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“Yep,” Beth said “Mommy loves chocolate”

“Chocolate, got it” With a wink for Shell, he scooted Beth off his lap “Go get your shoes and your jacket”

She was off in a flash bouncing down the hallway

“Thanks for this, Copper”

“Happy to do it, babe You know that princess has got me wrapped”

“She’s got all of you guys wrapped around her fingers”

“Truth”

They fell into silence as they waited on Beth Copper had gotten big news today Shell had to say so As much as she hated Rusty and wasn’t thrilled about his return to Townsend, Copper had no idea of her feelings And Rusty was his beloved can-do-no-wrong little brother For a tiravated assault would knock him from the undeserved pedestal Copper kept him on, but no such luck All five years he’d been a resident of Hotel Penitentiary, Copper had stuck to his guns, telling anyone who asked the case was bullshit “Good news about Rusty, huh?” The words tasted sour on her tongue

Copper lit up Anticipation radiated froht we’d still have a few years before the chance for an early release Best fucking news I’ve had since you moved home”

Her breath caught, and her heart swelled King ofhe said could be the words of one close friend to another Anything deeper she gleaned from it was all in her head

“The guys must be excited”

Copper chuckled “Most are, I think Though not Jig Those two never , he scratched his beard “I know Rusty can be a lot to take, but he’s not a bad guy Shit,” he laughed at himself “I pretty much raised him from the time he was ten Feel more like his pops some time, you know?”

She nodded because it see to do

“Tried to do right by hih His childhood was violent and fucked up with our asshole of a father Then he was orphaned at ten, I moved him away from his home, and beca as well as he is”

Shell couldn’t keep her eyes fro In all the years she’d known Copper, he’d never opened up to her like this Never given her any glis of his brain Over the years she’d heard snippets about Copper’s father being a vicious drug dealer in Ireland, but that was as far as the gossip went

Must have been hard for Copper to take on a ten year old who’d had a violent and unstable upbringing for the better part of his life Even harder to care enough to try and turn that life around Part of her understood Copper’s blind love and support of Rusty a little one beyond the bond of brotherhood Copper felt responsible for Rusty, and probably guilty for Rusty’s rough situation as a kid