“I think I have an idea what you felt.” Cooper gently brushed her hair away from her face and then cupped her chin. “I’ve seen you go down a time or two, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“I know.” She managed a rueful smile. “It’s easier when I’m the one who is hurt, though.”
“Only for you.”
“I still prefer it when it’s me.”
“Well, I don’t.” He snagged her around the waist and tugged her to his lap. He would’ve preferred if she’d stripped down when he did, but there was still time. “Tell me about your trip to the hospital. You’ve been pretty quiet on the subject.”
Hannah’s eyebrows drew together as she got comfortable, enjoying the feeling of Cooper’s skin as she ran her hand over his chiseled chest. “It was ... odd.”
He waited a beat. When she didn’t expand, he hiked an eyebrow. “I think I’m going to need more than that.”
“Bettina is weird.”
“That’s a given. I’m going to need more than that, too.”
Hannah related the trip to him in halting terms. She seemed to be running a bevy of things through her mind, and by the time she was finished, she boasted a serious expression. “Boone hates her.”
“Do you really blame him for that?” Cooper used his most reasonable tone. “I mean, from Boone’s perspective, Bettina is basically torturing Angel. That girl is captive in her own mind.”
“I don’t blame him. I just ... don’t think it’s going to lead to anything good.”
“What do you mean?” He was honestly curious. “Do you think Boone is going to do something to her? If that’s what you’re worried about, don’t. Boone wouldn’t hurt Bettina because that means he would be hurting Angel in the process.”
“I don’t think he’ll hurt her unless he has no choice. The thing is, it feels as if he’s gearing himself up to take her on.”
“That’s probably because he’s upset. He won’t do anything to hurt our prospects against Amelia. He knows better.”
“I hope you’re right.” Hannah rested her head against Cooper’s shoulder. “I can’t decide if Bettina has no feelings or if they’ve simply been blunted because she’s lived for so long.”
“Maybe she never had feelings.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t seem right. She risked herself from the start to entomb Amelia in a dark place, knowing the whole while that she’d be endangering herself, too. She made the hard decision.”
“She did. That doesn’t mean she feels a specific way about what she did. She’s profoundly rational. That could be what we’re dealing with here ... an extremely rational individual who understands the greater good but can’t emotionally engage on the same level we do.”
“Doesn’t that make her a bad person?”
Cooper hesitated and then shrugged. “I don’t necessarily think she’s a good person. She is the one fighting for the outcome we want, though. That means we have no choice but to work with her.”
“Yeah.” Hannah stretched out her legs, weariness suddenly overtaking her. Despite that, there was one other thing she wanted to talk about before they retired for the evening. “I want you to move in with me.”
Cooper couldn’t hide his shock. “What?”
“I want you to move in with me.” She was firm. “Or ... I want us to live together. If you think your place is better, we can move there. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me given our work situation, though.
“You rent,” she continued, barreling forward and not giving him a chance to respond. “If you move in with me, you can save that money. The apartment isn’t overly big but there are storage rooms where we can stash some of your stuff so that won’t be an issue.”
He was quiet a moment. Too quiet. Hannah was fearful when she flicked her eyes to him. “Unless you think it’s a bad idea,” she said lamely.
The vulnerability radiating off of her was enough to loosen his tongue. “Baby, I want to be with you. We spend every night together as it is, though. You don’t have to invite me here before you’re ready.”
“I’m ready.”
“I ... .”
“What are you worried about?” she prodded, opting to take control of the conversation. “Do you think things between us are going to change?”
He vigorously shook his head. “Absolutely not. I know I’m going to love you forever.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that I’m afraid you’re only extending the invitation because you think something bad is going to happen to you. I don’t want you making these plans because you think things are going to go badly. I want you to want me here.”
“I do want you here.” She was fervent. “I’ve never wanted anything more. I want to build a life with you.”
“Then I want to move in.” He cracked a smile. “I was actually trying to figure out a way to broach the subject, too. I’m kind of glad you were the one to make the offer because otherwise I would’ve looked pushy.”
“Not you.” She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him hard. “I love you.”
He held her tight. “I love you. As for moving in together, I think it’s the logical next step.” He was silent for a beat and then continued. “The apartment is fine for now. Eventually we’re going to want a bigger place, though. Have you given that any consideration?”
Hannah nodded. “I have a dream.”
Cooper snorted. “You have a dream? What sort of dream?”
“I was thinking, eventually, that we could build a house.”
“Here in town?”
“Not exactly. I don’t like the idea of tourists trying to wander in. I was thinking it would make more sense to build down by the creek. That way we would still be close but also have our privacy.”
He rubbed his chin, considering. “Actually, that’s a pretty neat idea. You love that area. I happen to be pretty fond of it, too.”
“And we both know Jinx loves the creek.”
“Definitely.” He brushed his lips against her chin, his mind already working overtime. “I actually really like this idea. You know we can’t start drawing up plans or anything until after the Bettina situation is handled, right?”
