Page 89 of A Scoring Chance

My eyes fill with tears again as I turn toward her, pulling her in for a tight hug. She freezes slightly, surprised by my hug, but she relaxes in my arms. “I’m sorry,” I croak, releasing her and taking a step back. “I should have asked before I hugged you.”

“It's okay. I know you needed that hug, so I’ll let it slide.” She smiles at me before turning back towards Cooper and the boys. “Are you ready to answer my question now?”

“No, it doesn’t.” I give her shoulder one final squeeze before heading toward Cooper.

I know I need to tell Cooper the complete story, but right now, I just want to enjoy what remains of Darius’s birthday party. Everything else can wait.

Quinton grabs the pile of cards from in front of him, smiling slyly over top of them. “Are you ready to get your butt kicked again?”

“In your dreams, young one. No stacking the deck with draw twos. I made sure the deck was shuffled properly this time,” Cooper responds, reaching to grab his own pile of cards from in front of him, the sleeve of his Henley sliding up just enough toshow a series of large red marks on the inside of his wrist and a few tracks of what looks to be dried blood, as well.

I squeeze in between Cooper and Darius, pointing toward his now-exposed left wrist. “What happened?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m fine.” Cooper pulls at the sleeve of his Henley, covering the marks on his flesh. “Where have you been? These three started cheating at Uno the minute you went into the kitchen.”

He uses his free hand to wrap around my waist, nuzzling his nose into the flesh of my belly as Darius narrows his eyes at him. “We didn’t cheat. We just were playing by Black rules, Ramona.”

“Black rules are cheating.” I giggle, squeezing Cooper’s wrist to get his attention. He winces slightly but doesn’t say anything. “Do you three mind if I borrow this one for a few minutes?”

“No problem. He was bringing down my game.” Quinton grabs everyone’s hands and starts shuffling the deck quickly.

“Bringing down your game?” Cooper reaches to grab the deck, but I grip his hand in mine and pull him to his feet. “You mean stopping you from cheating.”

“I don’t cheat, Mr. Cooper. You’re just a sore loser.” All three boys throw their heads back and laugh as I pull Cooper toward the house.

“You know my uncle taught him how to count cards, right? There was no way you were going to beat that kid playing anything card-related.” I push the back door shut behind me before grabbing his hand and pulling him toward my bedroom.

“You’re all a bunch of cheaters, aren’t you?”

My head checks every room as we pass, wanting to make sure we are alone in the house before I open up this can of worms. The last thing I want or need is someone from my family chiming in with their own personal commentary on what happened that night.

“No. We just adhere to the motto:work smarter, not harder. It’s not our fault you got hustled by a group of twelve-year-old boys.” I back him up until the back of his knees hit the bed. “Now sit.”

He plops down on the bed, his eyes tracking me as I rush into the bathroom in search of the first aid kit I stashed here for emergencies. “Serves me right. Alise warned me not to play cards with anyone. I thought I was safe sticking with the kids.”

“We start them young.” Kneeling down on the floor, I pull out everything I need to clean his wrists.

“I told you I was fine.” He tries to pull his wrist away from me, but I tighten my hold on it before pushing up his sleeve and exposing the bruises and cuts on his wrist.

My thumb brushes softly over the area as his chin drops to his chest; he hides his eyes away from me. “You’re lying to me, Cooper Hendrix. You were bleeding, and by the looks of it, these marks were self-inflicted.”

“I was just so angry about the shit your aunt and cousin were spewing.” He growls, pushing to his feet. I remain in place, feeling the anger coming off him in waves. I know none of his anger is directed at me, but I still feel the need to cry and beg for him to listen to my side of things. “I wanted to strangle both of them. And the things they said about Darius…”

“They were telling the truth.”

Cooper’s eyes widen in horror as he drops to his knees, gripping both of my hands in his. “No, they weren’t.”

“They were. Everything they said was true.” I try to pull my hand from his, but he only holds on tighter, imploring me with his eyes to listen to what he’s saying.

I hear him. A part of my heart even believes in him, but an even bigger part of me knows that no matter how I spin it, I had a hand in Dad’s and Imani’s deaths. If they weren't out looking for me, they never would’ve been in the path of that drunkdriver. Not to mention the horrible things I said to them before storming out of the house. That part breaks my heart even more. Knowing that the two people I cared for most in the world had no idea how much I loved them in the end.

“So you are using me for my money, wanting to buy your family’s forgiveness for an accident that had absolutely nothing to do with you?”

“Of course not!”

Why the fuck would he think that? I never gave a shit about Cooper’s money or his job in the NHL. If I’m being honest, it’s the main reason I was so hesitant to fathom having a relationship with him. In the end, I couldn’t not try to see where things went between us or I’d have regretted it for the rest of my life.

He brings my knuckles to his lips, kissing each one individually. “Then they are full of shit, like I said.”

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