Upside Down (Breaking the Rules #3) - A.M. Madden Page 0,26
who had died way too young. He’d never gotten the shot to enjoy the spoils of his hard work. Mom had admitted they had such grand plans for their golden years, but that had vanished without warning. I promised myself I wouldn’t end up the same way. It was the main reason I’d taken that job with Sunset Cruises all those years ago. Not needing the paycheck, spending my days on a luxury cruise ship and meeting people from all corners of the world had sounded like a great career. Marco had the same desires when he’d become their cruise director. Meeting him had shifted my fate in a direction I hadn’t envisioned back then but couldn’t imagine not having now.
Our business had always been a means to help people create memories they’d always treasure. By hiring a strong staff, and by adding an executive layer, we’d set our company up in a way that enabled us to take a step back whenever we needed to. It had been an easy decision to let Marco and Rebecca enjoy these precious years with their kids. And with nothing requiring my attention at this stage of my life, I could easily jump back in if need be.
Just as I tapped the send button on my email, Rebecca flinched and rubbed the side of her belly. “What… what is it?”
“This kid is much more active than Antonio was.”
“Don’t scare me like that, cookie puss. I draw the line at playing catcher if that baby were to shoot out of you on my time.”
She drilled her big blue eyes into mine and sighed impatiently. “It doesn’t quite work like that.” The smirk that came next snapped me into a memory. It looked so much like Cooper’s when he was annoyed, which had been often when in my company. It’d been six weeks since Sam and Lydia’s wedding cruise, and except for hearing bits and pieces of his life through Rebecca, I hadn’t had any contact with him. That didn’t mean he didn’t appear in my thoughts often.
“Bella?” Marco’s deep voice reached us before he appeared in the doorway. An electric smile spread when he saw his wife. “There you are.”
“Hi, baby. Just bothering Ricky.” He bent and placed a kiss on her lips, licked what I assumed was a ton of salt off his own, and then placed a kiss on her belly.
“I would love to aid in that, but I need you in the galley for a quick minute.”
Rebecca placed the almost empty bowl on my desk and dusted the crumbs scattered on her belly to the floor.
“Hey,” I said.
“Cleaning will handle it,” she said with an impatient wave of her hand before taking Marco’s and leading him out of my office.
“I get no respect around here,” I mumbled, diving into another email. But soon the vibration of the wood beneath my keyboard stole my focus. “What the hell is that?” Another round of buzzing drew my attention to Rebecca’s cell, sitting beside the bowl of chips. Normally I’d ignore it but seeing Cooper’s smiling face on the screen caused me to reach for it.
“Rebecca’s line.” Silence. “Hello, Cooper.” More silence.
“Ricky.” Yet another pause, and I could practically hear his audible gulp. “Is my sister around?” His deep voice rumbling over the line stirred something within me. I stood to stare out the window at the ocean beyond, drawing its energy to settle my pounding heart. My reaction wasn’t exactly a mystery, since I’d been experiencing flutters whenever I remembered our kiss. But over the weeks, I’d decided the need to save him was what had me desiring him.
Hero complex, as Rebecca labeled it.
It was a deep-rooted issue that stemmed from my Corey days. It was also a convenient excuse, because no other explanation made sense regarding Cooper.
“She, ah… she stepped away for a moment.” I waited for a reply, and when none came, I added, “How’ve you been?”
“Great.” The tone of his voice contradicted the positive word. “You?” he then asked, probably out of obligation.
“Also, great.” Even more silence. Clearing my throat, I said, “Rebecca is getting big.”
“I bet. I miss her.”
“She misses you too.” Knowing he planned to come down to Florida once his school year was over, another tidbit that sparked the fluttering, I admitted, “She’s marking a calendar daily until your arrival.” He chuckled over the line, a carefree laugh that caused my dick to twitch.