Page 7 of I’m Fine Save Me (The Spiral Duet #1)

Chapter four

Cooper

Three Months Later

W orking retail sucks.

Luckily I work freight, so I don’t have to deal with customers, not often at least. I get to stock shelves and unload trucks.

I’m usually out the door and back home before the store even opens back up.

I like it that way because I get to be home and awake when Tegan gets home from her call center job.

Even if she has to work on school work, I like that we can be home together for longer than a few stolen hours.

Today I was asked to work overtime and stay a few extra hours because we had some people call out. I don’t mind the extra money, and I have the next two days off, so catching up on sleep won’t be a problem. I’m frustrated, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.

I’m climbing to the top of a ladder to stock shoes when I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket.

Fuck.

I forgot to text Tegan that I was staying late.

Not that I didn’t think she’d care, but I thought I’d be home before her still.

She was off today but had errands to run.

With that thought, I panic slightly thinking she’s calling because she was in an accident or something.

So without climbing down, I answer the call.

One hand is braced against that top shelf while I hold my cellphone to my ear, elbow propped on the top rung of the ladder. “Hey, babe. You okay?”

“Yea, I’m fine… but I got some news.” She sounds like she’s been crying and she’s got a twinge to her voice like she’s not sure how to say something. Tegan is always so careful with her words to make sure her thoughts come out the way they’re meant to be heard.

“Okay… you’re scaring me a little.” I’m still perched on this ladder and my mind is racing with what could possibly have her sounding like this.

She takes a breath and I can practically see her pacing in the apartment from the movements I can hear over the line.

“Okay, so you know how when my appendix ruptured they told us that having kids was probably not in the cards for us? They told us if we wanted to try, it was best to start early because my chances were only going to get smaller?”

I pause, slightly confused. “Yea. You have those tests scheduled for next week to see if there’s anything they can do to make it possible.

” I had sat beside her in that hospital room after her emergency surgery just being grateful she’d made it to the emergency room in time.

The devastation on her face when they told her she’d never be a mother nearly gutted me.

Her voice pulls me back from that memory after she takes another deep breath.

“Well, either you have magic sperm or they’re just fucking wrong.

I was having this big emotional breakdown with my mom on the phone earlier and she told me to take a pregnancy test because I was overreacting about a minor thing…

” I’m fairly certain she didn’t even stop to take a breath while spitting all of that out, but my brain is hung up on the fact that she took a pregnancy test.

“What did you just say?” I know I sound like an idiot to her, because she was pretty damn clear. I just don’t think I heard it all correctly.

“Cooper,” Tegan laughs softly and I can hear her tears.

They aren’t the panicked sad tears I thought of before.

“We’re pregnant.” It’s then that it sets in.

These are tears of relief. They are tears of joy.

Motherhood wasn’t stolen from her like she’d thought…

and I’m still on top of this fucking ladder.

“I need to sit down,” I breathe out, fighting like hell not to drop my phone while I grip the top of the ladder. So slowly and so carefully, I climb down to the floor and sit on one of the lower rungs. “Holy shit. We’re having a kid? Really?”

Now her tears have transferred to me. We thought we couldn’t have this. I know Tegan is going to be an amazing mother. I seriously question myself, but her? I never question just how amazing that woman is.

“I’ll be home soon. Just let me wrap up this shift and I’ll be home. Holy shit, I can’t wait to see you.”

I would love to be the man that went straight home to celebrate with his wife, but knowing that we were growing the family we planned triggered something in my head.

I’ve never really felt like I had to protect Tegan.

I know that sounds awful considering what a piece of shit her father is, but honestly, Tegan doesn’t need protecting.

She pulls herself out of those situations so easily. She stands up for herself. I know that if I ever raised a hand to her, she’d beat my ass before I got a second hit in. Not that I would ever hurt her, but my point stands. The girl can hold her own… but a baby?

What if we have a little girl? Hell, even if we have a little boy, I need to be able to protect them.

I’m not the brawling type. I know that I’m not physically a match for anyone who actually wants to do me or my family harm.

Tegan and I talked about having kids early on so we would have more time together later in life.

I watched her with her younger sisters, her friends’ kids, and the kids she works with for her advocate work.

She was a natural born mother and it is something she’s always told me how much she wanted.

The day that the doctor told her that it was a slim chance for us was such a horrible day.

I’ve never felt more helpless in my life.

I think I barely made her smile once before we went to sleep that night.

So, I have to be able to protect her now.

While Tegan can hold her own, I also know that she’d never risk protecting herself if it meant hurting our baby.

With that in mind, I head to the pawn shop after I clock out.

Tegan

When Cooper came home, I had our Valentine’s dinner all set out with a giant teddy bear and the biggest bag of gummy bears I could find in the store. I might have been emotionally shopping after I’d taken that pregnancy test.

They told me I couldn’t.

I guess we proved them wrong.

We showered together after dinner and that’s when Cooper decided to tell me why it had taken him so long to get home.

He’d bought a gun.

I wasn’t angry about it. I’m trained in gun safety, and I know how to respect the weapon. I’m actually a good shot myself. In fact, I’m a lot better at hitting a mark than my husband who just bought a fucking gun. When I point out that fact to him with a playful grin, he just rolls his eyes at me.

“I don’t like the one you picked because it feels uncomfortable in my hand.” I tell him after we’re dried off and curled up in bed together. He has his hand resting on my stomach.

I feel like it’s been attached there since he got home.

I know he’s terrified of the kind of father he will be, but I know he’ll be great. He loved me when everyone else saw fit to just point out my flaws and make me hate myself more. He’s always made it his goal to keep me smiling; and when I’m not at my best, he doesn’t mind taking care of me.

