Page 26 of Ready or Not

Cooper’s electric scent slams into me as he follows Holt into the kitchen.

My heart beats erratically.

He looks rough, and my impulses hate it.

Everything could have been different if Andrew hadn’t manipulated both of us…

Or if Cooper had just trusted me.

It’s so hard not to give in to the heartbroken feeling of being betrayed.

He said he wanted to bring me here to meet the guys and his family.

I’m not sure what to do with these emotions. They make my heart ache so badly, it’s a struggle to catch my breath.

I might not have been in love with Cooper, but I was fond of him. The beginning of feelings were there. I would’ve been a whole lot less lonely for all those months.

It’s okay. You had Bishop.

I did, and he was more than enough, but my stupid impulses wouldn’t let me forget about Cooper. Omega instincts push for us to please our alphas, and his leaving while I was pregnant really screwed with my head. Not to mention those hindbrain senses that seek out protection from alphas, especially during heats and pregnancy.

It’s all so complicated.

“Hey, can I talk to you for a second before we head out?” Cooper shoves his hands into the front pockets of his dark jeans.

“Yeah,” I agree, disengaging from Mercy.

“We’ll start the truck,” Holt says, trying to shove Bishop toward the door.

My giant alpha holds his ground. “Do you want me to stick around, gorgeous?”

I shake my head as my stomach twists at the idea of hurting his feelings. It’s a whole process of focusing enough that I feel like he might understand what I’m trying to send him in the bond.

I need to talk to Cooper one-on-one.

If Bishop is around, constantly protecting me, then I don’t think Cooper will talk as plainly as if it was just us. Or maybe I’m still so embarrassed that having an audience makes every hurt feel a thousand times worse.

It’s hard to tell.

Bishop gives a soft smile and heads out. Holt and Mercy follow a few seconds later.

“I was wondering what you want me to tell my brother?” Cooper’s forehead wrinkles. “Am I allowed to tell him the baby is mine?”

My hand falls to cradle my stomach.

I spent a fair amount of time in the shower wondering how we would handle that. His mom is Marina, who often comes to cook for the guys. She’s going to be my baby’s grandmother.

I’ve only met her a few times, but she’s been very sweet and welcoming. It’s a little scary to think how both her and Dr. Garza’s opinions of me will change when they know I’m carrying Cooper’s baby.

I have no family, but he does, and that makes me happy and simultaneously a little scared. That’s so many more people to have to share her with…

But it’s also more love and a larger support system.

“I don’t know what you want to tell him,” I say, meeting his gray-eyed gaze.

“They’re going to be so fucking pissed at me,” he says, shaking his head. “Furious.” He enunciates the word until it sounds like several. “Which I deserve. I’m just not sure what I’m supposed to say. They’ve already met you.”

“Yeah, um…” I grimace. “I made it clear to Dr. Garza that I had no idea how to find my baby’s father. He kept asking about the father’s side of the family. You’re supposed to fill in any major medical history, but I didn’t have that.”

---