Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
CHAPTER 10
FISCHL
I stare at the only man I’ve ever loved. It’s a different love than I’ve ever felt. It goes to my soul. I love my son, Sadie, and Sebastian down to the bone, but there is something about Cooper that is a different kind of love. It’s been that way since the beginning. I can’t explain it.
That’s the lie I tell myself, not wanting to admit what I think it is. Because I know if I admit that we are soulmates, that our hearts were destined to be united, that there will be no coming back from that. It’s the only reason I ever played with the idea of really marrying Sebastian. I wasn’t going to get my soulmate, so what would it ever matter?
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, feeling stupid. I adored Cooper’s mom. She was the kind of mom I always wanted to have. I only met his sister and her husband a few times. Duncan is Cooper’s nephew. When he was a baby, they called him li’l man which was a joke because he was a big baby.
“For running?”
“About your family. That you had to go through that.” I take the water, downing half of it. He didn’t have a child with someone else. That is all too much to process. Relief fills me. It killed me to think he had a son with another woman but didn’t want the one we’d made together.
“I had Dunc. He gave me something to focus on.”
“I’m sorry,” I repeat. I’m not sure what else I can say.
“Is that one for running off with my son?” He folds his arms over his broad chest. It reminds me of Van. It’s crazy that my son has never really met his father but they have a lot of the same mannerisms.
“I didn’t run.” My eyes fill with tears. “That’s what my mother told you, I take it?” How could I have so easily believed her?
“Pretty much. She wasn’t too happy when I came knocking on your door.”
“Yeah, she was pissed you knocked me up.”
“She fucking shipped you off.” Cooper grips the side of the counter, realizing the truth.
“Her plan was for me to have the baby and give it up for adoption. Then no one would ever know of my lustful sins.” I roll my eyes. “I told her I wasn’t going to do it. That you’d find me. You’d want us to be a family.”
“I should have tried harder to find you sooner. I would never sign away my rights to my own son. How could you believe that?” I can hear the hurt in his voice. I can’t blame him. He’s missed out on so much. Not only him but Van too.
“When you never came and my mom showed up with papers with your signature on them giving up your rights, I thought that said it all. It was notarized and everything.” I close my eyes. “She was relentless. Kept saying that you wanted nothing to do with us. It was all so overwhelming. I was days away from giving birth. My mom wouldn't let me return home unless I agreed to the adoption.”
“Fuck.” Cooper runs his hand down his face.
“You believed I upped and left you,” I point out.
“Hell, Fischl. I never thought I was good enough for you. I had no fuckin clue how I landed you, but I knew I was coming after your ass.”
“You didn’t come.” I can’t help the disappointment in my tone.
“I came.” He shakes his head. “Saw you holding a little girl’s hand with a ring on your finger talking to some suit.”
“Sadie. She’s Sebastian's daughter. Her mother was going to give her up for adoption, but Sebastion came and stopped it. He wanted his daughter.” That had been hard to see. I’d wanted Cooper to show up so badly.
“So you two decided you’d have your own little family with my kid.” His anger is back again.
“The hell did you want me to do?” I snap back at him. I did what I had to, and I don’t regret any of it. I’m only sad that the woman who was supposed to love and protect me most in the world betrayed me. It shouldn’t surprise me, though.
“Not marry someone else!” Cooper shouts back, the jealousy seeping through.
“We’re not married. Just engaged.”
“Good, less paperwork.” He suddenly grabs my hand, pulling the ring off it.
“Hey!” He walks around the kitchen island and opens the cabinet revealing a trash can and throws it away. I jump up to go get it. “You’re nuts. That’s expensive.” Well, I’m guessing it is. Cooper stands in my way. “Let me at least give it back to Sebastian.” I try to reason with him.
“I’ll happily give it back to him for you.”
“Being a dick to Sebastian isn’t going to go over well with Van.” Cooper grits his teeth but gets the ring back out. He shoves it in his pocket. “Sadie and Sebastian are a big part of our lives. They’ve been our family.” No matter what happens, they will always be our family.