He presses a kiss to my forehead, murmuring his next words against my skin.

“Yea, well. If you want a gun, we’ll get you one you like; but this one is for me.

I’m going to go out to the range with my dad and Theo to get a feel for it this weekend.

” I pull back from him and pout a little.

“I’ll be going out for pedicures with Mom, Kat, and Dani.

I wanted to tell them about the baby in person.

I keep telling mama that I haven’t taken the pregnancy test yet.

” With a laugh, I nip playfully at his lower lip before continuing.

“So you’ll just have to learn how to handle your weapon without me, Mr. Michaels. ”

“Okay, that one was horrible.” Even as he says it, he’s grinning. I make some horrible innuendo jokes, but he always smiles at them.

His hand slides up to cradle the back of my skull, fingers gently tangle into my still damp hair. With his forehead resting against mine, he brushes a barely there kiss against my lips. “But I don’t think I’ll enjoy handling my weapon without you nearly as much as I enjoy you handling it.”

My grin goes wide. It might be a horrible line, but we’re both laughing when I say, “Oh really?” and wiggle my eyebrows at him. In the next instant, he’s claiming my lips with his own. It’s a deep, needy, and loving kiss. All the laughter smothered by his sudden need.

Cooper isn’t always a passionate man on the outside.

He hasn’t kissed me like this since our wedding night.

Him kissing me like this usually means he’s having big emotions that he cannot put into words.

I kiss him back, and I know these emotions are because of the baby.

I know the news we received a few months ago had him feeling helpless.

He wanted to save me from the devastation that we might never have a family.

Now, in his mind, he has.

I feel the nudge of his hips pressing me to roll onto my back.

We didn’t bother with pajamas after the shower.

Over the first few months of our marriage and finally having a place of our own, Cooper has grown more explorative with sex.

We bought a few toys during our honeymoon, and he likes to bring those out.

It seems tonight though, my husband just wants me.

He wants us.

He kisses down the side of my neck, teeth grazing ever so slightly to tease my nerves. “Coop…” I whisper as he settles his hips between my thighs and moves his nipping kisses to the other side of my neck.

Slowly he trails up to my ear, nipping at the lobe. “I won’t be able to fuck you like this in a few months. We’ll have to start getting all kinds of creative.” His voice is rough, like he’s been wanting me like this all day and can’t believe he finally has me.

With another bite and tug to my ear lobe, I can feel his lips kick up into a wicked grin before his mouth is on mine again.

My hips buck up into him, my body aching for this passion he’s showing me.

With it being so rare, I want to enjoy every second of it.

My hands slide up along his inked up back, trying to press him into me.

He doesn’t take the hint, even though I can feel his arousal grinding against my clit.

It’s entirely possible the bastard is teasing me.

There is just something about Cooper’s want for me when he’s like this. When there is so much emotion behind every kiss and touch, it’s like he ignites every single nerve he touches. “Baby, be still…” he breathes with a grin against my mouth.

“Stop…” I breathe in and roll my hips to grind against him. That’s the moment I realize just how fucking wet I am. “...teasing me.” I demand and he must have noticed in that same moment because he nips at my lower lip, shifting his hips to meet my movements.

He still doesn’t sink inside of me. “Cooper.”

I hate how whiny I sound, but damn I need him to fuck me.

Instead, he pushes his hips forward and keeps them there.

That hard length slides up and down against my clit, making me groan.

My head rolls back on the pillow and his teeth graze over the exposed curve of my neck, trailing down to my collar bone.

“Yes, gorgeous?” He croons coyly. I will give him credit for his ability to play innocent, even when he’s hard as a rock. “Something you need?”

I groan in frustration. This seems to amuse him because he pulls his hips back just enough for his cock to shift against my heated slit.

The piercing he got right after my birthday is warm, but feels so cool against my heated flesh when he purposefully teases my clit with the pierced head.

“ Cooper ,” I speak his name like a demand through gritted teeth and he has the audacity to chuckle.

Another thing about this passionate version of Cooper is he’s a more patient person in the bedroom too. He enjoys all the noises I make. He enjoys making me need him. He enjoys me whimpering for what we both so desperately need. “Please, Coop. Please just fuck me…”

I don’t even get a chance to ask again before he pushes inside of me.

Whatever words I was going to say next are lost to the moan that is a mix of relief and need.

“Fuck, baby,” he groans as he raises one hand to grip the headboard above me.

His other hand grips my hip and I groan again, knowing this is definitely something we won’t be able to do in a few months.

He pulls back and with all that leverage, he slams into me, making us both let out guttural moans.

I’m sure our downstairs neighbors are getting an audible show they didn’t expect.

He sets a pace with those long, hard thrusts, making my toes curl and my eyes roll back.

My nails dig in and leave angry red trails down his back.

“Fuuuck, you’re tightening up on me, baby…

So fucking wet.” His voice is so rough and it only arouses me more.

His need drives his rough pace that has pleasure coiling inside of me.

Back arches away from the bed with my release building.

When my orgasm finally hits, I know I’m dragging him into oblivion with me.

His eyes roll back just before mine do, and we’re both moaning out through a brilliant climax.

Cooper collapses on top of me some moments later, tucking his face into the curve of my neck.

“I fucking love you, Tegs. Fuck I love you so fucking much.” His voice is laced with all that emotion, causing me to wrap my arms around him.

With one hand moving to cradle the back of his head, I turn just enough to press a tender kiss to his sweat-dampened temple.

Heaven only knows what’s going through his head, but I can feel those thoughts and emotions he doesn’t know how to put into words. “I love you too, baby.”