Page 63 of Claws and Feathers

It was after ten P.M. and the chaos had finally begun to settle. Abby’s house was no longer a crime scene, though, the aftershocks of her ‘gift’ still felt fresh. She shivered as she stared out the front window, studying every shadow that loomed and drifted across her property. The towering trees in her front lawn normally gave her comfort, but tonight they looked ominous. They sent a chill up her spine.

Abby wrapped her arms around herself for warmth and closed the curtains. When she turned around, Cooper was behind her, leaning against the sofa with crossed arms and a pensive expression. She smiled. “I’m sure you’re dying to get out of here. I really appreciate you being so dedicated, Cooper.”

His eyes drifted over her, and for a brief moment they were back in her garage, entangled in a haze of what ifs, and almosts, and could have beens. Cooper straightened and stepped towards her. “I’m going to stay here tonight, Abby.”

It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t a suggestion. It was just a fact. Abby nibbled on her cheek as she brushed a piece of hair from her face. “You’re welcome to, of course. I’ll definitely sleep a little easier.”

“I’ll take the couch,” he said.

She shook her head. “I have two guest rooms I have zero use for. Please take one before Cupcake claims them both as her own.”

Cooper chuckled lightly. “Okay.”

They faced each other, a subtle silence lingering between them, and Abby forced her feet to move. She swept past him and made her way down the short hallway to the linen closet. She pulled out an extra set of bedding and entered the spare room adjacent to hers. Abby felt him in the doorway as she fitted the sheets and fluffed the pillows.

“How are you?”

His question was expected. Warranted, even. But Abby couldn’t seem to piece together an answer. She glanced up from her task and eyed him in the entryway, his shoulder propped up against the frame. “I’ll be better when this is over.” It seemed like a suitable response. Abby wasn’t entirely sure she believed it, though.

Cooper lowered his gaze to the floor, his hand reaching behind him to rub the back of his neck. “I’m really sorry I haven’t caught the bastard yet. It kills me,” he told her.

Abby could practically feel the guilt radiating off him. She couldn’t help but approach him, her steps sure and certain. Cooper had no business feeling guilty. He’d gone above and beyond his job description. He looked up when she stepped over to him, and Abby reached for his hand, much like she’d done earlier in the garage. “It killsmethat you’re apologizing,” she said earnestly. “I’m not sure what I did to deserve you.” Abby thought back to when she was in the hospital, shortly after her rescue. She’d had painkillers coursing through her – she’d been exhausted and run down. She had told him that she thought maybe,just maybe, he was her white knight. It was an embarrassing proclamation looking back, but Abby couldn’t help but still believe it to be true.

Cooper squeezed her hand, then pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. His embrace was tender, yet protective. “You’re an incredible woman, Abigail Stone,” he said, breathing the words into her hair, then kissing the top of her head. “You deserve more than you’ll ever know.”

Abby inhaled sharply, nuzzling her face against his chest.Oh, his words. His beautiful words making her feel things she couldn’t even begin to process. Cooper had told her that kissing her ‘wasn’t right’ –oof. But how could that be true? If this was wrong, Abby had lost all faith in love.

The thought made her go stiff in his arms.

Love.

Before she had time to ponder why that word had slipped through, Cooper was pulling away.

“Goodnight, Abby. I’m right next door if you need me.”

She swallowed back a thousand responses and settled on, “Goodnight.” Abby moved past him, feeling flushed and flustered. She spared him a final glance in the hallway before disappearing into her room, closing the door, and leaning against it with a pounding heart. She could hear Cooper on the opposite side of her thin wall, settling in for the night. It was a comfort having him so close.

It was also a curse.

Abby changed into a loose-fitting nightgown and climbed into her queen-sized bed. Her headboard pressed up against the wall dividing her from the man on the opposite side. She sat on her knees and held her hand to the wall, imagining him doing the same.

Silly.

Silly, silly girl.

Abby had to laugh at her own whimsy. She pulled back – but hesitated before tucking herself under the covers. Another foolish thought fluttered through her mind, buzzing in her ear like a bumble bee. She smiled.

Then she raised her hand to the wall once again, and she knocked.

Once. Twice.

Abby waited, holding her breath. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting – not really. Cooper likely didn’t even hear her.

You are an idiotic woman, Abigail.

She shook her head, shaming herself for still believing in fairytales. Abby was about to pull the covers back when she heard it.Yes, she heard it.

Cooper knocked twice on the opposite side of the wall.

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