“She’s mine. I just haven’t sealed the deal yet. If you want to fight for her, fine. I should warn you that I’m stronger than I was last year. It’ll take more to beat me.”
Cooper grinned. “You hurt my sister and I won’t kick your ass, Nick. I’ll feed you to my fucking dogs.”
“Fair enough. Did you want something else?”
Cooper sat on a bench and scratched at the stubble on his chin. “You get that Bailey comes with baggage, don’t you? And I don’t mean her insecurities and big mouth. I mean our family and what that includes.”
Stretching my arms over my head, I thought about what he meant. If Bailey had one flaw, it was her family’s business. I spent my whole life wanting to live a clean respectable life. No crime. No drugs. Just a solid life where the only crime was working to pay the least amount of taxes without having the IRS harass me.
“Bailey’s baggage is a necessary evil,” I said, moving to the speedbag.
“You really looking to be a teacher?”
“Yeah.”
“There are other options if you and Bailey work out.”
“I don’t want another option,” I said, glaring at him. “I want Bailey and I want to teach. Those are my only options.”
“Why teach? Did you have a teacher that made you feel special as a kid?”
Ignoring him, I hit the bag harder. Cooper walked to me and I waited for him to make a move. He only leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
“I don’t know how to handle this situation,” he said. “I didn’t really want to get to know you. Farah’s mine and I thought you wanted her. Like you were a threat. Or at least an asshole with wandering eyes. Now, I know you’re not that guy. Now, you’re the man who wants my little sister. Bailey has been tossed around from one loser to another for years. I’ve kicked so many asses of guys who did her wrong, but she never seems to catch a break when it comes to dating.”
Cooper sized me and shrugged. “She likes you though. A lot and it’s not one of her new things that she’s into. Apparently, she’s liked you for a while. You like her too, so you’re my problem. You can’t be a stranger now.”
“What do you want from me? Are you looking to hear my life story?”
“Come hang with us tonight. I know you’re not fighting and most of the crew is hanging at the bowling alley.”
“Crew?”
“My brother, his woman, Farah, Tawny, and the others. These are Bailey’s people and that’s nonnegotiable. You can stay away from the family business, but you can’t walk away from the family.”
“If Bailey wants to go, we’ll go. I’m not choosing for her.”
“You can’t let her boss you around, man. She’ll own your balls.”
“She already owns them. At this point, we’re just negotiating visitation rights.”
Cooper grinned. “Bailey’s a needy chick. You get that, right? A lot of people are fucked up from their shitty childhoods. Bailey’s had an easy life, but acts like people might take her shit away. She’s always clingy and that’s not something she’ll grow out of. Therapy won’t fix what’s broken. Hell, I don’t even know why she was in therapy except she was copying Tawny.”
Wrapping a towel around my neck, I sighed. “If Bailey wasn’t insecure, what would she need with a guy like me?”
After glancing around, Cooper whispered, “There are no guys in my crew that want her. They want an old lady who knows her place. Bailey wouldn’t know it if we drew her a fucking map.”
“She’s a Johansson. I thought that meant her place was at the front of the line.”
Cooper laughed. “You’re not bad. Bailey could do worse,” he said, glancing at the door then back at me. “And she has. So join us tonight and be part of the crew. It’s important for Bailey to see you around Farah without drooling over my woman. It’ll help her confidence.”
“How is Farah?” I asked and Cooper’s eyes narrowed.
“Fuck off.”
Laughing, I loved how a guy like Cooper could get insecure about a woman already pledged as his. I figured deluded insecurity ran in the Johansson family.
Chapter Nine ~ Bailey
Like any other big brother, Cooper was a pain in the ass. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to learn he hounded Nick. Especially not after I whined to him. Technically, I whined to Farah, but they were a package deal.
I wanted to be a package deal with Nick, but he wasn’t playing along as quickly as I hoped. Whenever I worried too much, I remembered how weird Tawny got because of her crappy childhood. Nick’s past wasn’t clear cut, but I figured he had reasons to be wary of commitment.
However, Nick didn’t call me to make plans for bowling. Cooper did and he made it sound like an order. While I didn’t appreciate my brother threatening my boyfriend, I did like the idea of showing off my sexy stud.
Before bowling, I decided to hang out with Raven and Vaughn. When I arrived, they struggled to look relaxed and not at all like they’d just doinked in a random room.