Liberty (25 page)

“Of course.” Mary’s voice was choked with tears. “I’ll take care of you. You can move in here if you want.”

“I would like that.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I love you, Mary. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I should have never let my son hurt you. I should have raised him better. You don’t know the shame I feel.”

“I don’t blame you. Your husband hit you, too.”

“I should have stopped the cycle. I should have called the sheriff the first time he hit you.”

“Don’t do this to yourself. If it wasn’t for you, Ryan would have never went to the marines and I would never have met Cooper. And if I never met him I would not have my babies or known what it was like to be loved.” She rubbed her belly, feeling her miracles grow inside her.

“Are you going to tell him?”

“No. I thought about it but I can’t. He has another life, a job, a family. I don’t fit in anywhere.”

And it killed her.

“How are you going to manage?”

“I’ll have you,” she said uneasily. Mary wasn’t young anymore but she had so much love to give. “Cooper put a lot of money in the bank for me after he left. At first I was going to give it back, but I’m going to raise his babies with it.”

* * *

Cooper had settled into a routine. Finally. It took him a while, almost two months of being back in New York, for him to feel any sense of normalcy. But for some reason, even though he had grown up there, Manhattan didn’t feel like home. His apartment didn’t feel like home. There was no handmade quilt on his bed. No cheery, colored curtains on his windows. No worn-in couch that was perfect for naps. No sweet-smelling woman to fill the place. It was just an apartment, where he slept and bathed and ate alone.

But he was surviving.

Those first few days after he had gotten back he wasn’t sure he would. He was miserable but as the days passed he slowly got better. He slowly returned to life. He wasn’t happy, necessarily, or even content...but he was going on. He spent a lot of time with his mother. They had dinner together at least once a week. They went to museums and plays. They talked. She gained some of her weight back. She was becoming the woman he used to know and he was glad for that.

But something big was missing in his life. He walked around with an emptiness that was almost consuming, and the feeling never left him. He wasn’t sure it would. It amazed him how he managed to be lonely in the biggest city in the world. He met up with his old friends to combat it. He kept himself busy working in his old job. He went out at night after work. On weekends he stayed out late so he didn’t have to go back to his empty, quiet apartment.

That’s when he had met Olivia. At a dinner party. They exchanged emails for a few weeks. And then she suggested they go out for dinner. At first he was surprised by the offer. He had been in such a fog, in such an odd state that he hadn’t looked at her as any normal man looked at a woman. He didn’t see her with interest.

There was something wrong with him. But he agreed, thinking that maybe it was what he needed. And as they sat across from each other in a cozy Italian restaurant he tried to find his attraction for her.

She was a beautiful woman. Dark hair, big brown eyes, a sweet Audrey Hepburn face. She was interesting. She worked as a college professor, teaching humanities to freshmen. He even found himself laughing that night. For many men she would be perfect. But he kept comparing her to another woman. Olivia had smooth porcelain skin, but he liked skin that was a mixture of coffee and milk. Olivia had straight hair, but he found himself wanting to run his fingers through hair that was curly. She wore tailored, designer dresses but Cooper preferred a girl in a tank top and a pair of jeans.

“I’m being unfair to you,” he said. He had tuned out of the conversation as he studied her. It was rude, but Lexy was on his mind. She was always on his mind.

“Oh?” Olivia smiled prettily at him. “I hadn’t noticed.”

She would make some man happy. Just not him. “I wish I weren’t in love with somebody else.”

Her eyes went wide and he knew he could have stated that better. “Of course you’re in love with somebody else.” She gave him a self-deprecating grin. “Every man I like is. Story of my life.”

“I’m sorry. I’m trying to live without her, but it seems I can’t. I could try with you. I would like to try with you, but it wouldn’t be fair to you. I haven’t seen her in months, but nothing has changed. I still love her.”

“Then why are you here? If somebody loved me like you love her I wouldn’t want them sitting around. I would want them to tell me that.”

He blinked at his date. There were a million reasons he couldn’t go back, but there was one reason he was going to. He loved her. His life wasn’t good without her.

* * *

The library had been extremely quiet. Libraries were normally quiet but there hadn’t been a single person there all morning. She was the only one working besides Jemma, and she was downstairs doing inventory. Lexy had checked in all the books and now she was incredibly bored.

