Damaged and the Beast (Damaged #1)

Cooper pulled into a wooded cul-de-sac then parked in one of the driveways.

“If you take care of our kids the way you took care of your tables at work, they’ll always be clean and well stocked.”

Laughing, I rolled my eyes. “I take pride in my work.”

“Yes, and you’ll take pride in being a mother. Just because you came from shit doesn’t mean you’re shit. You’re so much better than what you’ve known and I bet you’ll be a fucking awesome mom.”

“And you’ll be an amazing dad.”

“Hell yeah. I’m great with kids. I have this talent where I listen to them babble, but not too closely so I don’t lose my mind.”

Laughing again, I looked around. “Where are we?”

Grinning, Cooper opened his door then waited for me to walk around and join him.

“The guy who owns this house is looking to ditch it quick. Pop said it’s a solid house. It just needs character. Basically, the whole inside is a beige turd. Plus, it’ll need new floors and stuff. Let’s go inside.”

Holding Cooper’s hand, I followed him up to the front door. Big and beautiful, the house felt empty and unloved. The lawn was overgrown with as much weeds as grass. Still, the large window above the front door was stunning.

“So your dad wants this house?” I asked, following him into the two-story foyer.

“Baby, what’s my pop going to do with a little house like this?”

“Little? It’s huge.”

“For suburbia, but my parents wouldn’t live here. It’s for us.”

“You want to live here?” I asked, breathing too fast.

“Now, I know it’s bare bones and beige up the ass, but use your imagination.”

Cooper tugged me towards double doors leading into a room. For some reason, one of the doors was painted red.

“This would be our office. Imagine two desks and all of your school stuff in here. You can shut the door and study when you get home from school.”

Smiling full of panicked excitement, I stumbled along as Cooper led me to a nearby room with a missing light and torn up carpet.

“This is supposed to be the dining room. I don’t see the point of a dining room, but I guess if we have a lot of people over, we can stick them in here.”

Next, Cooper showed me the small guest bathroom then a room adjacent to the two-story family room.

“I wasn’t sure what to do with this room when I looked around earlier. Then, I was thinking about how the basement can be fixed up and made into a game room. A man cave is what guys call it. So if I get a man cave, you need a chick cave so I thought we could make this room for you. A quiet spot where you can watch TV or read or do whatever you want.”

Saying nothing, I just smiled like crazy while trying to imagine myself in this big house. Cooper directed me to the family room where more carpet was torn up.

“This guy and his friends trashed the place, but we can paint and put in new floors. The kitchen is a decent size and we’ll make that nice too. Clean the whole place up and make it just like we want.”

“You want to live in the suburbs?” I asked, standing in the kitchen with my hands on the island.

“No, but I want to live with you in the suburbs. My girl has a dream and I want it to come true. One day, we’ll build that big house in the woods. For now, we can live here. It’s not far from the college and stores. It’s big enough for us, Tawny, and a kid or two. I can’t bring all of my dogs, but a few will fit. It’ll be comfortable. Unless you don’t like it?”

“Coop, when Tawny and I daydreamed about living somewhere nice, we never dreamed of something this nice.”

Grinning, he sighed. “I wasn’t sure you could see past all the fucked up carpet and shit. It’s a solid house though. Pop’s right about that. It’s in a nice quiet area with families. You could feel safe here. Now, let me show you upstairs.”

We walked up one of the two staircases to a walkway. “The first thing we’d have to do,” Cooper said, frowning, “is paint this fucking place. I can’t stand beige. It looks like old dog shit.”

“I don’t care what color the walls are. This house is amazing.”

Cooper stopped walking and crossed his arms. “It might not be the right house though. Standing up here, I’m not sure I like it as much as I thought.”

Panic struck me because I was already imagining this as our house. I pictured a life with Cooper and our family here, but now he was changing his mind.

“Why are you crying, baby?” he asked, wiping my cheeks. “We’ll find another house.”

“Okay.”

“But you like this one.”

“I really do, but if you don’t like it, we’ll find something else.”

Cooper kissed me softly. “I was just fucking with you. I love the house too.”

Wiping away the tears, I glared at him. “Why would you fuck with me like that?”