Page 18 of Cooper's Salvation
Kara stared at him blankly. He looked over at Cooper, tilting his head ever so slightly, like he was asking Cooper for help conveying what he was trying to say. Cooper, however, didn’t appear to be following any better.
The colonel turned back to her, clearing his throat again. “We did things that couples do.All the things?”
This was getting ridiculous. She was just about to tell him to just spit it out in plain English when the penny dropped. “Oh God, you and my mom …?” She looked around, hoping no one could overhear their conversation.
He nodded, took a deep breath, and blurted, “I’m just going to rip the Band-Aid off – there’s no easy way to say this. Kara, I – I think – erm, there’s a strong possibility – what I’m trying to say is, I think I’m your father.”
10
Shock held Kara speechless as she gaped at him. Blindly, she reached out for Cooper, finding comfort in his presence. A long, uncomfortable silence hung over their small table as she scrambled to assimilate the colonel’s revelation.
She’d not experienced a panic attack since she’d first lost Tom, but sitting in the small café, crowded with lunchtime diners, the walls began to close in on her. Her heart beat loud and erratic in her own ears. The buzz drowned out the clatter of cutlery on tableware, the drone of voices vying to be heard.
Shoving her chair back, “I have to go,” was all she managed to choke out before bolting for the door. Clear of the glass entry, she hurried down the sidewalk, oblivious to the ebb and flow of people around her. Barely aware of being bumped as someone pushed past her.
Relief washed through Kara, swift and sure, as she found herself in front of the clinic. Pushing through the door, she dashed down the corridor, focused on making it to the safety of her office. So focused, she didn’t hear Darby call her name nor see the look of concern on the other woman’s face.
Gaining the sanctuary of her office, Kara closed the door behind her. Her wild gaze landed on Tammy’s bed in the corner near her desk. An urge to take the dog and leave overwhelmed her. She dashed over to her desk to unlock the drawer containing her purse and car keys. She had to get out, get away. Everything in her screamed to run.
When she turned around, Kara jerked in fright at Cooper standing in the doorway watching her. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t even heard the door open.
“I have to go. Get Tammy and get out of here. I can’t stay. I have to go.” The words tumbled over each other. She rushed over to where he lounged against the frame, intending to push past him.
He straightened, standing his ground. “K, slow down a second –”
“Move, Cooper. I have to go,” she all but shouted, cutting him off.
“Tekara, stop.” Cooper’s spoke softly, but the thread of steel in his voice had Kara pulling up short. “Sweetheart, I know this is a shock for you, but you have to calm down. Talk to me. Let me help you.” Mute, the words an unyielding lump strangling her, she burst into tears. “Ah, baby. It hurts me to see you like this.”
He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close. All she could do was cling to him, an anchor in a suddenly raging sea of uncertainty. She drew comfort from the soothing hand rubbing her back, the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek as sobs wracked her body.
When the tears finally slowed, she lay quietly against his chest, limp and wrung out. The rhythmic up and down of his hand on her back lulling her, she sighed. A kiss on the top of her head had her looking up into Cooper’s face.
Pushing to her toes, she pressed her mouth to his, nibbling at his lower lip. He tilted his head, opening to her, and his hand drifted up her back to cradle her head. Her tongue dueling with his, Kara shoved her hands under the hem of his T-shirt, running her hands over the warm skin beneath.
A moan of protest left her lips as Cooper broke the kiss. “Sweetheart, this isn’t the place. Let’s grab Tammy and Daisy and get you home.”
Kara took a deep breath, stepped back, and nodded. “Yes, you’re right. Let’s do that.”
“We’ll take my car.”
“No, I –”
“K, if you think I’m going to allow you to drive in this state, you’re sorely mistaken.”
The stubborn line of his mouth had Kara rethinking her argument. Besides, he was right. She was so strung out and exhausted it was probably best if he drove her home. God, she could sleep for a week the way she felt. Stopping just long enough to speak to a rather confused Darby, Cooper led Kara out to his SUV parked right out front, a comforting hand at the small of her back.
The trip back to her place was made in silence as she mulled over all that had transpired at the café with Colonel Rollins – possibly her father. Calmer, she could think clearer.
All the years she’d dreamed of having a father in her life, wished she known her own father. Now, here was someone claiming to be that man, and she was running like a scared rabbit.
Yes, the last year had been hell on her, but the universe was offering her a second chance, and instead of grabbing onto it with both hands, she was letting the opportunities slip through her fingers due to fear.
Despite his own emotional baggage, the huge elephant in the room they’d been ignoring since the night of the nightmare, he’d stepped up for her. Helped her hold it together when she felt it was all coming undone.
Love welled up within her. She had no idea where she was going to find the courage to tell Cooper, but Kara knew she’d be a fool to waste the chance. If he didn’t feel the same, she didn’t have a clue how they’d move past it, but she’d regret it if she didn’t at least try.
He came to a stop in her driveway, murmuring, “Sit tight,” before hopping out to open her door. She went ahead to open the front door as he let the dogs out, then followed her.