“I know. It’s still nice to dream.”
“It is.” He moved his hands to her ribs and started tickling, causing her to gasp. “I think this might be the best day of my life.”
“You were almost killed by a demon,” she reminded him.
“And yet it’s still the best day of my life.” He planted his lips against hers. “How about we take this into the bedroom and continue dreaming? I can start making plans to terminate my lease tomorrow. It shouldn’t take more than a few trips to transfer all my stuff here.”
“Does that mean you’re going to move in right away?”
He nodded. “You’re my home. You’ve been my home from the start. I just want to be with you.”
“Then we should definitely continue the dreaming in there.” She pointed toward the bedroom. “The rest of it will work itself out.”
Cooper nodded. He wholeheartedly agreed. “I can’t wait to live with you.”
“Then we should start right now.”
“You read my mind.”
11
Eleven
Hannah roused first for a change, the sun filtering through the blinds and causing her to blink several times in rapid succession. It took her a moment to remember where she was and who she was with since the dream she emerged from had her back in Michigan. It was a relief to find Cooper next to her, still slumbering.
She watched him, grinning at the lines of his face. His morning stubble made him even more attractive, almost criminally so, and she trailed her finger over his square jaw as she considered the track her life had taken.
She never thought her current life was possible. As a child, when she dreamed of how things would be, a cosplay western town was never part of the deal. Cooper definitely wasn’t part of the deal. A cowboy —
something she called him when she was in the mood to tease him — wasn’t part of her plan. A prince she could’ve handled when she was younger. A smooth-talking lawyer or charismatic actor was more her speed as a teenager. Adult Hannah had fallen head over heels for a modern cowboy, though, and she couldn’t have been happier with the turn of events.
“What are you thinking?” Cooper murmured as he stirred next to her. His eyes remained closed, but his hand automatically moved to her back so he could rub his fingers over her spine.
“I’m thinking that ... I was an idiot for not wanting you.”
Slowly, Cooper forced his eyes open. He seemed confused. “That’s kind of a weird insult,” he said after a beat.
Hannah laughed. “I don’t mean that in the way you think I mean that,” she said hurriedly. “I just meant that ... I didn’t know I wanted you.”
He wrinkled his nose as he regarded her, uncertain. “Well ... okay.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “You know you want me now, right?”
She bobbed her head, solemn. “I’ve never wanted anything more than you.”
“Good. I feel the same way.”
“When I was a kid, I thought I wanted to marry a prince,” she continued, grinning when he rolled his eyes. “That’s a girl thing, in case you’re wondering. When I was six, I wanted to live in a castle. I thought I would marry a handsome prince and we would spend the rest of our lives dancing.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Dancing?”
“Yes, I thought all happy people danced when I was a kid. That’s what Disney movies taught me.”
“Huh.” He grinned as he stared into her eyes. “We can dance if you want.”
“Oh, yeah?” Hannah was amused despite herself. “I didn’t know you liked dancing.”
“I’m not a professional or anything, but I can keep a beat as long as the song is slow.”
“Oh, so no line dancing.”
He immediately started shaking his head. “Definitely no line dancing. I think the entire concept of a line dance is evil and wrong.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I said so.”
“Oh, well, you said so.” Hannah snuggled closer, enjoying the easygoing pace of the conversation. “If you say so, then I guess I have to agree, huh?”
“I like slow dancing,” he explained, refusing to let her bait him into an argument, faux or otherwise. “I like the idea of holding you and swaying to the music.”
“Maybe we can do it next to the creek when we eventually build a house, huh?”
He smiled “I knew it wouldn’t be long before you brought that up,” he said, sliding lower between the sheets so he could stare directly into her eyes. “What kind of house do you want?”
Hannah balked. “I thought we agreed that we shouldn’t talk about it until all of this is over.”
“I don’t think we should make any plans,” Cooper hedged. “I didn’t say we shouldn’t dream. Life isn’t worth anything if you can’t dream.”
“True.” She rested her chin against his chest and tilted her head so she could stare directly into his eyes. “What kind of house do you want?”
“I want what you want.”
“Oh, no.” She was firm as she shook her head. “We’re doing this together. That’s the whole point, right? We’re planning a life together. I think that means we have to plan every little thing out together.”
“Every little thing, huh?”
Cooper’s lips curved. “What sort of little things are you considering?”
Hannah knew he was teasing her, but she didn’t care. “Well, for starters, what direction do we want the house to face?”
“Why is that important?”
“Because, if we put our bedroom on the east side of the house then the sun will shine directly in our room and wake us up if we don’t have good blinds or curtains. On the flip side, if we put the living room on the west side, the way the sun sets could hit the television screen wrong and we’ll never be able to comfortably watch a movie.”
He stared at her, dumbfounded.
