Read Cooper (The Family Simon Book 6) for Free Online Page A

horse sleep in your bed? I’ll bet Charlie isn’t too happy about that.”
    Maverick made a face. “She’s the one who invited the bloody thing in when it whined all night a few weeks back. Said it was cruel to leave him in the cage. Now as soon as we turn the lights out, he’s in our bed before we even make it up the stairs.”
    “And how’s that working for ya?” Cooper smiled wickedly. “I didn’t take you for an exhibitionist.”
    “What?” Maverick looked confused, but only for a moment. He cupped the hot mug between his hands and blew on the hot liquid. “Trust me. I’m not getting naked anywhere near that dog. You see the size of his paws?”
    “Huge.”
    “Damn right they’re huge. And what do dogs like to do?”
    Cooper chuckled. “Fetch balls?”
    “You got it.” Maverick’s face split open in a grin. “I don’t want Stanley anywhere near my baby-making balls.”
    “I hear ya, brother.” Cooper started to take another sip from his coffee and froze. “What did you say?”
    Maverick’s grin was still very much in place. “I said exactly what you think I said.”
    Cooper tossed his coffee mug over the railing and grabbed his brother in a bear hug. The two men hugged like guys do, a quick hard embrace followed by a heavy pat on the shoulder. Afterward, Cooper and Maverick stood in silence and watched Stanley rip into the bone. This was a big deal. Cooper knew that Maverick and Charlie had been trying to have a baby for a few years now. And that Charlie had suffered a miscarriage in her fourth month just last fall.
    Cooper let Maverick have as much time as he needed, and eventually, his brother cleared his throat, though when he spoke, it wasn’t hard to hear the emotion he was feeling.
    “She’s just past the first trimester, and I know Charlie is a little stressed heading into these next few weeks, but the doctor says everything looks good, and there’s no reason to think she won’t carry this child to term.”
    Cooper was going to be an uncle. Pretty damn sweet. “Have you told Mom yet?”
    Rick shook his head. “Nope. Gonna wait until next week.”
    Cooper frowned. “Why next week?” The smile on his brother’s face put Cooper on alert.
    “Because she’s coming out here for Easter.”
    “Easter?” Cooper jumped down the steps and retrieved his coffee mug. “It’s only March. Hell, St. Patrick’s day is this weekend.”
    “Easter’s early this year.”
    “Huh.” Son of a bitch. Cooper glanced up at his brother. “She’s not staying with me.” He loved his mother. He really did. But the woman was high-strung, overly dramatic, and a general pain in the ass. She liked to ride him for a lot of the choices he made, which he found ironic considering pretty much every choice she’d made since the day their father had passed was a bad one. Still, she liked to poke in his business. Mostly because she had no idea what his business was, and he was okay with that. The general public thought of him as a wealthy playboy, and he didn’t give a shit.
    But he didn’t need to hear it from his mother. He got along better with her when they had space between them.
    “I figured you’d say that.” Maverick looked pained. “Don’t worry about it. Charlie’s already insisted she stay with us.”
    “Is she bringing Teddy?” Ever since their father died, their mother had become a career divorcée. She was currently involved with a much younger man.
    Maverick shook his head. “Nah. She’s on her own. I talked to Calista yesterday, and I think there’s trouble in paradise.”
    Cooper wasn’t surprised. “Again.”
    “Again,” Maverick repeated.
    Cooper frowned. “What’s going on with Calista these days? She called a few days ago, and I returned the message but haven’t heard back.”
    Maverick handed Cooper his empty cup. “Seems our little sister has filed for divorce.”
    What was there to say to that? Cooper had seen the writing on the wall since Calista’s wedding day