Page 84 of Enticed

“What? Why? And why are you calling me about it?”

Kane blows out a breath and I can hear him growl. “Tony called me to come pick her up since he wasn’t sure calling you was the best idea. But I’m home with the girls and don’t want to leave them. I know things are weird between you two right now, but I don’t want her driving obviously and you and I both know Ubering drunk is risky. Do you think you could go pick her up? Putting your differences aside right now, just thinking about her safety?”

I close my eyes and mutter, “Fuck. Really? She’s fucking drunk?”

“Tony said it’s the worst he’s ever seen her.”

“Then why did he let her get that way?”

“Uh, he said he cut her off, but one of the other bartenders kept pouring her shots…”

I huff. “Fine. I’ll get her. But you owe me one, Kane.”

“I’m pretty sure you owe me a few too, Cooper,” he jokes. “But thank you. Evelyn is sleeping in my arms right now and I just can’t put her down,” he coos into the line and I just shake my head.

“Women. They suck you in and never let you go,” I mumble.

“You have no idea. Thanks though, man. We’ll talk soon. Hopefully Clara is alright.”

“Yeah. Talk to you later,” I say before ending the call and fetching my keys.

As I drive across town to Tony’s, my anger comes back, hitting me hard and making my hands shake as I try to grip the steering wheel. If I would have known that texting her would make her drink again, I would have phrased things differently. But fuck, I just wanted her to realize that this was her fault and she has the power to make things right again.

And then I’m pissed because this is how she chose to deal with it. As much as she says us together is what she wants, she’s resorting back to behavior that got us into this mess in the first place.

I’m seething by the time I arrive, jumping down out of my truck and slamming the door shut, looking around the parking lot at all the cars, knowing this place has to be packed tonight. I open the wooden door to the bar and stop dead in my tracks, never expecting to see what was before me.

An empty bar.

Chapter 29

Clara

“Is he coming?” I ask with wide eyes as Kane disconnects the call.

“Yeah, he’s not happy about it though,” he replies with a smirk on his face.

“Well, I didn’t expect him to be, but that’s what will make his reaction to this even more worthwhile,” I smile back.

“Are you sure about this, Clara?” Liv comes up beside me with Evelyn in her arms. Kane reaches for the baby and places her on his strong chest, encircling her in his hands.

“Yes. It’s perfect. It will totally catch him off-guard. Okay everyone, we probably only have about ten minutes, so I need you all to go in the back until I call you out,” I wave off the surrounding people to move.

“This is so romantic. If he doesn’t forgive you after this, I’ll disown him as my child,” Liv and Cooper’s mom comes up behind me and wraps her arm around my shoulder.

“Good to know I have your support, Mama Walsh. Let’s just hope he does and this can all be over soon, okay?”

She kisses me on the cheek and then moves to leave, joining the others in the back of the bar. “He will, honey. He’s been miserable and you surprising him like this will be something he can’t deny. This is what you needed to do, and I can see your bravery returning. Why you ever doubted yourself and your ability to love in the first place, I’ll never understand. But I’m so proud of you for taking control of your life again. My son is lucky to have a woman like you.”

“Let’s just hope he still wants me. But thank you, Mama,” I hug her once more before she retreats to hiding.

I veer around the empty bar—a room full of wooden stools and chairs, neon light signs in the windows, pool tables and a jukebox in one corner, and the long oak bar extending along the main wall—a room that would normally be buzzing with conversation and laughter on a Thursday night.

Instead, the place is a ghost town—because when Cooper finally arrives and sees it empty, I’ll be here to surprise him.

When I received his text the other night while I was in Boston, everything clicked. I know that giving him gifts and notes wasn’t going to be enough to persuade him to forgive me, but I knew that it would help soften his feelings to the situation. I had been almost a week and I hadn’t heard anything from him, so sending him the picture of the walkway in Boston was risky, but it finally gave me the response I needed.

He told me that I didn’t know what I really wanted yet, because if I did, I’d know what I needed to do. Little did he know, this plan was already in the works. Cooper needs me to declare my feelings for him out loud, and I’ve always known that was the solution to our problem. So tonight, I’m going to sweep him off his feet with a public declaration of my love in front of everyone we know.

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