When her hands were idle her mind drifted to Cooper. He haunted her. She touched her ever-growing belly. One of Cooper’s babies was moving. She hoped one of them would have blue-gray eyes, that way she could look at them and see the man she loved every day.

“So I was thinking...” She heard Cooper’s voice and didn’t believe her ears.

Her heart was playing tricks on her. She was missing him so badly that she conjured him up in her mind.

“I promised you a trip to Austin and I never took you.”

“Cooper?”

“Yes.” He smiled softly, leaning over the circulation desk where she was sitting. “I miss you, Alexa. My life sucks without you.”

She was silent for a moment, not sure she could trust her eyes, but he was there. He looked the same as she remembered him. The scar she liked to kiss was still on his cheek. He still had that gleam in his eye. He still looked at her like she was meant for him. It was almost too much to take in. But then he reached across the desk and took her hand in his. Those feelings she got whenever he touched her raced along her skin. He eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. Her heart hadn’t made her imagine things. He was back. “My life sucks, too.”

“Do you still love me?” he asked hesitantly, almost like he was afraid she was going to say no.

“I still love you. I couldn’t stop.”

“Good, because I can’t function without you. I just go through the motions. I don’t live. I’m not happy without you.”

“Cooper—” she dashed the tears away from her eyes “—I missed you.”

“I’m moving back here. Or if you don’t want here, tell me where you want to go. I was thinking we could build a big house after we get married.”

“Married?” Her heart pounded in her chest.

“Oh—” he grinned “—did I forget to ask you?” His eyes twinkled and her heart hurt.

“You don’t have to ask. I will.”

“You’re damn right you will.” He came around the desk and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly against his hard body, and she nearly died from pleasure.

“Uh...” He froze and then shifted his hand to her ever-growing belly.

“I’m pregnant,” she confessed.

“I can see that.”

He gawked at her big belly. He looked so surprised and adorable that she had to kiss his face a dozen times.

“You gave me two babies.” She backed away and lifted up her gauzy shirt to reveal her pregnancy.

“Lex.” His eyes filled with tears. “Twins? You’re going to have my babies?”

“Yes.” She took his hand and placed it over her belly. “You did this.”

“Amazing. How far along are you?”

“Four months.”

His mouth dropped. “Were you ever going to tell me?” Hurt flashed in his eyes. She never wanted to hurt him but she needed to tell him the truth.

“I didn’t want you coming back just because I was pregnant. I wanted you to come back because you loved me. I would have always wondered if you would have rather been with someone else. Or if you would have resented me for keeping you here. But now I know.”

“I never wanted to leave you, damn it!” he yelled at her. “I love you.”

“Then why did it take you so long to come back? I was worried, you ass. I didn’t want to raise these kids without you.”

His face broke out in a smile. “You’re a nut, Lexy. Do you know that?”

“Of course I know that, but you are the one marrying the crazy lady.”

“I am.” He brushed a soft kiss across her mouth. “This afternoon. I want to make love to my wife as soon as possible.”

Epilogue

L
exy lay with her head on Cooper's chest, her hand rested on his stomach underneath his T-shirt. This is how he and his wife spent every evening. It was their way of unwinding, of simply being together.

“Are you hungry?” Lexy looked up at him. She was just as pretty as the day they met. “I made a peach pie, or if you don't want that I bought mint-chocolate-chip ice cream.”

He ran his fingers through her loose hair that had grown so long it was now down her back. “You hate mint-chocolate-chip ice cream.”

“You like it, and I like you so I bought it.”

He kissed her forehead. “I love you, Lexy.” He didn't tell her enough, or if he did it was automatic, like saying good morning or good night, but he did love her. She was the best thing that ever happened to him.

“I love you, too, Coop.” She grinned up at him, raising her head slightly so she could kiss his mouth. A spark caught and the kiss grew into something more than either intended. He rolled her over on the couch, wrapping her leg around his hip.

“You always get me, you witch,” he muttered before he took her mouth again.

“I didn't even do anything,” she giggled. After twelve years he could still do that to her.

“You were born,” he retorted. Her hand wandered up his shirt, stroking his still-scarred back.

“What are you guys doing?” they heard a voice say. Cooper lifted his head to look at his irritable twelve-year-old daughter holding their nine-month-old son.

