Page 86 of Cougar

Max straightens to his full height and narrows his eyes at Harper as Jessica brings one hand up to cover her mouth and the other to her chest.

Dylan exhales a curse under his breath. “Cole is gonna lose his shit.”

“He’s not,” Max says, looking over his shoulder. “Because we’re not gonna tell him.”

“Max—” Jessica begins, but he holds up his hand, cutting her off.

“Is that why you’re here?” he asks. “So you can get close to my son?”

“Truthfully, no,” Harper answers. “But last summer when I applied, it was in hopes of seeing Willow.” Tears pool in her eyes. “I just wanted to see her,” she cries. “When Jade died, I didn’t just lose my sister. I lost Willow, too. I lost my family.”

“My God, Harper,” I say softly.

Shaking her head, she swipes the tears from her face. “When I found the journal, I was shocked to find out that Willow’s father was one of my classmates. Do you know how hard it was for me to sit behind him in class every day, wondering if he’d ever let me see her? I waited for him to call. That’s all I wanted. But he never once took my feelings, my grief, into consideration.”

“Because he was a scared sixteen-year-old kid,” Dylan yells. “He wasn’t thinking about anything or anyone but Willow.”

“Dylan,” Jessica chides. “Calm down.”

“I know that, Dylan. I’m just telling you what I was thinking and feeling at the time. I’m not here because I’m trying to get close to Cole. I’m not one of his ‘groupies.’ It’s always been about Willow. I had finally given up and moved on by the time Alex called me in for an interview. I had a boyfriend and I was happy.” She looks up at my brother. “Max, I took the job because I needed one, and I genuinely like working here.”

“I think we need to all sit down with Cole and talk,” Jessica says. “What’s your relationship like with him?”

“We’ve only recently become friends,” she admits.

“And you haven’t shared any of this information with Jay?” I ask.

“No.”

“Are you interested in Cole?” Max asks, and Harper’s brows pinch in confusion. “You know….” He waves his hand around. “Someone help me out here. I don’t know what terminology kids are using these days.”

I purse my lips in amusement.

“He wants to know if you’re planning to screw my brother,” Dylan explains with a laugh.

“Dylan,” Jessica chastises him again. “Don’t be so crude.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant, Dylan,” Max chides.

“No.” She shakes her head. “We’re barely friends.”

“It’s only a matter of time before he tries to bang her,” Dylan offers.

Max jerks his head toward his son. “That’s enough. She’s Willow’s family, too, and she hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“Does Jay know Willow belongs to Cole?” Harper asks me.

“Jay and anyone else who matters believe Willow was adopted,” Max answers.

“Does Willow understand that Cole is her dad?”

“It’s complicated,” Jessica says. “She and Cole share a strong bond. She relies on him just as any child would rely on a father. Willow is very smart, but she doesn’t understand the difference between him being her father and him being Cole.”

“Who does she think you are?” Harper asks Jessica.

“She calls me Mom.” Jessica gestures to Max. “She calls him Pops. Basically she calls us what Cole and Aiden call us. She’s at the stage where she repeats everything she hears.” She smiles. “I know you think it’s unconventional, but it’s not our call. She’s Cole’s daughter, and this is how he chooses to raise her.”

Harper nods. “I’m not questioning his parenting. I’m just trying to understand. Honestly, from what I’ve seen, Cole is amazing with Willow. She’s sweet and funny, and she has a big personality. She looks so much like Jade.”

---