“What?” Hannah asked, suddenly self-conscious. “What did I say?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “It’s just ... you’ve given this a lot of thought. I think it’s kind of cute.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” She wrinkled her nose. “The house I rented in Michigan was older. There was only one electrical outlet in the living room. It was an issue because that meant the television was on the wrong side of the house and I couldn’t watch it between certain hours of the day because I had crappy curtains.”
“Oh.” Cooper let loose an amused chuckle. “I guess you haven’t been dreaming about living with me as I hoped after all, huh?”
Hannah was instantly contrite. “No, I have. I’ve thought about it a million times over since we started dating.”
“You have?”
She was hesitant but nodded. “Haven’t you?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
A quick jolt of disappointment rushed through Hannah. “Oh, well ... that’s okay.” She forced a bright smile as she tried to roll away from him. “We should get dressed and head downstairs.”
“Hold up.” Cooper snagged her around the waist before she could exit the bed. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“You didn’t hurt my feelings,” Hannah said hurriedly. “I’m just hungry. Boone is bringing breakfast, right?” She refused to make eye contact.
“Hannah.” He hugged her tightly, hating himself for ruining their cuddly morning. “I didn’t mean that the way you think I meant it.”
“It’s fine.” She desperately wanted to escape from the conversation. “I’m just being a schmaltzy idiot. Ignore me.”
“I happen to love that you’re a schmaltzy idiot,” he said hurriedly. “I mean ... I absolutely love it. I’m a schmaltzy idiot, too. I just meant that I didn’t think about living with you because I convinced myself it was too soon and I would frighten you if I mentioned anything of the sort.”
Hannah stopped squirming and fixed him with a wary look. “Why did you think that?”
He shrugged, noncommittal. “I don’t know. I just did. I mean ... you were engaged before. You were hurt by that guy. The last thing I wanted was to compound the issue.”
“You’re not Michael.” Hannah was matter-of-fact. “You would never hurt me the way he did.”
“I know that. However, it would only be natural if you didn’t know that after what he did to you.” He shifted and captured her chin so she would have no choice but to keep her eyes on him. “I love you. I think I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you.”
“Let’s not go overboard,” she said dryly, pinning him with a serious look.
He laughed. “I’m not going overboard. I felt something the second I saw you. That doesn’t change the fact that I want you to feel comfortable with me. While I had grand thoughts of a vague future down the road, I didn’t allow myself to dream in specifics because I didn’t think you were there yet.”
“No?” Hannah chewed on her bottom lip. “What do you think now?”
“I think you’re the most important thing in the world to me. I want to build a home with you. I’m looking forward to the process. We don’t have to rush things, though. The apartment is big enough for us to be comfortable for an extended period of time. And, just for the record, building a house isn’t something that happens overnight. It will be at least a year — and that’s at a minimum — and more likely two years before we have a house.”
“Really?” Hannah made a face. “Well, that’s no fun. You sure know how to suck the life out of a conversation about dreams, don’t you?”
Cooper snorted. “I’m trying to be a realist. Living with you is already a dream, Hannah. I’ve never been happier. I want you to know that.”
“Even though I’m likely to drive you crazy?” She was serious. “You know Jinx isn’t going anywhere, right? He’s
mean to you sometimes, but he has to come with us.”
“Of course he’s coming with us.” Cooper’s smile was rueful. “Jinx is part of the family. He’s getting used to me. When he sees the new house we’re going to build for him, I’ll be his favorite person.”
“After me.”
“No, I’m going to usurp you.”
Hannah laughed at his serious expression and then sobered. “I’m really glad we’re doing this. I know that things are up in the air because of Bettina and Amelia, but it feels good to have a firm plan on the other side of this. It’s something to look forward to.”
“It is,” Cooper agreed. “You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to it. You and me, we’re going to be happy forever. Mark my words.”
“I don’t have to mark your words because I already feel the same way.” She wrapped herself around him. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” His voice was a soft whisper against her ear. “It won’t be long. We’ll figure this out, send Bettina and Amelia to wherever it is they need to go to rest forever, and then go back to living our lives.”
“That sounds like a plan to me.”
“Good, because I mean it. We will figure this out. I won’t stop until we do.”
BOONE HAD LINDSEY WITH HIM AGAIN when he arrived with breakfast. The teenager was even more sullen than she had been the previous day, to the point where she took her breakfast to another table and proceeded to eat by herself rather than engage in conversation with the rest of the group.
Hannah opened her mouth to call Lindsey back, but Boone shook his head to stop her.
“She wants to pout,” Boone explained. “She’s in one of those teenage moods that drives fathers crazy. I refuse to kowtow or beg her to join us. It’s simply not going to happen.”
Hannah nodded in understanding. She wasn’t a mother, but she knew Boone was doing what he thought best for his daughter. “Well, okay, um ... we have some news.” She decided to redirect the conversation.
All the Pretty Witches (A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Book 6) Page 11
