“I honestly don’t know what you’re capable of,” I tell her as I click the cuffs in place.
As soon as they’re secure I call Juno, but it goes straight to voicemail. I send Luca a text asking him where the fuck he is and how far he is from the house. When I rode past the Peterson house earlier, I didn’t see Paula’s car. Now I’m wondering where the fuck she is and what the fuck she’s up to.
When my text to Luca doesn’t go through, I curse and try to call Juno again. Once again it goes straight to voicemail, and I want to squeeze my phone into a million pieces. In the distance I hear sirens. Terrance must have sent a patrol car out on red alert. With help on the way, I hop in my car and race toward town.
I just hope I’m not too late for whatever it is Paula has planned.
Chapter Ten
Juno
“You’re not mad at me?” I’m sitting on the kitchen counter swinging my legs back and forth as I talk to Lux on the phone. She’s my best friend and has helped me through the darkest times in my life. I love her and don’t want to damage our friendship because I’m with her brother.
“Are you kidding me? We’re going to be sisters! This is awesome. Why would I be mad?” She says, and I didn’t realize how worried I was until the relief washes over me.
“I don’t know. I didn’t tell you about my crush, so I know this might be coming out of nowhere.”
“I saw the way my brother looked at you when he thought no one was around. Not to mention how his mood would change.” She laughs. “I never thought this day would come, but I think the oddest thing about all of this will be finally seeing Cooper with a woman.”
I bite my lip because I’m kind of happy about that fact. We live in a small town, and the last thing I want is to be around other women he’s dated. Even with Paula, Cooper told me they’d only gone to a dance together in high school, and I’m still annoyed. Nothing ever happened with them, not even a goodnight kiss, and I don’t want to hear about it.
“I think the whole town is going to be shocked that straight-laced Cooper is dating the girl with ever-changing hair and a nose ring.” Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s my immediate thought.
Honestly, I don’t think anyone knows Cooper better than I do. If people knew what he says behind closed doors they’d fall over dead. My body heats, thinking about all the dirty things he says in my ear while he’s inside me.
“They’ll be happy,” Lux says, pulling my mind out of the gutter. “They love Cooper and want him to be happy. I know you don’t believe it, but that town loves you too, Juno.”
I don’t tell her about the brick going through the front of my store because I don’t want her to worry. Someone around here clearly doesn't like me, but I do believe her. After that party they threw for me at the diner, I'm starting to get it. I think my fear of not belonging has held me back in a lot of ways, even with Cooper. He thought I didn’t like Pink Springs and was sure I’d try and leave one day, when in reality it’s the only place I’ve ever felt at home.
“You two should come up soon so we can do wedding stuff. This is going to be perfect.” She lets out another squeal and then we laugh.
We talk a bit longer before saying our goodbyes, and I jump down from the kitchen counter. I run my hand along the cool stone and think about how much time I’ve spent in this house. It’s crazy that it's now going to be my home. Cooper made it very clear that we’d already lost a couple months and he’s not spending another night without me in his bed.
That man is an adorable nut. When he had to run out for work, he told me to make a list of things that could be changed and updated around here, but I’m not sure if I can do that. When he went on talking about where my art studio could go, I had tears in my eyes. He wants this to be our home and to reflect us. I’ll start a list, but I want him to do it with me. I know a fight is going to be coming, though, because I’ll want to use my own money for some things. The only person who really knows about my inheritance from my parents is Lux. People can act weird when they find out what’s in your bank account, but I have a feeling Cooper won’t care.