Read Online The Rebel (The Millionaire Malones Book 3) by Victoria Purman - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Victoria Purman
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stay here with Cooper.’ Maggie looked down at her son’s face. That pout right there was a gold medal winner.
Cooper noticed it too, but wisely said nothing.
‘I know you do, Evan. Cooper is very cool.’ She tried not to notice the grin that split his face. ‘But Cooper needs to rest, too.’
Evan crossed his little arms across his chest and pulled his lips together even tighter. His shouldersstarted to shake and Maggie’s heart wobbled just a little. Cooper looked up at her and could see her indecision.
‘That’s true, matey,’ Cooper added quietly as he put an arm on Evan’s shoulder. ‘I know I seem big and tough, but this knee is starting to hurt and I reckon I have to go to bed real early tonight. Like, maybe, five o’clock.’
Evan sniffed. ‘Five o’clock?’
‘Yeah. It’s not fair, isit? I reckon you’ll have way more fun with Muffin than me. Because I’ll be asleep. Snoozing. Counting sheep. Dreaming.’
‘What will you dream about?’
Maggie didn’t want to notice the quick glance in her direction and the dark look in Cooper’s eyes.
‘I won’t know that until I wake up, will I?’
Evan wiped his cheeks. ‘Okay, I’ll go to Grandma’s.’ He hopped off the sofa and with his chin on hischest, dragged his feet to his room.
Maggie watched him go with a heavy heart.
‘He’ll be okay,’ Cooper said quietly.
‘Of course he will,’ Maggie said with a sniff of her own.
‘Ah, c’mon, Maggie. How many sleepovers has he had at Serena’s? Loads.’
‘I know that,’ she murmured as she heaved a big sigh and wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands.
‘Shit, Maggie. Don’t cry.’
‘I’m not.’
‘IfI could get up I’d hug you,’ Cooper said quietly.
She tousled his hair as she walked past him to go help Evan pack. ‘If you did, I’d smack you.’
*
The house was strangely quiet without Evan. Serena had picked him up half an hour ago, and Maggie had slipped away into her office to finish her work for the day. While she was studyingher spreadsheets, she heard lopsided footsteps in the hallway and the occasional curse word, which made her smile. Cooper was doing as he was told by his doctor and exercising his recovering knee. He was a professional athlete and she knew that his recovery would be methodically laid out for him. On the surface, Cooper may have appeared to be a laconic Aussie, but she knew he’d always been deadlyserious about his career.
He must have gone back to the sofa—or to his bed to lie down—because the cursing and the noises had stopped. Maggie closed up her documents and powered down her computer. She glanced over at the sofa bed and hoped she remembered to get back in it tonight after her middle-of-the-night bathroom break.
Once was an accident. Twice would start to look like wish fulfilment.
*
An hour later, Maggie plonked two pizza boxes on the coffee table and returned from the kitchen with napkins, a wine glass and a bottle of white wine for herself. She set them next to Cooper’s bottle of water and flipped open the lids; the cheesy and delicious aroma made her stomach rumble.
Without another word, Cooper dived in. Heslammed two pieces of Pepperoni together like a sandwich and was munching away in satisfied silence. Maggie grabbed a piece of Hawaiian and devoured it. The creamy mozzarella, the tangy pineapple and the Canadian bacon all combined to hit her tastebuds with a delicious flavour explosion.
‘Mmmm,’ she murmured. ‘That is so good.’ She sat at one end of the sofa, Cooper at the other. He’d managedto get his leg up on the coffee table, propped up by pillows.
Cooper smiled at her between bites. ‘You know the Italians wouldn’t dare put pineapple on their pizzas. It, like, breaks the Italian pizza code or something.’
‘Don’t care,’ Maggie mumbled through another bite. ‘Best. Pizza. Ever.’
Cooper dived in for seconds but instead of grabbing another pepperoni, reached for one of
Cooper noticed it too, but wisely said nothing.
‘I know you do, Evan. Cooper is very cool.’ She tried not to notice the grin that split his face. ‘But Cooper needs to rest, too.’
Evan crossed his little arms across his chest and pulled his lips together even tighter. His shouldersstarted to shake and Maggie’s heart wobbled just a little. Cooper looked up at her and could see her indecision.
‘That’s true, matey,’ Cooper added quietly as he put an arm on Evan’s shoulder. ‘I know I seem big and tough, but this knee is starting to hurt and I reckon I have to go to bed real early tonight. Like, maybe, five o’clock.’
Evan sniffed. ‘Five o’clock?’
‘Yeah. It’s not fair, isit? I reckon you’ll have way more fun with Muffin than me. Because I’ll be asleep. Snoozing. Counting sheep. Dreaming.’
‘What will you dream about?’
Maggie didn’t want to notice the quick glance in her direction and the dark look in Cooper’s eyes.
‘I won’t know that until I wake up, will I?’
Evan wiped his cheeks. ‘Okay, I’ll go to Grandma’s.’ He hopped off the sofa and with his chin on hischest, dragged his feet to his room.
Maggie watched him go with a heavy heart.
‘He’ll be okay,’ Cooper said quietly.
‘Of course he will,’ Maggie said with a sniff of her own.
‘Ah, c’mon, Maggie. How many sleepovers has he had at Serena’s? Loads.’
‘I know that,’ she murmured as she heaved a big sigh and wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands.
‘Shit, Maggie. Don’t cry.’
‘I’m not.’
‘IfI could get up I’d hug you,’ Cooper said quietly.
She tousled his hair as she walked past him to go help Evan pack. ‘If you did, I’d smack you.’
*
The house was strangely quiet without Evan. Serena had picked him up half an hour ago, and Maggie had slipped away into her office to finish her work for the day. While she was studyingher spreadsheets, she heard lopsided footsteps in the hallway and the occasional curse word, which made her smile. Cooper was doing as he was told by his doctor and exercising his recovering knee. He was a professional athlete and she knew that his recovery would be methodically laid out for him. On the surface, Cooper may have appeared to be a laconic Aussie, but she knew he’d always been deadlyserious about his career.
He must have gone back to the sofa—or to his bed to lie down—because the cursing and the noises had stopped. Maggie closed up her documents and powered down her computer. She glanced over at the sofa bed and hoped she remembered to get back in it tonight after her middle-of-the-night bathroom break.
Once was an accident. Twice would start to look like wish fulfilment.
*
An hour later, Maggie plonked two pizza boxes on the coffee table and returned from the kitchen with napkins, a wine glass and a bottle of white wine for herself. She set them next to Cooper’s bottle of water and flipped open the lids; the cheesy and delicious aroma made her stomach rumble.
Without another word, Cooper dived in. Heslammed two pieces of Pepperoni together like a sandwich and was munching away in satisfied silence. Maggie grabbed a piece of Hawaiian and devoured it. The creamy mozzarella, the tangy pineapple and the Canadian bacon all combined to hit her tastebuds with a delicious flavour explosion.
‘Mmmm,’ she murmured. ‘That is so good.’ She sat at one end of the sofa, Cooper at the other. He’d managedto get his leg up on the coffee table, propped up by pillows.
Cooper smiled at her between bites. ‘You know the Italians wouldn’t dare put pineapple on their pizzas. It, like, breaks the Italian pizza code or something.’
‘Don’t care,’ Maggie mumbled through another bite. ‘Best. Pizza. Ever.’
Cooper dived in for seconds but instead of grabbing another pepperoni, reached for one of
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