Page 49 of Dissonance

I watch without meaning to. The way they fuss over him, the way they smile when he does something small and ordinary like it’s the best thing to happen all day. The three of them, the perfect picture of something I’ve never thought I wanted.

A tightness pulls across my chest, and I press my hand absently to the spot. Cooper catches me staring, his expression shifting.

“You want to hold him?”

I blink. “What?”

Declan kisses Cooper’s temple before heading back behind the bar, and I’m only now aware that Holly has gone too.

How long was I out of it?

“You’re staring at him like you’re trying to memorize his face,” Cooper says, just as Ziggy pops off the bottle with a small sound of protest. “If you want a cuddle, just say so.”

He’s already handing him over like it’s the most natural thing in the world. And it should be; I’ve held this kid more times than I can count. But right now, with Ziggy’s solid weight against me, all I can think about is LA, and the life that barely exists yet.

Mine.

“Thea’s pregnant.”

The words come out before I’ve decided to say them. Cooper goes completely still, slack-jawed. “Holy shit. Thea? I wasn’t aware she was dating anyone.”

He lowers himself back into the seat, Ziggy kicking happily against my knee, oblivious.

“She’s not,” I say flatly. “It’s mine.”

“Yours?” He catches my expression and grimaces. “Okay…”

“I just found out five days ago.”

If I thought his eyes widened before, it’s nothing compared to now.

“Five—” Ziggy’s face scrunches, cheeks turning red as Cooper stands, reaching for his son just as a small fist swings toward my jaw. “This conversation’s best continued when I can focus. Let’s go give you to your papa, eh?”

I watch him cross to the bar, and Declan takes their son, blowing raspberries against his chubby wee cheeks. Leaning back, I blow out a breath.

Five days. Five days of carrying this around, mulling it over and sitting on it without saying a word. Five days of telling myself I have this under control. But Cooper’s not daft. I know he’s been circling around this conversation since we got home, waiting for the right moment.

Dragging a hand down my face, my beard scratching my palm, a reminder that it needs to be trimmed. Cooper slides back in, two glasses thudding onto the table, nudging one toward me.

“This feels like a whiskey conversation.”

“I’m working.”

“No one in Taunton Falls is going to bother me, and you know it.” He taps his to mine. “Start talking.”

I swirl the glass, ice clinking off the sides.

“Or even at the beginning,” he prompts.

“When a man and a woman do this special hug…”

“Oh my god.” He drops his head back. “Fine. Just sit there being a grump. I don’t care.”

And there he is. The bratty rock star I first started working with. I tip the whiskey back in one gulp, the smoky burn traveling all the way down until it reaches my stomach. Damn, I really wish he brought the bottle with him.

“You remember the security firm I worked for after the SEALs?”

Cooper perks up, eager. “The contractor one?”