Read The Rebel (The Millionaire Malones Book 3) for Free Online Page B

was nestled in between them, freshly washed and smelling like soap, his hair stuck up all over, and with chocolate chip cookie crumbs all over his Spiderman PJs. The kid was in heaven. Maggie was sipping on some chilled whitewine while Cooper stuck to water, thanks to the post-op medication he was still taking.
    They’d been watching a DVD of old cartoons, and Cooper wasn’t sure who got more of a kick out of them—him or Evan.
    ‘This takes me back. You know what, Evan?’
    Evan wriggled and turned to Cooper with wide eyes. ‘No, what?’
    ‘In the olden days, I used to watch these with my brother when I got home from school.’

    ‘You got a brother?’ Evan asked still wide-eyed.
    ‘Remember? I’ve got a twin brother. His name’s Callum. And I’ve got an older brother, too. Chris.’
    ‘Two brothers. Wow.’
    Cooper got a huge kick out of the fact that Evan seemed to be in awe of everything about him. Hell, he could fix him up scrambled eggs on toast and the kid thought he was Jamie Oliver.
    ‘I don’t have any brothers or sisters.I’m a lonely child.’
    ‘I think you mean only child, sweetie.’ Maggie tousled his hair, not looking at Cooper, not even to share a secret smile about the mispronunciation.
    Evan shrugged. ‘Lots of my friends at school have big brothers and little brothers.’
    Maggie checked her watch and stood up, reaching for Evan’s hand. ‘And I bet they all have the same bedtime as you. C’mon mister. It’s timeto brush those teeth and go to bed.’
    ‘Aw, Mommy. Can I watch one more cartoon with Cooper? Please?’
    Maggie looked at Cooper and he understood the plea in her eyes. She was tired. Her shoulders slumped and there were shadows on her face. He hadn’t quite realised before how hard being a single mom must be for her, combined with working from home and everything else that came her way. He had alwaysbeen around for the fun bits—the outdoor barbeques, the swimming with Evan, the cartoons, the soccer games and the bike rides—but there was routine and order and organisation about having a kid that had always been hers to handle alone. He wondered if Maggie was ever lonely, doing this all by herself. Sure, she had her mother and they were close, and he did whatever he could when he was in town,but at night, when Evan was in bed, she would have spent many nights sitting on this sofa alone.
    And something seemed wrong with the universe when a woman like Maggie Mac was all alone on a Saturday night. If only he was around more he could make sure she wasn’t, but his life was on the road.
    Cooper patted Evan on the shoulder. ‘You know what, mate?’
    Evan turned his rapt attention to the bigman sitting next to him. Cooper leaned down to whisper in his ear.
    ‘See this sore leg of mine? If I want to get better, I’m going to have to spend a lot of time right here on the sofa. And you know what that means?’
    ‘No?’ Evan whispered back so fiercely that Maggie heard every word.
    ‘Lots more time for you and me to watch Pepé Le Pew and Foghorn Leghorn and the Tasmanian Devil.’
    ‘What’s theTasananium Devil?’
    ‘I’ll show you tomorrow, but right now, you need to do what your mom says and scoot off to bed.’
    ‘But Cooper Cooper Cooper? Will you be here when I wake up tomorrow?’
    ‘Sure will, mate.’
    Evan jumped off the sofa, landing with a little boy thud, and ran off to the bathroom, his voice echoing in the hallway. ‘Cool!’
    Maggie rubbed her eyes and sighed a big, sleepy sigh. ‘Thankyou.’
    ‘You’re welcome.’
    ‘I’ll just get him to bed and I’ll be back. Can I get you anything … another water?’
    ‘I’ll be fine,’ he said and he watched Maggie walk to her son with a strange feeling lodged in his throat.
    His own mother had been dead a long time, so long that the sound of her voice was now a distant memory. When she’d died, Cooper’s world had shifted and split apart. His fatherwas cold and distant and spent most of his