“I'm making out with your mother. Go away.”

They had five beautiful children: twelve-year-old twins, a boy and a girl; a nine-year-old daughter; a four-year-old daughter; and a baby boy. He never thought they would have so many. They never thought they would be so old and still be having kids. Lexy was forty. He was forty-three. She thought she would have trouble conceiving, but they were as fertile as a rainforest. Their last two children were unplanned, due to his inability to keep his hands off his wife.

But there were some bittersweet times in between their happy times. Kyle had passed away just after the twins were born. It was sad but it really was a blessing. Kyle had suffered more than one person should. But he had got to see his niece and nephew before he went, and that made Lexy happy.

“I would love to go away but Conner is making noise.”

“Ma!”
He squealed and held out his chubby baby arms to his mother.

“Hey, booger,” she said, still trapped beneath her husband. Conner broke out in jubilant baby giggles as he always did whenever his mother spoke to him. He would be a mama's boy. Conner looked just like Lexy, with caramel skin and dark curls, but he had Cooper's blue-gray eyes.

“I'm trying to do my homework,” Lacy whined.

“You waited till eight to do your homework?” Lexy asked.

“Um, no?”

“Tell me another lie.” Lexy looked up at Cooper. “Get off of me.”

He frowned at her. “I don't want to.”

“You already have five kids,” Lacy complained. “You don't have to do it anymore.”

“Yes, we do,” Cooper answered. “And if you don't like it you can move out.”

She wouldn't be going anywhere. They had the biggest house in Liberty, Texas. He had fulfilled his promise and built Lexy the house of her dreams. She had been easy to please. They had money. He ran his own accounting firm and she wrote for a living. She could have whatever she wanted, but she still shopped at Wal-Mart and insisted that the kids earn their allowance by doing chores.

“Dad!”

“Cooper!” Lexy poked him.

He looked down at Lexy, still wanting her, and she nearly blushed. They still made love every night and some mornings if they managed to wake up before the kids. “Coop.” She kissed his cheek, and when he still didn't move she tugged on his hair. He sighed and rolled off her. There was always tonight.

“Come to Mommy.” She held out her arms to their baby, who was pumping his legs in excitement as Lacy brought him near. “How's my little love?” She smothered his face with wet kisses.

“Daddy?”

Their four-year-old came into the den wearing her blue footie pajamas, rubbing her eyes as if she had been crying. He loved all of his children tremendously, but May stole his heart. She was his look-alike and she had him wrapped around her finger.

“Charlie smashed the cricket that was in my room and now I've got guts on the wall. I told him not to kill it.” Her lowered lip trembled pathetically, which caused Lexy to roll her eyes.

“Come here, princess.” He collected the little girl in his arms, kissing her tears away.

“Charlie!”

A boy, big and healthy-looking, appeared. He was a mix of his parents. “Yeah, Dad?”

“Please clean the guts off your sister's wall.”

“No problem.” He shrugged. “I don't know why she's crying.”

“Because dumb-dumb. Girls don't like guts on their walls,” his twin informed him.

“Yes,” Cooper added. “Now tell her you're sorry.”

Charlie obeyed, giving May a loud kiss on her cheek. He was good to his sisters. Cooper was proud of his boy. He pulled him down next to him and ruffled his hair.

“Come here, Lacy,” Lexy called. “Give Mama a kiss.”

“Do I have to?” the increasingly fresh child said.

“If you want to live to see tomorrow, you will,” her mother replied. Lacy came over and squeezed her mother tightly. She gave a lot of lip but she really adored her mother. They were best friends. “I love you, Lace.”

“I love you, too, Mommy.”

“Hey!” Their nine-year-old, Corey, entered. “Nobody told me you guys were having a meeting.”

“Trust me,” Cooper assured her, “it was not planned. Come sit with us.”

She squeezed herself between her parents, resting her dark head on Cooper's arm.

This was heaven.

Twelve years ago he nearly died, when a dark angel came and gave him a reason to live. And he owed it all to Ryan Beecher, who not only gave his life for his country, but for Cooper, too.

* * * * *

Watch for the next title in Ginger Jamison's
REDEMPTION
trilogy, coming this
Autumn 2014: JERICHO.

Don't miss this compelling, emotional story!