Brazen and Breathless (Untouchable #6) - Heather Long Page 0,90
out of the car and hurried inside. It seemed even colder out than when I got in the car at Standish. Three things hit me when I let myself into the kitchen.
The photo that hung on the wall next to the kitchen table was gone. We were short one chair at the table. And there was a large bag of trash sitting next to the backdoor waiting to be taken out.
Jake appeared in the entryway between the living room and the kitchen, his expression tight. “Before you say anything…”
My stomach dropped. What had happened?
“I got here like thirty minute ago and found the mess along with Coop.”
I dropped my backpack and flipped the lock. “What happened? Is he all right?”
“I’m fine,” Coop called, his voice slurring completely, and my jaw dropped. Jake grimaced and curled his fingers toward me. I barely smelled the unopened Chinese food still sitting in its bags on the counter as I went to him. Coop sat in the living room, a bottle of whisky and a full six pack of beer in front of him.
Well, I should amend that to six empty bottles and a half-full bottle of whisky. When did we get the whisky?
“He had a fight with his dad,” was all Jake murmured in a voice so low, I barely heard it. Squeezing his hand, I headed for Coop. To be honest, his issues with his dad were complicated and had been since Carly and he had broken up. Coop had been pissed at him for cheating. And I couldn’t blame him, it was a shitty, shitty thing to do to Carly.
When Coop’s fingers closed around the neck of the whisky bottle, I put my hand over his. “Leave it?”
Coop cut his head back to look at me, and his eyes were unfocused, his face flushed, and I swore there were marks of tears around his eyes. More, his knuckles were scraped and raw on both hands. I glanced at Jake, and his lips compressed. Yeah, he’d seen them too.
“He’s not interested in reason right now, Baby Girl.”
Fine. Then we’d go with unreasonable.
I crawled right onto Coop’s lap, and he had to let go of the bottle or risk dumping me on the floor. He clamped his hands on my hips to steady me, and Jake snagged the bottle away.
“Hey,” I said, focusing on Coop and threading my arms around him. “Talk to me?”
He tugged me into him as he sagged back against the sofa, and then he buried his face against my neck. I didn’t grimace, but holy shit, he smelled like a distillery. Coop was not one for benders. The other guys? Yes, I’d seen Jake and Archie drink each other under the table, and if egged on appropriately, so would Ian. But Coop was always the most level-headed one.
“My fucking father,” Coop slurred. “He’s an asshole.”
“Got that,” I soothed, carding my fingers through his hair. “Tell me so I can go kick his ass for you?”
“Not gonna kick his ass,” Coop mumbled against my shoulder. “Pretty sure I knocked one of his teeth out.”
Jake came back in and sat on the arm of the sofa. He had a glass of water in hand, and he shook his head. “He wasn’t here when I got here.”
“Nah, he fucking left when he figured out I was serious.” Coop sighed. “I can’t fucking believe he did that. I mean, I should believe he did that, but how the fuck am I supposed to look Mom in the eye now?” Before I could respond to that, he jerked back and brought his hands to my face. “Your mother is a bitch, Frankie. A raging fucking cunt. I don’t want you to even have to breathe the same air as her again, okay?”
My mother?
“Okay,” I murmured, just agreeing. It would be easier right now. “Can you drink some water for us? And maybe let me clean up your knuckles?”
He glanced at his hand and then shrugged, but he didn’t let go of my face. “Hands don’t even hurt. Why are parents so bad at parenting? Mom is great. Mom’s been a damn saint. So much makes sense now, and I don’t know why I didn’t see it. But fuck me, I wish I didn’t see it now.”
“Hey, bud,” Jake said, bumping his arm, and it eased up Coop’s grip on my face. “Water, man. Before you puke all over Frankie then have to look her in the eye later.”