Page 126 of Play the Game
Jo barks out a laugh, looping her arm through Jordan’s and looking at Evan. “Did you know?”
Evan grins, sliding an arm around my waist. “Sure did. Cooper makes a mean bagel.”
Jordan narrows his eyes at her. “Like, he does a good job toasting them?”
Evan’s grin turns wicked. “No, like, he does a good job making them from scratch. With flour and yeast and whatever else goes into bagels.”
I shrug when everyone looks at me. “Homemade is better.”
My mom hands Emmy to Hannah and then laughs so hard she wheezes. “You are the youngest child of my dreams,” she manages, looking at me. She points to my open cabinet with the built-in secret door. “That where you keep your stash?” she asks wryly.
I shrug again. “Couldn’t risk anyone finding my supplies. This kind of lie takes effort.”
My mom nods at me, her lips tipping up. “Respect, Cooper. I don’t think I have ever been prouder of one of my children in all my years of parenting.”
“Right?” Evan says, beaming up at me proudly. “Talk about iconic.”
“It was the video games, right?” my mom asks. “You realized pretty quickly if you sucked in the kitchen, I would kick you out and make your brothers do it all, and for the time it took them, you wouldn’t have to fight anyone for the controllers.”
Laughing again, I step over and kiss her head. “How do you know everything?”
She smirks at me. “I’m a very, very good mom.”
“Not so good you didn’t realize Cooper has been fucking with us for, like, his whole life,” Elliot says.
My mom swings her gaze to him. “You want to try that again?”
Elliot blows out a breath. “You’re the best mom ever. No mom in the world has ever been better than you.”
She nods with a grin. “Bet your ass. Well, Cooper, you win the coveted favorite child award today on account of more than two decades of deception. That takes a kind of creativity and brilliance I’m positive you learned from me.”
All three of my brothers’ mouths drop open in unison. “He’s not even going to get in trouble?” Elliot asks. “That’s, like, twenty-three years of lies. Twenty-three years of setting tables instead of cooking like the rest of us. Asshole,” he says, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Damn straight,” Noah mutters
Amelia snorts. “El, I think you forgot for a second that you guys are all adults.”
“And also, that you all love to cook.” Hannah grins at me, amusement all over her face.
“Especially for us.” Jo grins up at Jordan.
“That’s besides the point,” Noah grumbles.
Jordan rolls his eyes. “Definitely besides the point.”
My mom links an arm through mine. “Oh, he’s in trouble, alright.” She looks up at me. “I’m proud of you, you little shit. And you gave me a grandchild this week, so I’m feeling magnanimousenough to only make you cook midnight breakfast for all of us, all alone, for a year.”
“Wait, Evan knew, and she kept the secret too.” I toss my girlfriend straight under the bus without a qualm. “I think she should have to help me.”
The eyebrow Evan raises says, very clearly,No fucking way,and I give her a cheeky wink.
My mom gives me a cool stare. “I’m sure you didn’t just volunteer the mother of your child for kitchen duty. Be so for real right now, Cooper.”
I shrug. “It was worth a try.”
Emmy chooses that moment to let out a soft cry, and my mom smirks at me. “Your own daughter seems to disagree.”
Cece scoops Emmy from Hannah’s arms, cuddling her close. “What do you think, Emmy girl?” she says as she walks into the living room. “Greatest family in the world, right?”
