Cooper nodded, almost choking on the huge lump in his throat. “I miss her. I didn’t know she had a son, but I want to do right by him, make sure he doesn’t fall to the same fate as his mother. I owe the real Julie that much.”
“Get him involved in sports. You saw how his face lit up when he talked football.” Hers shone as she talked, and he fell a little deeper in love with her, not that he was in love with her, just falling, but falling didn’t mean he was there, or so he figured. Cooper moved back a step, trying to free himself from the spell she cast over him.
He’d prefer Riley loved skating and hockey but he’d settle for football, a team sport like hockey with great team camaraderie, even if he didn’t like some of the players on the local team—specifically Tanner.
“What if she shows up and wants him back?” Izzy studied him as if she could see right into his very soul.
He shifted his stance. “She is his mother. I don’t plan on being a surrogate parent.”
“What do you plan on being, Cooper, to a boy who needs a little stability in his life?”
“Like I’d give him that,” he answered defensively.
“Of course you would. You’re not a partier, you’re a straight-arrow guy who plays by the rules and expects everyone else do to the same. You’re a hard worker and a great role model for kids.”
Cooper’s face grew hot, and he looked away for a moment. “I’m never home.”
“Maybe it’s the quality, not the quantity.”
He rubbed his hands across his face and heaved a huge sigh. “I don’t know what I’ll do when I find Julie, or she finds me.”
“Cross that bridge when you come to it. Have you had an attorney look into temporary custody? It’ll make it that much more difficult for her to rip him out of your home.”
“Yeah, I have. I don’t foresee any problems with it. And you? Have you made any progress on a combination live-in housekeeper and teen-sitter?”
“I have—Aunt Barb, my mother’s sister, just lost her job and is thrilled to get the work. She’s a great cook and very neat and tidy. I’ll text her contact info so you can meet her.”
“Your endorsement is good enough for me. I’m out of time.” He pulled out his wallet and counted out ten one-hundred-dollar bills. Izzy snatched the money out of his hand, almost too eagerly, cluing him into her current financial situation.
“Thank you.” Her sincerity struck a chord deep inside him.
“Izzy?” His voice cracked a little when he said her name.
“Yes?” She cocked her head and looked up at him, sexy as hell with those glossy, so kissable lips, and eyes such a deep brown they pulled him in and held onto him.
“Do you need more?”
She hesitated and shook her head. “No, thanks.” With an nervous smile, Izzy turned to unlock her door, swinging it open to the sounds of the twins fighting over who’d worn whose clothes and put a stain on an expensive dress. She sighed. “Family.”
“They might be pains in the ass, but they’re our pains in the ass.”
Impulsively, Izzy leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Good night, Cooper. Take care of our boy.”
Cooper stared at the door long after she shut it. He could hear her voice rising above her sisters’ shouting. The corner of his mouth twitched in a smile.
Our boy.
She was a good friend to him, better than he deserved.
And he wanted to be her man. Again.
A lump of regret settled in his gut for what could’ve been if he hadn’t behaved like a jealous jerk.
Chapter 6—Blocked Shot
Being out of his element didn’t come close to describing Cooper’s situation. He liked kids, hell, he worked with kids on a regular basis, but spending a few hours at children’s hospital or a school didn’t exactly equal living with a teenager, especially one with a stubborn streak to rival Cooper’s, not to mention all the other shit the kid must be dealing with, stuff Cooper couldn’t begin to understand.
Walking into the high school to enroll Riley as a freshman didn’t rank up there as one of Cooper’s shining moments, especially when he couldn’t furnish most of the information required to register Riley. The old crone handling the paperwork glared at him in disgust, making him feel like the worst uncle in the entire world.
“Birthdate?” she demanded, sniffing as if she smelled dog shit on his shoes.
Cooper wrung his hands under the table. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He glanced at Riley who stared straight ahead and said nothing.
“I, uh—”
She glared up at him, bony fingers poised over the keyboard and tapped one toe of her sensible shoes on the floor. “Mr. Black, surely you know your nephew’s birthday?”
Cooper hated looking like an idiot. He definitely looked like an idiot. He shot a quick glance at his nephew and caught the kid’s disinterested expression. No help there. The woman’s frown couldn’t possibly get any deeper; disapproval added more lines to her face than he’d seen on his ninety-year-old grandmother’s face. Despite his embarrassment, Cooper didn’t air his family’s dirty laundry in public, so he let the woman think the worst of him.
“Riley, would you please answer the lady?” Cooper publicly conceded defeat.
Riley’s smile was triumphant, yet laced with sadness, making Cooper feel like a real shit.
A half hour later, they finished the paperwork, and Cooper stood, fully intending to get the hell out of the place. He nodded at Riley. “You have a key and can catch the bus home?”
“Yeah.” The kid looked completely lost.
“I’ll be home by dinner.” Cooper didn’t know what else to say so he awkwardly patted his nephew’s shoulder.
Riley stiffened and stared straight ahead, swallowing hard. “Whatever.” He glanced at the door as if he wished either he could disappear out of it, or even better, that Cooper would.