think we need to deal with these urges of yours.”
“I agree.” He swept her off her feet and headed toward her bedroom.
Coop felt something poke him against his nose and he snatched his eyes open. He saw a miniature pair of eyes and a little hand right in his face. “You in my mommy’s bed,” his son all but accused.
Yes, he was in Laramie’s mommy’s bed. Before Coop could open his mouth to assure his son that everything was okay, Laramie had pulled himself up on the bed and crawled over him, saying, “Move over, Daddy.” The little boy then planted himself in the middle of the bed, unceremoniously separating Coop and Bristol like the parting of the Red Sea.
“Laramie!” Bristol said, quickly sitting up after coming awake. “Be nice.”
“He in your bed, Mommy.”
Bristol yawned and ran a hand through her son’s curls. “I know and it’s okay. Good morning, Laramie.”
He wrapped his arms around his mother’s neck. “Good morning, Mommy.”
Then, as if satisfied, Laramie slid beneath the covers and closed his eyes.
Bristol glanced over at Coop and smiled. “Sorry about that.”
“Hey, don’t apologize. I take it he does this every morning.”
She nodded, pushing a mass of hair back from her face. “Yes. And as you can see it’s not quite six o’clock. He comes in here, gets in my bed and will go back to sleep for another hour or so, then he’ll wake up hungry. That’s how we start our day.”
For Coop that was a bummer because he’d planned to start his day by making love to her. Now, thanks to their son, those plans would be canned. But son or no son, Coop intended to get a good morning kiss. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips. “Good morning, Bristol.”
She smiled. “Good morning, Coop.”
He returned her smile. He’d liked waking up with her while in Paris and he liked waking up with her now. Even after making love to her multiple times last night, he still had a lot of sexual energy to work off and he knew only one other way to do so besides making love to Bristol.
“I’m going to the fitness center.”
She lifted a brow. “The fitness center?”
“Yes, back at the hotel. I’m used to working out every morning.” Usually he worked out twice a day. “I’ll be back for breakfast if that’s okay.”
“That’s fine. We’ll be here.”
“I’m counting on it.” He leaned over and kissed her again, this time a little longer, before easing out of bed. He slid into his jeans and went into the connecting bathroom. When he returned a few moments later, he saw she had drifted off to sleep with Laramie cuddled close.
As he finished dressing, he couldn’t stop looking at them. Something deep tugged at his heart. He wasn’t sure how to deal with all these emotions. For years, he’d stayed in control of all relationships he was involved in. Usually, none were for the long-term. He’d been determined that no woman would ever rule his heart.
He liked his freedom. Besides, his work as a SEAL wasn’t conducive to a normal family life. He didn’t know from one month to the next where a mission might take him or for how long he’d be gone. He’d always enjoyed the adventure, the excitement, the quest and, yes, even the danger. Definitely the danger. It was enough to get your blood pumping and your adrenaline flowing.
But, he thought, studying Bristol while she slept, she got his blood pumping and his adrenaline flowing, as well. And when he thought about what they’d shared last night, he couldn’t help but smile. Then his smile widened and he knew why. He was happy. Truly happy. And the two people responsible for his happiness were sleeping in that bed. In the last forty-eight hours, his life had changed.
Already, he could admit he wouldn’t want it any other way.
When he finished dressing, he walked back over to the bed to stare down at them. At her. He wondered if she had any idea what she did to him, what she had done to him three years ago. Resisting her hadn’t been an option.
Bristol had gotten next to him without much effort and there hadn’t been anything he could do about it.
Other than to fall in love with her.
That admission shook him to the core. He hadn’t seen that coming. But now that he knew the truth, he had to accept it.
He loved her.
He drew in a deep breath. If he analyzed his behavior over the past three years, he probably would have realized he’d fallen in love with her the moment he and the guys had walked into that café in Paris. He’d seen her staring at him. He was certain he’d lost his heart then and there.
He’d left everyone at the table to approach her, determined to introduce himself before they could. Now his actions made sense. Love explained everything. Including the importance of those memories to his survival as well as why he’d returned to Paris looking for her as soon as he’d recuperated. When he’d accepted that she had been lost to him forever, he’d moved on. He’d been living a satisfied life but not a truly happy one.
There had to be a reason their paths had crossed in New York after all this time, a reason they had a child, who would always be a bond between them. And more than anything he also believed, whether she agreed or not, there was a purpose behind her decision to concoct a fake marriage and take his name.
He wanted Bristol and Laramie to always be a part of his life. He might not have planned for the recent turn of events, but now that he was faced with this little family of his, he had no regrets.
He was well aware that Bristol harbored reservations about making their marriage real, but he intended to get rid of whatever roadblocks stood in their way.
She didn’t love him yet, but in the end she would. He was a determined man and when he came to a decision there was no stopping him.
He turned and walked out of her bedroom.
* * *
Bristol was in the middle of preparing breakfast when her phone rang. Was it Coop letting her know he wouldn’t make it back for breakfast? Upon waking up again, Laramie had seemed a little disappointed that Coop had left. She had to admit, she was, too.
As she put the biscuits in the oven, she thought about how he’d found her in her studio working. He had been a distraction, but a welcome one. They had talked. But the one thing he hadn’t said was whether or not he’d told his parents about Laramie. And about their fake marriage. If so, what did his parents think of all this?
When she grabbed the phone, she saw from the caller ID that it was Margie. “Yes, Margie?”
“Are you in a better mood today?”
Bristol raised a brow. “Was I in a bad mood yesterday?”
“I
