn to find Mr. Neal standing right outside of Cooper’s window. He’s staring off to the side, but from the way he’s specifically avoiding looking into the truck, I’m positive that he’s just gotten a fucking eyeful of his son’s dick in my mouth.

I elbow Cooper in the chest hard and he jumps. “What the hell’d you do that for?” His hand comes up, rubbing at the spot where I’ve just hit him.

My throat goes dry and I break out in a cold sweat. I feel like I’m going to be sick and am seconds away from releasing Niagara Falls in his truck. “I’m about ninety-nine percent sure your father just saw us.” I motion with my head to the window where Mr. Neal is still staring out into space.

Coop gets an evil gleam in his eye as he tucks his dick back into his slacks and begins rolling the window down. “Hey, Pops. You need something?”

“Huh?” his dad answers, jumping. “Oh no, I was, uh . . . just watching a squirrel in that tree over there trying to get a nut.”

I literally choke on my saliva so badly that Coop has to beat on my back.

“All right. Just checkin’ on ya. Spence and I are going to finish our conversation and then we’ll be right in.”

“Oh. Okay . . . that sounds good, son.” Mr. Neal never turns his head in our direction throughout the entire interaction. Whatever tiny glint of hope I’d had that he hadn’t witnessed what just went down in this truck is smashed.

“So, you should probably go inside the house and let mom know that we’ll be inside in just a minute,” Coop urges, trying to contain his laughter.

“Right,” Mr. Neal says, finally turning around. “You two, uh, have fu—”

“See you in a few minutes, Dad,” Coop says, cutting off his old man.

After rolling up the window, Cooper bursts into a fit of hysterics.

“It’s not funny, ass.”

“Oh my God,” Coop howls, wiping at the tears dripping from his eyes. “Why aren’t you laughing?”

“Ummm, probably because I’m the one who just got caught with a mouth full of cock. I will never be able to look your father in the eye again.” Acid churns in my stomach. “You really need your own place, Coop.”

“I agree. We need our own place. Start searching online for a few you like and we can go have a look together . . . Maybe even this weekend.”

Suddenly, the cab of this truck feels really, really small. “About that,” I say, slipping his grandmother’s borrowed diamond from my finger.

“Don’t,” Coop objects, his face panicked as he slides it back on. “Don’t do that. I heard what you said to Gina and you’re wrong.”

Shit. “What am I wrong about?”

“We should still get married, Spence. I love you.” His voice cracks. “And you love me.” I nod. “We’ve been in love with each other since before we were even old enough to know the meaning of the word. This court fiasco just helped to speed things up a bit, but I had every intention of asking you to marry me eventually . . . whenever I thought that there was a chance you might actually not turn me down.”

How did things suddenly become so serious?

“Cooper, the timing won’t ever be right.” I stare down at my lap, unable to handle the broken look on his face, and methodically spin the ring around my finger. “I will always be a mother. My children . . . they will always come first, and you . . . you don’t want to be a father.”

“You’re wrong,” he counters, cupping my face in his hands. “I didn’t want to be a father with Kristy . . . or any other woman, for that matter. Those ties . . . those ties are forever, and I never wanted to be connected to any other person so permanently. Forever was always meant for you and me, Spence.”

Holy fucking shit.

“B-but, my kids . . .”

“Are amazing just like their mother, and if you’ll give me the chance, I’d be honored to help you raise them.” His big brown eyes stare deep into mine. I’ve never seen him so vulnerable—so scared.

I am now a full-blown, sobbing mess. “You’re serious?”

“I’ll admit that at first I wasn’t too keen on the idea. I couldn’t handle that you’d had children with anyone who wasn’t me. I just . . . I could never bring myself to want anyone else in that way.” Cooper pauses to clear his throat. “They were supposed to be ours and I resented them,” he admits, his face flushing with embarrassment. “I looked at them and I-I saw souvenirs of a life you lived without me. Little trophies you’d flaunt in my face just to show me that you’d moved on.” He shakes his head. “I was a fool.”

“Coop, it was never like that.”

“I know that.” He reaches up, loosening the knot in his tie. “But it was easier for me to be angry with you than to admit to myself that every bit of this was my fault.”

“I-I don’t know what to say.”

Cooper takes both of my hands back into his own. “Say you’ll still marry me,” he begs. “For the first time since I was stupid enough to let you go, there is nothing but fear standing in our way. Be brave with me, Spence.”

My throat is caving in. I need to get out of this truck. I can’t think. I can’t breathe. “You have no idea how much I want to say yes,” I whisper.

“Then say it,” he urges.

I can physically feel the ache in my chest where my heart is being ripped in two. “I can’t marry you, Cooper, but you have to know that it’s not because I don’t love you or because I don’t want to.” I pause to catch my breath, squeezing his hand. “It’s not fair to you or to my boys. You-you hardly know each other . . . You can’t even change a diaper, Cooper.” I sniff through a sad smile. “You don’t even know what you’re asking for—not really.” He starts to speak and I press my finger to his lips. “There’s no way for me to say this without sounding like I was using you, but the only reason I agreed to marry you was because you made it sound like a business proposition, and I would have done anything to keep my child.” Fuck. I hate that no matter how I say this it comes off sounding terrible. “Cooper, I would have given our marriage my all. I selfishly would have allowed you to risk your future and risk making my children unhappy to save Kyle, but I would have done everything in my power to make you happy.” Cooper sucks in his lips, biting down. His nostrils flare in and out slowly as his eyes begin to shine with unshed tears. “But at the first sign that you weren’t, I would have let you go . . . and it would have k-killed me. I don’t want to risk that. I can’t . . . I won’t risk that.”

“Babe, I would never have left. I won’t ever leave you.” There’s so much desperation in his voice. Cooper looks as heartbroken as I feel.

“There was a time that I believed that with every beat of my heart, Cooper James, but that ship has sailed, and I’m not trying to hurt you or to make you feel guilty. I’m only trying to protect my heart. To protect your happiness and my children’s . . .”

I can see the resignation in his face as Coop pulls me into his lap. “It’s okay, baby. Don’t cry.” He dries my eyes and kisses my swollen lips. “If you need time . . . I can give you that. I’m not going anywhere. Even if you never give me more than this . . . I’m yours because you are all I need, Spencer.”

Time . . . I don’t have the heart to tell him that not even time will be enough to fix the mess we’ve allowed ourselves to become.