Page 96 of Claws and Feathers

And then she ran. She ran the rest of the way to his front door, and Cooper also ran, meeting her on the other side of it. He reached for the door handle, resting his forehead against the wood. He closed his eyes. He breathed in deep, feeling her presence radiating through the only barrier left between them, filling him with something he thought he’d lost –hope.

He waited, his hand wrapped around the doorknob, his heart beating in his throat.

He waited, and then he smiled.

She knocked twice.

Epilogue

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Cooper approaches me on the dock with a small box in his hand. Our border collie mix, Max, follows closely at his heels, sniffing along the way. I am sitting at the edge of the pier, leaning back on my hands as I try to alleviate the pressure on my ribs from the swelling of my belly. I press my palm against the growing bump and smile when I feel him kick.

Walker Stone McAllister. Our baby boy.

I flash Cooper a grin when he sits down beside me, placing his own hand over mine.

“He’s kicking, isn’t he?” he wonders with a father-to-be glow.

I nod, grasping Cooper’s hand and shifting it towards the left. “Here,” I say. “Give him a minute.”

A beat passes by, then another. Then he kicks.Hard.

Cooper pulls back, startled. I can’t help but giggle at his wide-eyed expression.

“Jesus,” Cooper laughs. “If this is any indication of our son’s physical abilities, I’d say we’re in trouble.”

“Maybe he’ll grow up to be a mighty defender, just like his father,” I suggest.

“Or a bodyguard for the mafia.”

I snicker as I nudge him with my elbow. “That escalated quickly.”

Max is lying beside Cooper with his paws hanging over the edge of the pier. He is focused on a family of ducks coasting by, ready to pounce at any moment.

“Easy, boy,” Cooper prompts, petting the dog on his head. Max noses the box resting next to Cooper, reminding him of its presence. Or possibly because there is food inside.

My interest piques as I sit up, peering over my shoulder at the mystery box. “Do I smell sugar?” I question, my nose crinkling and my taste buds tingling with anticipation. Cooper has always loved to spoil me, but he’s taken it up a few notches since I became pregnant.

Cooper glances my way and I note the mischievous gleam in his eyes.What are you up to, Cooper McAllister?

He reaches down to pick up the box and opens the lid. I immediately smell the familiar sweet scent of chocolate. I’m already drooling. I hold out my hands, wiggling my fingers expectantly. “Cupcake,” I command.

Max scurries off the deck towards the house, likely in search of Cupcake, the cat. I can’t help but chuckle.

“First, I have a question for you,” Cooper says, his face alight with playful teasing.

I groan. There is little time for games when a pregnant woman is hungry. “Fine,” I oblige while leaning back with a sigh.

“Truth or dare?”

I can’t help the flutter of butterflies that come alive in my belly at his query.

Or maybe that was Walker doing backflips on my bladder.

Either way, I grin. “Dare. I dare you to give me the cupcake.”

Cooper shakes his head, hiding the treat from my view.

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